A Cottage Wedding (A Heart's Landing Novel from Hallmark Publishing)

by Leigh Duncan

  “That’d be Jennifer Longely’s wedding.” Merriment danced in Mildred’s eyes while the florist smothered a laugh. “The one she came here to plan. Not the one she ended up having.”

  Behind her, Jason coughed. Tara’s head swiveled. Both Mildred and Jason wore the same amused grins. Her curiosity aroused, she asked, “What set that wedding apart?”

  “It started off as a small affair, but the bride kept changing her mind. As it turned out, there was nothing simple about that wedding at all.”

  “Ooooh, that sounds interesting.” Tara cupped her chin. “Tell me more.”

  “For that, you’ll need to talk to Jennifer.” Mildred’s kind eyes crinkled. “It’s her story to tell.”

  “And where would I find her?” Tara leaned forward, eager to find a chink in the town’s united front.

  “She’s Alicia Thorne’s assistant. You met her this morning at the Captain’s Cottage. She’s Jennifer Bell now.”

  Tara scribbled a note. “Right. She married the owner of I Do Cakes.”

  “None other.” Jason checked his watch. “In fact, we’re headed there next. Are you ready?”

  “I think so.” She turned to Mildred. “I probably shouldn’t say this, but your shop has definitely exceeded my expectations. I love the flower district in New York. I wasn’t sure anything could compare with that. But this is pretty special.”

  As she headed for the door, Tara’s lips thinned. The current top wedding destination in the country had a stellar reputation and, from what she’d seen so far, the town deserved it. But with her job and her parents’ respect at stake, she couldn’t fail in her assignment. She’d find a fatal flaw if she had to turn over every rock in Heart’s Landing. She supposed it was too much to ask, but she crossed her fingers and hoped, for her own sake, that something would go terribly wrong before the day was out.

  If anything, though, I Do Cakes was even more impressive than the flower shop. She breathed in air thick with the tantalizing scents of sugar and yeast. A pair of glassed-in displays beckoned her to try an array of cakes, cookies, and sweets, each more enticing than the next. Through an archway, tables and chairs tempted shoppers to linger over coffee and pastries in a charming room where large picture windows overlooked the tree-lined street.

  Despite the hearty breakfast she’d eaten a scant two hours earlier, Tara’s stomach rumbled. She pressed a hand to her midsection as a dark-haired man wearing the traditional chef’s whites topped off by a toque blanche emerged into the front of the shop through swinging doors.

  “Nick.” Beside her, Jason extended his hand in greeting. “I’d like you to meet Tara Stewart, from Weddings Today. Tara, this is Nick Bell.”

  “On behalf of our staff and all of Heart’s Landing, welcome to I Do Cakes,” the baker said.

  So, this was the man Jennifer Longley had married. Tara raised an eyebrow. Mildred and Jason had dropped a few not-so-subtle hints that, like Regina’s, Nick’s wedding hadn’t gone according to plan. Hoping to ferret out the details, she put out her first feeler. “I understand congratulations are in order. I hear your wedding was quite ‘interesting.’” She framed the last word in air quotes.

  “There’s never been one like it in the history of Heart’s Landing,” Nick said with a mysterious smile.

  That sounded promising. “I’d love to hear more about it,” she prompted, hoping for a juicy tidbit about a wedding gone wrong. “I understand there were quite a few problems leading up to the big day.”

  “I prefer to think of them as opportunities.” Nick grinned. “By overcoming each of those challenges, Jenny and I fell deeper and deeper in love.”

  “And the ceremony itself?”

  Nick’s eyes glazed over. “It couldn’t have been more perfect. The whole town turned out, including a few unexpected guests.”

  Hoping to hear about gate-crashers of the worst sort, Tara leaned forward. “Oh?”

  “As it turned out, I was marrying into Hollywood royalty—who knew? My wife’s cousin and her new husband put in a surprise appearance. They created quite a stir. Me, though? I only had eyes for Jenny. She was the most beautiful bride I’d ever seen. And, in my work, I’ve seen quite a few.” The baker and Jason shared an amused glance.

