Chapter Forty-Six

"Patience and perseverance

have a magical effect

before which

difficulties disappear

and obstacles vanish."

~John Quincy Adams

Elizabeth bit her lower lip in concentration as she carefully lifted the cake pan from the plate. Despite her care only part of the cake slid easily from the pan. She turned the pan over and groaned in frustration as she spotted three rather large pieces of cake stuck to the bottom of the pan. "Oh, no!" she cried.

Abigail, who was removing cookies from a tray, heard Elizabeth and looked up. She set the cookie tray down and rushed to calm her friend. "Oh, we can fix that!" she assured Elizabeth.

Ann looked up from her seat across the table and saw Abigail consoling an obviously dismayed Elizabeth. Then, she noted the cake stuck in the pan. "Of course we can," she agreed. "Just use a knife to get the rest of it out and we'll make it the bottom layer. After you frost it, no one will ever know," she instructed with a wave of her hand before taking a sip of her tea.

Elizabeth and Abigail looked at each other, pleasantly surprised. They turned their attention to Ann, both of them smiling at her. Ann set her teacup back on the saucer and looked up at them. Perplexed at their grins, she asked, "What?"

Abigail's smile widened before she answered, "I do believe Coal Valley agrees with you, Ann."

"What?" Ann responded. "Because I didn't fuss at Elizabeth for not greasing the cake pan enough? It's not the first time nor shall it be the last, I'm sure." Elizabeth's smile faded as did Abigail's. Ann noticed this and told them, "Cheer up, ladies! I've certainly had my issues with baking problems over the years. We all have, I'm sure. No use crying over spilled milk!"

Abigail shook her head slowly and headed back to her cookies. Elizabeth, somewhat deflated, reached for a knife to follow Ann's instructions. Ann watched Elizabeth and sensed the younger woman's dissatisfaction. She realized that she had caused Elizabeth's chagrin and searched momentarily for the right words to correct the situation. "Elizabeth," she called. Elizabeth looked up from her work freeing the stuck pieces of cake from the pan. "You really are doing very well, despite the cake sticking to the pan. I'm impressed with how hard you are working," she assured her, punctuating the remark with a warm smile.

Elizabeth gave Ann a lukewarm smile and said, "Thank you," before she returned to the cake pan.

"You just lack self-confidence in the kitchen," Ann continued. "You are confident in the classroom but when you get in the kitchen, you become quite nervous. You should approach cooking with the same aplomb you do a lesson for your students. You really need to work on that." Ann nodded at Elizabeth before picking up her teacup again.

Elizabeth stared at Ann and blinked. She was surprised at her words of encouragement. The words were indeed encouraging, though they were delivered a bit bluntly. She considered Ann's analysis of her cooking and realized that she was right. She resolved to follow the advice and work on her confidence in the kitchen.

There was a knock on the kitchen door which got the attention of all three women. The door opened slowly and Jack poked his head through the opening. "How are things going in here?" he asked, his gaze shifting between Elizabeth and his mother.

Elizabeth smiled and began to answer but Ann spoke first. "Things are going well, Jack. Come in and look at the apple cake that Elizabeth is preparing."

Jack's smile widened as he walked over to Elizabeth. He placed his hand on her shoulder and checked out the cake on the plate in front of her. He noticed the holes in the cake and hesitated as he considered what to say about the cake, not wanting to insult Elizabeth's baking skills. However, Elizabeth rushed to explain. "It stuck a little in the pan, but I'm going to fix it." She looked at him expectantly.

He studied the cake for another moment then snatched a piece of the cake that was still stuck to the pan. Elizabeth's mouth fell open in shock as he tossed the cake into his mouth. "Jack!" she chided.

"Mmmmmm! Delicious!" he declared with his smile, his eyes dancing as they met Elizabeth's.

Elizabeth returned the smile. "Really? It really tastes good?"

Jack nodded. "Yes it does! So, when are we eating it?"

"Well, I need to frost it. Then," she looked at Abigail, " I guess at dinner tonight?"

Abigail nodded. "Yes, we'll have it this evening."

Elizabeth nodded and returned to removing the cake from the pan. Abigail and Jack looked at each other. Abigail chuckled to herself before moving the cookie trays over to the washtub on the counter.

Jack, too, chuckled and watched Elizabeth as she worked to dislodge the cake from the pan. Her head bobbed up and down as she worked, making her curls toss around her head. He smiled and said, "I can't wait until this evening!"

Elizabeth looked up at him. "Just for my cake?" she asked with surprise.

Jack's eyes widened for a moment and he hesitated momentarily before answering, "Well, of course!" Then, he quickly changed the subject. "We are still going on our picnic this afternoon, aren't we?"

Elizabeth smiled, "Of course! As soon as I've finished with the cake, I'll prepare the food for our picnic."

"I've got some roast chicken you can use for sandwiches, Elizabeth," Abigail offered.

Jack squeezed Elizabeth's elbow. "Sounds great! I'll be back around two? Will that be alright?"

"I'll be ready," she told him, her eyes meeting his.

They stood gazing at each other for several moments before Ann broke the moment. "Elizabeth, we better get to work on the frosting."

Jack inhaled sharply. "Well, let me get back to the jailhouse," he announced though he was obviously reluctant to leave.

"Oh, okay," Elizabeth said, disappointed.

Jack turned toward the door and Elizabeth returned to the cake pan.

"See you soon!" Jack called as he headed toward the door.

"You will! I'll be ready at two!" she replied.

Jack glanced back at Elizabeth before he shut the door. His mother was now standing next to her. "Now, you'll need to gather the butter, maple syrup, and powdered sugar," she instructed.

"Okay," Elizabeth agreed as she turned to collect the items as requested. "Butter, maple syrup, powdered sugar..." she mumbled to herself as she crossed to the pantry.

Jack smiled and closed the door.

Author's Notes: I hope you are continuing to enjoy the story! I really appreciate the story follows, favoriting, and reviews! It's very nice to know people are reading and even better that y'all like the story. Writing can be very solitary and I always wonder what you, the kind readers, will think about the chapters. Please write a review if you have a few moments. Also, I noticed that some of you may not be Hearties - yet. If you like my story, I urge you to check out the series, When Calls the Heart, on which it is based. Season One is available for download on iTunes, Netflix, and Amazon Prime. Or DVDs can be purchased from Walmart, Fishflix, Christianbook, and other retailers. Check it out! Also, check out the Fans of When Calls the Heart (The Hearties) on Facebook. And remember that Season Two starts April 4th on Hallmark Channel!