by Leigh Duncan
Yeah, and how had she repaid his kindness? She hadn’t been truthful with him. She’d kept so many secrets since she’d come to Heart’s Landing, she was having trouble keeping her story straight. But there was no way out. With the wedding so close, she had to protect Karolyn’s identity a few days longer. And that meant she had to lie to Nick again. Only, this time, she’d hurt him in the process.
Hating what she had to do, she held up her phone. “Listen. I, uh, I just spoke with Bob.”
“I figured.” Clouds shuttered Nick’s expression as he pitched the can into the trash can and washed his hands.
“He, um, we—we want to do something a little different for the wedding cake.”
At the sink, Nick’s shoulders stiffened. “What’s wrong with it?”
“Nothing. It’s just…” This was harder than she’d thought it would be. She drew in a steadying breath. “He wants a naked cake. I tried to talk him out of it, but he’s adamant.” Unable to face the baker, she stared down at the image of the cake Kay insisted on serving at her wedding.
“No. I won’t make it.”
Stunned by his flat refusal, she resorted to the only leverage she had left. “Then I’ll cancel the order and find someone who will.”
“At this late date?”
Jenny sighed. He was right. With the wedding only days away, she’d never find another baker on such short notice. Instead, she’d have to reason with the one she had. “So, you’ll make the naked cake for me?” she asked sweetly.
“No. I can’t,” Nick said, his voice flat.
A spark of hope lit in Jenny’s chest. She stared up from her phone. “You can’t make one? Or you won’t?” Furtively, she crossed her fingers. Nick was the best baker in the entire area. If he said he didn’t have a clue how to make a naked cake, she’d simply tell Karolyn it couldn’t be done.
“I can. I’ve made them before.”
“Oh.” Her heart sank. So much for taking the easy way out.
“They’re fine for serving small groups, like a dinner party or a small gathering. Anything more than a two-, possibly a three-tier cake, and it loses what little elegance it had to start with.”
“I see,” she said, disappointed. She didn’t imagine that explanation would go over well with her cousin.
“But that’s not the real reason I won’t make one for your wedding. There’s something more important.”
“Yes?” What could that possibly be? Not trusting her voice, she let her eyes ask the question.
“You,” he said simply. “You love frosting. When you ate that cupcake earlier, you were euphoric. Tell me I’m wrong.”
There was no sense lying about that. Not when the rich taste of buttercream still lingered on her tongue. Nothing she’d ever tasted, not even the desserts in the five-star Parisian restaurants she’d dined in while Karolyn had been on location last year, could hold a candle to one of Nick’s cupcakes. She kicked out a foot and scuffed the heel on the floor. “No, you’re right.”
“So, why would you want a cake without frosting?”
Because it’s not my cake. Not my wedding.
Prepared to jump into the conversation, the words poised on the tip of her tongue. Every fiber of her being urged her to tell Nick the truth. But she couldn’t. Despite the guilt that twisted her insides into a pretzel, she clamped her mouth shut. Kay and Aunt Maggie were the only family she had—she couldn’t betray them. If she confessed her secrets to Nick and the word got out, the paparazzi would descend. They’d turn Kay’s wedding into a media circus and ruin everything. She couldn’t let that happen, couldn’t let her family down, not after all they’d done for her. With no other choice, she resorted to the one tactic that had worked in the past. “Bob wants it that way,” she said, shifting the blame to her nonexistent fiancé.
This time, though, Nick persisted. “What about what you want? Isn’t that just as important?”
“It is, but…” Her voice trailed off. Jenny grabbed a napkin and blotted her eyes. The wedding cake she’d ordered cost a bundle. She couldn’t believe Nick would risk losing the sale just to make her happy. But he didn’t understand, and she couldn’t make him without betraying her family.