  Seeing the stars in Nick’s eyes, Tara admitted defeat. Her line of questioning was getting her nowhere. The baker either deserved an award for his acting skills, or he harbored no dark secrets about his wedding. Maybe she’d have better luck with Jenny. She’d make a point of pressing for details the next time they ran into each other. For now, she’d let the matter drop. “Well, congratulations again. I wish you both much happiness.”

  “A Heart’s Landing love for the ages, that’s what we have.” Nick nodded. “You’ve met my wife?”

  “This morning at the Captain’s Cottage. She sorted through all the details of the weddings scheduled there this week. She was very helpful.”

  “That’s my Jenny. I didn’t know what true happiness was until we found each other.” Tilting his head, Nick cast a speculative glance in her direction. “Are you married? Or is there someone special in your life?”

  She laughed. Newlyweds. They were so wrapped up in wedded bliss, they thought everyone else should be, too. “I’m afraid I haven’t met my Mr. Right, Nick. Right now, I’m too busy to even look for him.”

  The baker’s lips pursed. “Don’t give up. You never know when you’ll run into him.”

  She was trying to come up with a dry response when Jason’s quiet laughter caught her attention. She eyed her host for the day. Mirth tugged at his lips. “What am I missing?” she asked.

  “Sorry. That’s a little inside joke.” Jason aimed a thumb toward the entrance. “Nick and Jenny met when they literally ran into each other right out there on the sidewalk.”

  “Okay, okay!” Nick threw his hands in the air. “I’m sure Tara has a very busy schedule. She doesn’t need to waste her valuable time hearing all about Jenny and me,” he grumbled good-naturedly.

  Recognizing her cue, she asked, “So, what do you have for me today, Nick?”

  The baker squared his shoulders. He pointed to the display cases. “As you can see, we offer our customers quite the selection of baked goods. Everything is prepared from scratch and baked fresh daily on the premises. Of course, cakes are our specialty, and we provide a full range of services to ensure that each of our brides has the perfect cake for their special day.”

  Somewhere in the back of the shop, a motor hummed to life. The air sweetened until Tara bet she’d taste sugar if she stuck out her tongue. “If your cakes are half as good as they smell, your customers must be pleased.”

  “We rarely get complaints.” Nick beamed.

  She liked the way he said it, as if he were merely acknowledging a fact and not bragging.

  “Of course, the best way to prove that is to see for yourself. I have samples of our most popular flavors for you to try. Why don’t you and Jason take a seat, and we’ll have a taste testing.” He pointed toward a trio of alcoves along one wall. Each had been outfitted with banquettes and tables.

  “That sounds great,” she said, looking forward to finding out firsthand if the bakery’s goods were as tasty as the aroma in the air.

  Once they were seated on the comfortable cushions, Nick folded his arms across his chest. “I want you to pretend you’re the bride, Tara, and Jason is your fiancé. We’ll start from there and walk through the same process our clients experience when they arrive at I Do Cakes.”

  She aimed a doubtful expression at Jason. “Oh, I don’t know about that. I’d need to know a lot more about you before I agree to be your wife. Where will we live? Do you want children? How many?” She couldn’t prevent the teasing lift in her voice.

  The laugh lines around Jason’s mouth deepened. Without missing a beat, he rattled off a series of answers. “At the Captain’
s Cottage. Yes. More than one but less than thirteen.”

  His willingness to play along eased the tension that had raced across her shoulders the minute Nick had suggested they pretend to be a couple. If Jason was game, so was she. Purely in the name of research, of course. “I’m in,” she said.

  “Me, too.” Jason’s grin widened.

  “Good.” Nick pulled an order sheet from a drawer on his side of the banquette. “The first bit of information I need from every bride and groom is the number of guests they plan on having at the wedding. That number determines how large a cake they’ll need. So?”

  Tara studied the tabletop. Outside of family, she could count the number of friends she’d invite on her fingers and have a digit or two left over. “Maybe twenty-five?” she ventured.

  Beside her, Jason gave his head an emphatic shake. “That’ll never do. I grew up in Heart’s Landing. Practically everyone in town will expect an invitation to my wedding. I’d say three hundred.”

