by Leigh Duncan
A cloud of confectioners’ sugar rose from his fingers. The fine particles drifted down. In seconds, they coated his apron like a snowy blanket.
Clucking his tongue, Nick grabbed the damp towel he kept at hand for cases just like this. He ran it over the fabric, his lips thinning. He should never have let that salesman talk him into buying dark aprons for the shop. No matter how much his clients loved I Do Cake’s chocolate-and-pink decor, the next time he gave the shop a makeover, something lighter and brighter and better suited to camouflaging an ever-present coating of sugar and flour was definitely in order.
“No problem. Take your time.”
Nick stopped dead in his tracks at the sound of the voice he recognized from the day before. His pulse rate jumped the tiniest bit. The standard grin he reserved for customers widened just a tad. Afraid Jenny might leave before he had a chance to ask what had brought her to I Do Cakes, he got his feet moving again. Two seconds later, the swinging doors swished quietly behind him as he stepped into the front part of the shop. “Sorry about the wait,” he said, hurrying to the counter. “I was busy in the back.”
“Nothing’s going to burn, is it? ’Cause that would be a real shame.” She glanced over the door toward the kitchen.
“You like my cupcakes, then, I guess.” Her concern rocked him back on his heels. Most customers simply wanted reassurances that he could fill their order and deliver it on time.
“They’re the best I’ve ever tasted.”
She looked so earnest, standing there in her summer dress, her wavy, dark hair framing her face. But then, he’d noticed something different about Jenny the moment he’d met her. She wasn’t the typical bride who stopped in to order their wedding cake. For one thing, most of the others had a doting fiancé at their elbow. Quite often, an entire troupe of attendants surrounded the bride as she moved from tastings to fittings to days at the spa. Barring that, they had a relative on hand to provide advice, though whether they followed it or not was another matter.
But Jenny had come to Heart’s Landing all by herself. A bride flying solo was such a rare thing, it stirred his curiosity. Where were the people who should be helping her plan one of the most important days of her life?
“What brings you by? Your tasting isn’t until tomorrow, right?” He spared a glance at the alcove reserved for prospective brides and grooms.
“Oh, yes. I mean, no. I mean…” On the other side of the counter, Jenny adjusted the portfolio that hung from her shoulder on a strap. “Yes, my tasting is scheduled for tomorrow. I just wondered if”—she scanned the display case, hope fading from her dark eyes—“if I could buy a cupcake. But it looks like I’m too late. You’ve sold out?”
“Tuesday’s special is salted caramel. We always sell out.” Especially on days like today, when he’d started out a dozen cupcakes short.
“You don’t have any? Not even one?” She frowned when he shook his head. Bending at the waist, she peered into the display case in case one had been overlooked somehow. “Were there any left over from yesterday?”
“I’m sorry. No.” He gave another rueful shake of his head. With many of the shops in town closed for the day, Mondays were usually slow. But Tuesdays made up for that with brisk sales. As a result, only a few shelf-worn cookies remained in the trays that had been filled to overflowing when he’d turned on the lights this morning.
“I guess you’re right,” Jenny said in a small voice. She straightened. “I’ll have to come earlier next time.”
Her crestfallen expression stirred every sympathetic bone in his body, but he firmed his chin. Jenny couldn’t possibly know that behind the swinging doors, dozens of unfrosted cupcakes sat on cooling trays. And he couldn’t tell her. It was against I Do Cake’s policy to sell the next day’s special. He’d established the ironclad rule himself to prevent customers from buying up their favorites ahead of time and leaving him with empty display cases.
He could make an exception for this one bride, couldn’t he? He wavered on the fine edge of making a decision and finally shrugged. What good was it to be the owner if he didn’t bend the rules from time to time? “Now that you mention it…”
“Yes?” Jenny stared at him, her expression hopeful.
