A baking contest has driven a wedge between two neighbours, but now their lives are about to take an unexpected turn
Melanie gazed over her patio garden directly into her neighbour’s kitchen window. It was the day before Waverley Village show, and her rival appeared relaxed as she sat at her own kitchen table with a coffee and a magazine.
Melanie frowned. Susannah Singleton’s kitchen looked as perfect as its blonde owner with neither a single stain nor stray crumb to be seen – unlike the chaos of her own kitchen. Melanie ran her hands through her messy blonde mop. Maybe her cheating nemesis was calm because she already knew she had it in the bag.
Her neighbour had been a thorn in her side since the first show they’d entered 24 years ago. On paper, they should have been friends as they had so much in common. Both were young newlyweds with a child on the way, they each owned their own small business within the catering industry, and they loved yoga. But bitter rivalry raised its ugly head in the form of a prize-winning Lemon Drizzle.
Bitter rivalry raised its ugly head
Behind her Melanie suddenly heard a deep groan of pain and she glanced back to find her husband clutching his stomach.
“Mel, please, sweetheart. I just wanted a light breakfast before golf
with the boys, and we’ve been at this for nearly two hours. There’s only so much chocolate a man can consume before he falls into a diabetic coma!” Melanie sighed as she surveyed the chocolate crime scene before her.
“I’ve made ten cakes, and I’m still no closer to finding ‘the one’.”
“Number nine was pretty good, surely that one would do?”
Melanie narrowed her eyes at him. “No-one wins medals with ‘Pretty good’, Kev. My reputation is on the line, especially after last year’s debacle.”
“When you got arrested?”
“I wasn’t arrested,” she hissed. “PC Walker merely took Susannah and me aside to discuss our issues privately.”
Kevin chuckled. “He took you back to the Station with him, blue lights flashing and everything.”
“Well, in my opinion, as there were no cuffs and no charges, I wasn’t arrested. Anyway, it wouldn’t have happened if Susannah the Saboteur hadn’t shoved my fruitcake off its stand. She knocked me out before I even got a chance to compete.”
“I’m sure it was just an accident,” he grinned.
Before Melanie had the chance to answer, the front door crashed open.
“Hey guys you in there?” their daughter Sadie said as she popped her head around the door.
“Hey Mum, I was hoping you’d be in for a chat?”
“And that’s my cue to leave,” Kev said as he kissed Melanie’s cheek, before making his way to the door. He winked at Sadie has he passed. “Good luck sweetie.”
Melanie smiled at her daughter. “Thank goodness you’
