Brides and Blades

by Rosie Sams

  The woman’s contagious, airy giggle made Melody laugh. “I’m sure you’re right. After the wedding, perhaps.”

  Dorinda assured her she’d most certainly indulge after the wedding, thanked her again, and left along with a very silent and distant Laurel.

  As Melody gathered up the forks and cupcake liners, thoughts of Dorinda and Laurel’s visit continued to linger in her mind. It had been the strangest wedding cake consultation she’d ever had to date, that was for sure. Still, she couldn’t quite put her finger on what had made it so odd. Perhaps Laurel’s lack of interest was just a part of her personality….?

  “Hey, Melody,” Leslie said, wiping her hands with a dishtowel as she entered the front room.

  Melody glanced up from wiping down the table, brows raised, dubiously. “Don’t tell me you’re coming to get me because you need a referee again.”

  Leslie waved off her boss’ words. “Relax, Kerry and I are getting along just fine.”

  “Glad to hear it.” After what had just transpired, Melody was most certainly not in the mood to break up another argument.

  “How did the consultation go? Does Dorinda like the cake?”

  “She seemed as pleased with it as any bride I’ve ever met,” Melody said. She paused from cleaning the table, thinking. “There was something so strange about her maid of honor, though.”

  Leslie’s brow furrowed. “What do you mean, strange?”

  Melody shook her head. “She just wasn’t excited about anything. Not the decorations, not the cake-tasting… It seems very odd.”

  “That is weird,” Leslie agreed, grabbing a snickerdoodle from the display case. “It seems like the maid of honor is always the crazy one,” she remarked around a mouthful of cookie. “You know, the one who is always going ballistic at the bachelorette party and making a big deal about every detail being perfect and stuff.”

  Melody released a wry chuckle. “My thoughts exactly. I can’t ever imagine Laurel fulfilling that role. She just seemed so...cool. Way too unbothered.”

  “You can’t imagine who fulfilling what role?” Kerry asked as she walked into the room.

  “We’re talking about Dorinda’s maid of honor,” Melody filled her in. “She doesn’t seem very excited about the wedding.”

  Kerry’s brows rose as she scanned the display case, taking down inventory on a notepad. “It’s not as if her bridegroom is a particularly lively one either.”

  “Why do you say that?” Melody asked as she made her way behind the counter. Working on Dorinda’s cake and then watching the bride eat her sample had prepared her taste buds for an almond cupcake.

  “Have you met the doc?” Kerry asked.

  Melody shrugged, grabbing a fork. “Maybe once. He seemed all right.”

  Kerry rolled her eyes. “Yeah, if you like your sweets with no sugar.”

  Leslie laughed at the analogy, licking cinnamon from her fingers as she ate her last bite of cookie. “It’s not like you even know him, Kerry. Who are you to judge?”

  “Well,” Kerry said. “He’s awful … dull. And… I don’t know…. There’s just something else I don’t like about him. Besides, I heard he didn’t even do that well in medical school—that he barely passed. I’ve also heard that he was fired from his last position, and that’s why he moved here. There’s also a rumor that he is a shameless flirt and that his dismissal had something to do with that. The only reason he’s here is because his father knew Dorinda’s dad a long time ago. Sounds like he’s more of a charity case than a doctor if you ask me.”

  “No one’s asking, Kerry,” Melody said, anxious to wrap up this conversation and get back to work on the cake. “Everything you’ve said is hearsay anyway. Dorinda is walking in a state of bliss, and apparently, she’s in love with him, so I wouldn’t worry too much. You’re not the one marrying him.”

  “Yup,” Kerry responded. “It’s her mistake.”

  Melody retreated to the back as her assistants continued to banter about Dr. Werther. Still, Kerry’s remark lingered in her mind. Between the maid of honor and the bridegroom, something just didn’t seem right.

  The whole affair had taken some of the joy out of creating the cake. After all, if the rumors were true and Robin was a womanizer and no good as a doctor, in the end, what difference would the appearance of the cake make? The thought so thoroughly disturbed Melody that she convinced herself it was best to put it completely out of her mind. With that, she returned to her work.

