by Holly Plum
CHAPTER NINE
The grinding of the coffee machine was the worst sound to wake up to. Joy opened one eye at a time and found herself alone on the bakery floor. Sun blasted through the windows and told her that it was almost time to open the shop.
Sara Beth was making coffee and pulling pastries from the oven. Cheesecake ate breakfast at the bay window table, chewing kibble from a small ornate dish. His fur still looked clean and fluffy.
“Hey, good morning.” Sara Beth was rather cheerful for someone with heavy dark bags under her eyes.
“Ugh,” Joy grunted in response. She sat at the counter and rubbed her eyes.
“Coffee?” Sara Beth poured Joy a cup without waiting for an answer. Her boss took it with both hands and practically sucked it down in one gulp.
“I forgot about my appointment at Candy Nails this morning," Sara Beth said. "You're coming with me. No offense but you could use it."
“A nail appointment?” Joy shook her head and made a face as if to say absolutely not.
“When was the last time you had your nails done?” Sara Beth asked.
"Does it matter?" Joy kept shaking her head. She needed to box up the cake and get some more rest before the wedding.
“It's a change of scenery," Sara Beth continued. "Think of it as a pre-wedding break."
Joy sipped her coffee and considered her options. Cheesecake was already winding himself around Sara Beth's legs, hoping for a sweet morsel.
Joy groaned and nodded, slumping her head against the counter.
“Yes,” Sara Beth rejoiced, grabbing her keys and hoisting Cheesecake up into her arms. "We'll be back in time to open."
***
Candy Nails was definitely a change of scenery. The walls were covered in bright pink wallpaper, and the shop was lit with a disco ball. Joy sat beside Sara Beth as her assistant got her nails done by Candy herself. Candy was a larger woman and a big personality. Her talking kept Joy and Sara Beth awake. Cheesecake walked around the nail salon, sniffing other customers cautiously before curling up at Joy's feet to nap. Joy wished she could have joined him.
“We heard you hosted a bachelorette party here," Sara Beth said to Candy.
“Oh, you mean the one for Delilah Moore?” Candy laughed. “It was supposed to be a casual little get-together but it was wild.”
“Wild, huh?” Sara Beth pushed.
“Um, yeah," Candy answered. "Have you ever painted a dog's nails? There were dogs all over the place. They might have even outnumbered the people. It was crazy in here. Lots of chatting and barking."
“Did you notice anything strange at the party?” Joy asked, suddenly very awake.
“You mean anything stranger than women kissing their dogs?” Candy snorted.
“Okay, you've got me there," Joy answered. "How long did the party last?"
“Practically all night," Candy confessed. "I wasn't expecting that either. The bride-to-be kept asking me to end the party early, but no one wanted to leave. Besides, I was making a fortune in tips from all those doggy manicures."
“She wanted to end the party early?” Joy questioned.
“Yeah, she kept checking her phone while I was doing her nails. Speaking of which, Joy. You've got to let me do something with those cuticles of yours. I can make your nails look like you've never worked a day in your life.”
“Oh, no thanks.” Joy shook her head, glancing down at her short, broken nails. She spent too much time running her bake shop to worry about things like manicures. Sara Beth was the one with the perfect nails.
“Treat yourself for once,” Candy encouraged her. "It won't take long."
“They'll just get chipped and broken in a day,” Joy explained. "That's why I usually don't even bother."
“Joy, have you ever seen me chip a nail?" Sara Beth asked. "Even when I'm hauling out the trash and doing dishes all day?”
Joy thought for a moment and realized that Sara Beth's nails were usually pristine compared to hers.
“Joy,” Candy insisted, “my manicures come with a two-week guarantee. The only way you can chip a nail is if you do something crazy in the first twenty-four hours before the polish sets completely. After that, your nails will be rock solid. I promise."
“She'll be wanting little cakes on her thumbs,” Sara Beth teased.
