Fortunately, the kitchen was equipped with most of the ingredients that Nora needed for the cake she had in mind. The only thing missing was icing sugar, and so she had sent her brother and mother off to buy the extra ingredients, glad to be without their critical eye, as she turned on the oven.
Having made eggless cakes for almost 5 years for her stepmother, she knew exactly what she needed to do, and set to work immediately. The family would lose the venue in just over an hour, and so when she had insisted on creating a simple cake, she had meant it.

She envisioned a Victoria sponge, sandwiched together with a layer of raspberry jam and buttercream. Anita and Leo were also in charge of buying the jam, but until they arrived, it would mean the cake had time to cool. A second novelty of baking a cake was that if all went to plan, the cakes would be baked to perfection, and she should have enough cooling time for her to pipe on the white rosettes, that would make the dessert look more wedding-y. Or that was what she had hoped.

Ali and Millie had joined her ten minutes ago, and she'd shot them both dirty looks when they attempted to speak. Her red dress was covered in flour, and she was currently sitting on the floor, watching the batter bubble in the oven, praying her stare would quicken the process. It was the fastest she had ever baked, but she couldn't deny the thrill of the feeling. It was as if she thrived off it, and when the timer buzzed, she promptly stabbed the cakes, delighted to see that they had cooked through.

After turning them out onto plates, she sourced a chopping board and began to fan, as her friends joined her at the table.
"They look really good," Millie complimented as Nora released a small grin. "Very fluffy,"

"Well I should hope so, this recipe is full proof," She confessed, "How many people would you say are still here? This should feed sixty...forty-five if you wanted to offer generous slices,"

"The dancing has begun so quite a few, we'll let Leah decide," Millie suggested, and Nora nodded, stirring the buttery mixture that was in her bowl. She wanted to wait at least another ten minutes until she added the filling, but they were on a tight schedule. It was far more stressful than the times she was running her own kitchen, but as soon as her mother and Leo appeared, bags in hand, she leapt back into action.

The jam was spread thickly, followed by a thick coating of the buttercream. She could feel the anticipation as she added the second layer of cake, but ignored the trickle of anxiety that leaked into her stomach as she smooshed the cakes together. Considering her tight time margins,, she was doing great, and Leo was quick to comment, leaving the room with her mother when she shot them a frantic look. It was not the time for compliments, despite how much she appreciated them. Her mother's surprise and small look of awe however, was not an expression to be missed, and Nora did her best to hide the mixed emotions she felt as she maintained focus on her work of art.

The cakes were holding well with the wooden skewers she had found; they looked the kind used at barbecues but they were sturdy and should maintain the upright structure until the end of the evening. The white crumb coat and additional layer had also set the the canvas for a perfect design and Nora smiler as she realised it had been a while since she had felt this form of joy.

Spooning some of the white butter cream into a cloth bag, she expertly piped the rosettes along the perimeter, before adding a second layer. The white quickly appeared boring however, and so she used a palate knife to swipe away her work, before sectioning the cream into separate bowls.

"What is she doing?" She heard Ali whisper as she added a different amount of purple to each portion.

"She's creating art," Millie grinned, and the smile Nora returned was fuelled by excitement, as she filled the clean piping bags, and created her ombré design expertly, keeping the flat top empty, except for the rosettes she added to one side.
Swapping the nib of her bag was a messier task, and her hand were caked in mixture, but Nora didn't mind as she scripted the word 'congratulations!'. Now, that was a wedding cake, but based on the expression her father had when he appeared...it was too late.

"It looks fantastic," He reacted genuinely, keeping his distance when he noticed the state she was in. "But I'm afraid I have to give back the keys..."

"But I've just finished," She grimaced, "Can't they hold off just long enough for you to cut the cake, it's only 10:30pm,"

"I'm sorry mija, the contract is the contract," he sighed as she looked down at her creation in defeat. It would be a shame for it to go to waste but she nodded, and piled up her mess, moving to the sink to start washing up.

"There is another option," Ali interrupted the sound of the running faucet, gaining the group's attention, "We could always serve it outside?"

"Outside," Miguel repeated, "In the car park?"

"Yeah we did it for my neice's wedding a couple of years ago, no one wanted to leave without having their mandatory pink tea, so we put the vat in my aunt's boot, and it worked like a buffet. They didn't break the rules, and we just asked everyone to turn on their car lights; it was a really nice end to the night,"

"I suppose I could speak to Leah," Miguel nodded, his smile expressing his approval, "Millie, could you boil some water for the vat, I'm sure our guests would love some tea, and we already have those disposable cups,"

"Can do," She agreed, and so whilst Miguel went to confirm the change in plans, Millie boiled the water, Nora cleaned and Ali just watched, staring at the cake in awe.

"What?" Nora asked as she neared with a flour coated sponge. He met her eyes with a frown and she pressed further, blowing away the hair that had fallen into her eyes, as she awaited his response.

"How do you spell 'congratulations'?" He queried and it was only when she returned her attention to the cake did she realise his expression was not of 'awe', but of mild panic.

"Shit," She swore, bringing the cake closer to see that had in fact missed out the second 't'. "I could...."

"Don't touch it," He halted as she raised a dirty hand, "it's fine, just make sure they cut the cake before everyone can take pictures,"

"Will do," She nodded, allowing her shoulders to sink in deep annoyance. It was the one thing she had done for this wedding, and she'd messed it up. She could only just hope that Miguel and Leah were not as observant as the man standing beside her was.

