Julia was biting at her bottom lip. She began to speak as soon as Charlotte looked at her. “This would only be my third wedding. I have to be honest about that. But I’ve done several baby showers and birthdays.”
“She’s also helped me on several of my recent jobs. She has a gift.” This was from Jill. “In reality, she’s been in my kitchen since she could pull up a stool to the counter. I have complete faith in her ability.”
“I don’t know why not. We’re desperate enough,” Dean said. Everyone looked at him. “I mean … sorry, that came out wrong.”
“What Dean is trying to say is that we are happy to use you.” Charlotte tried to help him. “We are asking a lot to give you such little notice. If Julia is using your recipes and has experience, I’m sure it will be wonderful. As long it’s delicious, that’s all that matters.”
Julia smiled. “I promise it will be delicious. And beautiful.”
Jill looked pleased. “Fantastic. Julia’s prices are also more reasonable than mine.”
“Even better,” Dean blurted out. Charlotte flicked his thigh under the counter, and he flicked her back. The brat.
“Well, let’s taste some cake, why don’t we.”
Charlotte sat up straighter on her stool, because this was the part she’d been waiting for. She rubbed her hands together with relish and heard Dean laugh beside her.
Julia retrieved a long white platter from a far counter and removed the plastic wrap. Charlotte let out a small gasp when she saw the two rows of triple-layered cake pieces. Dean leaned over and bumped her shoulder with his. “It’s your lucky day,” he whispered.
“Yes it is.” Eating cake with Dean. Nothing could be better.
Jill left to do something else and allowed Julia to take over from there, describing all the varieties of cake they offered. There was chocolate fudge with espresso ganache, strawberry cream with champagne buttercream, sour cream white with raspberry cream, carrot cake with cream cheese, chocolate chip with salted fudge, and pumpkin chocolate chip with cinnamon cream cheese. Charlotte was in heaven.
“All of the cakes and fillings are interchangeable if you’d like. We’ve just matched the most popular options.” Julia handed them both a fork.
Charlotte’s instinct was to go at it with abandon, but she glanced over to Dean.
“Ladies first.” He nodded at the platter. “I’d hate to lose a finger over it.”
Charlotte laughed and went right for the chocolate chip cake. “I know I love this one.” She put the bite into her mouth and her eyelids dropped shut.
When she opened them, she looked right at Dean. He was grinning from ear to ear. “I guess it’s pretty good.”
“It’s more than good. It’s life changing.”
“You willing to share?”
“I guess since I must. But start with that one.” She pointed at the flavor she’d just tried.
He took a bite and she watched as he put it in his mouth. She couldn’t help remembering how soft and full his lips had felt when she kissed them. His neck moved as he swallowed.
She waited. “Well?”
“It’s really good. Not sure about the salted fudge, though.”
“Try this then.” Charlotte scooped up some of the chocolate chip cake and used her finger to put a dab of the chocolate ganache on top. Dean tried it.
“I like that much better.”
Charlotte decided she obviously had to try that combo. “Oh yeah,” she moaned and then loaded up another bite. “I liked the salt, but I think that’s a winner.”
“There’s still more.” Dean chuckled. “Keep tasting.”
Julia jotted down some notes as they went through the pieces, trying them as they were, experimenting with the fillings. Every cake was delicious and there really wasn’t a bad choice.
“I want to make sure this has real frosting on it,” Dean said after a while. “Not that smooth blanket-looking stuff.”
“That’s fondant,” Julia said. “If you prefer buttercream on the outside I’ll make note of it.”
“What do you think Alex would like?” Charlotte asked.
“Well, she loves frosting, which is why I mentioned it. As for cake, she loves anything chocolate. But I also think she’d like this white one with the raspberry in it.”
“That one is very popular for weddings,” Julia said.
“How about that one and the chocolate chip?” Charlotte suggested.
“Can we do that?” Dean inquired, turning to Julia. “Have two flavors?”
