by Gina Henning
“I’ve been thinking about it… How about we each make a cake? I’ll make the base since I’m the man.”
I roll my eyes. “Come on, Jack…don’t be silly.”
“Okay, okay…I’ll be serious. I want to make the base. I want you to make the middle layer and I want us to make the top together.”
I squint my eyes. “But why does yours have to be the base?”
“It doesn’t. We can have equal size cakes with the top being smaller. It might look a bit odd…but if that’s what you want then so be it.” He brushes my nose.
I’m being immature. “No, let’s do the traditional style. But are we supposed to make our cakes on our own? What if my cake isn’t good?”
“I’ll still marry you.”
“Wow, thanks…maybe my cake will be the crowd hit and then everyone will be disappointed that it was the smaller-sized version and will be upset that there is no more left.” I toss my hair over my shoulders.
Jack pulls me into him. “If your cake is any bit as delicious as you then we will have some angry guests.”
I can’t help but laugh at the idea of any of our friends or family being upset about a shortage of cake. Yeah…like that would ever happen. “Okay, so what shall we do about the final layer?”
“Do you want to choose the cake or the frosting?”
Any mention of frosting and my cheeks get super hot. All I can think of is Jack and frosting everywhere. I lick my lips. “Frosting.”
Jack flashes me a wicked grin. He knows what I’m thinking about. Jack eyes the mountain of choices with a fork in hand. He dives into the fluffy white cake. I know immediately I want to add the raspberries to it. I pick up a spoon and scoop a large amount of the raspberry filling and drizzle it onto the cake. Jack halves the piece and without prompting we each take a piece of the cake, which is overflowing with red fruity deliciousness, and feed each other. I’m in heaven. I’ve gone off into a zone of pure amazing taste and I don’t want to ever return. I want to sit in this moment of amazing flavors and not worry about anything else ever.
Jack is swallowing the last bit of his bite and eyeing me with a hunger that is not going to be satisfied with the cake. He scoops me up in his arms and I’m sailing away, far from even considering an idea of worrying. Jack is defying all problems in my mind and assuring me of everything…and I want to believe him. I do…but I have so many unchecked items on my to do list of life. Am I moving too fast? Do I need to slow down? Am I choosing the right paths for everything? But I soon forget these nagging issues as Jack’s mouth is on mine and he is leading me to a place of pure bliss and love: our bedroom.
Chapter Fifteen
I click end on the call and I go ahead and give myself a high five. After a very difficult week I just landed another client, which brings my new client ratio of accounts to seventy-five percent of what Sherry’s accounts would have been. This means more clients to manage…but alas more money, more problems, right? Ha!
This is it for me. This is the last time I’ll sit at this desk as a single lady. Cue Beyoncé. Argh…the thought of me in the black leotard right now is not appealing. I’m in my second trimester and definitely seeing a pooch in my lower belly. Jack kisses my stomach every morning and talks to our baby for what seems like forever but really is probably only a few minutes. But it is odd having someone speaking into your stomach. I’ve been reading a lot about being pregnant and apparently this is a good thing. Babies can often recognize the sound of their father’s voice when they are born.
I click out of my programs and there is a knock at my door. I open it to find Elaine.
“That was pretty low.”
“What are you talking about?” I really wonder about Elaine. She always seems to think things are going on or have happened that are not necessarily so.
“You knew that Sheralyn Crowley’s accounts were bad. That’s why you didn’t take them, isn’t it?”
“Why are you asking me that?” I cock my head to the right.
“Exactly. Answering an accusation with a question rather than a yes or no is an admission of guilt.”
I shake my head. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I do have an idea obviously and she is right. I could have said yes…but no way was I going to…at least not to her.
“I’m talking about what you already know and now apparently Trent does too. He’s being investigated alongside Sheralyn Crowley for money securities fraud. This is bad for the company, Lauren. If you knew something you should have spoken up.”
Shiat. What if she’s right? I don’t want anything bad to happen to Calstone Corp.