Thankfully, Miguel arrived, stopping her frustration from marring into her expression, as he grinned, agreeing to the plan Ali had suggested. Out of pure protection of the cake, it was agreed that Ali would take it to her car, and Millie would follow with the hot tea. Nora had the cups, spoons, a small bowl of sugar, and the milk balancing on the tray, and her father relieved her of the glass wear as they moved to the car park.

As Ali had proposed, the remaining forty guests, mostly elders who wanted their tea, had switched on their headlights, and Nora's car stood out by a mile. Thankfully she had parked facing the building, so her boot space was accessible, to hold the tea. The table that should have been used for the cake had been relocated outside, and whilst most of the guests were clutching themselves as a result of the cold, smiles were genuine as the cake was placed for all to see.

"It looks great dear," A woman, likely from Leah's side of the family complimented, as she took in the desert. "I may have to order one of these for one of our weddings,"
And Nora beamed genuinely in return, feeling a warmth that the chilly spring air couldn't freeze, even if it tried.

Pictures were taken, and the cake was cut, encouraging everyone to burst their poppers, and congratulate the pair. Agreeing to take over cutting the cake, Ali stood beside her, presenting fresh cups of tea whilst Nora cut what remained of the cake and handing it out on napkins. And she was enjoying it. Nora revelled in the compliments they made, and she felt excitement that the strangers before her had felt delight to eat what she had made. Even Leah had turned her back on her guests, to share a few precious moments to truly thank her. She really did deserve this cake, and Nora was more than happy to cut out a second, much larger slice for the bride, who thanked her by kissing her cheek. It was bizarre to feel such emotion, but when Nora chose to sit beside Ali, awkwardly perched on the boot of the car, the tea vat now on the ground,she realised just how much she had enjoyed serving again. And better yet, it was so much more convenient when everything was pre-made, and she was offering food from the boot of her car.

Her buzz, seemed to spark life into the gathered crowd, and with her own slice sitting on her lap, she watched in admiration, taking in the guests that were now a part of her wider family. It truly was the perfect end to a great night.

Once the guests had cleared, and Nora had bid adieu to her family, promising that she'd see them for the upcoming Mother's Day celebration, she met Ali in her car, and they made their return. For once, the silence was welcomed and she was grateful that he'd given her a moment to reflect on the evening they'd had.

Unexpectedly, it truly had been great, and though it was almost 1am by the time she had showered, and clambered into bed, she couldn't resist sending a message to Leo, going through the entire cake fiasco in detail.

To her surprise, he was still awake, and though she was tired, her grin welcomed his call, as he waved from the comfort of his sofa. "So how did you spell 'congratulations' wrong?" Was his first query, and she burst into a fit of laughter, revealing her genuine confusion on how she could have made such a human error, with simultaneous glee that even her brother hadn't noticed it was there.

"It was just one of those things," she shrugged. "But I am glad they asked me to bake it," she confessed, "though now I feel slightly bad I didn't spend much time with mum and dad,"

"No but what you did for them, especially for dad was even more so special," Leo comforted her. And then his tone changed.

"Nora I don't think you realise just how much it meant, to them, to all of us, that you were just there," he smiled warmly, "and the fact that you stepped up, they'll always remember it,"

She could only nod her agreement, releasing a small sigh as she exposed another truth. "I really loved it today," She grinned. "I kind of wished you were there with me in the kitchen, it brought back a lot of memories,"

"I really wanted to be there," he grinned, "but dad needed me for best man duties so a guy's got to do, what a guy's got to do,"

"Sure,"she teased, "well at least I have evidence now that I am the better cook," and this time Leo rolled his eyes, shaking his head to the truth before changing the topic.

"So about mother's day?" He asked, "will you be there? It will be Jeanie's first one so we were thinking of having everyone around,"

"Won't I be intruding?" She asked and he quickly denied her thought. Her parents alone was one thing, but it was likely Jeanie's parents would be there and it was safe to say her relationship with them was even less than Jerry her ex boss. In other words; none-existent.

"Not at all," he beamed, "you could even wear that red dress, it really suited you,"

"It was nice," she agreed, "though I think it's pretty ruined,"

Nora eyed the heaped material, that sat on the foot of her bed, "yes it's pretty yucky, but it was worth it," she added the positive, choosing to speak from her heart as she returned to the initial topic of their conversation.

"You know, I really loved it," She began, as he met her eyes. "I loved the stress of needing to make that cake, and being put on a tight deadline, and I loved serving it too. I haven't been complimented like that in a long time, and with everything arranged in my car, I could be a part of the giving side. I could see their happiness, and Great Aunt Amelia's smile when she thought that no one had noticed she'd taken an extra large slice...It felt really good,"

"It must have been something special," Leo smiled, "and it sounds to me that you've found your spark again," He pointed out and she froze, sitting up in bed as the thought thawed the ice in her heart.

"Holy crap," She whispered, placing a hand on her beating chest. Leo only grinned knowingly, on the other end.

"I love you Nora," He beamed, "Now get to sleep, I want you home tomorrow, and then we'll sort something out,"

She only nodded, hanging up after relaying her love, as she lay back down in the warmth of her sheets. Leo was right. This was the spark that she had been searching for, and this was what she wanted to do. A small thought crept into her mind as she closed her eyes however, and with determination she acknowledged her next step.

If Nora was going to finally move on, she needed to be honest. She would need to tell Ali the truth.