by Leigh Duncan
But thinking of Nick sent her gaze straight toward I Do Cakes. After the chocolates she’d sampled at Flavors Galore, she’d more than met her sugar quota for the day. Still, the bakery drew her like a magnet, and she couldn’t quite explain why.
Not true, she corrected as images of a certain dark-haired baker flashed before her.
Her face warmed. She’d been thinking about Nick a lot. Certainly more than she should, considering the short time they’d known each other, and how everything he thought he knew about her was a lie. When he’d stopped by the bed and breakfast last night, she’d had the strangest desire to confide in him. To tell him the real reason for her presence in Heart’s Landing.
She couldn’t, of course. Not until after the wedding. Once the truth was out and everyone understood why the identity of the real bride and groom had been such a closely guarded secret, maybe then she and Nick could be friends. Maybe even more than that. But not now. For the next three weeks, no one could find out she was only pretending to be a bride-to-be. Not even Nick.
Nick eyed the ingredients arrayed on the wooden counter in the kitchen of I Do Cakes. Bins of dark cocoa, flour, and sugar lined up behind a box of baking soda on his left. On his right, a carafe of bitter coffee joined a bowl of cracked eggs and a tin of oil. In between lay the rest of the equipment and flavorings he required for the chocolate-and-peanut-butter cupcakes that were his second biggest seller. Would Jenny enjoy this cupcake as much as she had his others? He hoped so. Satisfied that everything he needed was within reach, he measured flour into the hand-cranked sifter he’d inherited from his grandmother and turned the handle. He nodded his approval at the white shower that drifted down into the mixing bowl.
The bakery’s back door swung open and shut. Hurried footsteps announced the arrival of his assistant well before Jimmy burst into the room. The freckles across his pale face nearly popping with excitement, the young man snagged an unfrosted cookie from a cooling tray. “Have you heard the news?”
Nick smiled. Jimmy loved gossip almost as much as he loved baking. “I’ve been buried in work all day. How’d the delivery to Food Fit For A Queen go?” He’d received their urgent request for hundreds of miniature pie crusts this morning.
“Fine.” Jimmy shrugged, as if the entire staff hadn’t spent the day on the project. “But you should have been there. It was pandemonium. One of Janet’s clients hired her to cater a dinner for fifty. Only, this morning, she sprang the news that the guest list had jumped to two hundred fifty. That’s why they needed the mini-crusts. For the hors d’oeuvres. To serve that many, they’ll make them up ahead and stick ’em in the freezer.”
Nick gulped. Guilt burned in his stomach and moved up until he was reasonably sure it tinted his face. It stood to reason that Jenny’s larger guest list would impact most of the other shop owners in town. The moment she’d told him about needing a bigger cake, he should have made some phone calls.
“She’s going to make it, though, isn’t she?” Janet and her staff had built a sterling reputation for meeting the needs of every bride. For special brides like Jenny, they tried even harder.
“Yeah, I guess.” Jimmy helped himself to another cookie. “Just makes you wonder why a bride would do that, doesn’t it?”
“Add last-minute guests?” Nick sifted cocoa powder into the mix. He’d asked that question a time or two himself.
“Mm-hmm.”
“I guess there could be any number of reasons. Pressure from parents who’ve attended the weddings of their friends’ children and want them to share their own kid’s happy day.” Somehow that didn’t sound right for Jenny, though. “A fiancé who insists on inviting his business associates.” He hoped that wasn’t the case.
“All I know is when I get married, I’m gonna have a big party at the Captain’s Cottage and invite every one of my friends. We’ll have us the best seafood boil you ever saw. Five years later, people will still be saying, ‘Remember when Jimmy got married?’”
“You have everything planned out, do you?” Nick suspected the boy’s fiancée would have a thing or two to say about his ideas, and none of it good. He hadn’t met a single bride yet who said, Oh, yes! Let’s cover my beautiful gown with a huge bib adorned with a bright red lobster.