“Of course. People have multiple flavors all the time. Once we choose a design we’ll just decide the best way to divide it up on the cake.”
Dean noticeably relaxed, and Charlotte smiled. “Sounds perfect, Julia.”
The woman beamed. “Great. So let’s choose the design.” She pulled a couple of photo albums from a shelf on the wall and opened the largest one in front of them. The first page of cake photos already had Charlotte swooning. Jill’s cakes ran the gamut from simple to over-the-top showstoppers.
“Now, I’ll be honest, I’m not yet capable of re-creating all of these cakes.”
“That’s okay.” Charlotte tried to sound reassuring. “The taste is the most important thing, and I don’t really think our style is too fancy.”
“Perfect. Then why don’t I just point out the ones I know I can manage.”
Charlotte and Dean looked at each other and agreed with a nod. After a few moments they’d noted several they thought looked pretty. For the most part it was Charlotte commenting and Dean quietly agreeing with her.
“You guys like the same ones I like,” Julia said with a laugh. “And you always agree, it’s so cute. How long have you been together?”
“Not long, but we’ve known each other a long time,” Dean said, shocking Charlotte. She just stared at him as he finished. “This cake, however, is actually for my sister’s wedding. Charlotte and I are planning it for her because she and her fiancé are currently deployed.”
“Oh! That’s so nice. I’m sorry, I didn’t realize. So now a few things make sense. She must be the Alex you mentioned. I should not have assumed.”
“Not your fault, this is kind of an odd situation. And the couple is Alex and Nate.”
“Wonderful!” Julia made a quick note of the names on her paper and then looked at Charlotte with a wide grin. “I better do a good job then, so you’ll ask me to make the cake for your wedding.”
Charlotte was stunned into silence at the words, but thankfully Dean saved the moment. He gave Charlotte’s leg a quick squeeze.
“I’m sure you’ll be great.”
Looking over at him, Charlotte gave an awkward smile. Was he not completely thrown off by the idea of them marrying?
They’d just slept together, for goodness’ sake.
Focusing on the photos once more, it didn’t take them long to choose a classic buttercream-frosted design. Some simple piped filigree would adorn the first and third layers, which would be white with raspberry. The second and fourth layers would be chocolate chip cake with a ruffle pipping detail. It was going to be lovely, and Charlotte couldn’t help wonder if she was making good decisions on Alex’s behalf. Everything would be petty, but would the other woman love what they were choosing for her wedding? She snapped a photo of the cake design with her phone. Currently, she had a slew of photos from their plans saved up for reference.
After Dean had given them a two-hundred-dollar deposit, Julia was kind enough to pack up all of the uneaten cake samples and send them with the two of them. As they quietly walked out to her car, Charlotte began to feel butterflies in her stomach. Ridiculous, considering she was now closer to Dean than she’d ever been, but then again, that was more than likely the problem. What did they do now?
Outside she automatically got back into the passenger seat while he headed for the driver’s door. Once they were buckled in and he’d started the engine and pulled out, Dean cleared his throat.
“That went well
. I liked their cake much better than the first place,” Dean said.
“No one can outdo Jill. She’s a treasure.”
“But you weren’t expecting her granddaughter.”
“No … but it seems like it will be fine. Don’t you agree?”
“Yeah, absolutely. Saving some money was nice also.”
Charlotte laughed. “Yes, Scrooge, I’m sure you charmed them both with your comments on liking the cheaper price.”
He shrugged as he pulled onto the highway. “Yeah well, four hundred dollars for a cake still seems like a lot. What can I say? I’m stressing about the money.”
“Speaking of which, I want you to know I have no intention of cashing that check you very slyly slipped in with the addresses.”
Dean frowned. “Charlotte, I’m paying you to photograph my sister’s wedding.”
“No, you’re not. You need to quit worrying about it. I want to do this for you, and that’s final.”