“No buts,” Nick said using a tone that brooked no argument. “It’s about time you got something you wanted out of this wedding. If you can stand there and tell me you honestly want a plain almond cake with no icing, I’ll make it for you. But you’re going to have to tell me that’s what you want. Not your fiancé. Or your mother-in-law. Or your guests. Just you. What do you want?”
Jenny’s resistance melted like butter on a hot stove. “I want frosting,” she whispered. “Lots and lots of frosting.”
“Okay, then.” A slow smile worked its way across Nick’s face. “That’s what you’ll get.”
Jenny ran her tongue over her bottom lip. Nick’s creation was sure to be as tasty as it was beautiful, but that still didn’t give Kay what she wanted. Her gaze drifted to the cupcakes they’d just made, and she resisted giving herself a swift kick. Of course. The solution was so clear, she was surprised she hadn’t thought of it earlier.
She peered up at Nick. “You make cupcakes to match the cake for the bride and groom, don’t you?” She knew the answer as well as she knew the colorful stains on one of her favorite jackets. The day they’d met, Nick had been on his way to deliver a forgotten batch of miniature cakes when she’d collided with him.
“I do.” Nick blinked. “Quite often, the wedding party doesn’t have a chance to eat during the reception. I always decorate a dozen or so for them to enjoy later.”
“What if this time, you made the cupcakes, but you didn’t frost them?”
“Naked cupcakes?” Nick’s lopsided grin dipped to one side. “It’s a good compromise. I like how you did that.”
She crossed her fingers and hoped Karolyn would see it that way, too. Whether her cousin did or didn’t, it was the best solution she could come up with to resolve the latest wrinkle in Kay’s wedding plans.
But thinking of wrinkles led to thinking of wedding gowns, which, in turn, reminded her that she’d added more places to go and people to see to tomorrow’s busy schedule. “I’d better get back to the B&B,” she said, not bothering to hide her regret.
“You’re sure?” Nick’s glance drifted to the clock on the wall. “It’s early yet.”
“Much as I’d like to stay longer, I need to make an extra stop first thing tomorrow morning. That is, if I can even get an appointment.” She couldn’t help the way her shoulders drooped. Kay had conveniently overlooked that important detail. “It seems I’m suddenly in need of another wedding gown.”
“Another dress.” Nick felt questions crowding his mouth, vying to get out. Why on earth would Jenny need another gown for her wedding? She was only walking down the aisle once, which—in his book—was already one time too many. He tamped down his frustration with yet another useless reminder not to question the actions of a true Heart’s Landing bride-to-be.
“It’s not that unusual.” Jenny stood, her arms akimbo. “The one for the ceremony is really more for show. It’ll look stunning in the pictures, but it’s not made for sitting down. It’s definitely too snug for dancing at the reception. For that, I need something a little less structured.”
The idea of down-to-earth Jenny walking down the aisle in a clingy dress took his breath away. He swallowed and rubbed his eyes. Focus. He had to focus on the current problem. “And you’re just deciding this now?” A bad feeling rumbled through his gut. He’d narrowly averted disaster with her cake. Shopping for a new gown at this late date sounded suspiciously like there’d been another huge change in Jenny’s wedding plans.
“It was, um, Bob’s idea.” Jenny stared down at her feet. “He thinks I should wear something in a different style for the reception. I’ve already chosen the second dress—I just have to
try it on to be sure it’s the right one. The thing is, I hate to go to that appointment alone. I’d ask the maid of honor to go with me, but she won’t get here until Friday. I’m afraid to wait that long.”
“You think?” He didn’t know much about buying dresses, period, but he’d walked through his mom’s living room a time or two and found her glued to a TV show about bridal gowns. In every episode, the bride and an entire entourage descended on the salon months before the actual wedding date. “You’re right. Someone needs to go with you. Is there anyone you can ask?”
“Everyone is so busy preparing for the wedding, I hate to ask them to take the time to go shopping with me. But I do want a second opinion.”
