Keeping the Pieces

by Brenda Lowder

  “We do make a good team.” Emma smiled and took his arm.

  He smiled back, but a rumble in his gut disturbed him. Yes, they were a good team. But they were the wrong couple.

  Would he ever find himself in the right one?

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Emma’s Thursday the twenty-third was slammed. Earth Drinks’ promotional display for coconut water for San Antonio was stuck in Kansas City and the Lemon Mango Paradise promo that was due in New Orleans tomorrow hadn’t left Philadelphia last night. One thing after another had been going wrong all week. And here it was, Thursday afternoon, when she absolutely did not have time to leave the office to go meet Honey and sample wedding cakes.

  She was going to escape for the appointment, though, and return to work afterward. Who knows? It might lead to another late night on the floor with Cam, kissing for the second time. Anything could happen.

  The thought of enjoying another makeout session with Cam was enough to catapult her out of her seat. She grabbed her purse. She’d been too busy to eat lunch, so maybe some tasty bites of cake would be less like torture and more like delicious even if they had to be eaten in Honey’s intimidating presence.

  She peeked in on Cam on her way down the hall, but he was on the phone. He waved to her and continued talking, confirming her fears that he wouldn’t be joining them for the cake tasting. There went her motivation for going.

  Emma sighed and trekked down to the parking garage. Her keys wavered in her hand as she tried to open her car door. Honey really frazzled her. She focused and made herself put the key in properly and unlock the door. Emma had disliked Honey from the first moment she’d seen her during their second semester senior year. Not that she had much reason to besides rampant jealousy. Honey was smart and beautiful, but she always made Emma feel inadequate. Once Honey was in the room, Emma instantly felt all of her own faults. She was too short, too slow, too boring by comparison. It didn’t help that the day they’d met had also been the same moment Cam had seen her, and his eyes had practically left his head to follow her.

  It turned out that Cam’s mother and Honey’s mother had been in the same sorority at the University of Georgia. Their families called it destiny. Emma knew her feelings for Cam were deeper, though. And Emma could wait for the whole superficial relationship to run its course, and then Cam would be ready for something—someone—serious.

  But Honey had more staying power than Emma had anticipated. And here they were, eight years post-graduation, with Cam and Honey engaged.

  This was Emma’s last chance to save Cam from himself.

  It wasn’t just that Honey was beautiful that bothered Emma. And desirable. And had the kind of presence that made every man notice when she walked in a room.

  Emma got into her car and turned the key in the ignition. The realization came out of nowhere.

  Honey was her mother.

  Not literally. Obviously. Honey and Emma were the same age. But Honey was so much like Emma’s mother: a beauty queen, wildly attractive, the focal point of desire for every straight man in the greater metro area. The woman who got everything she wanted without even trying.

  Thinking about her complicated feelings for her mom made her stomach jittery. For years Emma had been convinced of her mother’s perfection and her own shortcomings, but now her mother had absconded with a man less than half her age. With Mom gone she had no yardstick with which to measure herself. No one to tell her she was falling short, true enough, but no one to validate her either. If her mother wasn’t around to approve of her, how would she ever know when she’d succeeded?

  ∞∞∞

  When Emma arrived at Taste of Heaven with two minutes to spare, Honey’s car was already in the parking lot. She hurried to the door, feeling a step behind Honey in everything, and only narrowly avoided colliding with a man rushing from the opposite direction.

  “Excuse me,” Emma said, stopping short before smashing into him.

  “No problem.” Derek turned around and held the door open for her.

  She stared. “What are you doing here?”

  “I came to taste cake. Aren’t we tasting cake? I was promised there’d be cake.” The corners of his eyes crinkled with his smile, and Emma felt like they shared a secret which was…accurate.

  Huh. Derek was here and Cam wasn’t. “Yes, but you didn’t say you were coming.”

  “You never asked,” he said and preceded her through the doorway when she didn’t budge, though the sweet smell of fresh-baked pastries teased her nose, beckoning her inside.

