Justine’s voice crackled across the line the second Marienne answered. “What’s the most spectacular dessert you can make with only forty-eight hours notice?” “What?” Marienne had no idea what Justine was talking about. “I have ten extremely important potential investors coming to my house on Friday night, for a dinner party, and I just found out an hour ago. I need to impress them. I can’t serve standard catered food. I have to show them I can put together something unique and different. What’s the best dessert you can whip up on short notice? I don’t want bakery crap. I need one of your knock-your-socks-off specialties. I’ll pay you.” Justine’s voice had an excited edge to it that Marienne had never heard before, a cross between glee and mania. “You don’t need to pay me.” “I want to pay you,” Justine said. “This is business. I’ll write it off. Name your price. All I’m worried about is the time frame.” “It doesn’t take that long to make anything.
