Gemotions

Agnes stared at the glossy magazine. “The Ambrosia Cake, a Taste of Heaven” it proclaimed, alongside a picture of a towering confection she recognized instantly. Her Ambrosia Delight, the cake she’d perfected over decades, the one that used her grandmother's secret ingredient: a whisper of cardamom. A heat prickled at the back of her neck. How could this be? She'd never shared the recipe.

She reached for her own, dog-eared copy of her cookbook, “Baking Bliss.” The Ambrosia Delight recipe was right there, unchanged. A knot formed in her stomach. Who had stolen her creation? The magazine’s byline credited a celebrity baker, someone she’d never heard of. Her fingers trembled as she flipped the page, her heart thumping a frantic rhythm against her ribs.