Jimmy nodded. “I know what I want.”
“You run that past your girlfriend, did you?”
“Nah. I don’t have anyone special yet. But when I do, she’ll want what I want.”
“I hope you’re right about that.” That was every man’s wish, wasn’t it? That the girl of his dreams would share his likes and dislikes.
“What do you want for your wedding, boss? You’ve thought about it, haven’t you?”
Living in Heart’s Landing, how could he not? He took his time, measuring the baking soda into the mixture while he considered his answer. Roses or orchids? A seated meal or a buffet line? Dashing through a hailstorm of dried rice or a cloud of bubbles? There were pros and cons to each. In the ten years he’d been in charge of I Do Cakes, he’d seen what worked and what didn’t at scores of weddings. When all was said and done, the good ones shared one thing in common—a man and a woman so deeply in love that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. The rest was just icing on the cake.
“As long as we love each other, nothing else matters,” he said, giving the eggs an extra stir.
“That, and the cake,” Jimmy nodded.
“It wouldn’t be much of a wedding without cake,” he acknowledged with a grin that faded as quickly as it appeared. Thoughts of wedding cakes had led to thoughts of brides, and suddenly, he’d come full circle back to Jenny. He dumped the last of the ingredients into the mix and shook his head as he stirred. Why she’d chosen almond for her wedding when her eyes practically glazed over every time she bit into one of his chocolate cupcakes was beyond him. But then again, he didn’t understand much of what made Jenny tick. She was different from every other bride he’d ever met. As different as almond was from chocolate. And, heaven help him, that only made him want to get to know her better.
Chapter Nine
At the end of another long week of meetings and appointments, Jenny kicked her shoes off as she walked into her suite in the B&B. She took a fortifying sip of the coffee she’d picked up at her last stop, dropped into the comfortable Queen Anne chair by the window, and scanned the ever-changing To Do list. Though it had taken a full week of hand-holding and commiserating, and though there’d been compromises at nearly every turn, she’d gotten everything back on track for Kay’s wedding. The venue was set, the flowers on order, the favors arranged. Janet at Food Fit For A Queen had sworn she and her staff were up to the challenge of feeding the additional guests on her list. The elaborately tiered cake Nick had designed for the reception was guaranteed to garner nearly as many oohs and aahs as the bride herself.
Jenny sighed in relief. Once she checked off this final item on her To Do list, she’d treat herself to a nice, long soak and a couple of chapters in the romance novel she’d wanted to read. Tomorrow, she’d spend her final day seeing the sights in Heart’s Landing before she jetted back to the West Coast. Lifting her phone, she speed-dialed her cousin.
On the other side of the country, Kay answered with a cheery, “Oh, Jenny, thank goodness it’s you. I was just getting ready to call you.”
“Oh?” Kay rarely called unless she needed something. Instinctively, Jenny braced for bad news.
In the breathy voice Kay used on camera, she whispered, “I need you to make a teensy-weensy change in the plans for the wedding.”
Jenny checked the calendar she’d referred to so often, it might as well be imprinted on her brain. With two weeks left before the big day, even the simplest of changes could have serious repercussions. “What now?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice low and even.
“You know how careful I am about my appearance. Especially in pu
blic.”
“Yes.” Kay took hours to dress and put on makeup for something as uncomplicated as a trip to the store for a carton of milk. Not that she drank milk. Or even knew where the nearest grocery store was located.
“Well, Chad absolutely refuses to wear light gray. He says it washes out his skin tone. Even though I tried to explain that it was too late to change the color of his tux, he went with charcoal. So, I need you to swap out the linens for a darker shade to match. I’m texting you the color right now.”
Jenny’s hand dropped. She stared up at the ceiling, half expecting it to crash down on her. This latest change of plans had “disaster” written all over it. From the tuxes to the floral displays, from the place settings to the bridal bouquet, she had carefully color-coordinated everything according to Kay’s wishes. This teensy-weensy change would ripple through the entire wedding.
