Sweet Reality

by Laura Heffernan

  My ears perked up. Sweet Reality, the bakery I co-owned with Justin’s sister Sarah, was doing fine, but we wouldn’t be able to afford a real vacation any time soon. People thought we had loads of money because we’d done a reality show, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Most of my Fishbowl winnings went into launching the business. The second show we did, Real Ocean: Caribbean, was only a week. We made almost nothing beyond the free vacation.

  Justin was still a first-year associate at his law firm, and we’d spent most of our incomes in the past year on his parents’ medical bills and paying down his student loans. To call our wedding budget a shoestring stretched the bounds of the English language. We were on a dental floss budget, unless we wanted to wait three years to get married. And we could. We could wait for the big, fancy wedding. Or we could have a small ceremony now, and a big, fat vow renewal on our tenth or twenty-fifth anniversary. There were many options. The world was our oyster.

  Then another thought struck me. “Wait a sec. The honeymoon? I mean, you’re not asking to film the honeymoon, right? Because that would be a hard no.”

  He laughed. “No, of course not. But we will send you on a two-week tour of Europe, all expenses paid, if that’s what you want.”

  The balloon of hope that had been growing inside me deflated as the reality of those words sank in. “Unless you’re also paying someone to run Sweet Reality for me for two weeks, that could never happen.”

  It had been bad enough when I’d ducked out for a week to film Real Ocean right before our opening last year, though I’d made it back for the big day. Now, the bakery was thriving, but until we hired a full-time manager, I couldn’t disappear for eight to ten weeks to film a show and then take a luxurious honeymoon.

  Sarah needed me. Sweet Reality needed me. I couldn’t walk away from my business, less than a year after it opened. Not when we were starting to turn a profit.

  Connor sighed heavily into the phone. “Okay, look. I’m not supposed to tell you this. Promise you won’t mention it?”

  “Mention what?”

  “I’m really in a bind here. Remember Braden from the cruise?”

  “Sure.” Braden had come in third in a baking competition Justin and I helped judge on the show. He’d starred in some dating reality show where he’d winnowed a pack of beautiful women down to one bride. We weren’t exactly friends, but he’d seemed nice enough.

  “Well, this was supposed to be his wedding,” Connor said. “The Network has already scheduled everything, and most of it’s paid for. He and Amanda broke up last week, so now there’s a hole in the TV schedule. I need someone to star in a wedding-themed reality show, and I haven’t been able to come up with anyone else. Besides, you and Justin are perfect. You’re reality stars, and you got engaged on a Network show. The public has followed your relationship since the beginning.”

  “I can appreciate that, but that’s exactly why we’d like some privacy now. We want to start our life together as a married couple away from the public eye.”

  “I completely understand that, Jen, I absolutely do.” He took a deep breath. “But Braden and Amanda’s Big Day was my shot at being First Assistant Producer instead of just a camera operator or assistant. This is my show. All the eyes are on me. If I can’t come up with another couple, I’m out.”

  A pang of guilt hit me. I didn’t want to ruin a friend’s career any more than I wanted to ruin my own life. Connor had been a good friend over the past couple of years, but I wasn’t sure if his career needs were more important than the health of my relationship. Then a thought hit me. Justin and I weren’t the only couple that hooked up on The Fishbowl and stayed together. Ed also spent most of his time on the show getting to know someone.

  “Why don’t you and Ed get married? You’ve been dating as long as me and Justin. Longer, actually, since we never snuck away on the show to make out. And America loves Ed. He’s hilarious.”

  Connor sighed. “I wish. The first gay couple getting married on live TV? It would be amazing. I pitched it, but Leanna shot me down hard.”

  “Leanna’s running this show?” My voice moved toward a range only dogs could hear. “When were you going to mention that?”

  He must be desperate to ask me to get involved with that woman again, after she arranged for me to miss the cruise ship from Jamaica, leaving me stranded with my ex-boyfriend while Justin sailed away with my archrival. She only agreed to bring me back onboard after I promised to create more drama. Drama that nearly broke me and Justin up for good.