“Maybe next time you’ll consider being a team player. Anyways…good luck with your wedding…if it even happens.” She turns on her heel and storms out of my office.
What was that if it even happens nonsense? Of course it’s going to happen. Why wouldn’t it?
I knock on Javier’s door. “Hey, Elaine mentioned something about Ms. Crowley being investigated?”
“Yes, that’s right…listen I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so quick to go with Trent’s suggestions. Obviously, you saw something that none of us did. I shouldn’t have doubted your judgment.” His eyes are staring at mine and I can’t believe the words I’m hearing. “I’ll be better about my own judgment in the future. Will you accept my apology?” He offers his hand. We shake.
“Of course.”
“Great, and speaking of great, your numbers this week are out of the park. Way to pull up the entire company.”
“Thank you…you know I’ll be off for a week though, right?”
“Of course, I’ll be at the wedding.”
“Thank you.”
He nods and knocks twice on his desk. A huge smile crosses over my face and I make my way down the corridor. Things are working out. Despite Elaine’s accusations. I roll my eyes at the thought of her.
Bethany is at the elevator waiting. “Hi, Bethany, incredible numbers again this week. Great job.”
“Thanks…did you hear about Trent?”
I nod. “I did.”
“Yeah…too bad, huh?”
I raise an eyebrow.
“Elaine seemed more shook up about it than he was though… Odd, right?”
“Hmm I don’t know, I wouldn’t put it past Elaine to do anything out of place.” I laugh.
“Yeah…I don’t understand why she was so rude to you.”
I shrug my shoulders. “That’s just her way.”
“Maybe, but to say you’re incompetent?”
I shake my head. “I don’t know.”
“Well, it bothered me.”
“Oh, that’s sweet, thank you, but you don’t have to be bothered. It’s not a big deal.”
“Actually it was a big deal. A big deal that they wanted to make everyone think you let go. I just had a feeling that you wouldn’t let a good deal go.”
I raise my eyebrows at her. “Okay?”
“Well, I did some research on Sheralyn Crowley and saw she was wanted on charges in Texas for fraud and theft. Anyways, then a tip happened to make its way to the FBI and, well, here we are.”
“Wow, Bethany, I appreciate that, but be careful…you don’t—”
She touches my arm. “Don’t worry, Lauren, I didn’t make any connections to Calstone Corp or to you or Jack.”
“Why would you go out of your way for me like that?”
“Because you’re a smart confident businesswoman and I admire you… When I saw your supposed downfall I knew there had to be a better reason for it.”
“I don’t know what to say other than thank you.”
“Hey, as women if we don’t help each other out then who will? Certainly not the Elaines of the world.”
We both laugh and exchange a hug before heading towards our cars.
“Have a great wedding!” she calls to me.
I nod and grin wider than ever. It’s almost my wedding day. And now I’m headed to my new home. I’m having a girls�
� night with Megan and Brianna. We invited Aurora, my brother’s wife, but their flight isn’t getting in on time. Jack is apparently going out with some work friends. He assured me that I had nothing to worry about. But given that we haven’t had sex in weeks and I’m going wacko with my hormones I can’t say I’m not worried. But honestly I can’t worry about that right now because I have a bigger issue to tend to.
I have still not told Brianna that Megan is my matron of honor. I haven’t talked to either of them about dress colors or anything like that—I just left it all to them. This will probably be one of the most unconventional weddings ever planned—or really unplanned. The Unplanned Wedding. Ha!
I still haven’t worked up the courage to explain to my mom and dad why we couldn’t have the wedding in Texas and now we are in final countdown mode and in less than forty-eight hours I’ll be married. All of my family will be present except one person. I can’t even think about it.
Tonight I have to make my part of the cake. Jack already made his and says it’s going to blow my cake out of the water. He is always so overconfident in his baking skills and given the history of our baking experiences I can see why, but I really want to wow him with my offering. I want him to be blown away and to say yes, this cake is the cake. And to forever be in love with me.