  He pivoted back to her. “Besides, increased access, remember? It’s all part of your plan. And I’m a very involved, concerned fiancé.” He winked, and she had a sudden urge to run her tongue along the cleft in his chin. She banished the thought.

  Derek had a point. He needed to show how totally into this he was. Cam should really be here, too, supporting his fiancée. After all, she and Cam were both busy at work, but she’d made the time. And it was his wedding too.

  But maybe that meant Cam didn’t care enough about Honey to want to be here to choose their cake. The thought made Emma smile. Maybe they wouldn’t end up needing a cake at all.

  Bouncing on her toes, Emma hurried behind Derek. Honey’s face lit up when she saw him. “You both made it!” She threw her arms around Derek and kissed his cheek. When she tore her hungry eyes away from him, she smiled at Emma and stepped a respectful distance away from Emma’s fiancé. A thread of jealousy wove its way through Emma’s insides and she told herself to cut it out.

  The owner of Taste of Heaven—Trudy, as she introduced herself—trotted out with her hands on her apron. She was a small, energetic woman in her sixties with pink cotton-candy colored hair and a tribal arm band. She seated the three of them at a solid wood table and called out to her assistant, a young, harried-looking man with sleeve tattoos in a jungle pattern. Despite the dark circles under his eyes, he presented the requested tray with a flourish and a smile.

  “Thank you, Jim.” Trudy unloaded plates of samples in front of them. Jim took the tray back into the kitchen, disappearing behind the swinging door.

  Emma gaped at the mouth-watering bits of delectableness set before her and wondered if it wouldn’t be worth buying an expensive wedding cake. It certainly wouldn’t go to waste. Since she’d skipped lunch she felt capable of doing justice to a three-tier wedding cake all on her own. Emma picked up a fork, ready to attack the scrumptious chocolate piece nearest to her.

  “Here we have three of our most popular flavors.” Trudy’s hand hovered over the chocolate cake, and Emma realized she’d have to wait unless she was going to stab through Trudy’s hand in her quest for cake. Resigned to listening to the sales pitch, she sat back.

  Trudy continued. “The first is a dark chocolate sponge cake with a chocolate ganache filling, finished with a white chocolate buttercream. The second is a pecan praline sponge cake with a caramel cream filling, topped by a cream cheese frosting. The third is a lemon sponge with a lemon curd filling and a citrus buttercream finish.” She looked around and, perhaps sensing Emma’s impatience to dig in, said, “I’ll leave y’all to it. Here are some note cards to rank your favorites. I’ll be back with another tray in a few minutes.” She smiled and went the way of Jim behind the kitchen’s swinging door.

  “Spectacular,” Derek said, though his eyes were on Honey and not the cake samples.

  Emma stabbed into the chocolate cake and didn’t entertain the passing thought that she could be stabbing Honey instead. Her fork folded into its richness with a satisfying cling. She anxiously anticipated a delicious bite and was not disappointed. The moment the chocolate entered her mouth she closed her eyes to experience it fully. The dark chocolate coated her tongue in bittersweet silkiness, the sensation making its way down to her toes, which she curled. She chewed slowly, the bit of sponge cake delivering on the moistness she’d hoped for. She swallowed, the full effect one of rich, bittersweet decadence that, though satisfy
ing, left her wanting more. She opened her eyes to see about getting another taste and found Derek watching her, a curious expression on his handsome face. She felt herself blush, but it didn’t stop her from swiping a forkful—bigger this time—of the delicious chocolate cake and closing her eyes to immerse herself in the experience of it once again.

  “What do you think of the lemon?” Honey was asking Derek.

  “Let me try it again.” He turned toward Honey, his mouth open for a bite. Laughing, she fed him some from her own fork.

  Emma wished for the hundredth time that Cam had cared about his own real wedding enough to show up and taste cakes with his fiancée…and the woman who wanted to steal him away. She reminded herself that it was a good thing Cam wasn’t interested. Honey was obviously not his first priority. Emma smiled. Maybe her plan was working already.

  “Wonderful,” Derek told Honey.