Jenny looked forlorn and unsure of herself, standing there studying her toes. Here she was, trying to make the best of a difficult situation, and he’d just added to her troubles instead of helping her like he should.
Guilt and responsibility teamed up to aim him toward the obvious decision. Not that he had much choice in the matter. He’d already promised to keep a close watch over the town’s wayward bride, hadn’t he? “Look, you could pour everything I know about fashion into a measuring cup and have room to spare, but I’ll come if you want me to.”
“Really?” Tears sparkled in the brown eyes Jenny turned on him. “It won’t take long, honest. I know exactly what I’m going to buy. They’re holding it for me at Dress For A Day.”
Understated elegance was the theme at the bridal salon on Boutonniere Drive. Though the shop had initially catered only to local brides, the owner gave every client the star treatment. As a result, the store’s reputation had spread in recent years. Now, it wasn’t unusual to see cars sporting license plates from Boston or even New York parked in the parking lot.
“That’s Cheri Clark’s place. She’s one of my best customers.”
“A bridal salon?”
“She orders dozens of petit fours to serve to her clients. Why don’t I call her now and make sure she has an opening?” Not that there was any doubt. Cheri, like every other shopkeeper in town, would go an extra mile for a true Heart’s Landing bride.
“You’d do that for me?”
“Sure. I’ll get right on it.” Nick turned away, unable to watch in case the threatening tears spilled onto Jenny’s cheeks. Afraid he wouldn’t be able to resist wiping them away if that happened, he ducked into his office, where he took a minute or two to regain his own composure before he selected Cheri’s number from his contacts list.
Once he’d explained the situation, the long-time resident of the area was quick to offer her help.
“So, you can fit her in?” he asked, half afraid, half hoping the shop owner would turn them down.
“Nick, I earn my living by supplying gowns to brides who, for one reason or another, show up in Heart’s Landing without one. Of course I’ll work with your friend. If I’m not mistaken, I already have one on hold for her. A Sophie Olsen,” she said, rattling off the name of a designer so popular even he’d heard of her. “Is that right?”
He gave his head a barely perceptible shake. He should have known Cheri would be up to the task. The woman hadn’t so much as taken a beat when he’d asked about a last-minute purchase. Poking his head out the door, he passed the question along.
“Ask her if it’s a strapless mermaid,” Cheri added. “In a size four.”
He hadn’t watched all those shopping shows with his mom without learning a thing or two about dresses. Though Jenny would look stunning in a flour sack, the gown she’d chosen was so far outside her normal wheelhouse he couldn’t picture her in it. When the shop owner confirmed that she did indeed have the gown on hand, he bit down hard over a groan and issued a silent vow that he’d support Jenny’s choice, no matter what.
Returning to the kitchen, he announced, “We have an appointment at ten o’clock tomorrow. Cheri is going to work with you herself. You’ll be in good hands.”
“Oh!” Stars burst in Jenny’s eyes. “You’re my hero!”
He barely had time to think, definitely didn’t have time to react before she flung her arms around his neck. Her soft curves pressed against him in an embrace that was everything he could possibly want. No one could blame him for reaching for her, his hands circling her narrow waist, his heart galloping. Not when he finally had her in his arms, right where he’d wanted her to be from the first moment he’d laid eyes on her.
Except the circumstances couldn’t be worse. Here he was, holding onto the first woman he’d developed feelings for in ages and she was engaged to someone else. Was, in fact, thanking him for helping her shop for the dress she’d wear to marry another man.
The realization struck like a blow to his belly. Air hissed through his teeth. The fingers that had held Jenny straightened. Somehow, his hands found her shoulders. With a strength he didn’t know he had, he gently pushed her away from him.
“I’m sorry,” he said, missing her touch far more than he should. “That shouldn’t have happened. We can’t— I can’t—”
“It’s okay. It really is.” Jenny’s blue eyes bore into his. “We need to talk. There’s something I should have told you, something I need to tell—”
Nick held up a hand, stopping her. He couldn’t think. He could barely breathe. He certainly couldn’t let Jenny finish. “I think you’d better go,” he said, his voice hoarse.
