by Leigh Duncan
Whatever it was, whenever one of these extra-special brides walked into any of the shops on Bridal Carriage Way, shopkeepers rolled out the proverbial red carpet. From one end of Procession Avenue to the other, store owners greeted her by name. They vied for the privilege of filling her requests. Openings appeared in calendars that had been crammed full of appointments. Seamstresses found extra time in their schedules for alterations. Doors that otherwise might have been closed swung wide. All of which resulted in weddings that were just a tad more wonderful than the rest.
Nick rubbed his hands together. “When’s the wedding?” Most brides placed their order six months, or even a year, ahead of time. He hoped it was the former. A wedding during their slow season would give him plenty of time to create a special cake for a special bride.
Denise’s face clouded. “I forgot to ask.” She brightened almost immediately. “But you can. She’s in the dining room.”
When Denise motioned toward the small seating area where bridal parties often gathered over coffee and sweet rolls to discuss plans for the day or week ahead, Nick straightened. “She’s here?”
“Right around the corner. I served her a cupcake and coffee. On the house, like you said.”
“Well, I guess I’d better find out the date for this wedding you’ve roped me into.” He scowled, certain Denise knew he was only joking.
But he did owe someone an apology and, pushing away from the wall, he rounded the corner, intent on delivering it. Halfway to Jenny’s table, his footsteps slowed.
She sat, her face angled down, scrolling through messages on her phone. The hair she’d captured in a ponytail curled over one shoulder was thick and dark. An empty plate rested on the table before her. The fork atop it had been licked so clean it shone.
Nick squinted in disbelief. No bride ever ate a cupcake in one sitting. Not one of his, anyway. Most of his customers were so busy starving themselves to fit into their wedding gowns that they swore off sweets altogether.
This Jenny was clearly different from all the others. But was she a true Heart’s Landing bride?
He moved closer just as she glanced away from her cell phone. Recognition broke across her face. Sunshine flooded her features.
“So, hey there. We meet again. I wanted to say—” he began.
“I’m so sorry—” she interrupted.
“—about earlier.”
A tender warmth spread through his chest as Jenny finished the thought with him. He grinned. “Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, what’s this I hear about a wedding cake?”
Her eyes went round. “You’re Nick? The baker Nick? The owner of I Do Cakes?”
He held up his hands in mock surrender. “Guilty as charged.”
“Oh, if I’d known I’d—”
“Have ordered your cake from someplace else?”
“Well, no.” She absently licked her lips. “Marybeth—do you know Marybeth at the Union Street B&B?”
He nodded. The bed and breakfast had been in the Williams family for several generations.
“She told me you were the best. I thought she might have been exaggerating just a little, but this cupcake, that icing.” Jenny pointed to her empty plate. “No wonder you’re busy. I was beyond thrilled when Denise said you could fit me in for a tasting.”
“We make exceptions for certain people.”
“Like people you mow down?”
“Not exactly.” He chuckled, glad to know the day’s events hadn’t doused Jenny’s feisty spirit. “Denise vouched for you, and that’s good enough for me. So, when’s the big day?”
Faint lines around her eyes tightened. “In four weeks? On June thirteenth? At three in the afternoon?”
The tentative answers weren’t what he’d expect to hear from a true Heart’s Landing bride. Determined not to leap to a hasty decision, he gave her one more chance. “Tell me about the ceremony.”
“We’re holding it in the Captain’s Cottage. The roses will be in bloom then. They surround the veranda, climb the trellises, you know.” As if she were standing on the porch surrounded by flowers, a faraway look filled her eyes. Her features relaxed. The taut expression on her face melted. “I’ve heard that the scent is absolutely heavenly.”
There it is.
The dreamy expression on Jenny’s face was exactly what he’d hoped to see. It made her stand out from the other brides who flooded Heart’s Landing during the wedding season.