  Honey laughed. “That’s what you said about the other one! Here, Emma, pass the chocolate one down.”

  Reluctant to part with it, Emma picked up the plate with what little was left of the chocolate sample on it and handed it to Honey.

  “Looks like this one’s good!” Honey laughed and pushed back from the table. “Guess I’ll get Trudy to give us another sample.”

  She headed toward the swinging door and returned moments later with a larger chocolate sample which she placed between herself and Derek.

  Emma averted her eyes and reached for the pecan praline cake. She slid her fork into it and scooped a big bite. She ate it with abandon, and completely ignored the romantic heatwaves emanating from the other side of the table.

  “Oh, this chocolate is to die for!” Honey moaned. “Here, Derek, you have got to try this.” Instead of handing him the last bite on a fork, she got up and moved her chair until it was flush against his. She sat back down in her chair and leaned into Derek before offering him her fork. His gaze locked with hers, and he opened his mouth around the bite she held for him. It was a sexy move, and Emma felt like a pervert watching.

  When he’d tasted the cake, Honey put the fork down on the table, but she didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned right against him, erasing the distance between them. The arm that he’d hooked on the back of his chair fell casually around her back.

  Emma bit savagely into the lemon cake, her lips puckering with the sour tartness. Why the gnawing jealousy in her gut? Maybe because things were going so well for Derek, but she hadn’t gotten anywhere with Cam.

  And Honey didn’t know that Derek and Emma weren’t really a couple. She needed to keep her hands off Emma’s man, at least when she was in the same room. Dammit. Be respectful. Emma and Derek were going to pledge their fake love and make a lifelong commitment that required a special cake. The bakery was practically hallowed ground. Honey should honor the ritual.

  She told herself she should be glad the plan was working out for at least one of them, even if it was Derek and not her. Any success for Derek meant that Honey wasn’t with Cam and thereby was an equal success for Emma, too, right? A breakup was a breakup and a win for her, regardless of who accomplished it.

  So why did she feel like she was losing?

  “Sorry I’m late.” Cam strode into the store faster than the glass door could ding for his arrival.

  Emma’s stomach leapt, butterflies suddenly flying. Cam was here. His blue eyes sparkled down at her. She smiled. She wasn’t a loser after all. She was still in the race. And her prize had just arrived.

  She almost laughed when Honey and then Derek suddenly straightened and pulled away from each other. Was the sucking sound as they pulled apart real, or part of her overactive imagination? They were too late, though. Cam’s expression said he’d caught their original position and the hurried corrective posture designed to conceal it. Honey started to get up, but Cam waved her down, pulling another chair over to the table and seating himself beside Emma instead.

  Honey’s eyes were wide with guilt. “I thought you couldn’t come.”

  “I didn’t think I could, either, but then I saw that Miss Workaholic here had already left and I thought ‘Am I busier than my friend Emma?’ Nah.” He smiled at Emma and chucked her under the chin. She smiled back, absurdly gratified. Was he saying he was there for her and not Honey? She decided she didn’t care. He was there. The warmth and presence of him just inches away. On her side of the table. Like he was joining her side of the war.

  Trudy brought another plate of cake samples. This time there was hazelnut toffee torte, Tahitian vanilla bean, and mocha ecstasy.

  Derek and Honey each used their own forks this time, and, if Honey looked at Derek a little too often, Cam didn’t seem to notice. Instead, he speared the Tahitian vanilla like a warrior.

  Chewing with gusto, he said, “Mmmm…these are fantastic, right, Em?” He glanced at the other two. “We didn’t get a chance to go to lunch today. I’m starving.” Perhaps to emphasize this point, he ate everything that was on the plate in front of Derek, efficiently tackling it in just two super-loaded forkfuls.

  Honey rolled her eyes and addressed the group at large. “He’s been working so much lately, it’s ridiculous.” She took a dainty bite of the torte and put her fork down. “I hope you won’t have trouble getting away for our little vacation.”

  “Where are you going?” Derek asked Honey.

  “White-water rafting on the Ocoee River. Up past Blue Ridge into Tennessee,” Cam answered.

