by Lucy Kevin
Tamara’s grin only widened. “You have to admit, you do have some pretty cute guys working at Married in Malibu. Daniel has the whole family man thing going on, Travis is muscle from head to toe, and Nate…well, a girl can’t be blamed for looking when there’s so much to appreciate right in front of her.”
Any other time, Jenn would have waded in to ask for more details about where Tamara was looking, especially when it came to Nate. Now, however, her brain felt so muddled that all she could manage was a rather prim, “I’m simply trying to concentrate on doing my best work.”
“Anyone who takes a job at a wedding venue must be a romantic at heart,” Tamara declared. “At least secretly.”
Meg suddenly looked uncomfortable—as if she didn’t want to get caught in a discussion of how much romance she did, or did not, have in her heart. “Do you have any ideas about what you might do for the shoot, Jenn?”
“Not yet. I want something that’s going to show off what I can do and look good for Married in Malibu, but I don’t know anything about photography. What if I make a great cake and it looks terrible on camera?”
“That’s why Daniel is there.”
“One reason he’s there, at least,” Tamara said with a waggle of her eyebrows. Before Jenn could insist again that it was just work, Tamara added, “You make your living baking and decorating cakes, and I make a good portion of mine watching people. And I’ve seen the way Daniel looks at you.”
Jenn knew when she was beat. Because she’d been looking at him in exactly the same way.
“Maybe,” she finally admitted.
Tamara practically jumped up from the table in excitement. “I knew it!” She was grinning from ear to ear. “Score one for my finely honed barista senses.”
Jenn wished she could believe romance was all sunshine and rainbows. But she’d made that mistake before. Which was why she had to hedge her bets by saying, “The fact that he and I work together can’t be a good thing, can it? Liz wouldn’t like it if I ended up causing trouble at Married in Malibu before our next big wedding.”
“First of all,” Tamara replied, “they say that most romances start in the workplace.” She looked briefly at her nineteen-year-old employee at the register. “Which, admittedly, doesn’t give me a lot of hope, but in your case, that means the possibility of dating a hot photographer. And second, there will always be a next big wedding. So what are you going to do? Shove away your feelings forever? Plus,” she continued, “Married in Malibu’s last wedding was between Liz and your first client’s uncle. And then there’s Rose and RJ, the founders of the whole operation. They met at work, so I hardly think anyone at Married in Malibu would complain if you and Daniel decided to date.”
“Maybe…” But even after the great time she’d had at Daniel’s house making cupcakes with his kids, Jenn felt terribly conflicted about the situation. She just didn’t want to make any more missteps when it came to love.
Not after getting it so wrong with Oliver.
Tamara pinned her with a very direct look. “Mixing work with pleasure isn’t what you’re really worried about, is it?” She didn’t wait for Jenn to reply before pushing even further. “So spill. What’s the real reason you’re so worried about starting a relationship with Daniel?”
Jenn couldn’t lie to her friends. Especially not when she knew that Tamara was going to keep asking until she knew everything. “I’m scared, okay? Things didn’t work out with Oliver. What if this all goes wrong too? I don’t think I could recover if I put my heart into another relationship and it all fell apart.”
“I’ve never met your ex, but I’m still positive that Daniel is nothing like him,” Meg said in a gentle voice. “Daniel is a great guy who would never want to hurt you.”
“He is great,” Jenn said. “He’s sweet. And talented. And amazing with his kids. But I thought at first that Oliver was great too.”
She’d been swept away by her ex, swept up in him. Even when things had started to go off the rails, she’d told herself that he was a good man and she simply needed to give him time to come around.
Until she’d found him in bed with another woman and realized just how wrong she’d been about everything.
“How can I ever really be sure about someone else when I missed all the signs before?”
“That’s one of the benefits of working with Daniel on the Brides magazine cakes for the next few days,” Tamara said. “You’ll get to see so much more of him than you normally would—especially in the middle of a stressful deadline. If you can bring out the best in each other this week, then maybe that means the two of you truly are meant to be together. From what I’ve seen so far,” she added as she put her hand over Jenn’s, “I’d bet my last dime on it.”
“I would too,” Meg said, covering Jenn’s other hand with hers.
Chapter Seven
At Travis and Nate’s request, Daniel had spent the morning playing the part of a paparazzo trying to sneak into Married in Malibu. Intent on airtight security for their celebrity guests, they wanted to spot any possible place where someone might be able to get a good shot with a telephoto lens so that they could block the sight line. He’d enjoyed running around the grounds trying to elude Travis’s best attempts at security, but at the same time, every minute helping them was one Daniel wasn’t spending with Jenn.
It was one p.m. by the time he was able to head to the kitchen with his camera gear. Jenn was sitting at one of the worktops, a sketchbook open in front of her and the faintest wrinkle to her nose as she scribbled away.
When she eventually noticed him and started slightly, Daniel said, “Sorry, I’ve spent so much of the morning sneaking around pretending to be paparazzi for Travis and Nate that I’m having trouble making much noise right now.”