  Chapter Two

  Melody rolled over, pounding the snooze button on her alarm clock with more force than necessary. She groaned, pulling her covers up closer around her chin. She’d been so absorbed with preparing for Dorinda’s wedding while simultaneously keeping up with the demands of the bakery that sleep had been pushed aside. The effects of her busy schedule were definitely beginning to take a toll.

  The wedding.

  Suddenly, Melody’s mind was fully awake though her body still protested at the thought of rising. She staggered to a sitting position, wiping sleep from her eyes, blinking owlishly as Smudge leaped up onto the bed, tongue out, tail wagging, and ready for a walk.

  “You’re far more ready for this day than I am,” she muttered to her happy pup, rubbing her behind her ears. “This is it.” There was no way she’d be able to go back to sleep now and enjoy it—too much to do. Besides, Smudge made it more than plain that she wasn’t going to wait around any longer for her walk as she bounded off of the bed, racing to the front room and returning with her leash, tail wagging vigorously.

  Once she was up, showered, and outside with Smudge, Melody began to feel better about the day. She and Smudge’s walks down Main street provided her with the exercise she was unable to obtain otherwise due to her busy schedule, and on a day like this, she was more grateful for it than ever.

  The pair walked at a brisk pace for nearly half an hour until Smudge finally slowed a little in order to drink water from a community dog bowl near one of the shops.

  Melody sat down on a nearby bench to rest. She took a deep breath, shutting her eyes both to soak in the sun above her and try to prepare her mind for the day ahead. However, her moment of tranquility was swiftly interrupted by an unfamiliar voice.

  “Excuse me.”

  Melody opened her eyes to find a tall blonde man standing before her. At first glance, he reminded her a little of Fred from Scooby-Doo, a cartoon she’d loved as a kid. But this man appeared to possess none of Fred’s charisma as his face remained decidedly serious as he spoke.

  “Do you know where the Werther-Mitchum wedding is?” he asked.

  “I certainly do,” Melody said, rising. “In fact, I’ll be headed there myself shortly. The ceremony will take place in the event hall at the end of the street. Just head north, and you’ll run right into it. I don’t believe I’ve met you before.”

  The man gave a nod, still not bothering to crack a smile. “Thank you for your help, much obliged.”

  Melody’s brows rose in surprise when he turned on his heels and marched away, both ignoring her question and the laws of common courtesy.

  “Nice to meet you, too,” Melody murmured to herself. Smudge let out a restrained growl. “So, you had the same feeling about him as I did, huh, Smudge?”

  Smudge agreed with a high-pitched bark just as Melody’s cell rang. Alvin Henessy, the town sheriff, popped up on the caller ID. Though she was a bit hesitant to admit it, Melody had been growing steadily more attached to Alvin as of late and dared to hope that he still felt the same. She couldn’t keep her heart from skipping a beat at the sight of his name, a phenomenon that was becoming quite common when it came to the sheriff. It was almost as if she was back in high school with a schoolgirl crush. The thought had her releasing a loud snort before she answered the call.

  “Hey, Al,” Melody greeted.

  “Hi, Mel.”

  Melody could hear a smile in his voice, and it made her smile too.

  “I called to remind you that I’m
picking you up in two hours. Need help getting things loaded in your van for the wedding?”

  “That would be greatly appreciated, thanks, Al.”

  “Great. I assume you’re at home now doing all of your primping.”

  Melody laughed. “I’m afraid not. All of my attention is going to be on getting that cake and the rest of the food safely to the event hall. I couldn’t care less what I look like.” She paused only for a moment before she quickly added, “Don’t worry, I won’t look too shoddy.”

  “I wasn’t worried,” Alvin said.

  “Okay, good. I wanted to make sure you knew you weren’t going to end up with a hideous date.”

  Now it was the sheriff’s turn to laugh. “You couldn’t look hideous if you tried.”

