Joey relaxed her grip on Vanessa’s wrists. “That time it was definitely me, so you can assure yourself that both of us want to be doing the kissing,” she breathed.
Vanessa stood, rooted to the spot, desperate to kiss Joey again, but they could both hear Carmen chatting on the other side of the door.
“To be continued,” said Vanessa, regaining the power of speech.
“Agreed,” said Joey, her smile shy despite of her moment of boldness. “Let’s take the coc de mel into Carmen so she can put it in the display.”
The honey glaze shone under the glass.
“Now this,” said Carmen, “is a thing of beauty.”
The bell on the cafe door sounded. Dani came in, looking happy but tired.
“Hey,” said Joey, making a beeline for her friend and putting an arm around her shoulders. “How are things?”
“Yeah, much better thanks,” said Dani. She took a seat at a small table and Joey joined her.
“Glad to hear it.” Joey looked over at Carmen behind the counter. “I’m going to take a quick break.”
“Of course, you take it,” said Carmen. “You, too, Vanessa. Slices of your new cake all round?”
Vanessa took a seat with Joey and Dani while Carmen busied herself with serving them strong espresso coffee and honey cake.
“This was the lesson I learnt today,” Vanessa told Dani.
“Ooh yes, coc de mel,” said Dani. “Have you tried ron miel?”
“Ok, you’ve lost me there,” Vanessa held her hands up.
Joey smiled. “Honey rum. It’s a sweet liqueur. You’ll have to have some, some time.”
Vanessa wiggled her shoulders in pleasure at hearing Joey making plans for her. She didn’t want to make any assumptions, but she couldn’t help sensing that Joey was gaining in confidence about a possible relationship after all. She took a forkful of the sponge. It was light and airy, and while the glaze was sweet, the cake itself wasn’t overly so. It went perfectly with the coffee.
Chapter Thirty-One
JOEY’S COC DE MEL RECIPE
Preheat oven to 170°C and grease a metallic tin.
Beat 2 eggs and 200g caster sugar together in a large bowl.
Add in 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/2 cup olive oil, mix well. Use a sieve to add 300g plain flour and 8g baking powder, mixing slowly until well combined. Pour the batter into a cake tin.
Before putting it in the oven, grab a handful of flour and sprinkle it on top, until the batter is covered. Follow that by drizzling some olive oil on top of the flour layer. Repeat the flour-oil layering 3 more times.
Bake for 40–45 minutes until the top is starting to brown. The browner you let it get, the crunchier the top layer will be.
Right after taking the cake out of the oven, while it’s still piping hot, drizzle 250g honey (or as much as you dare) on top until it’s completely covered.
Cool the cake, eat a slice and disappear into a sugar coma.
Chapter Thirty-Two
JOEY
The sea was cooling on Joey’s hot skin. It washed away the fine mist of sugar that always migrated to her arms and face. Today there was honey there, too. She smiled and inadvertently took in a mouthful of salt water. She was thinking of the kiss she’d shared with Vanessa. Their second kiss.
She’d had every intention of keeping her distance and working things out in her head. But just a few hours in such close quarters with the beautiful newcomer in her life seemed to send the complications drifting away. Life felt less confusing while Vanessa was in her presence. Granted, it then seemed more confusing whenever they parted.