“That will be easier than some of the designs requested at that bachelorette party," Candy chimed in. "The bride and her mother both wanted these custom dog designs. I'd never seen anything like it before, and they were so particular about everything. Now they were tough customers to satisfy.”
“What kind of designs are we talking about?” Joy asked.
“Really elaborate dog ones.” Candy laughed loudly. "And then there was this bridesmaid who wanted some X-Rated images. Lola painted them. I had nothing to do with that."
“I don't even want to know what she asked for.” Sara Beth scrunched up her nose.
“I'll stick with the cake, thanks,” Joy said, watching as her nails morphed into tiny works of art.
CHAPTER TEN
Later that afternoon, Joy's little beachside bungalow felt like a sanctuary. She collapsed onto her bed and let out a long sigh. It felt like she hadn't been home for days, and she hated that she had to go out again as soon as she had changed. Taking her time, she fed Cheesecake and unclipped the silly plaid bow out of his hair. She took a long shower and reveled in the feeling of being clean after such a long shift at the bakery. She washed a lot of flour out of her hair and scrubbed her whole body with lavender scented soap.
Feeling refreshed, Joy helped herself to a doughnut from her pantry. It was chocolate and strawberry, a flavor of her own making. The dough had been baked with cocoa and a dash of strawberry syrup, which had delicately combined to create a unique taste. The doughnut had been iced with thick chocolate frosting and sprinkled with big slices of dried strawberries.
Joy chose an outfit that seemed appropriate for a beachside wedding – a dark blue dress with a white seashell pattern. She zipped up the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked tired but presentable. Her hair was as unruly as ever, the dark curls jutting out at all angles. Her new colorful nails looked bright against the dark dress and for a moment she worried that they looked out of place.
“What a weird week this has been,” Joy muttered to herself as she looked through her handbag. She scratched Cheesecake under his chin for a few minutes and then said goodbye.
***
“Sara Beth,” Joy called as she tried to open the back door of the bakery. She was extra careful with the stubborn lock because she didn't want to chip her new manicure.
“Joy?” Sara Beth yelled from inside the bakery.
“Can you open the back door?” Joy shouted back.
“Sure.” Sara Beth swung open the back door.
Her blond hair was tied up in a high bun. A baby blue dress hugged her body, and matching earring made the color of her eyes pop. Sara Beth held a super-sized cup of sweet tea and when she saw Joy she put the straw between her bright pink lips to take a sip.
“Look at how well we clean up,” she complimented her boss. "You would never know how tired we both are."
“Let's do this.” Joy brushed off the compliment.
“Nice nails.” Sara Beth took Joy's hand and inspected her nails. "Aren't you glad you had them done? I like them better this way."
“I'll have to get used to them," Joy answered. "I'm not used to so much color, and I'm paranoid that I'm going to ruin them."
“You would have to get caught in a hurricane to chip those.” Sara Beth laughed. "Candy wasn't lying about her guarantee. That manicure will survive. You'll see."
“Good to know.” Joy smiled and walked into the bakery, feeling a little more confident about her new look.
“Um, before you go too far you should know that something not-so-great has happened,” Sara Beth mumbled. She reached out to try and stop Joy from walking into the bakery, but she was too late.
Joy already felt the warm air on her skin.
“The air conditioner is broken again,” Joy sighed.
“I already called Sam.”
“Oh my gosh, the cake.” Joy panicked. She rushed over to the table where they had left the cake expecting to see a pile of melted buttercream and crumbs.
“The cake is fine,” Sara Beth said.
Luckily, it really was fine. It still looked perfect. Sara Beth had even begun to box up extra decorations and buttercream to take to the wedding in case they needed to patch up any mistakes onsite.
“Thank goodness for that.” Joy put a hand on her chest.
“Let's get this wedding over and done with,” Sara Beth said. "Maybe then the air conditioner will stop breaking."
CHAPTER ELEVEN
The drive to the beach was peaceful as always, and so was the beach itself. No dogs. No crowd. No wedding. Joy and Sara Beth stood on the shoreline. They squinted against the glare of afternoon sun bouncing off of the water and tried to make out any signs of a wedding. Nothing. Not a soul.