“I was just getting ready to frost tomorrow’s special, a mocha chocolate cupcake with vanilla icing. And sprinkles,” he added with a smile. “If that sounds good to you—”
“Chocolate?” A dreamy expression crossed Jenny’s face. The tip of her tongue swept over her lips.
Nick swallowed to make up for the fact that his mouth had gone oddly dry. He wrenched his focus off the bride who stood on the other side of his counter. Beckoning Jenny to follow, he realized he still gripped the damp rag in his hand. He tossed it under the counter while he retraced his steps to the kitchen.
Startled by his attraction to a woman he had no business having any kind of feelings toward at all, he held the swinging door open and told himself it was the gentlemanly thing to do. Jenny’s burnished curls and ready smile had nothing to do with it. He felt sorry for her, that was all. She was alone in a new town, struggling to put together a wedding in less time than most brides spent choosing the flavors of their cake. And not just any wedding, but her own. To a man she’d soon promise to love and honor for the rest of her life.
A fact he’d better not forget.
With that in mind, he made sure to stand to the side as she walked past him. He could have saved himself the trouble. His arms weren’t long enough to keep Jenny’s light floral scent from tickling his nose. He couldn’t avoid hearing her soft gasp when she spied the long lines of cupcakes arrayed on the counter.
“You’ll sell all these in one day?”
“Probably before lunch.” He straightened his shoulders and schooled his attitude. Jenny was simply a customer, nothing more.
“Have you always wanted to be a baker?”
Motioning her toward a nearby stool, he scooped frosting into a decorating bag while he considered the question. Though he never discussed his personal life with customers, he ached to tell her about himself. Especially if she’d return the favor. “My family moved here and opened I Do Cakes before I started grade school. I grew up in this kitchen.” He pointed toward large storage bins filled with different types of flours and sugars. “My mom taught me how to read by tracing the letters in flour. I learned my numbers playing with measuring cups and spoons.”
“What a wonderful childhood.” Fabric rustled as Jenny slid onto the tall stool.
“It was. After high school, I went to culinary school and traveled, working as a bakery chef to beef up my resume.”
He stopped to clear his throat. The rest was personal. A stranger wouldn’t understand how much he loved Heart’s Landing, that he wouldn’t dream of living anywhere else. He felt fulfilled and happy here like he never had in New York or Rome. True, his prospects of finding someone special to share his life with were slim in a town where everyone came to get married, but he had his friends, his work, and an occasional date. None of which was any of Jenny’s business.
“So, how are those wedding plans going?” he asked, not sure whether he was asking for his own benefit or just to fill the awkward silence.
“Good. Great, actually. I met with Alicia Thorn first thing this morning. We toured the grounds of the Captain’s Cottage, chose the locations for the ceremony and reception, and picked out everything for the tables. When she found out I hadn’t lined up a caterer, she got me an appointment with the folks at Food Fit For A Queen.”
“You can’t go wrong with Janet. She’s fantastic.” Nick chose a cupcake at random and concentrated on piping perfect circles around its top.
“That’s what everyone tells me.” Jenny patted a flat stomach. “It’s a wonder I’m still hungry after the tasting she arranged. Every dish was better than the last one.”
“Did you try the mini
lobster rolls? Those are always a hit.”
“They were fabulous. But so was everything else. It was too hard to choose, so I told her to serve whatever she wanted.”
Nick’s brow creased. For a woman with an obvious sweet tooth, Jenny’s attitude toward the food for her reception was far more casual than he’d expected. Why was that? “You really did get a lot done,” he said while he shook sprinkles over the swirls. To finish off the cupcake, he arranged a miniature chocolate bar on top at a jaunty angle.
“Mm-hmm. Everyone makes it so easy. I’d almost swear Alicia could read my mind. Mildred understood exactly what I wanted. And JoJo at Ideal Images was a dream to work with. She handed me a nifty little checklist and told me to choose the poses I wanted. And just like that, I crossed another item off my To Do list.”
