Waters had vanished into some other part of the building. She pecked at Beau’s window with her fingernail and gave him a tiny wave. No point in waiting around his office; she still had a complex cake to finish this afternoon. Back at the bakery, she tinted fondant to the exact color of terra cotta, rolled it and fitted it to the sides of the cake layers, eyeing the flower pot shape critically. When she finally had it to her liking, she sprinkled crushed chocolate cookies over the top to represent dirt, then looked over the assortment of flowers Becky had worked on all morning. Brilliant yellow daffodils, red tulips, pink and white stargazer lilies, pansies with bright purple and gold faces . . . she began arranging them as if they were fresh flowers. “Did you make some extra greenery?” she asked Becky. “I think this needs a little something more.” Her assistant pulled a tray from the fridge. “I thought about that. How about these? I did some broad leaves and a few that are more delicate.”