  “After you agreed,” he said sheepishly. “But, I swear, I will be your only contact with the Network. We’ve set up the whole thing. You won’t see or talk to her at all. She’s the show runner, meaning she’ll be in the background the entire time, but she’ll be dealing with everyone else.”

  “Right. Of course she will. Let’s go back to you and Ed. Are you guys getting married?” Nothing would make me happier than seeing my friend and twice co-star make a lifetime commitment to the man who cherished him and had encouraged him to follow his dreams. After moving to LA, Ed rode the fast track to stardom, becoming the most famous former member of The Fishbowl.

  “Maybe someday. When the show said no, I decided to take the time to plan the type of proposal he deserves,” Connor said. “So, back to you. We’re going to film the show in two weeks, so you wouldn’t have to be gone from the bakery for too long.”

  “The Network pays for everything?”

  “Everything. Picture the dream wedding you always wanted.”

  Unbidden, an image of Kate Middleton, Duchess of Cambridge, swam before my eyes, pulling up to the church in a horse-drawn carriage. Walking down the aisle in that gorgeous white dress. Not puffy or overwhelming, classy. A simple veil down her back. Carrying a bouquet of white flowers before driving off with her Prince in a horse-drawn carriage. I’d watched the entire wedding with my mother when I was in college, and we’d gone through half a box of tissues.

  Some small part of me wanted that. I never would have thought myself the type. I always figured I’d have a simple wedding. On a beach, at sunset. A simple lacy sundress. Flowers braided into my hair.

  Or not, since I’d shaved my head on the cruise after losing a bet. Six months later, it was still pretty short. But still. I never thought I wanted a princess wedding until Connor said I could have anything.

  I shook my head. Justin and I didn’t need a fancy wedding. All we needed was each other, a marriage license, witnesses, and someone ordained by the state of Florida.

  Connor must have recognized my silence for the indecision it was. His words tempted me, although I wished they didn’t. “Please think about it?”

  “When do I have to decide?”

  “Tomorrow. No pressure.”

  A bark of laughter choked me. “Right. No pressure at all. One more thing: if I do this, I am under no circumstances consuming any food I did not physically see being prepared, unless it comes from Ed. Neither is Justin.”

  “You think we’re going to drug you?”

  “I don’t know. I didn’t expect anyone to give me pot brownies while filming Real Ocean, did I? Or cupcakes with breast milk in them?”

  “Fair point,” he said. “Deal. I’ll get Ed to move into the house with you for the duration. He can be your personal chef.”

  “In that case, yes, I’ll think about it. Let me talk to Justin.”

  “Thanks, Jen. You’re the best.” He hung up.

  Leaning against the brick wall of the building, I nibbled one thumbnail while I debated whether to call my fiancé before heading back inside. I should say no. We didn’t need to get married on national television. Sure, it would be nice not to go into debt to fund our wedding, but we were never going to do that. When we first got engaged, Justin’s mother had been suffering from cancer, so we’d expected to have a short, quick ceremony, possibly at her bedside.

  Mrs. Taylor had miraculously gone into remission in January, so she could now join us
anywhere we tied the knot. But did we want to get married in Los Angeles? And not needing to get married quickly didn’t automatically translate to spending a lot of money. Did we want a big, fancy wedding? The poufy white dress, a dozen attendants, all that jazz?

  My phone buzzed with a text. An image filled the screen. The same picture of the Duchess of Cambridge I’d already formed in my head. A smile spread across my face as I pictured myself in that gown. Connor knew exactly how to tug my heartstrings.

  Aw, man. I did want My Beautiful Princess Wedding. Or whatever they decided to call it.

  Sure, we didn’t need a big wedding. But we could also let the Network pay for it. We could have everything we ever wanted, now. If his mother’s cancer returned, she’d have the joy of watching us get married before she got sick. Possibly over and over, watching us get married On Demand. Every mother’s dream, right? My mother would certainly be overjoyed.

  My phone buzzed again with another image. This one of Kate with her sister/bridesmaid, both in their white dresses. The text came seconds later. You and Sarah? You and Rachel? We’ll fly in whoever you want.

