Not that she could have, even if she wanted to. Her thoughts were completely focused on Austin and Jennifer. Were they dating? Had they been dating this whole time? They looked awfully cozy. Probably whispering about how dumb Harper had been to believe anything Austin had told her.
Without meaning to, Harper ended up back at Sienna’s station. Her cake looked a hot mess. The buttercream layer was lumpy, the fondant was bald in places, and Sienna must have used up Harper’s entire store of pre-made marzipan flowers on the top.
It belonged on a Pinterest fail.
“Things not going so hot?” Sienna asked.
Harper laughed. “Was it that obvious?”
“You looked like someone ran over Mister Mittens.” Sienna’s eyes flicked to the cameras. Thankfully, they were focused on Harry—who still was having a hard time with the frosting after rejecting Harper’s multiple attempts to help him. “You want to talk about it?”
Harper shook her head.
“Is it that production assistant you spent yesterday with?”
Harper’s eyes went wide, and Sienna nudged her. “Stay cool. I don’t think the chase thing will work twice. But tell me about it later?”
Harper knew it would do her some good to talk through everything that had happened over the past few days. And she owed it to her sister. Sienna had put herself out there and made herself look ridiculous for the cameras all to cover for Harper and Audrey.
But Audrey was the one Harper wanted. The one she needed. And if she was really being honest with herself, it was Milo too. The big brother that should have been there to intimidate Harper’s boyfriends—if she’d had any—and tell her to not take any crap from boys who had been gone for so long. Audrey disappearing just highlighted how much Harper still needed her older siblings. She was used to handling other people’s messes, but she needed at least some backup when it came to her own mess of a life.
Now that she’d seen Austin for who he really was, she needed her family more than ever. But could she admit everything to perfect, dazzling Sienna? Could she trust her with years of heartache?
“Harper?” Sienna looked at her sister expectantly.
Harper shook her head. “I’ll be fine.”
Nineteen
4 Days Until Dream Wedding
Was Harper trying to give Austin a heart attack? He’d asked for interesting, not a frosting fight.
And now everyone was just silently decorating their cakes, while Harper walked around and quietly pointed out things they could improve. Austin’s brilliant plan was turning into a bigger flop as each second ticked away on his watch. But it was too late now to pull the plug.
At least Jennifer seemed to be happy. Austin found little comfort, however, in knowing that the more secret looks he gave her, the safer Harper was. This added competition would do great things for the Flour Girl Bakery. If it got on the air, that is.
“Do you think we should see if the bride feels up to coming down to help judge?” Jennifer asked halfway through the allotted hour of decorating time. She had a hand on his shoulder, and it took everything in him to not shrug it off. Instead, he placed his hand on top of hers for a brief moment.
“Let her rest. If she’s been up sick all night and then all day, she’ll want some sleep.”
“I think it’s cute that you still think she’s sick and not faking it.” She paused and then her mouth fell open. “Unless you know what’s going on.”
Austin shook his head, the movement a little too jerky. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Everyone says Audrey is sick.”
Jennifer reached out and grabbed his hand. “I meant it when I said I’d keep all your secrets. And it’s easier for me to do that if I know what you’re hiding.”
“I’m not hiding anything,” he said, taking his hand back. He was worried that Bruce would notice the extra attention between him and Jennifer.
When Austin looked over to where the producer stood, however, Bruce wasn’t even paying attention to what was happening in the kitchen. He had his ear to his phone and was whispering with his mouth covered. Austin’s stomach twisted into the familiar knot it had been in all day.
“What’s up with Bruce?” he asked Jennifer, who just shrugged.
Austin looked at his watch to check how much time they had left. With a pang of remembering all of Harper’s teasing about it, he signaled to her that there were fifteen minutes left, just as Jason Castle announced the same thing. He was met with her stormy glare, and she whirled on her feet to turn away from him.
He deserved it, he knew, for being so cold to her. But what choice did he have?
“I heard this competition was your idea.”
Austin looked up from his clipboard to see Jason Castle standing in front of him with his perma-smile of blindingly white teeth.
Austin nodded. “Yeah.”
“That’s great. Really great.” Jason reached out and put his hand on Austin’s shoulder.
The contact made him shudder. Austin was so tired of people laying their hands on him all the time. Meanwhile, the one person he wanted to touch and kiss was angry at him and would probably never speak to him again.
He shrugged out of Jason’s touch. “Thanks.”
“I’m serious. This business isn’t for the faint of heart. You need to be fluid and able to adapt or you end up like Kip Kippler.”
Austin’s brows furrowed. “Who?”
Jason laughed like they were sharing an inside joke. “Exactly. Kip used to be the host of one of the most popular game shows. But he got stuck in his ways. His show got cancelled, and nobody knows who he is anymore.”
Kinda like Jason Castles, Austin thought to himself.
“Which is why I’m glad to see you stepping up,” Jason continued. “This family has been an absolute nightmare, and you’re saving all of our butts whether you know it or not.”
