May the Best Baker Win

Arrivals and Meetings

"Are we there yet?" Cricket asked for the umpteenth time.

"Not yet," Butterbean laughed. "But we should be there by nightfall, right Jasper?"

"Right! But we could get there sooner if-"

"We're not ignoring the speed limit, Jasper."

"I wasn't going to say that! I was just gonna say that we'd get there if we let Dazzle drive."

Poppy snorted. "That's even worse! You remember what happened the last time we let her drive."

"In my defense, I panicked when I thought I saw that cat on the rode."

"You hit the accelerator, Dazz."

"I thought it was the brake! I told you, I panicked!"

Butterbean grinned at their playful bickering and stared out the window. About an hour into the trip, the Sweet Ride had hit the open countryside. Cricket had marveled at how far away they were from Puddlebrook, but had quickly grown impatient at how long the journey was taking.

"-bean? Butterbean?" The girl in question snapped out of her daze and glanced at her sister.

"What's up, Crix? Gotta go again?"

Cricket shook her head. "I was asking you who you think we'll meet when we get there."

"No clue. We could run into anybody in Big Apple City."

"Maybe we'll meet Chef Remy," Poppy sighed. "I heard he goes there a lot to find new ingredients."

"Oh, or what about Cherry Jam," Dazzle chipped in. "I heard that she preforms in Big Apple City a lot!"

"Didn't she retire?"

"She said she was taking a break from the music scene for a while. Maybe she'll be there to present the prize to the winner!"

"I don't care who we see," Cricket proclaimed. "As long as we meet someone new and have fun, then I'm happy!"

"Well said, little sis."

...

"Are we there yet?"

"Plum, I swear-"

"We've been driving for hours Blueberry. You can't blame me for getting a little antsy! And we'd get there faster if I was driving!"

"Didn't you and Sour Grapes almost crash her food truck last week?" Cherry asked.

"In my defense, she said it was sturdy enough for off road driving. How was I supposed to know she was exaggerating?"

Apple laughed. "Could've been worse. At least you didn't almost blow it up."

Blueberry grimaced. "Neither of you should be trusted with a vehicle ever."

"Pfft, it all worked out BB."

Strawberry grinned. "Oh, I can't wait until we get to Big Apple City. Maybe it'll be less hectic than last time."

"And maybe this time we'll be in a hotel that isn't the perfect place to murder somebody," Apple chuckled.

Her cousin shuddered. "I still have nightmares about that place. Honestly, you'd think they'd at least fix the place up."

"Hey Cherry, how much longer until we get there?"

"Assuming the traffic doesn't get too bad, then we'll be there by this evening."

"Thank the stars," Plum groaned. "It's so cramped in this van! Why couldn't we just take Cherry's tour bus?"