What To Do?

     The last bright silver dragee was dropped into place, and the chef relaxed with a faint sigh. Point in fact, the entire kitchen relaxed when Kearna Tierney stepped back from the elaborate cake, dusting flour and confectioner’s sugar from her hands. Emerald eyes narrowed as she looked around the vast stainless steel and sand-coloured tile space.

     "Shouldn’t all of you be working?" She fairly  hissed it as she removed her toque, and the white-coated underlings scurried to continue their various tasks. Kearna smirked, gazing at the three layer cake in utter satisfaction.

     "Okay, I thought I’d seen everything. I’m impressed." The slick male voice behind the cat made her nose wrinkle a bit, and she turned to eye Nathan Talbot curiously. He grinned, his black hair sleeked neatly back into a tight ponytail, and his black leather pants creaked as he perched with careless grace on one of the steel stools scattered about the kitchen. "What? Aren’t you happy to see me, Kearna?"

     "I’m wondering what brings a plebian such as yourself to a place of gourmet cuisine," she said, her mood far too good to warrant snapping at the vampire. She turned around once more to eye her creation, and picked up the small photo lying nearby, scrutinizing it, then the cake.

     "Do I want to know why someone commissioned a cake shaped like a…boat?"

     "It’s a ship, and it was a special request. A customer’s husband has been on Navy deployment for six months, and he comes home tomorrow." Kearna smiled when she noted how perfectly she’d arranged the dragees. "She wanted his homecoming to be special."

     "And the little tugboat cake?" Nathan’s face was clearly amused as he leaned down to examine the bright blue and red cake.

     "For their ten month old son," the redhead said, leaning over to adjust a line of frosting with a careful fingertip. "I made it with a fourth the sugar and vitamin powders recommended for children under the age of one year. Too much sugar isn’t good for infants and toddlers."

     Nathan laughed as he sat up, eyeing the cat. "Since when do you care what’s good for kids? Considering you laugh every time Bertram starts hinting you should have one…"

     "I personally don’t care. A customer’s wishes, however, are sacrosanct, and she thought it would be nice if the baby could have some cake too. I chose to make a separate one for the boy to destroy if he wants."

     The vampire’s eyebrows lifted. "You’re actually submitting one of your creations to the destructive hands of a child. Kearna, I’m impressed."

     She chuckled as she picked up a sparkling glass jar, filled with what looked like chocolate syrup. Tying a blue bow around the sealed lid, she put it in a small basket already filled with fresh strawberries, a bottle of champagne and a pair of glasses. Nathan eyed the basket and laughed heartily.

     "Giving them something for after the baby’s in bed, huh?"

     Her smile was decidedly sensual when she looked at Nathan, long emerald eyes darkening slightly. "If my husband had been gone for half a year, you can bet I’d want something special for his first night back."

     Nathan grinned, his dark blue eyes gleaming, and eyed Kearna with a smug expression. "And I’d be crying when he came back. That’d kill my fun."

     She snorted and smacked the vampire with an oven mitt, and then crossed her arms. "What are you doing in my kitchen anyway?"

     Nathan rose languidly, stretching. A good portion of the kitchen staff had stopped dead to ogle the muscular man, and when his white silk shirt pulled taut over his chest, one of the dishwashers nearly broke a bone china plate. He looked around and shrugged. "Slate wants Sierra and she wasn’t at your house."

     Kearna frowned a bit as she lifted the featherlight cheesecloth and unfurled it over the specialty cake. "Is this about Iris?"

     He nodded, his brows drawn in a deep scowl. "That Ulryk guy you picked up has him worried, so Slate wants to comb the woods over again. Sierra’s the best one to get the horses ready while we get Fish sniffing."

     Kearna raised an eyebrow as she arranged the drapery over the cake. "And you think Ulryk did something? I told you everything that happened today. Why do you think he had anything to do with Iris vanishing? She’s been gone what, almost twenty two hours now?"

     "Yeah, but you know Slate. One u

nexpected thing happens, he gets twitchy. Two things happen in less than two days and he loses his mind." Nathan laughed, sniffing wistfully at a broiled flounder being borne past. "I hate coming here. You always make me wish I could eat again."

     The cat tossed her head, the smirk unmistakable. "I doubt it’s just my food you’d be after."

     Nathan burst into laughter and gave her a broad wink. "I could always eat you now, but…" He stopped at Kearna’s clearly disgusted expression and laughed harder. "Picky, picky girl."

     She summoned her most haughty expression, which was quite worthy of cringing away from, and glared at Nathan with slitted eyes. "There is no shame in wanting only what is worthy of you."

     The vampire laughed and bent into an elaborate bow. "Indeed, my lady. Forgive this humble worm that he dared gaze up from the earth to admire your heavenly beauty. I fear the dazzling brilliance of your smile over even the ferocity of the sunlight."

     She couldn’t help herself, and cracked up laughing as Nathan straightened with a grin. "You are so silly," Kearna sniffled, wiping away the tears his antics had brought to her eyes.

     He flashed pearly fangs in a charismatic grin as he turned to leave. "Amazing how people for the most part forget how to laugh in a tense situation. It’s my duty to remind them how." He touched his hand to his hairline, a salute despite the lack of a hat, and walked towards the door. Kearna watched him for a moment, then called after him, laughingly.

     "Judging by your shuffle, I bet Slate showed you what he thought of your reminders with that size 14 boot of his."

     Nathan paused and gave her a pained look.

     "That’s the last time I put a red wig on and offer to cheer the big boy up, Vegas style."