  I promise, I’ll talk to Justin. We’ll call you tonight, I replied.

  The phone went back into my apron pocket as I went inside and dove back into the bustle of the bakery. The rest of the morning flew, but as lunchtime approached, I thought more and more about Connor’s offer. Finally, about twenty minutes before my lunch break, I pulled Sarah aside.

  Her mouth dropped when I explained the offer. “Holy crap, that’s huge. They’re going to pay for everything? Like, including my maid-of-honor dress?”

  “I told you, you don’t have to buy an expensive dress.”

  “Of course I do. Especially if the Network’s buying.” She winked at me.

  “We can afford to close for a week while you come out, right?”

  “I don’t need an entire week. You know me and reality TV. I just need to come out for the wedding.” Her response came as no surprise. Sarah and I met during my audition for The Fishbowl, when I found her crying in the bathroom because Justin talked her into trying out for the show with him. She’d never wanted to be on TV, even after seeing how it changed my life.

  “But you’ll still be in the wedding, right? Even though it’s televised?”

  “I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” She held my gaze, strong and steady. “Does this mean you’re considering it?”

  “Depends. Can you make it for a couple of weeks without me?”

  At the front of the store, a cashier took and filled orders for a growing line of customers. If anyone else walked in, she’d need to grow a second set of hands. Back in the kitchen, Sarah’s assistant iced cupcakes. Someone needed to mop and sweep the floors, and a stack of phone orders waited for Sarah by the back sink. Running the bakery wasn’t a one person job.

  “We’ll be fine,” she said. “It may be time to promote Betsy to assistant manager and find someone new to cover the front.”

  “You’re serious? You don’t mind?”

  “Of course I don’t mind! Hiring more people means we can both take regular days off. Besides, your fame is half of the draw of this place! Actually, you’re most of the draw.”

  “That’s not true. People come for your cupcakes.”

  “There are a thousand cupcake places in Florida. We get internet orders from New Orleans and Atlanta because of you.” She gestured at the walls, which were adorned with pictures of reality stars, mostly me and Justin and other friends from The Fishbowl. “Go. Be famous. Talk up the bakery. Sales will skyrocket, both when they announce the show and when it airs. I don’t mind leaving Betsy in charge for a couple of days while I fly out for the ceremony. It’ll be a good test to see if she can handle the job full time. When are you leaving?”

  “If all goes well, the end of the week.”

  “That’s so exciting!” She threw her arms around me. “Why aren’t you ecstatic about this?”

  I hesitated. “Because I still have to talk to Justin.”

  “Oh, right. Justin.”

  Right. The man who swore on his grandmother’s antique engagement ring that we were done with reality television forever. He wasn’t going to be happy to hear that I was considering another show, especially without talking to him first.

  “I’m going to go to the courthouse for lunch.” Justin and I had a standing Wednesday lunch date when he had to appear in court, which was more often than not. The walk would give me time to figure out what I wanted to say to him.

  “Hold on a sec.” Sarah stuffed a white cardboard box into my hand. “Lemon meringue cupcakes. You might need ‘em.”

  “Thanks.”

  * * *

  The entire ten-minute walk to the courthouse, I practiced what I could say to convince Justin to take time off work, fly to Los Angeles, and film another reality show.

  Hey, you know how much paying for a big, fancy wedding would suck . . . ? No.

  Remember how much fun it was to be on TV? Double no.

  You miss Ed, right? Maybe.

  I was still musing when I walked up the courthouse steps, not even realizing that Justin stood at the top until he spoke. His voice nearly made me drop his cupcake on the sidewalk.

  “I got a message from the Network this morning.”

  My breath whooshed out of me. At least I could skip half the intro I’d been stumbling over on my way here. “Yeah, Connor called me, too.”

  He blinked several times, the only way he tended to show surprise. “I didn’t talk to Connor. Leanna called my boss. I got an urgent message to call him at the next recess.”