“Did we get the wrong day?” Sara Beth commented.
“Don't tell me we stayed up all night for nothing.”
“At least we can go home and sleep.” Sara Beth sighed. She pushed down the hem of her dress but the wind blew it up again.
“Well, technically we'd have to bake a whole new cake since these dog-friendly cakes only last for twenty-four hours,” Joy replied.
Sara Beth stared at her in disbelief. “Don't joke around like that.”
“Joy, is that you?" a voice yelled from the parking lot. "Please, tell me that you are Joy Cooke from Patty Cakes Bake Shop?"
Someone in a shiny teal dress waved at them. A French bulldog bolted from between the person's legs and headed straight for Joy and Sara Beth. The dog had a teal bowtie attached to his collar.
“This is a good sign,” Sara Beth said.
Joy waved, and the two of them followed the French bulldog back to his owner. It was the drunk bridesmaid from the bachelorette party. She carried herself very differently when she was sober. She also didn't seem to remember much of the night before.
"Yes, I'm Joy," Joy answered.
“I'm Leanne, and this is Poochy," the bridesmaid said introducing herself. "I'm a bridesmaid in Delilah's wedding, and she instructed me to come here and fetch you."
“Where is everyone?” Joy asked.
“There was a last minute change. No surprises there. The wedding is at the docks now. We don't have much time, so can we ride with you?” Leanne held up her shoes which looked decidedly uncomfortable and worn out.
“Wait, you walked here from the docks?” Sara Beth was shocked.
“Oh yeah, Delilah insisted.” Leanne shrugged. "Something about having a green wedding?"
“She should have called," Joy muttered as she opened her car door.
“She also made up a no cell phone rule,” Leanne explained as Poochy jumped up onto her lap. “I know it seems like overkill, but she's very stressed. Of course, I would be too."
"And a little hung over I'd imagine," Sara Beth quietly added. Joy shook her head as she drove to the docks. It was a quick drive, but it just added to all the challenges that had been piling up on her.
The marina was full of dogs, people, and party decorations. Joy found a parking spot close to the catering table and turned off the car. She and Sara Beth followed Leanne's instructions and put their phones in the glove compartment.
“Any idea why the wedding was moved to the dock?” Joy asked Leanne.
“Delilah said Hunter wanted to be near his boat or something.” She shrugged. "Who knows though?"
“Interesting,” Joy replied, giving Sara Beth a look. Sara Beth frowned, knowing that Joy was theorizing again.
Joy's second cake looked just as magnificent as the first and apparently it smelled just as good. Dogs crowded around Joy's legs as she put on the finishing touches, their snouts reaching up to try and get a lick of frosting. Joy figured that the canine crowd was a good sign.
Kind of a compliment, I suppose, Joy thought to herself.
A huge Irish wolfhound's nose suddenly appeared next to Joy's waist and bumped her arm, making her hand slide against the cake. The side of Joy's hand was covered in white icing. The wolfhound looked up at her and smacked its lips.
“No way,” Joy replied. She held her hand up high and away from the dogs. They started jumped and yipping, desperate for a taste.
Joy looked around for Sara Beth and found her assistant petting the same greyhound she had been petting for the past ten minutes.
“Can you please control these dogs while I get the extra frosting from the car, Sara Beth?”
“I'll try.” Sara Beth scooped a dollop of frosting onto her own fingers. She presented the treat to the pack of dogs who immediately ignored Joy and began following Sara Beth.
“Make your escape while you still can,” Sara Beth instructed. Joy pushed through the pack and grabbed a stack of napkins to wipe her hands as she made her way to the car.
Joy stopped for a moment to admire the boats in the distance when she heard yelling. It seemed to be coming from a big, orange boat that was docked near the parking lot. Curious, Joy approached it and read the name on the side. It said Jacques Paradise.