She was ready for him to argue, but as they pulled into the alley behind the distillery, he just let the car idle while he turned his head to stare at her. “I cannot begin to tell you how much I appreciate you.”
“It’s my pleasure helping you. You should know that.” Her eyes met his and held. She loved the small creases that formed beyond his lashes when he narrowed his gaze on her. His eyes flickered over her face, her lips, and then back up.
“I want you again, Charlotte.” His voice was rough.
“Then have me,” she said. Unable to resist, she reached up and rested her palm on his cheek. She was rewarded with the rumble of Dean’s laughter before he sighed and leaned his head back against the headrest.
“I wish I didn’t have so much to do today. Plus I kind of want to jot some notes down on what I want to go over with John tomorrow.”
Remaining quiet, Charlotte debated her next move as she stared at Dean’s profile. It was so masculine, just like the rest of him. His nose was straight, his jaw defined. The most appealing idea was to just crawl into his lap and cover his beautiful face with kisses, but her car wasn’t really made for that kind of craziness.
“Will you maybe … call me tonight?” she asked. And for some reason the request made her feel very vulnerable. Sleeping together was one thing, talking just for fun … well, that felt like another.
He turned to her. “Of course. I’d like that.”
She smiled and then got out of the car. He did the same. When she met him on the driver’s side, he reached out and pulled her against his body.
“I like cake,” he whispered. “But I like you better.”
“I was thinking the same thing all day,” she said, her hand reaching up to stroke his jaw.
Dean leaned down and pressed his mouth against hers. The feel of his soft lips stroking hers was like magic, and she let her fingers slip into his hair as they angled their heads to deepen the connection.
He kissed her hard and then more slowly, until finally pulling back to rest his forehead against hers.
“I better get inside.”
“Me too. I think I’m going to go home and edit your photos.”
Dean’s eyebrow went up. “I wondered if you’d done that yet.”
“I’m pretty excited. I might frame them to hang all over my bedroom.”
He chuckled and placed another quick kiss on her lips. “As long as they’re hidden when I come over. Unless they’re of the two of us. That, I would enjoy. In fact, I want those printed and hung all over my bedroom.”
Charlotte grinned, biting her bottom lip. “Maybe you’ll get a surprise text from me later.”
“I better.”
Nineteen
The following morning Dean headed into work early, still thinking about the pictures on his phone that Charlotte had texted him the previous night.
After they’d talked on the phone for almost an hour, he’d lain in bed looking at the two of them tangled together, the sun setting behind them, as he kissed her for the first time. How many couples had their first kiss immortalized in such a beautiful and sexy photo?
And … yeah, he guessed they were now truly a couple. Or at the very least they were dating, although he’d yet to ask her on an official date. Something he realized he needed to remedy. And if they were really going to give this a shot, he knew he needed to be completely open and honest with her.
That was the part he was having trouble coming to terms with. He liked Charlotte. Almost more than was healthy, and if he knew anything about himself, it was that he couldn’t give a warm, sweet, young woman like that what she needed. How would she take that news? He was jaded, bitter, and afraid of giving his all to a woman, mainly because his all would never be enough.
His insecurities ran deep, and the last relationship—his marriage—had only exploited them. There was a time in the beginning that he’d been able to share his inner fears with his wife. How his mother’s abandonment had scarred him, or how he’d been resentful of her leaving his father for a younger man. Amy had been so empathetic and loving at first. They’d been on the same page, wanting to settle down, have a family. But after the third miscarriage, the relationship was strained. Eventually he’d gotten checked by a doctor and given the official news, which had only served to fuel her resentment and anger. It gave her a solid reason to blame him. She’d started going away frequently for “girl weekends,” which only made Dean jealous since most of her travel companions were single.
“I don’t have any children to tie me down, do I? Might as well take advantage of it,” she’d say, lashing out at him on so many levels. He recalled the time when one of her clients was some hotshot punk that she “just needed to have a work dinner with.” Dean had not hidden the fact that he was jealous, and over and over, Amy had assured him that he was being silly.