Knowing they’d be thrilled to receive a compliment from a true Heart’s Landing bride, Nick made special note of the people Jenny had mentioned. When he was sure the cupcake was perfect, he slid it onto a plate, added a fork and napkin, and gently placed it on the workbench in front of her. “Your special, Madame,” he said with a flourish.
Jenny stared down at the plate, her lips parted. “Oh,” she breathed. “That’s amazing.” As if it was the hardest task she’d faced today, she wrenched her gaze from the cupcake to his and whispered her thanks.
“You’re welcome.” The warm spot in his chest expanded. He’d been right to bring Jenny back here and fix a cupcake just for her. The delight and wonder in her eyes rivaled the expressions he’d seen on his niece and nephew’s faces on Christmas morning.
With a soft sigh, she broke off a tiny portion of the frosting. “Mmmmm. I’ve been waiting for this all day.”
The soft sound that Jenny made sent awareness racing up and down Nick’s spine. He turned aside, determined to focus on the task in front of him and not the bride in his kitchen. He grabbed the next cupcake and slathered frosting over the top of it. Reaching for a safe topic, he asked, “So, is your fiancé leaving everything up to you?”
“Bob. Bob,” she repeated as if she needed to practice saying the man’s name. “He’s very interested. I’m sending him pictures of everything, but his job keeps him far too busy to drill down on the details.”
His brow furrowing, Nick glanced at Jenny. He would have sworn her expression soured when he mentioned her fiancé, but that had to be his imagination, didn’t it? He watched as she slowly chewed another bite. He couldn’t deny that she’d shown far more interest in her cupcake than the man she was going to marry.
What is going on?
The question came from out of nowhere, but once it was in his head, a troublesome thought stuck there. He considered probing deeper, trying to learn more about her relationship with the man she was about to marry. Slowly, he shook his head. The best thing for him to do was to completely avoid the subject.
Jenny was, after all, a bride-to-be. And not just any bride, but a true Heart’s Landing bride. Whatever was going on between her and her fiancé, it was none of his business.
And with that, he went to work while the bride-to-be took one dainty bite after another, making her cupcake last as long as possible without any awareness of how much her presence in his bakery troubled him.
Chapter Seven
Seated at the desk in the sitting room of her well-appointed suite, Jenny ran one finger down the long list of tasks she’d needed to accomplish during her two-week stay at the bed and breakfast on Union Street. Her eyes narrowed in disbelief. She started at the top and went down the page a second time. The results didn’t change.
Except for a few items she could easily knock off with a phone call or two, she’d finalized every detail of her cousin’s wedding in record time. The flowers had been chosen, the venue decided, the order for a three-tiered cake placed. She’d lined up a stringed quartet to provide music for the bride as she walked down the aisle. A classic rock band would play during the reception. She’d even made reservations for the rehearsal dinner. Over her meal at Bow Tie Pasta tonight, she would finalize the menu.
Lifting her phone, she couldn’t help but smile as she scrolled through photographs of the flower arrangements and the venue, the cake tasting, the band rehearsal. She’d sent so many of them to Kay’s uber-private inbox that, by now, the account had to be bursting at the seams.
Oddly, though, her cousin hadn’t responded to a single email or to any of the many texts she’d sent. Concern shivered through her. Determined not to let it overwhelm her, she reassured herself that Kay was probably doing what most newly engaged women did—spending every possible second with her fiancé. Besides, Jenny had nothing to worry about. She’d followed her cousin’s instructions to the letter. The result was simple, yet elegant, perfect for the understated wedding of one of Hollywood’s biggest stars.
Not bad for a week’s work.
She tapped her pencil on the table. Now that she’d crossed most of the items off her To Do list, she probably ought to go back to California. She should call the airlines and book a flight for the first thing in the morning. That would be the smart thing to do. She could easily arrange the rest of the details from there. If need be, she could return a week or so before the wedding to smooth out any last-minute glitches. When she got right down to it, she couldn’t think of one good reason why she should stay in Heart’s Landing a minute longer.