“Are you there? Jenny?”
When the ceiling remained firmly in place, she sighed and pressed the phone to her ear. “Anything else?”
“Funny you should ask,” Kay said with a humorless laugh. “I’ve been reading a few bridal magazines.”
Now? Now that she had done everything Kay had asked her to do?
“Pink is so last year. Peach is much fresher and brighter. It’d look better against the dark gray, too. What do you think?”
“It would, but…” Jenny’s voice sputtered to a halt. What she thought wasn’t fit for words. She needed a moment to regroup.
“But what, sweetie? Don’t you want my wedding to be perfect?”
“Yes, of course, but—”
“Well, that settles it, then.”
“It’s. Not. That. Easy.” Jenny bit off the words. She’d just spent an entire week convincing shop owners and vendors from one end of town to the other to accommodate Karolyn’s extra guests. How was she supposed to go back to those same people now and tell them to change the entire color scheme?
Kay’s tone turned petulant. “I thought Heart’s Landing promised a perfect wedding for every bride.”
“It does,” Jenny said, trying her best to make her cousin listen to reason. “But there comes a point where even the most willing supplier has had enough.” Over the past two weeks, she’d worked so closely with the local shopkeepers that she considered them her friends. She valued those relationships, but these new changes would put them to the test.
“Are you telling me I can’t have the wedding of my dreams there?”
“I—hmm, no.” Jenny back-pedaled. She’d seen what happened when others had failed to give the star what she wanted, when she wanted it. It wasn’t pretty. One push, one whisper of disagreement, and Kay might post a thoughtless comment about Heart’s Landing on social media.
She wouldn’t set out to deliberately cause any harm. That wasn’t the kind of person Kay was. Before the awards and accolades had started pouring in, her cousin had been one of the most selfless people Jenny had ever known. Why, Kay hadn’t once complained about having to share her room when Jenny had moved in with her new family. Throughout their teen years, the two of them had been closer than sisters. They’d shared everything from clothes and make-up to shoes and school supplies.
But then, Kay had won back-to-back Oscars, and her popularity had skyrocketed. Despite that, she had no concept of how much clout she wielded. For someone with a half million followers on Twitter alone, one negative tweet was all it would take to damage the town’s reputation.
Jenny straightened. She couldn’t let that happen. Everyone from the sales clerks behind the counters to the shop owners themselves had gone out of their way to help her put this wedding together. She couldn’t let their hard work and effort go to waste. “No. That’s not what I’m saying,” she said, pulling out all the stops and using the soothing tone that had always calmed Kay in the past. “I’m saying, let’s be sure this is what you want this time. Charcoal and peach. You’re one-hundred-percent positive.”
“Yes, absolutely.”
“And two hundred fifty guests. No more? No less?” She held her breath.
“No, that’s it.”
“All right. I’ll stay here and straighten everything out.” So much for heading back to California anytime soon. It would take days—and lots of sweet-talking—to make the changes Kay wanted. She checked her watch. She might be able to reach Mildred this evening, but getting in touch with Alicia at the Captain’s Cottage would have to wait until tomorrow. She crossed her fingers and prayed Ashley and Alexis hadn’t placed their order for the gift bags and tissue yet.
“Are we done now?” A quiet tap-tap signaled Kay’s waning interest.
“There’s one more thing,” Jenny rushed. “The baker suggested piping the icing on your cake in the same pattern as the lace on your gown. How about snapping a picture and texting it to me?”
“I’ll be sure to get one while we’re at Madame Eleanor’s tomorrow.”
“Oh? Do you have a fitting?” Jenny leaned forward. Last year, Kay had spent hours discussing the pros and cons of which dress to wear to the Academy Awards, but her cousin hadn’t so much as mentioned her wedding gown in any of the recent texts that had flown back and forth between them. Suddenly, she wanted to hear every detail. “What did you choose—a ball gown or a mermaid? What kind of fabric? Who’s the designer?”