He nodded. It didn’t matter that her wedding was only four weeks away, that she’d already cost him a dozen cupcakes, or that his schedule was so full he’d have to skip a few nights’ sleep in order to fill her order. He didn’t have a choice. He had to do whatever it took to give this bride the wedding of her dreams. “Have you had a chance to get your bearings yet? I’m free for the next hour or two if you’d like the nickel tour of our little town.” He held his breath, not sure why it mattered but suddenly quite certain he wanted to be the one to introduce her to a few key shop owners.
Across the table, Jenny’s eyes narrowed. “I appreciate the offer, but—”
“Look, it’s no trouble.” A sudden anxiousness rippled through him. Would she turn him down? “We only have a little while before most of the stores close for the day. You can meet some of the owners and get a feel for which ones are best suited to help with your wedding plans. Besides…” He glanced pointedly at blue and green streaks on her jacket. “You owe me.”
“Hey!” Jenny’s eyebrows slammed together. She brushed a hand over her stained jacket. “I think you’ve got that backward.”
“The chance to make it up to you, I mean,” Nick finished, his voice light and teasing.
“Well, there is that.” Grinning, she rubbed at a smudge of blue icing. “Is there time for me to run to the bed and breakfast and change into something a little less, um, colorful, first?”
“No problem.” Nick nodded. What he had in mind wouldn’t take long. They wouldn’t need to stop at every store on Bridal Carriage Way. Once he introduced Jenny to one or two of shopkeepers, word of a true Heart’s Landing bride would spread throughout town faster than an eager groom could say “I do!”
Chapter Five
On L.A.’s crowded streets, niceties like letting the lady go first were often sacrificed in the name of efficiency. So Jenny was pleasantly surprised when Nick insisted on holding the door for her as they left I Do Cakes. She’d thought chivalry was dead. Apparently, though, the good manners her grade-school teachers had drilled into her hadn’t died or faded into nonexistence. They had simply moved to Heart’s Landing. She gave the tall baker a grateful smile as she preceded him onto the sidewalk. Her smile deepened when Nick stepped in beside her.
“What do you think about all this?” Guiding them away from the bakery, his expansive wave took in most of the downtown area.
“From the moment I saw a photograph of the Captain’s Cottage in a bridal magazine, I’ve known this was where I wanted to get married. Just being here is a dream come true. But some things are a little different from what I expected.” For one thing, she never thought she’d be planning Kay’s wedding instead of her own.
Leafy trees along the curb dappled the sidewalks with pools of shadow and light. On a warm spring day, the shade was an unexpected bonus. She inclined her head toward a couple dressed in period costume who entered the restaurant across the street. “There’s something else I never expected to see.”
“That’s Jason Heart and his cousin, Evelyn. Their ancestors founded the town.”
“Do they usually dress like that for dinner?” Her gaze dropped from Jason’s feathered hat to the white silk stockings and pointed shoes he wore beneath knee-length breeches. Beside him, Evelyn drew a shawl around her shoulders with one hand while, with the other, she lifted the wide skirts that fell from her dress’s pinched waist.
“Nah.” Nick�
�s chuckle warmed the space between them. “Jason and Evelyn are talented musicians. Singers. They’re in big demand for weddings and receptions. They’re probably headed to one tonight.”
As the duo disappeared into the restaurant, Jenny bit her lower lip. In keeping with Kay’s insistence on a wedding with a minimum of fuss, she hadn’t really considered lining up entertainment. But she liked the idea of adding a touch of regional history to the reception. She’d make a point to suggest it the next time she spoke with her cousin.
“Here we are.”
Nick’s voice broke into her train of thought. The first few bars of “Time After Time” chimed when Jenny stepped into Something Old, Something New. She’d barely taken in the glass-front jewelry cases and a rack of vintage gowns before a mousy sneeze erupted from the back of the shop. A second later, a sturdy-looking blonde emerged from the rear of the store.
“Oh, hi, Nick.” The woman swiped her nose with a tissue. “Sorry. My allergies are acting up again. Must be the dust.” She gestured toward the curtained-off area. “It’s worth it, though. Wait till you see what I picked up today. You won’t believe it.”