  “Wait, what? The producers called your boss?” That didn’t sound good. But it also didn’t sound normal. Reality TV producers didn’t make arrangements for their stars to take time off work.

  “Yeah. Apparently, she used to date his daughter in college. She got to know the family real well over breaks. So when she decided that she needed a favor from me, Leanna thought calling Mr. Anker would be the way to get it.”

  I shook my head. What a ridiculously small world. “Are you serious?”

  “Yeah. They must be desperate.”

  “They are.” Quickly, I filled him in on the conversation I’d had with Connor earlier. When I finished, I said, “A free wedding and honeymoon sounds amazing. Sarah said it’s okay if I want to take the time off, since the publicity helps the bakery.”

  He tilted his head to one side. “You asked my sister about our wedding before me?”

  “I know, I’m sorry. I figured you’d say no. I wanted to find out if I could afford the time off before bringing it up.”

  We stood in the stream of pedestrian traffic, so I steered him down the steps, toward a nearby copse of trees shading some picnic tables. My hand went naturally to his waist to pull him close. Our eyes locked, and I saw the strain of working so many hours in the lines beneath his usually-sparkling green eyes.

  “But you want to do it?” He asked.

  “Honestly, part of me does,” I admitted. “But we’re a team. We make these decisions together. I don’t care where or when or how we get married. All I need is you.”

  Going onto my tiptoes, I kissed him. His lips lingered on mine, and the cardboard cupcake box crumpled as he pulled me closer. I opened my mouth, reveling in the feel and taste of him. This wasn’t the time or place to get distracted, though. We were less than twenty feet from the entrance to an institute of justice, where Justin worked, not hanging out on the beach.

  When I pulled away, our eyes met, his serious green eyes peering into my soul. “I love you. I just don’t want to risk our relationship again.”

  “I don’t want to risk our relationship either,” I said. “Did you tell them no?” Without asking me? I wanted to add, but didn’t. One thing at a time. Kissing in public was okay, but arguing stayed at home where it belonged.

  “Well, like I said, I would have, if they hadn’t brought my boss into it.”

  My brow furrowed. I mu
st not have heard him right. “What does your boss care? You do real estate contracts and litigation.”

  “Sure, I do. But the firm does everything. And, apparently, Mr. Anker wants to branch out into Entertainment Law.”

  Queasiness sprouted in my stomach. “And what does that mean?”

  “He wants to start signing D-list celebrities, with an eye toward eventually representing all the Real Parents of Miami and Atlanta. There’s some hotshot in the NYC entertainment department who’s been wanting to move someplace warmer. Getting the Network’s business would be a huge coup, and might stop him from jumping ship and heading for an LA firm.”

  That uneasy feeling grew stronger. “I don’t like where this is headed.”

  “Neither do I,” he said. “If we don’t do the show, bring in this business for the firm, I’m fired.”

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  I have jokingly said that this book is actually about the love between me and cupcakes, but my husband is my one true love and the perfect partner for me. Thank you so much, darling, for everything. Thank you to Stephanie Thornton again for inspiring this series and for being an amazing best friend. No matter where we are in the world, it’s like you’re right beside me. I would cross an ocean for you (or with you!).

  Thank you again to my wonderful agent, Michelle Richter. I hope to thank you in many, many acknowledgments to come. Thank you to the entire Kensington team, especially Wendy McCurdy, Norma Perez-Hernandez, Michelle Forde, and Lauren Jernigan.

  Carey O’Connor, K.D. Proctor, and Elizabeth Newmann, thank you so much for your valuable feedback. Thank you to the #17Scribes critique group for help with my first chapter. Marty Mayberry and Kara Reynolds, thank you both for not only reading the book and providing insight, but for holding my hand through countless hours of brainstorming sessions. (Also, you’re both rock stars for reading America’s Next Reality Star just to give me feedback on Sweet Reality.) Laura Brown, thank you for all your help with the entire book, but especially with Madison’s character. You did your best to steer me in the right direction, and I hope I stayed the course. Any mistakes are 100% my own fault, and I apologize to you, my readers, and the Deaf community for them.