Austin didn't like Jason, or really anyone else on the set right now, but he still felt a small swell of pride at Jason’s words. The host might be washed up, but he knew what he was talking about.
Austin was on the cusp of everything he’d always wanted.
Well, almost everything. He might get to keep his job and have his pick of projects thanks to Bruce’s reference. And, if Jason were to be believed, he was doing a good job despite the many distractions. But what was the point of seeing his career dreams come true if he didn’t get Harper in the end?
He stood there in silence while Jason continued to drone on about the differences between Hollywood ten years ago and now, barely registering any of his words. Who knew how long it would have gone on, if Bruce didn’t come charging into the middle of the kitchen, finally off his phone call.
“Okay, folks. I think it’s time to wrap this competition up. You’ve got five more minutes.”
A chorus of groans went through the room.
“But I haven’t finished putting all the flowers on,” Sienna said.
“I’m sure you can figure something out,” Bruce answered, his voice calm—but not in the scary way that Bruce usually spoke.
It was almost reassuring, meant to put Sienna at ease. But the casual remark had the opposite effect on Austin. His already anxious mind went on high alert. Something was going on.
“But what if I can’t?” Sienna asked.
Austin rubbed his hand over his face. Harper’s sister was unbelievable. Couldn’t she pick up on the tension in the room? He wanted to shush her, not caring what Bruce or anyone else would think, but was thankful when Fox walked over and did it instead.
“Everyone’s cakes will be just fine. It’s not like they’re the actual cakes for the wedding,” Bruce said. “Let’s get these cakes to the front of the shop. I’m ready to get the judging underway.”
Austin knew there was something going on. But what was it?
He watched as Bruce walked over to Jason and gave him some small index cards. The two men talked in hushed voices as the cameramen readjusted their positions around t
he room, and the wedding party scrambled to put finishing touches on their individual cakes.
The five minutes went by faster than Austin wanted, and soon everyone was crowded in the front seating area of the bakery. It was a small space and even though they’d removed all of Harper’s carefully arranged chairs and tables, there was barely room to breathe. Austin stood off to the side, just out of the view of the cameras, as Jason started talking to the group.
“Alright, alright. You’ve all been given the opportunity to show what you’re made of in the kitchen. Some of you made it further than others.” He paused and looked at Harry, who had an angry scowl on his face.
“And others got a little creative.” This time Jason’s gaze went to Wade. The heavily tattooed groomsman laughed it off and beamed proudly at his cake. It had an uneven layer of frosting and random shapes etched into the buttercream. At least none of them resembled the sculpture Austin had caught him making earlier.
Jason turned to the groom-to-be. “So, Eli, which do you think your lovely bride will enjoy the most as the groom’s cake?”
Eli was pale and trembling, a physical representation of how everyone felt. Audrey was missing—or sick, depending on who you talked to. Any mention of her name set Austin’s heart racing, so he could only imagine what Eli must be feeling right now. The groom-to-be wiped a trickle of sweat off his forehead. “I, uh…”
“I think I can answer that myself.”
All heads turned toward the sound of the loud, female voice that came from the door of the bakery.
Audrey was back.
Twenty
4 Days Until Dream Wedding
Harper’s stomach plummeted. She’d be right there on the floor beside it if she hadn’t been leaning against the display case as she waited for the cake judging.
The room was silent for what felt like an eternity as everyone gaped at Audrey’s sudden appearance. Harper struggled to find her voice, but it never came.
Thankfully, Sienna recovered first and ran over to their oldest sister.
“I’m so glad you’re feeling better!”
All cameras focused on the two of them, which left everyone else to work through their shock in relative privacy. Reagan came over to Harper, who was still gripping onto the display case for dear life.
“Jason doesn’t look that surprised.”
Harper’s gaze went to the host, who looked perfectly unaffected, and then to the rest of the crew. Bruce, Jennifer, Austin. Each one of them was focused on Audrey, but not even a hint of shock was on their faces. “You’re right. There’s a reason we’re the only ones who are surprised.”
Reagan’s eyes went wide. “Do you think they all knew? Do you think this was part of the show?”
Harper wanted to throw up, but instead she nodded. “It has to be. Unless they all really believed she was sick this whole time.”
“Despite what Sienna said, I know I’m not that good an actor,” Fox said, appearing behind the girls. “I don’t think I was fooling anyone.” He had his arms folded across his chest and was gazing at Bruce like he wanted to strangle him.
Harper had someone else in her own murderous sights. With a laser focus that she was surprised didn’t burn through his skin, she caught Austin’s eye and jerked her head toward the kitchen. Not waiting to see if he got the message, she turned on her heel and barreled through the double doors.
It was a mess. Tiffany looked up, relieved, from where she was cleaning up the mounds of sprinkles and frosting and tiny bits of cut fondant. Harper had originally planned to stay and help her clean everything up.
That was, before her sister popped up out of nowhere like it wasn’t a big deal for her to be missing for days at a time without telling anyone.
Now Harper wasn’t sure what she was going to do.
“Audrey’s here,” she said.
