Annabelle watched Raven's jaw tighten and jumped in quickly. "They're wonderful. Truly. Everyone's going to love them. Aren't they beautiful, Lily?"
Lily had appeared at her other elbow, regarding Raven with interest. "Very impressive indeed. I don't think we've been properly introduced. Lily Fairchild, I'm the head teacher."
She extended her hand with easy confidence. No fangirling, no star-struck stammering. Just calm professionalism.
Raven shook it, looking slightly wrong-footed. "Raven."
"I know who you are," Lily said pleasantly. "My partner was quite a fan of your band. Though personally, I always preferred your solo work. That acoustic EP you did a few years back was brilliant."
"You…" Raven blinked. "You know my solo stuff?"
"Of course. The songwriting was much more interesting once you stepped away from the commercial sound." Lily smiled. "Anyway, thank you for contributing to the bake sale. It's very generous of you."
And then she walked away to greet some arriving parents, leaving Raven standing there looking utterly confused.
Annabelle bit back a grin. Lily had a gift for wrong-footing people.
"Your friend is strange," Raven said.
"She's lovely," Annabelle corrected. "And she meant what she said. She really does know your music."
"Right." Raven shoved her hands in her pockets. "Well. I should, um…"
"You're staying, aren't you?" Annabelle caught her arm without thinking. "Please? We could use the help, and people will be so excited to see you here supporting the school."
Raven looked down at Annabelle's hand on her sleeve. Annabelle quickly let go, feeling her cheeks heat.
"Fine," Raven said eventually. "But I'm not signing autographs."
"Of course not. You're just here as a concerned community member who happens to make gorgeous biscuits."
"They're really not…"
"They're stunning and you know it."
The morning passed in a blur of activity. The bake sale was, by any measure, a success. Raven's biscuits sold out in the first twenty minutes. Annabelle had to physically stop people from buying the box they’d been in. Her own lemon biscuits did well. Even Kayley's carrot cake disappeared, though Annabelle suspected Gloria had bought three slices out of competitive spirit.
Raven spent most of the morning lurking near the back table, looking uncomfortable whenever anyone approached her. But Annabelle noticed she helped Jamie carry a heavy box of donated books. And when old Mrs. Moore struggled to count change, Raven quietly sorted it for her.
Around noon, as the crowd was thinning, Annabelle started gathering empty platters.
"Here, I'll help," Raven said, reaching for the same stack of plates.
Their hands brushed.
It was nothing. The briefest contact. Fingers against fingers for maybe half a second.
But Annabelle felt it like an electric shock.
She jerked back instinctively, and the plates, already precariously balanced, went tumbling. One caught the edge of the table and flipped, sending a cascade of leftover whipped cream directly onto Raven's leather jacket.
"Oh my God!" Annabelle clapped her hands over her mouth. "Oh no, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to…"
Raven stood very still, cream dripping down her front.
"Well," she said with remarkable composure. "At least no one will recognize me covered in dairy products."
"I'm so sorry," Annabelle repeated, grabbing napkins. "Here, let me…"
