I paused to think through his idea. While it sounded great to me, I really had to wait on my aunt. Her opinion was the one that really counted.
“Oh, and one more thing.” He flashed a sly smile. “While we’re taking walls down . . .” He dropped to one knee, and I half expected him to pull Uncle Donny’s saw out of some toolbox he’d hidden under the table or something. Maybe he would start to take the wall down right now.
Instead, he reached for my hand.
“What are we doing?” I asked. With a tilt of my head, I gestured to several incoming customers, who now looked on, intrigued.
Turned out there were more customers than I’d realized. Strange. Hadn’t noticed my dad before. When did he get here? And Bella? She must’ve snuck in when I wasn’t looking. And Hannah? No way.
Armando’s voice reeled me back in. “Scarlet . . .”
“Yes?”
“I’m not just asking if you want to merge businesses.”
“You’re . . . you’re not?”
“Nope.” His gorgeous eyes flashed with merriment. “I’m asking if you want to merge lives.”
“Merge lives?” I echoed, trying to make sense of this. Only one problem—with so many people looking on, I couldn’t think straight. “Sorry, I’m a little confused.”
“Then let me unconfuse you.” He reached into his pocket and came out with a little box. At this point the customers and family members behind me took to cheering. Then I saw Aunt Willy enter on Uncle Donny’s arm. They looked on as Armando opened the box and pulled out a little—no, make that huge—diamond ring.
My breath caught in my throat. “Armando.”
“I asked you a question, Lucy.” He waggled his brows. “Ricky’s waiting for an answer.”
A nervous chuckle escaped me.
“If you say no, you’ll have some serious ’splainin’ to do.”
He grinned, and I found myself fixated on that gorgeous face. “Oh, Lucy’s not saying no. No way, no how.”
“So that’s a yes?” He lifted the ring out of the box and dangled it in front of me.
“On one condition.” I put up my hand to stop him. “You have to let me sing at the Copa Cabana. Now that I’ve had a taste of stardom, I think I enjoy the spotlight too much to let it go.”
He laughed. “Honey, you can be the headline act. I’ll even put in a stage at Parma John’s so you can perform as often as you like.”
Okay, that was a little much. Still, the idea intrigued me. I giggled and extended my left hand. “In that case, Lucy says yes.”
He slipped the gorgeous marquise-cut diamond onto my ring finger, and a huge cheer went up from the crowd. Armando rose and swept me into his arms. He planted kiss after kiss on my cheeks, his lips finally finding their way to mine. As he swept me away to worlds yet unknown, I felt giddy with delight. No baked goods on earth could come close to the sweetness I felt in Armando’s arms.
Here, in this place, I really could have my cake . . . and eat it too.
Author’s Note
What joy to write this fun book about a cake decorator! I’ve been the mother of the bride four times over and have coordinated many other weddings besides. After spending nearly six hundred dollars on cake at daughter number one’s wedding, I vowed never to do that again. Daughter number two trusted me enough to make and decorate her cake, and I’ve been at it ever since! Though I don’t work as a professional cake decorator—the stress would kill me—I often gift brides with their cake. There’s something so exciting—and tasty—about the process. It’s also a fun way to relieve stress.
Speaking of tasty, I’ve spent the last two years of my life losing weight and getting in shape. I’ve lost nearly one hundred pounds! That’s why I decided to work the “getting comfortable in my own skin” plotline into Scarlet’s story. Yes, I still occasionally have a nibble of cake. No, I don’t eat the whole thing. I must admit that cake baking is tougher work now that I’m trying to avoid sweets!
Adding Armando to this story was an afterthought, by the way. Initially I’d plotted the story with a different hero. As I thought it through, however, the truth surfaced: this needed to be more than just a story about two unlikely people meeting and falling in love; it needed to be a story about two people with individual struggles and issues who overcame them and fell head over heels for each other.
Oh, and the whole Nicaragua thing? I went on a missions trip to Managua, Nicaragua, in 2003 with a fabulous team of believers. How did we earn the money? We put on a show, of course. And who headed all of that up?
Do you really have to ask?
Acknowledgments
To my editor, Jennifer Leep. This tasty story would never have found a home if you hadn’t believed in Bella in the first place. I’m tickled to see how far her story has come and how many people she’s brought with her. It’s all because of you, girl! It’s all because of you. Thank you too for walking with me through the illnesses of my grandbabies. Putting family first slowed down the process, but I’m thrilled that the story still came together with my sense of humor intact, in spite of the trauma.
To my sales and marketing team at Revell. Bless you for your continued support. You are the wind beneath Bella’s wings. You help her—and me!—soar.
To my readers. You helped me dream Bella back from the great beyond. If you hadn’t come knocking at my door for more, these stories wouldn’t exist. Thank you for encouraging me and giving me a reason to believe that Bella was more than a fictional character from Galveston. She has become a living, breathing entity, a staple in my life and my writing journey.
To my grandbabies. Nina has worked very hard to lose weight and get in shape so that she can dance at your weddings. I hope my hand is still steady enough to decorate the cakes. If not, call on Scarlet. I hear she’s quite the cake decorator. While you’re at it, ask her to sing. She does a great rendition of “I Believe I Can Fly.”
Recipes
Aunt Rosa’s Italian Cream Cake
Scarlet’s Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
Aunt Rosa’s Italian Cream Cake
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine the following ingredients:
1 box white cake mix
1 package vanilla instant pudding mix
1⅓ cups water
¼ cup oil
4 eggs
1⅓ cups coconut
1 cup pecans (or walnuts)
Grease and flour two round cake pans.
Pour batter into pans and bake 32 to 37 minutes.
Scarlet’s Homemade Cream Cheese Frosting
⅓ cup butter
6 oz. cream cheese
16 ounces (four cups) powdered sugar
4 tbsp. heavy whipping cream
½ tsp. vanilla
2 cups coconut (over frosting)
Award-winning author Janice Thompson enjoys tickling the funny bone. She got her start in the industry writing screenplays and musical comedies for the stage, and she has published over ninety books for the Christian market. She has played the role of mother of the bride four times now and particularly enjoys writing lighthearted, comedic, wedding-themed tales. Why? Because making readers laugh gives her great joy!
Janice formerly served as vice president of Christian Authors Network (CAN) and was named the 2008 Mentor of the Year for American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW). She is active in her local writing group, where she regularly teaches on the craft of writing. In addition, she enjoys public speaking and mentoring young writers.
Janice is passionate about her faith and does all she can to share the joy of the Lord with others, which is why she particularly enjoys writing. Her tagline, “Love, Laughter, and Happily Ever Afters!” sums up her take on life.
She lives in Spring, Texas, where she leads a rich life with her family, a host of writing friends, and two mischievous dachshunds. She does her best to keep the Lord at the center of it all. You can find out more about Janice at www.janiceathompson.com or www.freelancewritin
gcourses.com.
Books by Janice Thompson
* * *
WEDDINGS BY BELLA
Fools Rush In
Swinging on a Star
It Had to Be You
BACKSTAGE PASS
Stars Collide
Hello, Hollywood!
The Director’s Cut
WEDDINGS BY DESIGN
Picture Perfect
The Icing on the Cake
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