  “Oh, no,” she protested. She’d faint dead away if she had to walk down the aisle in front of that many people. Just the thought of it made her heart race. “I’m thinking more like a hundred guests. Max.”

  Jason’s brows knitted. “I might be able to shave off fifty, but I’m warning you, my great-aunt Matilda might never forgive me if I don’t invite her to our wedding.”

  “I’ll take my chances.” Not that it was much of a risk. She knew full well he didn’t have a great aunt. He and his cousin Evelyn were the last of their line.

  “I’ll give you that, but I know a lot of people. They’ll all want to be there.”

  “You have that many friends?” She couldn’t imagine it, but he sat there, nodding like it was the most normal thing in the world. “I can go as high as one-fifty.”

  “Ouch! You wound me.” Jason pressed a hand to his heart. “Two hundred, and that’s as low as I’ll go.”

  Though Jason, with his good looks and charming demeanor, would make a handsome groom, this was just a game. She could afford to give in on the number of guests.

  “And there you have it, the first rule in a successful marriage—the art of compromise.” Nick smiled broadly. “Okay. We need a cake to serve two hundred guests. Plus attendants and vendors, you’re looking at two twenty-five. For that size, we have loads of options, depending on your theme. Did you have something particular in mind?”

  Tara relaxed. This was fun, especially since it wasn’t the real thing. “I always imagined a summer wedding on the veranda of the Captain’s Cottage. I’d have armloads of purple and white hyacinths.”

  She glanced at Jason to see what he thought, but the man who pretended to be her fiancé only stared at her with a shocked look on his face.

  “What?”

  “I’m sorry, but we can’t fit that many guests on the veranda. We’ll have to hold the ceremony in one of the ballrooms. I’d suggest the Green Room. It has the biggest dance floor. Your flowers will look stunning in there.” The tiny crows’ feet at the corners of his eyes crinkled.

  “Tara?” Nick tilted his head to one side while he waited for her answer.

  “I suppose we could serve cocktails on the veranda,” she ventured, surprised at how difficult it was to let go of her dream, even in a game.

  “The roses will be in bloom.” Jason’s shoe tapped out a warning beat. “The scent will clash with your hyacinths. To say nothing of the colors.”

  “It sounds like you have another tough choice to make.” Nick leaned back in his chair. He held out his hands like a set of scales. “Color?” One hand dipped. “Or venue.” He lifted the other one. “Which will it be?”

  She’d thought she knew what went into planning a wedding. She should have, considering where she worked. But when it came to arranging her own special day—even a pretend one—each decision impacted a hundred others. She tapped her finger to her chin. Jason was right. Red roses and grape hyacinths didn’t go together. “What if we erected a tent on the grounds and served cocktails there between the ceremony and the reception? Maybe, under the weeping willows?” She’d spotted them when Charlie turned onto the driveway.

  “Perfect!” Jason declared.

  That wasn’t the term she’d use, but the exercise had certainly opened her eyes. Planning a wedding involved a much larger cast than she’d ever imagined. The decision she and Jason made about their pretend head count would affect not just the baker, but everyone from the caterer to the person who arranged the chairs at the reception.

  “Now you’re getting somewhere.” Nick pulled a pad of paper and a pencil from the drawer. “Normally, this is where I’d hand you my portfolio and have you page through pictures of my best work. But in the interest of time, let’s assume you want a simple design.” He quickly sketched a towering cake with flowers cascading down one side. “Would something like this do?”

  Tara smiled. “It’s lovely.”

  “That brings us to the part our brides—and grooms—enjoy the most. The actual taste test.” Nick snapped his fingers. As if by magic, the swinging doors popped open, and a parade of apron-clad staff members emerged. Each carried a miniature cake on a silver platter. One by one, Nick’s helpers placed their wares on the table and disappeared into the back of the store.

  “What we have here,” Nick said when every inch of the table had been covered, “are some of our most popular flavors. Let’s start with a staple—almond with white buttercream icing. This particular one has a raspberry filling.” He cut two slivers and plated them.

