Smitten at First Sight: A Contemporary Romance Novel

by Astor, Marie

  “But you have such a beautiful house. You’ve got a pool and everything, and I’m sure the kids must love it.” Annabel grasped for straws to cheer Meredith up. Recently, Meredith and her husband, Doug, had left their house in Hoboken that was within an easy reach of Manhattan and moved to a much bigger house on the outskirts of New Jersey that was over two hour’s drive from the City. The move was Doug’s idea, and he justified it to Meredith by saying that he wanted to live in a family-oriented town. They had barely signed the closing papers on the new house when Doug purchased a studio apartment in Manhattan, claiming that he needed a place to crash in when he had late meetings with clients. Business must have been real good, since lately, Meredith’s husband had been staying in his City pad six nights a week.

  “My ten-year-old is having a blast, but Jamie and Sandy couldn’t care less. They miss their friends, and they hate being so far away from the City. But enough about that. We are here to taste wedding cakes,” Meredith added brightly, “and I intend to try every bite!”

  There was always a line for a table at Veniero’s, but because they had a tasting appointment, Annabel and Meredith were seated immediately. A few minutes later, eight different varieties of wedding cake slices were put before them.

  “Remember the cake at my wedding?” Meredith mused as she lifted a forkful of cake to her mouth.

  Annabel nodded. Despite the time distance, or maybe because of it, the details of Meredith’s wedding were crystal clear in her mind. Back then Meredith still had her figure, and she looked picture perfect next to Doug, a handsome football quarterback. She had fallen in love with Doug in her senior year at Rutgers when Doug single-handedly won the opening game for the home team. Meredith’s father, Uncle Roby, owned one of the largest construction businesses in New Jersey and had spared no expense for his only daughter’s wedding. It was a splendid affair with giant flower pieces, a guest list of over four hundred people that included the state governor, and a cake that was over two feet in diameter. There was a live band, and not some measly quartet, but a proper orchestra of twelve with violins and cellos and even a harp. But most impressive of all, or at least it had seemed most impressive to Annabel, was the wedding dress that Meredith wore. It was an intricate creation of white silk and lace, the kind of dress that every girl dreams of wearing one day. Clad in her lavender babydoll dress and her Mary Jane shoes, the then ten-year-old Annabel gasped with awe when she saw Meredith walk down the aisle and vowed that one day she too would be princess for a day.

  “Could we see the menu as well?” Meredith called out to one of the passing waiters. “While we’re here, I might as well scope out the enemy camp,” Meredith whispered. “Not that I could ever compete with something like this,” she added.

  “I take it you’re going ahead with those pastry classes?” Annabel asked.

  “Full steam ahead. I have a good mind to apply to the Culinary Institute. They have a one-year program for pastry chefs. Who knows, one day I might open my own bakery.”

  “Sounds like you’re really getting into it,” Annabel noted carefully. For the past five years, Meredith had been changing hobbies non-stop. First it was a pottery class, then a knitting class, a sewing class, a jewelry-making class, and the list went on. Each time she threw herself into the task, proclaiming that she had finally found her true calling, only to lose her zeal just as quickly. Her latest passion was baking, and she had been taking pastry-making classes at the local community center for the past three months – a record commitment for Meredith.

  “I know that I haven’t exactly been a model of commitment, but I think that this is really it. I love everything about making pastries, and I think I’m really good at it too. The other day we had a bake sale for the local school, and my table sold out first,” Meredith added proudly. “The only thing I hate about it is my growing waist. I wish I could keep myself from indulging in my own creations. I’ve been experimenting with more complex recipes lately, as I’m sure you can tell. The other day I made a batch of hazelnut éclairs – simply to die for!”

  Annabel could not help noticing that Meredith did look strikingly rounder. It had only been three weeks since Annabel had last seen her cousin, but Meredith looked like she had put on a good ten pounds, and Annabel wondered if Meredith’s weight gain had more to do with Doug than with the pastry class, but she knew better than to ask.

  “Oh, wow, this cake is really good!” Annabel hastened to steer the conversation into a more neutral zone. “I think vanilla butter cream might be the winner.”

  “It is good,” confirmed Meredith. “The chocolate one is too sweet, and I never liked tiramisu. So, I agree, vanilla is the way to go. Unless, of course, you’d like to try something more exotic.”

  “Like what?” Annabel asked cautiously.