I pull up in front of the house. Jack and I have been slowly moving things from my house to this one. He has prepared all the rooms for all of our guests. Every couple will have their own room and my niece and nephew, Winter and River, will have a room to share while the twins, Terra and Clay, will be with Aurora and Luke, since she’s still nursing them.
I’ve got a couple of hours to get my cake baked in the privacy of my own home. My new home. It really is beautiful. I should have let my feelings chill before I rushed to ask Megan to be my matron of honor over Brianna. Just another Lauren fail. I pat my tummy. “Don’t worry, baby, I’m getting better at things. By the time you’re born, I’ll practically be perfect.” Ha! I’m sure the baby is chuckling inside of me at this thought.
I unlock the door and check out the ingredients. I’ve thought long and hard about this and though I haven’t made any test batches like I did in preparation for the apple pie contest over the Fourth of July, I still think I might have picked a good recipe.
On the counter is a brown package with a blue ribbon. It has a little white card that reads, “For my wife to be.” My heart warms over. I almost don’t want to open it. Like the wrapping is too perfect. Who am I kidding? I rip through the package and there is a box. I open the lid and inside is a snow globe. A snow globe. Wow. Jack got me a snow globe for my collection. I turn it around and eye the location. It’s an image of Fiji and the snow isn’t snow but rather glitter. A note is attached to the bottom.
Fiji doesn’t have snow so I went with glitter for the sun and the sparkle in your eyes. I can’t wait to devour you on our special island.
Wow. I gulp. He’s not even in this room but he’s filled up my heart with so much more than glitter falling in a snow globe. He is my world. Jack is my snow globe. He’s the sparkle, he’s the hope, he’s my sunshine on a rainy day, he’s the idea of the possibility of a future life and everything it encompasses—all of my happiness and fears. Jack is my everything and I can’t wait to be his forever. This is really happening. This. Us. We are going to be married. I pat my little baby bump. “Hear that, baby? Your mommy loves your daddy. You’ll see how great he is once you make your appearance. But not too early, baby. Stay in until it’s time. Be strong; don’t come soon. Promise me, baby, be safe.”
Since the top of our cake is a fluffy white, I’m going with a yellow sponge cake and filling it with apples and a few pecans for a bit of a crunch. I grab out a bowl and drop all four eggs in as if I’m a baker on a hit TV show. I’ve read these instructions carefully and set my timer for four minutes of intense whipping.
When the timer buzzes on my phone I add in the sugar while singing a Def Leppard song in my best karaoke version and set my timer again for another four minutes. Ding. Time for one of my favorite scents—other than Jack’s…vanilla! I drop it in and combine the eggs and vanilla. I nod. This mix is looking good. It’s foamy with a caramel-colored glow.
I grab another bowl and mix up all of my dry ingredients and then slowly add it to my whipped-up scene and, voila, it’s time to heat the milk and butter. I add the delicious aroma of butter and warm milk to my mixture and beat until it looks as perfect as possible…after all I am the baker. Ha!
I pour the batter into two greased-up pans, and yes I sang while greasing them. I hit the timer and decide to pour myself a glass of wine…except that’s not an option, so I opt for sparkling water instead. I flip through the wedding magazines on the counter. I’ve already inspected them eighty thousand times. I dash off to the bathroom. Being pregnant has increased my number of visits, which has been a thrill to say the least. I hear the buzzer of the fire alarm blaring through the house and I rush back to the kitchen. Smoke is coming from the oven. I pop it open and the cakes are dripping liquid into the bottom of the oven. It must be excess juice from the apples. Thankfully the cakes look sort of okay and at least they’ve been in long enough that opening the door now shouldn’t cause them to drop. The fire alarm is loud and my phone is vibrating on the counter. I reach for it.
“Hello?”
“Mrs. Walker?”
I pause for a second. I’ve never been called Mrs. Walker and technically I’m not Mrs. Walker—at least not until tomorrow.
“Is this Ms. Walker?”
“Oh sorry, um yes? Who is this?”
“This is HomeU Securities calling about the fire alarm going off in your house. Are you home, Mrs. Walker?”