“Sure. But first, Paula, let me introduce you to Jenny Longley. She’s new in town and needs our help with her wedding later this month.” Nick swiveled as he spoke. “Jenny. This is Paula, the owner of Something Old, Something New.”
“Nice to meet you. I’d shake your hand, but…” Paula pressed a tissue against her nose and sniffed. “You’d think someone with allergies would choose a different profession, wouldn’t you? But I love what I do, so I just deal.” Without waiting for an answer, she beckoned them to follow. “Come on in the back. I can’t wait to show you what I have.”
Given Paula’s excitement, Jenny rubbed her hands together. Had the shop owner stumbled onto a cache of pirate gold? A piece of long-lost artwork? She ducked behind the curtain, eager to see what the fuss was about. Lumps of gray rock covered in loose soil and lichen weren’t at all what she’d expected. Her brow furrowed as questions filled her thoughts.
“Isn’t it fantastic?” Tears escaped Paula’s eyelids and ran down her cheeks. Blotting them, she beamed up at Nick.
“Is that what I think it is?”
At Nick’s reverent tone, Jenny had to restrain the urge to scratch her head. What was so special about rocks? Especially ones that looked like they’d just come from someone’s backyard? Paula must have noticed her doubtful expression. The shop owner turned toward her.
“In your travels about town, you’ll see heart-shaped stones mounted on some of the buildings. They date back to the 1800s and Captain Thaddeus Heart. We know there were thirteen or more originally. Today, there are only a half dozen. Everyone assumed the missing hearts were gone forever, but last week, a gardener up at the Captain’s Cottage discovered this one buried under an azalea bush. I was lucky enough to snap it up.”
Jenny gave the chunks on the table a second chance. If she squinted just right and someone shoved them together, she could see how the pieces might form a heart. An unexpected excitement rushed through her. It took a second before she recognized it as the same feeling that had enveloped her on her drive down from Providence.
“Sorry for bending your ear. I get carried away sometimes. It’s part of being a history buff, I guess.” Paula’s cheeks turned rosy.
“No need to apologize on my account.” Jenny stared at the shards with a new respect for their role in the town’s past.
“I shouldn’t have rambled on, though. What say I make it up to you and help you find the right pieces to carry down the aisle with you on your wedding day? Unless you already have your something old, new, borrowed, and blue?”
“We don’t have much time right now, but I do need a quick word with Paula.” This came from Nick, who’d bent down and lightly traced a finger along the curved edge of one of the rocks. “Jenny, if you’d like to take a look around, we won’t be long.”
“I’d like that,” she answered agreeably. She turned away from Nick and the cute blonde. Were they a couple? She hadn’t caught so much as a lingering glance between them, but it stood to reason that they’d be interested in one another. They worked next door to each other. Each ran their own business and apparently shared an interest in the history of Heart’s Landing. Relationships had been built on a lot less.
Not that she had any intention of asking Nick about it. The handsome baker had taken time out of his busy schedule to show her around town, but whether he was seeing someone or not really wasn’t any of her business. Between planning Kay’s wedding and pretending to be a bride, she already had enough to occupy herself for the next two weeks.
Speaking of which, a real bride would probably take advantage of the chance to shop, wouldn’t she? Nodding to herself, she glanced about. The store was such an eclectic mix of old and new, vintage and modern that she had trouble choosing where to look first. Deciding on the tabletop displays, she scrutinized an array of gold-and-silver pendants. She could spend hours browsing the jewelry alone.
In less time than she’d expected, though, Nick and Paula joined her. Whatever had transpired between them while they were alone in the back, it had filled Paula’s eyes with a new vibrancy.
“So, Jenny, Nick tells me your wedding is less than a month away.” The shop owner ran her fingers through her hair. “If there’s anything I can do to help out—anything at all—ask. I’ll be happy to help.”
“That’s so nice of you.” She wished she had time to explore the rest that the store had to offer, but Nick had already headed for the exit. Hating to leave, she promised to return soon and followed the man who’d so generously given up his time to be her guide.