  “Well, I’ve been working on this recipe. It’s a combination of butter cream, marzipan paste, and apricot. It’s strictly top secret!” Meredith whispered, looking around suspiciously. “I guess what I’m saying is that I’d like to bake you a wedding cake. I think I could do a way better job than these guys.”

  “I don’t know what to say,” Annabel stammered, and indeed she did not. The wedding was four months away, and that left plenty of time for Meredith to abandon her passion for pastry making.

  “You don’t have to give me your answer now. Why don’t you come out to my house sometime soon for a tasting, and then you can decide.”

  “Sounds good,” Annabel agreed, relieved to have the pressure off for now.

  “So, have you finalized the guest list?” asked Meredith once they left Veniero’s.

  “Not yet.” Annabel did her best not to sound disappointed. “Jeremy has been real busy lately. He’s away at a writers’ convention somewhere upstate, but when he gets home tomorrow, I’m going to finally get him to sit down and make a decision.”

  “Oh, I see.” Meredith smiled understandingly.

  “And we still have to decide on the actual invitations.”

  “There are a couple of stationery shops in the area. I looked them up before I left. Do you want to have a look?”

  “Meredith, you are too sweet for words. What would I do without you?” Annabel could not help but be touched. Sure, Meredith could be over the top at times, but she never left any details to chance.

  “Trust me, I’ve been through this before. When Doug and I were planning our wedding, he refused to lift a finger.”

  “How far is this place? Do you think we could walk? It’s such a nice day.”

  “Sure, why not? I could use some exercise.” Meredith chuckled, looping her arm through Annabel’s.

  It was a balmy day in early April – a rare gift in New York, since usually the weather seemed to shift abruptly from winter to stifling summer heat. As they walked down the narrow Village streets, Annabel could not help wishing that she were with Jeremy instead of Meredith. Not that she was ungrateful for Meredith’s help, but it would have been nice if Jeremy had shown a bit more enthusiasm about the wedding.

  “This is the place,” announced Meredith, pointing to a tiny stationery shop on the corner. “They don’t look like much from the outside, but they had really good reviews on the Net. I think the owner would be willing to give you a good price since they are relatively new and are still trying to get their foot in the door.”

  “Good afternoon and welcome to Claire’s Cards!” A bright-eyed sales girl who looked to be barely out of high school greeted them. “I’ll be right with you. In the meantime, please take a look at our sample catalogue.” The girl slid a bulging folder across the counter and returned her attention to the couple in their early twenties she had been helping.

  Would it have been that difficult for Jeremy to come along? Annabel wondered, glancing in the direction of the bubbly couple as they cooed over their invitation choice.

  “Wow, look at this, Annabel. Don’t you just love Precious Moments?” Meredith held up an invitation card with a drawing of two Precious Moments figurin
es dressed as a bride and groom. “Or you could always go with something more mainstream.”

  “No, it’s pretty.” Annabel nodded absent-mindedly, willing herself to focus her attention on the task at hand. “I think Jeremy will like it. I’ll get several different ones for him to choose from. What do you think about these two, Meredith? Meredith?”

  Annabel looked up and saw Meredith standing frozen-still, staring at the window. When she followed the direction of her cousin’s gaze, Annabel could barely believe her own eyes. Doug was walking down the street opposite the store, but he was not alone. His arm was wrapped around a skinny blond in tight leather pants. Leather pants – really? To Annabel’s mind, it was tacky to wear leather pants unless you were a rock star. As if to prove otherwise, Doug planted a passionate kiss on the blonde’s full lips just as they turned the street corner.

  “I’m sorry. What were you saying, Annabel?” Meredith smiled brightly.

  One look at her cousin’s face made it clear that Meredith did not want to talk about what they had both just witnessed.

  “I think these three look really nice as well,” stammered Annabel, randomly pointing at several invitations.

  “Yes, they look lovely. Excellent choice.” Meredith nodded, her eyes watery despite the frozen smile that was still plastered on her face.

  “All right. I’m very sorry about the wait. How can I help you?” The chirpy salesgirl turned to Annabel and Meredith.

  “Actually, we were just leaving,” said Annabel.

  “Aren’t you going to get those samples, Ann?” Meredith asked brightly.

  “Yes, of course. I’d like to buy samples of these, please.” Annabel hastily showed her choices to the sales girl.

  “Right away.” The salesgirl must have sensed the tension, because she quickly wrapped up the purchase and handed it back to Annabel. “Thank you and I hope to see you again soon.”

