up on a stool at the kitchen counter. âIâm actually twenty-three,â he said. âI know I look younger than my age.â
âYou look twelve!â Jenna exclaimed.
âHerbie just graduated from Ontario College,â Juliette told them, âWith a masterâs degree in electromechanical engineering.â
Now it was Kylieâs turn to be confused. âHow do you know so much about our client?â she asked her advisor.
Juliette ruffled Herbieâs hair. âBecause heâs my baby brother!â
Kylieâs mouth fell wide open. âYour brother? Why didnât you say so? Why the big secret?â
âIâll let Herbie tell you himself,â Juliette said, elbowing him in the ribs. âGo on! Tell them!â
âIâm gonna be your new cupcake club advisor,â Herbie announced proudly.
âYouâre what?â Kylie gasped. âI thought you said he has a degree in electro-whatchamacallit engineering? What do you know about baking cupcakes?â
âNot much,â Herbie admitted. âBut Iâm a fast learner. And FYI, itâs electromechanical engineering. I build robots.â
âHeâs going to be Blakelyâs new robotics teacher,â Juliette added. âHeâs a whiz, really. Heâll be able to help you build some amazing cupcake displays.â
âAwesome!â Delaney said. âCan you build us a robot that cracks eggs? Thatâs my least favorite part.â
âHey! Thatâs my job!â Sadie protested. âAnd itâs my favorite part.â
Herbie laughed. âWhatever you want. Iâm gonna hang out with you guys for the rest of the semester and get the hang of things. That way, when Juliette moves to London next fall or visits Rodney for a long weekend, weâll be all good.â
âAll good?â Kylie gulped. âHow is a guy advising PLC all good?â
Juliette smiled. âI thought you might say that, Kylie. But I did promise you that I would make sure you approved of my replacement.â
Herbie unzipped his jacket to show Kylie his T-shirt. It read, âDr. Frankenstein.â
âItâs what my friends called me in university,â he explained. âI was able to build robots out of bits of this, scraps of that. And Iâm a bit of a monster-movie maniac.â
Kylieâs eyes lit up. âDefine âmaniac.â Iâve seen The Curse of Frankenstein twelve times.â
âYeah, well Iâve seen Ghost of Frankenstein twenty-two times,â Herbie replied. âI can recite it from memory: âThe lightning! It is good for you!ââ
Juliette put one arm around Kylie and the other around her brother. âI do believe you two will get along fabulously,â she said. âYou always reminded me of my little brother, Kylie.â
âWell, at least we can get along when it comes to movies,â Kylie said. âI guess we can give you a try with cupcakes too. Speaking of whichâ¦â
She handed Herbie a box. âAs requested: Cookies and Cream with R2-D2 toppers. Dig in.â
Herbie opened the box and grinned. âWow, you guys are really amazing. That thingamabob on top looks exactly like R2!â
Lexi sniffed. âFYI, itâs called fondant. Not a thingamabob.â
âYeah, youâve got a lot to learn, dude,â Jenna said. âBut I like your taste in cupcakes. Oreos are my fave.â
Juliette raised a cupcake in the air. âHereâs to Peace, Love, and Cupcakes forever!â she said.
And Kylie couldnât argue with that!
Lavender Honey Cupcake
Makes 12 cupcakes
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1½ teaspoons dried lavender
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
¼ cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 â 3 cup milk
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line muffin pans with
Sharon Kleve, Jennifer Conner, Danica Winters, Casey Dawes