  Tara eyed her portion. Nestled between the off-white layers, the red center practically glowed. She forked a small bite. The frosting melted in her mouth but not before it awakened all her taste buds. A divine almond flavor tickled the tip of her tongue. The filling complimented it perfectly. “That’s yummy,” she declared. “I can see why so many of your customers choose it.”

  “It’s a nice, safe choice,” Jason declared after sampling a bite. “Personally, I think I’d like something a little more out of the ordinary.”

  He was teasing, right? Tara shot a quick glance at the man seated on the banquette. The laughter in Jason’s eyes contradicted his serious attitude.

  “How about coffee-infused layers separated by a chocolate rum filling and topped with a vanilla bean frosting?” Nick asked. He sliced into the next sample.

  Tara hadn’t been sure he could improve on the first cake, but her next bite exceeded all her expectations. As a quick burst of intense chocolate faded, rum and coffee lingered on her tongue. She ran her fork through the icing and licked the tines. Sugar crystals melted in her mouth. More, please! She swallowed. “I’ve never tasted anything quite like this, Nick. Is it your own recipe?”

  “This particular combination was my dad’s favorite. He opened I Do Cakes over a decade ago. I’ve been running the place for a couple of years.”

  Though she tried to resist, Tara helped herself to a second bite that turned out to be as delicious as the first. She rubbed her hands together. “What’s next?”

  Over the next hour, she and Jason worked their way from one end of the table to the other. Though she’d been certain any number of bakeries in New York would outshine I Do Cakes, she couldn’t recall a single one that offered a buttercream frosting as luscious as Nick’s. Fillings that ranged from sweet to savory tempted her to linger over each bite. And that wasn’t all. She’d walked into the shop convinced that no one could make a pecan cake better than her mom’s. Nick’s, though, packed so much dense flavor into each light and airy layer, she couldn’t imagine how he’d done it.

  “There you have it,” the baker announced after she and Jason narrowed their choices to their absolute favorites. “Working together, you’ve created the perfect, one-of-a-kind cake for your wedding.”

  Tara felt her cheeks heat. She should never have participated in the taste test. One bite of that first sample
had robbed her of the ability to write a single, negative word about I Do Cakes. Not that she’d found anything to complain about. The shop had been absolute perfection, from the moment she’d stepped across the threshold and heard the cheery bell over the door.

  At this rate, she’d return to New York singing the praises of Heart’s Landing. Which wouldn’t get her the promotion she deserved. It would only get her fired. Something that wouldn’t earn her parents’ respect at all. She clenched her teeth. With only one more store to visit this morning, her chances of finding anything wrong were diminishing quickly. She gulped. At their next stop, she’d have to be more careful about remaining impartial. Judgmental, even.

  On the sidewalk outside I Do Cakes, Jason inclined his head to hers. “The Memory Box is a block down and left on Honeymoon Avenue. Do you mind walking?”

  Despite a renewed determination to remain cool and distant, she couldn’t get snippy with him. He didn’t deserve it. She patted her tummy. “After all that sugar, a walk sounds like a very good idea.”

  With Jason in the lead, they made their way down the shady sidewalk, past store windows filled with tempting displays of items ranging from chocolates to dressy dresses. At Bow Tie Pasta, the tantalizing odor of onions and garlic floated in the air. Tara inhaled deeply. “That smell reminds me of the dinner you ordered last night. Did it come from here?”

  “It did. Wait till you go there in person. It’s a great place to hold a rehearsal dinner.”

  “Humph.” She reached for her newfound determination. She’d be the judge of that. “I don’t eat out much, but when I do, there’s the perfect little place less than a block from my apartment. Red-and-white checkered tablecloths. Chianti bottles for candle holders.”

  A memory of the creamy goodness of the Bow Tie’s alfredo sauce tickled her tongue. At dinner, she’d savored every bite of her lasagna. Her shoulders rounded in defeat. Who was she kidding? “Honestly, I always thought the atmosphere at Anthony’s was authentic, but the food doesn’t compare with what we had last night.”