“You’re so sweet to ask, but we’re just getting started. I had Mom move the appointment while I was shooting in the Mojave.”
“So, you haven’t started looking yet?” Her stomach sank. Kay had only one thing to do for her wedding and, with the date only two weeks away, she hadn’t done it.
“You worry too much,” Kay said, her laugh disarming. “Don’t. I’m sure Mom and I will find the perfect dress tomorrow.”
Jenny propped her chin in her hand. She hoped her cousin was right. But based on how things had gone so far, she didn’t like the odds.
Nick whistled a jaunty tune on his way down the stairs from his apartment over the bakery. Today was going to be fantastic. And why shouldn’t it be? He got such joy out of helping brides plan their wedding cakes, and there were three new tastings on the today’s schedule. Before the first of them, he’d kick the morning off by whipping up a batch of lemon cream cupcakes that would make the whole bakery smell like sunshine. Then, this afternoon, he’d get started on the cake for Jenny’s wedding.
At the bottom of the stairs, he stepped into the still-darkened bakery. A lingering trace of vinegar tickled his nose, reassurance that the cleaning crew had worked their magic overnight. As if to confirm it, a ray of light from one of the streetlamps bounced off spotlessly clean counters and floors. He unlocked the back door and left it ajar for the morning crew who would soon trickle in. Crossing to the massive built-in ovens, he twisted dials and smiled at the hiss of gas followed by a soft whoosh as the ovens began heating for the day’s bake. Coffee was next on the agenda, and he stepped through the swinging doors into the storefront.
The first streaks of sunlight turned low-hanging clouds pink and gold on the other side of the bakery’s picture windows. One by one, the old-fashioned street lights along Bridal Carriage Way winked out. Above the sidewalks, birds stirred in the trees. As the first of them flew off in search of breakfast, his smile deepened. The peaceful quiet of an early morning in the bakery was the best time of all. Not that he didn’t enjoy the hustle and bustle of customers and staff.
Speaking of which, when the doors did open, people would want their coffee. At the brewing station, he’d just dumped the first pre-measured packet of grounds into the waiting basket when something rapped on the window behind him.
“Pesky bird,” he muttered with a grin. It wasn’t unusual for one or more of them to attack their own reflection in the glass. Ignoring the noise for the moment, he added water to the brewing chamber. Once coffee began to trickle into the carafe, he turned, intending to shoo the bird away before
it hurt itself.
But the bird, if it had been there in the first place, had flown off. In its place stood Mildred Morrey.
His grin twisted into a wry grimace. No matter how he wracked his brain, he couldn’t think of a single good reason for the florist to show up on his doorstep before dawn. His footsteps growing heavy, he cut across the room. Before he reached the entrance, at least a half-dozen other figures emerged out of the darkness to stand beside Mildred. Nick’s misgivings deepened as he held the door open for his unexpected guests.
“Nick.” Mildred’s gray curls bobbed as she moved past him with a curt nod.
Alicia, Janet, Alexis, and Ashley filed past next. Marybeth and Matt joined the others. Next came Paula and Ames. His cousin JoJo and her videographer Roy brought up the rear. Nick’s heart sank when the group spread out on chairs in the dining area. Whatever problem had brought them to the bakery this early in the morning, they planned on staying until the situation was resolved.
“Coffee, anyone?”
When a chorus of, “No, thanks,” rose in answer, he poured a fortifying cup for himself and carried it into the dining area.
Propping one shoulder against the wall, he faced the group. “What’s going on?”
Every eye in the room focused on Mildred. From a nearby chair, Janet nodded encouragement. The soft-spoken florist cleared her throat. “This Jennifer Longley person is out of control.”
Jenny?
Nodding, the others murmured their agreement.
Nick swigged coffee. His regret was instantaneous when the scalding-hot brew burned his mouth. He swallowed. Heat traveled down his throat to his stomach.