When she caught up with him on the sidewalk, he asked, “Do you have a veil yet?”
She shook her head. Kay hadn’t even bought a dress, let alone a veil to go with it. She crossed her fingers and hoped this week’s appointment at the bridal salon was a huge success. It needed to be. Time was running short.
“We’ll stop in at Chantilly Veils next,” he said. “It’s just down the block on Honeymoon Avenue. I’m told Ames has the best selection on the East Coast.”
“I liked Paula,” she ventured when they’d reached the next corner. “Have you known each other long?”
“Since we were kids. She dated my best friend when we were in high school, but they broke up before they left for college.”
“You two aren’t seeing each other?” Jenny tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. So much for her good intentions. She’d sworn she wasn’t going to pry, yet here she was, doing exactly that.
“Who? Me and Paula?” Nick chortled. “Nah. We’re friends. I’ve helped her drown her sorrows in a couple of ice cream sodas when she found out a Mr. Potentially Right was sadly lacking in potential. She did the same for me when I discovered the woman I thought might be the one”—he made air quotes with his fingers—“wasn’t who she pretended to be. But that’s as far as it’s ever gone between us. Or ever will.”
Jenny cut her eyes toward Nick. Did he suspect she was only pretending to be a bride? Suddenly, the fake engagement ring on her finger felt like it weighed ten pounds. She hated lying to Nick—and everyone else—about her reason for being in Heart’s Landing, but she couldn’t let anyone discover she was merely a stand-in for the real bride. Not with her cousin’s happiness on the line.
“It’s really none of my business,” she said. “I guess I just want everyone to be as happy as I am.” She twisted the ring on her finger and held out her hand like she was showing it off a little. The faux diamond sparkled in the afternoon sun, and she firmed her steps, determined to do a better job of impersonating a bride-to-be.
In no time at all, she and Nick arrived at Chantilly Veils. She’d barely noted the crystal chandeliers, swags of pink fabric at the windows, or the recessed nooks where gauzy wisps hung from padded hangers before a slender
man rushed across the showroom to greet them. Wearing a toothy grin beneath carefully styled dark hair, he grasped both her hands and raised her arms.
“My word, Nick!” he gushed while laughter twinkled in pale blue eyes. “How have you kept this gorgeous creature a secret? I didn’t know you were seeing someone. Much less serious enough to put a ring on her finger and take her shopping. Now, tell me, who is this lovely woman, and when’s the big day?”
“Uh, Ames, it’s not…” A flush started above Nick’s collar and rose rapidly.
Amusement tugged at Jenny’s lips. She hadn’t thought Nick capable of embarrassment, but he was clearly unnerved by the shop owner’s misunderstanding. “It’s nothing like that,” she said, leaning forward as if sharing a secret. “Nick and I ran quite literally ran into each other outside I Do Cakes this afternoon. I ended up covered in smashed cupcakes. To make it up to me, he’s taking me on a little tour and introducing me to some of his favorite shop owners.”
Ames’s eyebrows rose until they hid behind dark bangs that gave Jenny a slight case of hair envy. “Really?” When she nodded, he relinquished his hold on her. He perched one hand at the waist of a pair of white linen trousers. “How’d you get him to do that?”
Nick’s deep voice intervened. “It’s not every day I knock a true Heart’s Landing bride onto the sidewalk.”
“Are you serious?” His eyes wide, Ames’s gaze bounced between Nick and Jenny.
“Serious.” Nick paused to clear his throat. “Jenny was such a good sport about it, the least I could do was introduce her to a few of my friends. This is Ames, by the way. In case you haven’t already figured it out. Jenny’s planning her own wedding in a month.”
“A month?” Ames clapped a hand over his mouth. “I couldn’t possibly custom-make a veil for you by then.” He seemed to catch himself. “But I have some lovely ready-made ones.” He sidled toward a mannequin on top of a table draped in white. His fingers fluffed the nearly translucent creation pinned to its head. “This one would be beautiful on you.”