Tiffany stopped wiping the counter and looked up, her eyes wide. “She is?”
Harper nodded. “I don’t think I can stay and clean.”
“That’s fine. I’m sure I can handle it myself.”
Harper gave her a grateful smile. Tiffany worked so hard. But that gratitude only lasted until Austin came walking through the kitchen door. Glancing over her shoulder and seeing his stupid, handsome face annoyed her more than the endless requests from local “influencers” for free cakes in exchange for exposure.
“Office,” she growled at Austin before stalking off to the tiny broom closet she used for making calls and filing invoices.
With the door closed, Harper realized what a bad idea this had been.
Most of the space was taken up with the computer desk and filing cabinet she’d shoved in there the first week of opening the shop when her mother had asked where she planned on putting her office. Stacks of papers sat on top of recipe books, and half the drawers on the filing cabinet were open. It felt entirely too small with them both inside.
She stuck a finger in his chest. “You knew about Audrey coming back today.”
“What? Of course not.”
“Then why don’t you look surprised?”
He threw his hands in the air, knocking a pile of papers off a shelf on the wall. The twitch in his arm told Harper he was dying to pick it up. “It’s my job to deal with the unexpected.”
“I’m supposed to believe that? After everything you’ve done to me?”
The tiny bit of hope she’d been holding onto shattered when Austin didn’t even try to deny it.
“Look, I’m sorry about earlier. I didn’t mean it.”
As much as she wanted Austin to be honest with her, it was hard to hear him flat out say he didn’t mean anything he’d said during their time together.
Harper bit her trembling lip. “I know that. I would have agreed to help you just for Audrey’s sake. You didn’t have to make me think—” She took a deep breath. “You didn’t have to lie about caring for me all this time. Pretend to want me to come visit.”
“But I do want—” He reached out to take her hand, but bumped into the swinging lamp on the desk. It spun on its base to whack Harper in the arm.
“Ow!”
“Well you really should clean in here.” He sucked in a breath and ran his hands through his hair. More errant papers fluttered to the floor. “That’s not what I—”
“Just go.” Harper’s voice shook, but she wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of crying, just so he and Jennifer could laugh about it later. Stupid Harper, thinking she was good enough for someone like Austin.
“I didn’t know about Audrey. But I’ll find out what I can and let you know.”
“Don’t bother,” she said and stormed out of the office. Without a backward glance, she tore through the back door of the bakery and out into the cool summer night.
If it wasn’t for the stupid contract she’d signed, Harper would be gone by now.
Actually, after everything that happened with Audrey and Austin, Harper wasn’t sure even the contract was enough to keep her at The Emerald Inn.
Her apartment was so close.
The idea of going home and curling up on the couch in her PJs with Mister Mittens purring in her lap was more appealing by the minute.
Harper eyed her suitcase in the corner of the hotel room. It would take her five minutes to pack up all of her things, and within fifteen she could be back in town and watching The Office if no one spotted her.
She silently weighed her options, but when her mind conjured up the image of Austin and Jennifer getting cozy in her bakery, she decided she’d had enough. Harper would come back to watch Audrey and Eli exchange vows, but until then, she was going home.
She started grabbing her dirty clothes from the corner of the room that she’d designated as the makeshift hamper and haphazardly shoved all of it into her suitcase. A smug satisfaction rolled through at the thought of Austin cringing to see such a messy packing job. She could practically hear him droning on about the proper technique to avoid wrinkles. She should be thanking Jennifer for sa
ving her from the affection of a controlling liar.
Next were her toiletries. Each little bottle of face wash and lotion was a reminder that nothing she could do would ever make her as pretty as her sisters or Tiffany or Jennifer. Harper had just finished putting her useless makeup into her case and was zipping it up when a knock came at the door.
She stilled and held her breath.
The knock came again. “Come on, Harper. I know you’re in there.”
Sienna. One of the very few people Harper was not mad at right now. But she still didn’t want to talk about what was going on with her. If Harper started explaining what had happened over the last few days, Sienna would only try to convince her to stay.
And Sienna could be very persuading.
No, it would be better to stay quiet for a few minutes until her younger sister left. Then Harper could finish packing and sneak away before anyone noticed. Audrey had managed it, so it must not be that hard.
The knocking continued. “I can do this all night,” said Sienna from the other side of the door. “Eventually you’re going to break.”
Harper pressed her lips together. Sienna wanted to get into a battle of wills right now? Little did she know that Harper was still fired up enough that she wasn’t going to be the first to give in. She had years of frustration built up and was pretty sure her battered heart could ignore a red-wagon-full-of-puppies level of persuasion if she had to.
Under the cover of Sienna’s increasingly loud and insistent banging, Harper finished packing her things and set them near the door. Everything was ready for the perfect getaway, just as soon as her sister had given up.
Harper sat on the bed to wait it out, and Sienna got creative with her knocking. She was tapping out different rhythms and started singing along. She did pop songs, rap songs, and even the Barney theme song—which just about made Harper give in.
The Bridesmaid & The Ex (Wedding Games Book 2) Page 13