He might say the joke was on her, because sure enough, he’d proven that his concerns weren’t silly. But no matter who was right or wrong, the joke was definitely on him. Dean flipped on the light to the distilling room and considered what he needed to get started. But his thoughts kept dragging down his mood.
By the time he’d caught Amy cheating, it was almost a relief, because they’d grown to not even like each other. Passion had left the relationship long before that, though. They’d been raising a teenager and sex had become a mechanical affair of temperature taking and calendar watching, which had resulted in nothing but a roller coaster of excitement and then tragedy. Amy’s grieving of their lost babies left him feeling alone and helpless. She wasn’t the only one who blamed him.
Dean was looking over his logbook and filling out the day’s clipboard when a raspy voice came from the doorway.
“Morning.”
Dean turned to find a puffy-eyed TJ sipping on a steaming cup of coffee. “Damn, dude. What happened to you?” Dean asked.
His friend chuckled. “I had a date last night.”
Dean’s eyes went wide. “Nice. Is this obvious hangover because it went well or … not.”
“Oh, it went well. Two times well.”
“Wow. I didn’t know you had it in you.” Normally it was Jake who came in with a sex hangover.
TJ took another sip of his coffee and lowered his mug. “Honestly, I didn’t either. It had been a while.”
“Congratulations. Who is this girl?”
“What girl?” Jake asked them both as he stepped in the distilling room and pivoted around TJ. He took in his friend’s slumped posture, giant mug of caffeine, and squinty eyes. “Rough night, man?”
“Something like that.”
“TJ scored last night.” Dean couldn’t help himself. He was happy the guy had finally given up on Jen, because he’d have bet money that ship would never sail.
“My man,” Jake said, slapping TJ on the back. A bit of coffee sloshed over the rim of his mug, but TJ jerked it away from his body just in time so that it didn’t get his pants wet. “It’s about damn time. I was starting to worry about you.”
“Not sure why the two
of you are so worried about my sex life.”
“We worry about your lack of a sex life. A critical difference,” Jake said. “I don’t ever want to see a friend suffer.”
TJ shook his head as Jake laughed. The entire conversation reminded Dean that he had something to discuss with the two of them before his apprentice showed up in … damn, about twenty minutes.
“Hey, guys, listen, something I need to mention,” Dean said. Both turned his way, waiting. “So, you both know I have this new guy coming in to discuss a possible apprenticeship.”
“John, yeah. He seems cool.” TJ took another sip of his coffee, the other hand in his pocket.
“He is cool, but here’s the thing I haven’t mentioned. He is Charlotte Linley’s ex.”
Jake’s eyebrows rose. “Seriously? Does she know?”
“Don’t you … like her?” TJ asked, and Dean could tell his friend wasn’t trying to make him uncomfortable, just stating a fact.
Jake nodded in agreement. “Yeah, I know you do. So this has to be a bad idea.”
Dean sighed and then decided there was no better way than through. “About that. Charlotte and I … well, we’ve kind of been seeing each other.”
“It’s about damn time,” Jake said with a grin.
“When did this happen?” TJ asked. “I mean I’m happy for you. I like Charlotte a lot.”
Dean nodded. “Yeah, it’s kind of recent, and, well … her ex working here is a little awkward. But he knows about us.”
“Jesus, man,” TJ said. “This sounds like trouble.”
“I realize that, and had I known at first, I would have avoided this. But I think they’re both cool with it.”
“You sure about Charlotte?” Jake asked. “Obviously, our loyalty lies with her.”
“I told her the same thing,” Dean said, but he appreciated Jake voicing the same opinion. “And she says she’s good. It will be a little awkward, but she wanted him to have the job.”
“I hope he works out. You need help,” TJ reminded them all. “I was relieved as hell when I heard you’d talked to someone.”
Maybe I Do Page 19