"A baking competition," Claire repeated, suddenly beaming from ear to ear as she pushed her coloring book slightly away, not about to waste the pages on idle coloring when she had something better to focus her attention on. Sitting straight, she let her cheek rest in a palm while she surveyed the much taller boy. "I definitely know Alexis, even if I didn't know she baked. That's good to know, in case I ever need help around the kitchen, but..."

She tapped her cheek. "I hate to brag, but I make a really mean cupcake, and muffins aren't too far off. They're like, the cousins of cupcakes. So if you need help, I'm totally your girl. I baked a lot of batches for bake sales and stuff back at school."