  The comment created a brief moment of awkwardness, and Melody heard Alvin clear his throat on the other end. They were getting closer but weren’t quite at the point where they could openly make such comments without at least slight embarrassment.

  Thinking that the kind thing to do was to rescue him, Melody spoke first. “I appreciate your willingness to help with the food. I’ll see you in two hours.”

  “See you.”

  “I guess it’s time to really seize the day, isn’t it?” Melody asked Smudge after hanging up with Alvin. She immediately dialed Kerry.

  “Hey, Kerry. How goes it?”

  “As well as can be expected on a day like this,” Kerry answered, her voice flustered.

  “Don’t worry, I haven’t deserted you. I’m just headed back from a walk with Smudge, and then I’ll be over at the bakery.”

  “Get ready first if you’d like, we’ve got it under control for the moment.”

  “I did plan on getting ready first. I’ll be over as soon as possible, though.”

  “We need you here, but don’t rush so much that you neglect your looks.”

  Melody exhaled. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  The stress left Kerry’s voice for the moment, turning to teasing. “You know what I mean. Make sure you dress to impress. And I don’t mean because of the wedding—I mean because of a certain sheriff we all know….”

  Melody scolded Kerry for saying such things, but truth be told, she was feeling as giddy as a teenager already. Telling herself to focus and not let childish excitement get the best of her, she turned toward home, her mind tallying up last-minute tasks that needed attention.

  Melody rushed to the mirror on the far end of her office when she heard the front doorbell of the bakery ring. She ran a hand over her hair and straightened out her emerald green chiffon. It was the first dress she’d bought herself in a long time, and she hoped it would be all right. She leaned in closer to make sure that the red lipstick she only bothered with on special occasions was just so and then made her way to the front, Smudge on her heels.

  “Hi, Al,” she greeted when she found him seated at a table in the front room. Melody hoped that her eyes didn’t give away her feelings as she took in his appearance. She loved the way he looked in his sheriff uniform but thought he looked stunning in a dark blue collared shirt that brought out the color of his eyes.

  “Hey, Mel. You look great!”

  “Thank you.” Melody turned away in the hope that he wouldn’t notice the blush heating her cheeks. “Uh, the food and everything is back here.”

  She led the way to the kitchen, where Kerry had already arranged ice packs around all of the food.

  “Hi there, you two,” Kerry greeted, sending Melody a smile that was anything but subtle.

  Melody wanted to smack her then and there for her lack of tact but instead focused on the task at hand. “Here it all is. Shall we get to it?”

  “Let’s do it,” Alvin agreed, taking the box of sandwiches Kerry handed over.

  Between the three of them, the van was loaded up in no time. Kerry made a point of taking her own car, leaving Melody and Alvin with the van and some alone time.

  Though Melody could have been annoyed with her friend’s meddling, she had to admit she was excited to be one-on-one with Alvin before the craziness began.

  The moment they arrived at the venue, it was all hands on deck as they plunged into the pre-wedding chaos.

  Melody helped with the unloading before searching out Leslie, who had arrived first to guide the dining room setup.

  “Hey, Les. How’s everything?” Melody asked when she finally located her assistant.

  Leslie looked up from the silverware she was busy laying out on one of the tables. Her face was flushed though she looked adorable, all dressed up for the wedding.

  “It’s going all right. This setup crew is pretty efficient, so that helps.”

  “Well, you know Doctor Mitchum,” Melody said. “Nothing but the best will do for his daughter. She glanced around at the staff busily at work. “Where is the cake table?”

  Leslie scanned the room. “I guess it still needs to be put out.”

  “Well, that cake can’t just sit in the van,” Melody pointed out. “I’ll go see to it.”

  Kerry arrived just then, brow furrowed. “I can’t find the special cake knife anywhere. Didn’t you put them in the van, Leslie?”

  “I’ve been here all morning!” Leslie retorted. “Are you really trying to pin something that fell under your responsibility for the day on me?”