Joy wondered if the boat belonged to Hunter since Jacques was the name of his dog. Her question was answered as Hunter's loud voice rang from the deck of the boat. Looking around, Joy noticed that everyone else was at the other end of the marina. Joy quietly crept closer to the arguing, and before she knew it, she found herself standing on the boat.
“I can't believe you went ahead and made all of these plans without me," Hunter exclaimed. He leaned against the railing of the far side of the boat, slightly hidden from view. Joy pressed herself against the wall of the boat's cabin and peered around the corner to watch the argument.
Delilah stepped into view, with Petunia the Great Dane sitting near her feet. Delilah crossed her arms and sighed dramatically.
“This is our special day, Hunter,” she replied. "This is what we've always talked about."
“It's not so special anymore, Delilah. We should be in mourning not celebrating before Sean is even in the ground." Hunter wiped an eye with the back of his hand. His face was wet like he had been crying.
“You're exaggerating, Hunter," Delilah argued. "Sean wasn't a good friend to at all and you know it. Don't let him ruin our wedding. Please!"
Hunter shook his head in disagreement. Jacques the Pomeranian trotted over to Petunia and sat with her, sniffing at Delilah's feet. The dogs didn't seem upset at all. To them, it was just another normal day.
“If you had just agreed to postpone the wedding that night, then none of this would even matter. We'd have time for Sean's funeral, and then we could take as long as we needed to re-plan the wedding." Hunter didn't back down.
“We met up that night to celebrate our love not to talk about postponing the wedding," Delilah responded. "I don't want to postpone the wedding. I want to marry you, Hunter. Why do you not get that?"
“Sean said ...” Hunter trailed off. "Never mind."
“What did he say this time?" Delilah stamped her foot. "We both know he hated me. He's had it out for me from day one. My mom was completely right about him. You know what? I'm happy he's gone. That's right. He's not here anymore, and I couldn't be more thrilled!"
Petunia and Jacques suddenly perked up and turned to look at Joy. Delilah and Hunter followed their gazes. Joy tried to duck back behind the wall, but she was too slow. She had been caught eavesdropping.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Delilah gasped and turned bright red. “Joy? What are you doing here?”
“I'm sorry to interrupt.” Joy sheepishly stepped forward. “I was just wondering where I should put the cake?” It was clearly a lie, but Joy hoped that it would be enough to spare her the embarrassment.
Delilah fiddled with her wedding ring and cleared her throat.
“How much of our conversation did you hear?” she asked.
“Not much,” Joy admitted. “I'm sorry for not announcing myself.”
“Don't be sorry,” Delilah replied, forcing a smile. "We're fine. Everything's fine. Couple argue all the time. It's perfectly normal."
“What are you talking about?” Hunter argued. "We're not fine." Delilah scowled at him.
"Look, whether you decide to cancel the wedding or not is none of my business," Joy responded, hoping to ease some of the tension. "I'm just here to deliver the cake."
"That should have been addressed before the first wedding," Hunter explained. "Don't you think so, Delilah? I mean we both snuck away from our bachelor and bachelorette parties to talk about it."
“You two clearly need to figure some things out then." Joy put two and two together. Delilah had disappeared from Candy Nails to meet with Hunter, and Hunter had done the same.
“We snuck out to celebrate together,” Delilah said defensively. "And our relationship problems are nobody's business but our own, Hunter."
“You heard Joy. Even she can see that we aren't ready to do this.” Hunter wasn't going to back down. Joy felt very out of place.
"I should probably leave you two alone," Joy said.
The dogs jumped up again at the sound of high heels clanging against the floor. Delilah's mother, Paisley, had a worried look on her face as she studied her daughter and future son-in-law.
“What's going on here?" Paisley questioned. "The bride and groom are needed at the altar." Paisley looked at Hunter before turning pale. "Oh no, Delilah. You told him, didn't you? I warned you this would happen if you told him."
Delilah's shook her head nervously. She glared at her mother before taking a deep breath. Hunter glanced back and forth between the two of them.
“What are you talking about?” Hunter demanded. "What were not supposed to tell me?"