“Yes, I’m home. It’s okay, there’s no fire. I was just…um…baking.”
“Okay that’s fine, Mrs. Walker, so there is no fire? Can we turn off the alert?”
“Yes, there’s no fire. Sorry about that.”
“Good day.”
How embarrassing. Oh hey, everyone, I was baking my wedding cake and set off the fire alarm. Now how am I supposed to get this mess out of the bottom of the oven? I begin mopping at it with a cloth. I’m glad that Jack has already made his cake. The front doorbell chimes and I turn the corner to see Jack rushing towards me. His face is a pale shade of white, like a ghost.
“You’re okay.”
“Yes, are you okay?” I lift my eyebrows at him. I’ve still got the scraper in my hand.
“The security system alerted me of a fire. I was so worried.”
“Oh, yeah…I set off the fire alarm. With my cakes.” I glance at the ground. This is mortifying. I know I’m not a baker but to have the security system alerted and for Jack to rush in like this… I couldn’t want to fall into the floor more.
Jack wraps me in his arms and kisses my head. “My little baker. I think we should only bake together going forward.”
“Well, it did work out better before.” I laugh. It’s true. I’ve never had issues in the kitchen when I was baking with Jack but here on my own I’m a mess. I burn things. I forget ingredients. I substitute the wrong things.
“Lauren, I can’t even begin to tell you the thoughts that ran through my mind.” He places his hand over my stomach. “My family.” He shakes his head and runs his fingers through his hair.
We are going to be a family. A family. Not merely a couple.
The doorbell rings and I rush to answer it. It’s a bit early for Megan or Brianna to arrive. I peek through the hole. It’s Brianna.
“Hey.”
“Sorry for arriving early…but we need to talk.”
“Hi, Brianna. I’ll see you tomorrow, Lauren. Make sure you’re wearing that pretty dress I like. You know, the one in white?” Jack winks at me and I can’t help but swoon.
He exits through the front door and I have to face the reality of what’s in front of me. Brianna.
Shiat…this is about the matron of honor business. I know it. Why did I w
ait till now? I’m a horrible friend. I want to crawl into a hole never to be seen or heard from again.
“Yes we do…I’m sorry.”
Brianna raises a hand at me to stop. “Don’t be. Listen, Megan and I have been talking. I know you asked her to be your matron of honor and I’m okay. I only care about you and being in your life. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about this house.”
I can’t even believe what I’m hearing. “You already know?”
“Yes, sweetie, I meant to bring it up earlier but good grief, Lauren, you’ve had a lot on your plate… I don’t know how you do it all. Wait, I take that back. It’s because you are the most competent person I know.”
Tears fill my eyes and I rush to hug her. “You have no idea what that means to hear you say those words.” I sob. I’ve got to get it together.
“Hey, you are. I can only hope to have my shit together the way you do. Now enough with the tears. I didn’t wear waterless today and we are going to need some serious selfies, okay!”
We both laugh and the doorbell sounds again.
I open it and see my gorgeous movie-star-looking sister. Tears begin to fall again. She reaches in and hugs me. “Hey, this is a party not a cry fest.”
I laugh.
“Hey, Brianna, love that dress.”
“Thank you, love, but it’s nothing compared to something else, right? I think we need to show Lauren our dresses, yes?”
I crinkle my eyebrows.
“Yes, let’s.”
Brianna grabs Megan’s hand and they take off down the hallway to change into whatever it is they are talking about. I’m so lucky to have such a sweet friend and sister. I can’t even believe it. I slouch down on the couch and hear a beeping sound. Shoot, my cakes. I dash towards the kitchen. I hope they aren’t burned. I peer into the oven. They are a nice shade of golden brown. I sing softly to them and imagine that in years to come I’ll be baking birthday cakes for our little baby.
I put the cakes on the counter and turn around to see Brianna and Megan in coordinating coral-colored dresses. With Brianna’s black hair and Megan’s blonde mane, I’m not sure they could have found a more flattering color.