  “But I told you to put them in the van this morning when you were leaving!”

  “Seriously, you two, not here,” Melody interjected.

  “It’s not going to be fun making do with some random knife from the kitchen,” Kerry said. “Do you want your beautiful cake butchered?”

  Melody waved her off. “Don’t panic, I’ll find it. And you two, if you could, please try to get along for once.”

  Kerry and Leslie nodded, reluctantly. Melody figured that had to be enough and turned away.

  She made her rounds about the entire venue, ensuring that everything related to food was in order before asking about the cake setup. One of the staff-members quickly saw to it. Melody shook her head when she found the cake knife right in the front of the van, though Kerry had been too flustered to even notice.

  “The knife has been found, and the table is ready for the cake,” Melody told Kerry after finding her fussing over the drink table that would soon feature the bakery’s homemade raspberry iced tea.

  “Okay, good,” Kerry said. “Are you going to head over to the church now?”

  “Yeah, if you’re sure everything is under control here. It seems to be… I don’t see why you can’t come along now.”

  Kerry’s eyes grew mischievous. “You and Sheriff Loverboy go ahead. Save two extra seats. Leslie and I will be over soon.”

  Melody tried to look stern but knew she failed miserably when Kerry only laughed.

  Shaking her head, the baker made her way from the venue.

  “Everything’s under control?” Alvin asked as they turned toward the church, which was within walking distance.

  “Seems to be,” Melody said. “Now all we have to do is get through the wedding, reception and everything else. No sweat.”

  Alvin only laughed. “Yeah, no sweat.”

  Chapter Three

  The church was exquisitely decorated for the wedding. Classic love songs resonated in the crowded sanctuary, keeping everyone entertained while waiting for the ceremony to start.

  Melody admired the flower arrangements, especially loving how well they matched her choice of floral design for the wedding cake. Guests mingled throughout the building, milling through the pews talking and finding seats. Melody didn’t recognize any members of the wedding party. Perhaps they were all helping the bride and groom prepare. She glanced at her watch. It was already fifteen minutes after the wedding was scheduled to begin. She supposed it was normal for an event like this to be delayed a little….

  “Where do you want to sit?” Alvin asked.

  Melody glanced around, wanting to make sure she’d be able to exit the church before the thron
g when it came time to dash to the reception. “How about over there nearest the side exit. We’ll still be able to see okay, right?”

  Like a perfect gentleman, Alvin agreed to wherever she thought best and helped her save seats for Leslie and Kerry. Once seated, they waited for another ten minutes before Melody began to wonder if anything was wrong. The wedding was now a half-hour late, and there was no sign that it was about to begin.

  “Something wrong?” Alvin asked.

  “Just wondering why things haven’t started yet…..” She could tell that the attendees were becoming restless and questions that mirrored Melody’s rippled throughout the room. It seemed to Melody that around now, the bridegroom should be present at the altar with his best man just waiting for the bride’s arrival. Kerry’s previous accusations against Robin on the day that Dorinda and Laurel visited the bakery popped uninvited into her head. Wasn’t it usually the players who left their brides at the altar because when it came down to it, they couldn’t make themselves commit?

  Even as she told herself that she was surely jumping to conclusions, Melody turned to Alvin, already standing.

  “Al, I think something’s wrong. I’m going to go and find out what’s happened.”

  “I’ll go with you,” Alvin said.

  Melody nodded, gratefully. They moved swiftly out of the church and to the small bed and breakfast nearby that was reserved for the bride and groom along with their wedding parties.

  “I didn’t see a single member of the wedding party back there,” Melody told Alvin as they walked. “I really hope nothing has happened and they are just running late…..”

  They crossed the street and entered the bed and breakfast where the wedding party stayed. The bridesmaids and groomsmen were all assembled in the lobby, waiting. An air of uneasiness permeated the room, causing Melody’s stomach to drop as her suspicions were confirmed.

  “What’s happening?” Melody inquired of the room at large.