“But I— Can we talk?”
“Not now. Not tonight.” He refused to meet Jenny’s gaze. He couldn’t bear to see the hurt that colored her features. He nearly couldn’t handle the confusion in her voice.
His stomach twisted. She hadn’t intended her hug to mean anything more than an exuberant thank you. He was the one who’d taken advantage of the situation. That was something he shouldn’t have done, something he’d never let happen again.
Turning away from her, he spoke over his shoulder. “It’s going to take me a little while to lock up the shop for the night, and I need to get an early start if I’m going to meet you at Dress For A Day tomorrow.”
“If that’s what you want.”
He didn’t have to see her face to know he’d hurt her. But in this case, he had to do the right thing for both of them. He and Jenny had spent so much time together over the past couple of weeks that she was confused. That was all. She’d see things in a clearer light by morning. When that happened, he didn’t want her to have any regrets. Not on his account. No matter how much he cared for her.
Not even if he was head-over-heels in love with her. Which he was.
“I think it’s for the best. We’re friends. I don’t want anything to jeopardize that.”
He wasn’t sure how he was going to get through the next few days without letting his feelings show, but he’d manage. No matter what it took. And right now, that meant refusing to watch as Jenny slowly walked across the bakery floor and out the door.
After she’d gone, he leaned over the counter, his heart as heavy as a lump of dough that refused to rise. He’d made a mistake, a terrible mistake. Any red-blooded man would’ve done the same thing, but it had been a mistake all the same. One he could never repeat.
Which didn’t let him feel one iota better about the situation.
Giving up on sleep, he never even bothered to go upstairs. Instead, he planned to get a jump start on the next day’s orders. But solace eluded him. Not even the quiet of the bakery, the silky feel of flour sifting through his fingers, could ease the heaviness in his heart. Still, he had to maintain the facade of friendship with Jenny for a few more days. He didn’t have any other choice. He couldn’t ruin the wedding of a true Heart’s Landing bride any more than he could confess his true feelings to her.
Even if he regretted not taking the chance for the rest of his life.
Chapter Fourteen
On Wednesday, Nick slipped inside Dress For A Day well before Jenny’s scheduled appointment. H
e waved hello to a woman who wore a white shell under a black blazer. Her black pants and shoes completed a fashionable outfit that provided stark contrast to the white gowns that hung…everywhere. “How are things?”
“It’s going to be a really good day.” Cheri Clark rubbed her hands together. Lips painted a cheery red widened. “I can’t wait to get started. It’s not often I get to help a true Heart’s Landing bride. What do we know about her?”
“Well.” He stopped before he blurted out that Jenny was perfect. She wasn’t. The pressures and demands of planning her last-minute wedding had left her on edge. More than once, she’d shed a few frustrated tears. For someone who didn’t make a move without consulting her calendar, she hadn’t put a whole lot of thought into what she wanted for her wedding. In that regard, her mind was as capricious as foam on a wave. But, despite the fact that she’d driven every vendor in town to distraction, she’d never lost her temper and always went out of her way to treat the everyone with respect. Her infectious smile teased laughter from those around her. Her kindness and concern drew everyone around her to her. Even an old grump like him.
“She’s special,” he finished.
“That’s not very specific.” Cheri glanced toward the door. There was no sign of the salon’s newest customer. “I hear she’s trouble.”
The description set Nick’s teeth on edge. “She’s had a few problems.” He’d concede that much, but no more. “Some of the other shopkeepers say she can’t make up her mind, but it’s not her fault. The guy she’s engaged to, he’s the one who keeps making changes. Like today.” He gestured toward the racks of white dresses. “It was his idea to buy a second wedding gown. Something he just sprang on her last night. It’s been like that the whole time she’s been here.”