Jenn laughed. “I’ll bet your training as a photojournalist also makes you good at sneaking up on people, doesn’t it?”
“The best is when I can get the kids to jump out of their chairs at home,” he said with a grin. “Speaking of the kids, Kayla and Adam both think you are amazing.” He wanted to tell her he thought she was amazing, but he knew the last thing he should be risking right now was making her uncomfortable before they began working closely for the next week.
“I think they’re amazing too. And so are you.” Her eyes widened as she scrambled to amend her statement. “What I mean is that you’re a wonderful father.”
She couldn’t know how much that meant to Daniel. More than anything, he wanted to be a good father. Especially given that he was doing it all by himself. “They keep asking me when you can come back.”
“I’d love to. It’s just…” She bit her lip. “Finding the time right now for anything other than this shoot is going to be tricky, isn’t it?”
He tried not to frown, not sure he bought the reason she’d just given him. “The schedule is pretty tight,” he made himself agree.
He was trying to read her expression—was she on to his feelings for her and wanted him to back off?—when she said, “Your wife would be so proud of them, and you. She must have been a truly amazing, beautiful person, if the kids you had together are anything to go by.”
“She was,” Daniel replied.
Victoria had brightened up a room just by walking into it. She had been funny, kind, and beautiful. Every day, Daniel looked at his kids and saw reminders of their mother in their expressions, or the way they behaved. It was why he’d never dared to believe that there might be someone else out there for him.
Until he’d met Jenn.
Suddenly, all the warnings he’d been giving himself about taking things slow didn’t seem to matter. He needed to tell her what he was feeling. Needed to know if she might one day feel the same.
“Jenn—”
“Daniel—”
“You first,” he said, hopeful that she was thinking along the same lines.
“I was just going to say that we should probably get going on our game plan for the cakes, shouldn’t we?”
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br /> Disappointment settled deep in his gut, even though he’d known better, hadn’t he? She wasn’t ready yet. Just because he felt closer to her every minute they were together didn’t mean he could rush her into anything.
Forcing himself to turn his focus back to work, he gestured to her notebook. “It looks like you’ve been working through some ideas.”
She turned her notebook so that he could see the paper filled with a few crossed-out sketches. “Normally, I’d be full of ideas. But I can’t stop worrying about how the photo shoot will change things.”
“Don’t forget, your cakes looked great when I photographed them before Greta came in.”
“You’re right,” she acknowledged with a smile. “Your photos were wonderful. But those were just simple sample cakes, not something on the scale that Brides magazine surely wants.”
“I don’t think you’re going to have any problems knocking their socks off,” Daniel said. “But if it will make you feel better to have some pointers, here’s the most important thing to remember: The cakes have to be very visual since people reading the magazine won’t be able to taste them. I’ve known some food stylists to use painted wooden and plastic models in place of the real food, because they’re easier to photograph.”
“I could never do anything like that,” Jen said, looking horrified.
“I’m not suggesting you should.” That was when an idea struck him. “What if we made a big deal out of the fact that your cakes are one hundred percent natural? I could document the process of you making them, and then we could show pictures of the cut slices so that people know you can produce great results without resorting to tricks of the camera. Even if the magazine decides not to use the photos, we can still put them up on the Married in Malibu website.”
“I love that idea.”
Just like that, they were off and running, discussing ideas, exploring potential pitfalls and working out solutions. When he wondered aloud if the heat from studio lights might affect the frosting, she created half a dozen different batches to try to find a recipe that wouldn’t melt. And when she wanted to know about the effects of lighting on color, he applied different filters in his editing software to allow her to see potential changes. While they worked, they wove around each other in a dance of photos and baking that seemed to spark new ideas at every step. Too many ideas…
“Maybe if we both relax a little, the perfect idea will finally land.” He looked out the window. “How about a short walk along the beach?”
The cove was a part of the Married in Malibu grounds, which meant that it was quiet and untouched by both tourists and locals. It was not only the perfect spot for a private beach wedding, it also made a great place for an afternoon break.
A few minutes later, they were walking along the sand. The sun was shining, the sky was cloudless, and the ocean rolled in and out in a steady, soothing rhythm.
“This beach is perfect,” Jenn said.
It’s even more perfect because you’re here, he thought, wanting to say the words aloud, but knowing it was too soon. Forcing himself to look away from her beautiful face, he bent to pick up an intricately patterned shell, then positioned it on the sand so that he could snap a picture of it. A few moments later, Jenn found a shell of her own to add to the arrangement. Pretty soon, they were crafting a complex and ever-expanding pattern. Daniel reached down for another shell…and Jenn’s hand covered his as she reached for the same one.
Looking up, he realized she was only a few inches away. If either of them moved forward, their lips would touch. He held his breath, waiting to see if she would lean forward to close the gap. Instead, she straightened—and the moment disappeared as if made of smoke.
“I know what cakes I should make,” she said suddenly. “One that’s one hundred percent Malibu with a beach, the ocean, and seashells for decoration. One that’s totally classic, such as a five-tiered wedding cake. And then, for a last one, I could put together a theme-park cake to further reinforce our Southern California location and the stars that become our clients.”