Except.
There was so much she still wanted to see and do while she was here. She hadn’t stopped by The Memory Box to look at those pretty storage boxes. She’d promised to find out the significance of the statue she’d spotted in the little park at the end of Champagne Avenue—she hadn’t done that yet. She hadn’t taken a walk along the cliffs overlooking the ocean. Or had her fill of Nick Bell and his luscious cupcakes.
Yeah, especially that last part.
She clamped one hand over her mouth, cutting off a breathy sigh. She’d fallen into the habit of dropping by the bakery each afternoon this week. As soon as the bell rang, announcing her arrival in the bakery, Nick would emerge from the back with one of the day’s specials, a cupcake he’d set aside just for her. Though she was certain he had other, more pressing business to attend to, he’d pull up a chair and keep her company while she sipped coffee and savored every bite. The caring baker seemed to understand that by the time she reached I Do Cakes, she was done, done, done with making choices for the day. Instead, they talked. About nothing, really. One day, they might swap childhood memories. On another, they’d talk about school and college. No matter what the topic, she enjoyed their time together.
Lifting her phone, she scrolled through countless pictures until her finger hovered over one of Nick at the cake tasting on Wednesday. He’d looked so impressive in his chef’s whites and toque, his dark hair barely brushing his collar. She’d been hard-pressed to hide how drawn she was to him. When he’d hovered over her, seeing to her every need, she’d had to constantly remind herself that he probably did the same thing for every bride. Even then, she could barely wrench her gaze from his hands while he prepared slivers of cake for her to taste. She’d grown so thirsty that she’d gulped icy cold water between each bite.
She might as well admit it—she liked Nick more than she should. A lot more. Visiting with him in the bakery had become the highlight of her day, and it was getting harder and harder not to let her feelings for him show. But she couldn’t very well confess her growing attraction to him, admit that she wanted to get to know him better. Not while she was pretending to be engaged to someone else. Or planning her wedding to the mythical Bob.
What kind of bride would do such a thing? And what kind of man would take advantage of the situation if she did? Certainly not Nick. From what she’d learned about the baker during their conversations, Nick was far too honorable to show any interest in someone else’s fiancé.
If only she could tell him the truth, she’d at least find out if he felt the
same way about her.
But she couldn’t. She was sworn to secrecy.
She buried her head in her hands. For now, she was trapped in Karolyn’s ruse, and there wasn’t a single thing she could do about it. Her only hope was that one day—after the wedding, after the truth came out—maybe then, she and Nick could start over.
Except, that wasn’t going to work.
Once Karolyn and Chad said their “I Do’s”, her sojourn in Heart’s Landing would come to an abrupt end. The morning after the wedding, she’d be on a plane back to L.A. She’d probably never even see Nick again, since he lived on one coast while her job was clear across the country on the other one. She might as well face it—her friendship with him wasn’t going anywhere. She’d never even have the chance to learn whether her attraction was all one-sided.
Her elbows on the table, she pressed her fingers against her eyelids and sighed. Though the decision weighed heavily on her, she picked up her phone and punched her airline’s app. Now that her work here was done, heading home was the best thing she could do for herself.
Her finger hovered over the Buy Ticket button when her phone buzzed.
“Saved by the bell,” she whispered, exiting the app while her cousin’s image swam into focus on the screen. Jenny pressed the phone to her ear. “Hey! I’ve been waiting to hear from you. How’s everything in Beverly Hills?”
“Good, now that I’m back.” Kay gave a long-suffering groan. “I spent the last three days filming on location in the Mojave.”
Jenny’s eyebrows hiked. The entire crew of Kay’s latest film had spent a week on location south of Death Valley this spring. “I thought you already shot those scenes.”
“We did. And the dailies looked great. But you know Guzman—he’s such a perfectionist. He wanted retakes. So, there I was, stuck in the middle of the desert for three whole days. It was brutal.”