No Strings Attached

Chapter Eleven

She crept silently towards the baker who was busy mixing ingredients in a metal bowl. She covered the baker’s eyes and whispered, “I’m here.”

“I’m glad you came.” A wide smile appeared on Lisa’s face. She missed Jennie’s touch and scent.

Jennie removed her hands from Lisa’s eyes as the latter turned around to face her. She missed seeing the bright smile on Lisa’s face. The smile never failed to energise her and also made her smile too.

“Welcome to my café, though it’s not fully operational yet. Do you like it?” Lisa placed the bowl and whisk on the table. Jennie had her hair tied up neatly in a bun and her sunglasses were propped on top of her head.

Jennie took a look around and pursed her lips. “Hmm…can’t tell much. It’s still pretty raw.”

“Haha, okay. You’ll see the full works in two weeks’ time. I was surprised to receive your email regarding the completion of the website. You’re quick! I was even more surprised to see your mobile number in the same email. I kinda figured that you wanted me to make the first move eh?” Lisa chuckled as she poked Jennie’s shoulder with her finger.

“I didn’t know when you would be back so it’s best to email you,” Jennie defended. She quickly looked away, feeling the warmth slowly creeping up her cheeks.

Jennie took a tour around the kitchen, avoiding Lisa’s question. She knew that Lisa was spot-on but she refused to admit it though her tomato-coloured face gave away her true feelings.

“I have just the dessert in mind when I invited you here today. Sit on the table top. I’ll prepare it for you now,” Lisa said, patting the end of the long table she was working at. Jennie gave Lisa a puzzled look but nonetheless propped herself up on the table.

“What tricks do you have up your sleeve?” Jennie furrowed her brows, trying to guess the dessert Lisa was making by looking at the ingredients on the table.

“You’ll know in a bit,” Lisa smirked, placing a bunch of strawberries in a bowl with amaretto.

She picked up a few more ingredients from the cupboard nearby and placed them on the table.

Lisa whisked the cream and icing sugar in a bowl until soft foams appeared. Then she folded in the ricotta, cinnamon, pistachios and glace orange.

All this while, Jennie was looking at Lisa with curious eyes. She never knew that Lisa looked so charming when she was baking. So far, she had only seen the end product which Lisa had brought her, but never the process of making it. Today, she finally had the opportunity to see Lisa at work.

“Here you go. I’m sure you’ll like it. There’s a tinge of alcohol in it,” Lisa smiled and wiped her palms on the apron. She handed Jennie a small metal spoon and a small glass filled with varying colours.

Jennie scooped a small portion of the dessert and placed it in her mouth. The mixture of dry crushed biscuits and sour ricotta cream, coupled with the sweet strawberries created a burst of flavours in her mouth.

“This is good. What is it called?” Jennie asked, while helping herself to another spoonful of the dessert.

“Cannoli cream. Like it?” Lisa asked, watching the brunette finish a huge spoonful of dessert.

Jennie nodded, biting the metal spoon in her mouth. “The masterchef hasn’t even tried it yet. How would you know if it’s good or not?”