Jenn’s vision was so good that Daniel was momentarily diverted from his dashed hopes over the kiss that hadn’t happened. They immediately headed back to her kitchen so that they could begin to work out all the details. They dug in with such enthusiasm, in fact, that he was surprised by the alarm on his phone that he’d set to make sure he made it home in time to get dinner on for the kids.
“I almost kept you late again, didn’t I?”
“No,” he assured her, “everything’s fine. My parents have been watching the kids today, but they’re going to the symphony this evening, so I need to head back.”
“Thank you for a wonderful afternoon.”
“It was pretty great, wasn’t it?”
Suddenly, they were hugging. It was hard to say which of them started it. Perhaps they both simply had the idea at the same moment. Either way, Daniel loved feeling Jenn’s warmth, her soft curves, pressed against him.
And he hoped she loved being in his arms just as much.
Chapter Eight
Jenn couldn’t stop thinking about her cake designs. She made plans in the shower. She filled a half-dozen pages in her notebook while grabbing a bite to eat. Even her dreams had been invaded with visions of frosting and fillings, piping and chocolate.
Daniel had been in every one of her dreams too.
“Get a grip on yourself—you have cakes to make,” she told herself as she walked into the Married in Malibu kitchen the following day. It was still hard to believe that this incredible space was her domain.
In order to meet the demands of both the Brides spread and Greta Sanserre’s upcoming wedding, Jenn needed to give one hundred percent focus to her job. However conflicted she was by her feelings for Daniel, she still had baking to do.
Deciding to work on the traditional cake first, she reviewed the list she’d made the night before of the best options for each of the five tiers. Red velvet cake and chocolate were a must, of course, along with a plain sponge. A fruit cake might create a good contrast with texture. The same went for a polka dot cheesecake. She’d written down close to a dozen options, and she would soon have to narrow them down. For now, however, she would let herself experiment with different combinations to see what looked the best.
Daniel would be a huge part of this process, of course. His years of photographic experience were not only invaluable, but she also sensed that she was going to need to lean on him at least once during the week for moral support. Having seen him with his kids, she knew for sure that no one was a better cheerleader.
Eggs, flour, milk, water, food coloring, cocoa—Jenn was tallying up the amounts she was going to need when her phone pinged with a text.
Was it Daniel? Had he woken up thinking about her, the way she’d woken up thinking about him? Had he gotten his kids ready for school, dealt with the breakfast chaos, then decided to send her a quick good morning even before getting into the office?
But when Jenn checked her phone, the text wasn’t from Daniel.
It was from her ex.
Her heart sank at the sight of Oliver’s name. What could her ex-husband possibly want when she hadn’t heard anything from him in months? One of his few redeeming qualities was that as soon as she’d asked him for a divorce, he’d disappeared almost completely, which had given her the space she’d needed to start to rebuild her life.
What could Oliver need at this time of the morning? Not only had he never been an early riser, but he’d always complained when she got up early to bake. She felt a little sick as she swiped her finger across the screen to read his message.
I know it’s been a long time and things were difficult, but I’m on a totally new path that has turned my life around. Can I see you? It’s important.
Jenn rolled her eyes. After all this time, Oliver thought he could just text to get her to meet him to discuss something “important”? And everything was about him, as usual. She texted back:
I�
�m completely tied up. Will be in touch when I have some time.
“Good morning, Jenn.”
Her heart fluttered as she looked up from her phone to find Daniel standing in the doorway holding coffee and croissants. “I brought breakfast, just in case bakers are like shoemakers, who are always barefoot.”
Normally, she would have laughed at his adorable—and correct—analogy. But even one short text from Oliver had been enough to bring the pain surging back. Not just the pain of finding him in bed with another woman, but the pain of realizing he’d been lying to her for so long before that—and the way he’d constantly dismissed everything Jenn had wanted to do with her life. Even Daniel’s presence couldn’t make that hurt go away instantly.
“You’re right that bakers do often go without breakfast,” she confirmed with a shaky smile. “Thank you for thinking of me.”
He put the coffee and croissants on a worktop so that he could reach out to put a hand on her shoulder. “Are you okay?”
A part of her wanted to spill everything. But she couldn’t stand the thought of her ex intruding on her time with Daniel. “I’m a little tired. I got here a bit earlier than I intended.”
“Eager to get to work?” Daniel guessed with a smile that made her heart go pitter-patter.
“Absolutely.” She forcefully pushed thoughts of Oliver away. “We’ve got a lot to do today.”
While they had decided on the core designs, and she had been thinking about recipes, there were still the basic cakes to bake, components to construct and fit together, props for displaying them to craft, and of course, figuring out how to make sure everything photographed beautifully.
“Don’t worry,” Daniel said as if he could read the laundry list of rather daunting tasks in her head. “We’ll get through it all. One thing at a time.”
Knowing he was right, she took a deep breath, then said, “Okay, then, here is my list of ideas of cakes to use for the five different layers of the tiered cake. What jumps out at you?”