  Derek turned to Honey. “White-water rafting? That’s great exercise. But I would’ve thought it would be a little too…” he trailed off.

  “Dangerous?” Cam suggested.

  “Outdoors?” Emma asked. That was her own personal objection. Her fair skin burned easily.

  “Tame.” A small smile played on Derek’s lips, but Emma noticed his eyes were shooting sparks at Honey. She wondered if Cam noticed it too.

  Honey smiled. “It’s fun. You should try it sometime.” She glanced around and included Emma. “You should both go sometime. It’s trust-building for couples. It did wonders for Cam and me.”

  Emma looked to Cam, and he nodded, a neutral expression on his face.

  “That’s it!” Honey put down her fork and turned her radiant smile up to full wattage. “I have the best idea!” She looked around at them as if they’d guess. When no one spoke, she said, “You two should come with us.”

  Emma’s mouth dropped open. She glanced at Derek, but either he wasn’t as surprised as she was by the invitation, or he was hiding it better, because he only smiled.

  When no one said anything, Honey continued. “We’ve rented this great house. Lots of space. A heated pool and hot tub. Y’all should really join us.”

  Emma glanced at Derek then answered for both of them. “That’s a nice thought, Honey, but I’m embarrassingly behind on my plans for the wedding. I really must buckle down and get that stuff figured out.”

  “Don’t be so hard on yourself, Emma.” She waved a hand in the air. “Just order what I order.”

  “Thank you, but I’m afraid our budget won’t be the same as yours.” Emma could only imagine the tens of thousands of dollars—or more—Honey’s parents would be forking over for the social event of the year, the wedding of their golden princess to the love of Emma’s life.

  Honey paused. “You could use us as a template and just order less. You’ll have fewer guests, so you’ll save a ton of money.”

  Sure. Just be grateful to have fewer friends. Emma should have no friends and the wedding would be practically free. Nothing else made a difference. Not like Honey ordering filet mignon for her guests and Emma being able to afford…popcorn.

  “Sounds wonderful.” Derek’s voice was firm. “We’re in.”

  Honey smiled, her eyes alight with obvious joy. She threw an arm around Derek and hugged him. Cam glared at them, but Honey avoided his eye. “It’s going to be so much fun! You’ll love it. You both will.” She added the last bit with a glance cross the table at Emma and Cam. Cam scowled
and did violence to what was left of the mocha ecstasy.

  Emma kicked Derek under the table.

  “What the—”

  “Derek, sweetie, could I see you alone for a moment?” Emma plastered a sugary smile on her face. She threw her napkin on her chair and marched toward the restroom, hoping Derek would follow.

  He took his time, but as soon as they were alone near the unisex restroom door, he turned. “What’s the problem?”

  “What’s the problem? What’s the problem? Really?” Emma rolled her eyes. “The problem is that we’re not really getting married. And you just agreed to spend a bunch of money going to all Honey’s appointments with her at the most expensive wedding crap places in the city. As well as go on vacation with them. Are you insane?”

  He leaned over and put his hand on the wall above her head. She could smell his cologne, clean and warm. A frisson of excitement started in her lower belly, at odds with her annoyance.

  “I can’t believe you’re freaking out about this. This is your plan. Right here. Right now. Working. We’re supposed to be inserting ourselves into their lives. Worming our way between them. Here we are. Inserted. Invited, even. This is the best thing that’s ever happened. You should be really happy about this. And proud.”

  Derek was right. But it felt wrong. It was too weird to be working against Honey right in front of her nose. Emma had pictured sabotage from a distance, setting up the dominoes and watching them fall.

  On the other hand, Derek would be there, occupying Honey’s time. Judging by how cuddly they were before Cam showed up, Emma believed Derek was fully able to distract her. Emma would have Cam to herself.

  But how much money was she going to sink into this fake wedding until the plan worked?

  Emma sighed, feeling her initial objections give way to Derek’s enthusiasm and her Cam ambition.

  “Okay, we can go.” She folded her arms and hoped she wouldn’t regret her decision.