  “I’m sorry Annabel, but I don’t think I’m going to be up for any more shopping today,” said Meredith once they were standing outside the store. “Could we do this some other time?”

  “Of course. Are you sure you’re okay to drive home?” Annabel asked, careful not to say too much. “Do you want me to drive you?”

  “No, no, I’m fine. I just have a bit of a headache. Nothing a long bath and an aspirin won’t fix. I’ll call you about that cake, okay?”

  “Sure, we’ll talk later.” As she watched Meredith walk away, Annabel was overcome with silent indignation. How dare Doug treat her cousin that way? And why did Meredith turn a blind eye to her husband’s infidelity, preferring to stuff her face with sweets to numb the pain of her failing marriage instead of facing the truth?

  And then there was something else that was making her uneasy- a thought that had been nagging her all day. What guarantee was there that she would not end up just like Meredith, with her rosy dreams shattered, living vicariously the romances of others? But then Annabel knew that she had nothing to worry about. Unlike Meredith and Doug who had tied the knot right after college graduation, Annabel and Jeremy had taken things slow. They too met in college, and although their romance had started in the make-believe world of dormitories and idealistic dreams, it held strong through the realities of job hunting and paying rent. They’d been living together for six years and knew each other’s quirks. Not only were they lovers, they were best friends. Marriage would not alter anything between them. Nothing would change, except her last name.

  When Annabel got home, it was after six o’clock at night. Not having planned anything for the evening, she had walked the last twenty blocks to the rent-controlled, alcove studio apartment on York Avenue she and Jeremy called home. At the time, a walk seemed like a good idea, but now it felt like a foolish one as Annabel kicked off her shoes, massaging her tired feet.

  She looked around the tiny apartment and wished Jeremy were there. It was Jeremy who had found the apartment six years ago, through a friend of his who was upgrading to more pristine digs. The walk-up building was nothing to write home about, but it was rent-controlled and about the only option they could afford on Annabel’s starting salary for a job that she had taken because of Jeremy.

  Right after graduation, Annabel was offered an editorial assistant job at a major publishing house that she turned down in lieu of a better paying one at the advertising agency where she still worked now, so that she could support the two of them while Jeremy wrote his novel. It had been their agreement: first she would support him, and as soon as he published his novel, Jeremy would return the favor. Writing advertising copy had not exactly been her life’s ambition, but it paid the bills. Over the years she had published short stories in various magazines, but her work at the agency did not leave her much time or inspiration to write anything longer than ten pages. Well, now that things were looking up for Jeremy, this was bound to change.

  The answering machine light was on, and she pressed the play button.

  “Ann, it’s me. Just calling to say hi. It’s pretty much your typical boring seminar, only this time I’m one of the panelists instead of the wannabes, so that makes it a nice change.” At the sound of self-contentment in Jeremy’s voice, Annabel suppressed a pang of annoyance. Despite his non-stop complaining about the chores of being a panel speaker, she knew that Jeremy reveled in the attention. “Anyway, it looks like this thing is going to run late, so I’ll call you tomorrow. Love you, babe.”

  The answering machine turned off with a click, and Annabel reached for the phone to dial Jeremy. Normally, she would not have bothered to call since Jeremy did say he would be busy, but after the Doug incident, she wanted to hear her fiancé’s voice. Not that she had anything to be suspicious about. She just needed to hear that she and Jeremy were all right.

  The dial tone kept ringing, and Annabel was about to hang up when she finally heard Jeremy’s voice in the receiver.

  “Hi, hon. Is everything all right?”

  Was she imagining things or did Jeremy sound out of breath?

  “Hey, everything is fine. I just wanted to hear your voice. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

  “No, no it’s nothing like that. I was just getting ready to go downstairs. This seminar is relentless. We are having a presentation at dinner, and then there’s a cocktail mixer afterwards.”

  “I’m glad you’re having a good time,” Annabel murmured, suddenly feeling down for no apparent reason.

  “Hey, what’s wrong? You sound funny…”

  “Everything is fine. I just miss you, that’s all.”

  “I miss you too, babe. You know I’m doing this for us, right? I’ll be home tomorrow afternoon. I’ll be there before you know it.” There was a muffled noise on the other side of the line. “Look, hon, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to run. I’ll call you tomorrow. Love ya.”

  “Bye, Jeremy, I love you too.” From the clicking sound in the receiver, Annabel realized that Jeremy had already hung up.