Keegan watched as Christian moved behind Caroline and placed a hand on her shoulder. She reached out and squeezed his fingers. Maybe Keegan should have seen this coming. He raised his glass to his lips. If Caroline was getting a second chance, maybe he could get one too.
Liz stared dumbfounded at the blonde woman sitting across from her, not quite sure what to say. Caroline pointed at different items on the menu with a perfectly manicured nail, all the while keeping up a running monologue. Finally, Liz lifted a hand.
“Wait. Wait.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled through her mouth. Too much information and drama had her brain slow in processing this new turn of events. “The wedding is still on?”
Caroline giggled and nodded. “Indeed. The menu will include just these few changes as Martha gave you earlier.”
Liz rolled her shoulders, blowing out a breath. “I get that, but the cake—”
“Is there anything you can do?” She turned hopeful, tear-filled eyes in her direction, and Liz resisted a groan. “Whatever you can do at this point. I know it’s asking a lot, but I have to have a cake.”
She found herself nodding. “I’ll do my best.”
The other woman squealed and tossed her arms around Liz in a tight hug. “You are absolutely the best. I’m going to make sure all my friends know what a fantastic caterer you are.”
Liz could only nod as she slowly got to her feet. At this rate, she wasn’t sure if she wanted her name dropped to any of Caroline’s friends, not if Liz had to deal with this type of drama.
“I think that’s about it. Are the trays ready for the parties?” Caroline asked.
“Yes. Those are in the walk-in ready to go.”
“Fantastic. I’ll see where Martha is, and we’ll go from there.”
“Would you like me to work from the original design for the cake?”
Caroline tilted her head to the side. “Could you come up with something else? Even though I can’t change much of the menu at this late date, I can at least have a completely original cake.”
“I’ll do my absolute best, but you do understand that many of my supplies are not here, so I would be limited in what can be done for your cake. However, I will bring the design to you as soon I’m done.”
Gold ringlets bobbed up and down as Caroline nodded. “Please keep the chocolate. Christian and I just love the chocolate.”
“Sure. I can do a variety of chocolates. White, milk, dark.”
“That would be perfect. I’ll leave things in your very capable hands. Thank you so much. Once again, I’m so sorry this job hasn’t been smooth sailing for you.”
Liz inclined her head, not trusting her voice. Maybe she should’ve let Keegan fire her. Anything else would have been better than the hurt and betrayal she was experiencing right now. Since she’d walked into the estate, Liz actually believed Keegan and she had a second chance to get things right. Sadness lodged in her throat and burned her eyes. If she was getting this choked up about a stupid cake and a stupid guy, she really needed to get out more. Damn if he didn’t make her feel as if she belonged with—and to—him.
When she glanced up, she was alone. Caroline had left. That was fine. Liz pulled a small pad of paper and a pencil from her pocket and sat at the table. She needed a new design. Something that would speak to both Caroline’s and Christian’s tastes. Not an easy feat when she’d spent very little time with the new groom.
How crazy everything had turned. She’d suspected the two had something going on, but it was none of her business. Her job was to make sure the food was prepared and arrived on time. If she was to keep to that, she needed to focus and prioritize. Someone needed to start getting the ingredients ready for the cake while someone else went shopping. She might take that task just to get away from the estate.
She stood and stopped. Keegan lounged against the doorjamb. A faint bruise dusted his chin while a spot of blood marred the pale-blue shirt stretched across the taut muscles of his chest. His biceps flexed, and the cotton tightened when he folded his arms.
“Did you really mean what you said?” His tone was quiet with a pensive note in his melodious voice.
“Yes. I have a very long night ahead of me, and you’re a distraction I don’t need.” She moved forward, and he blocked her path.
“You have to talk to me.”
She stared up at him, hating how he could muddle her thoughts with just his presence. “Actually, I don’t. Now please get out of my way.”
“Liz. It was all a big mistake.”
“Yes. It was. It was a huge mistake for me to get involved with you again on any level.” His body jerked at her harsh words, and she regretted speaking them. A veil fell over his features, and she swallowed hard. “I really have work to do.”
He stepped from her path but caught her wrist as she moved past. She glanced at his tanned fingers curled against her toffee-hued flesh. Such a beautiful contrast, but the time for indulging in whatever slap-and-tickle fantasy she’d harbored was just gone. Keegan got what he wanted from her all along, and it turned out it didn’t matter anyway. Caroline was marrying someone else.
“I really need to go.”
“Just five minutes.”
She shook her head and pulled her hand from his grasp. “Not even that. Don’t come in the kitchen anymore tonight or tomorrow. Just stay away from me.” With that, she hurried from the room.
As Liz neared the kitchen, she wiped the moisture from her face with the back of her hand. She had to pull herself together. Taking several deep breaths, she regained her composure and stepped through the double doors. The room had been righted, and no signs of the earlier altercation remained. Her team was busy slicing and prepping. When the doors swung shut, movement ceased and all eyes turned to her.
“What’s the verdict?” George asked.
“The wedding is still on. There have been a few changes to the menu.” A groan rose through the group. “I know how you feel, but we can do this. Our biggest hurdle is building another cake.”
“Dee started scaling ingredients but hasn’t mixed anything,” he said.
Liz nodded in approval. “Good. Do we have enough ingredients for the cake on hand?”
Dee, a petite but plump brunette, stepped forward. “Just. I’m low on chocolate and eggs.”
“All right.” Liz grabbed her notebook and laid it on the counter. “Write what you need. I have to take a few minutes to work on a new cake design.”
“Will we be able to finish everything in time?” Worry entered Dee’s voice.
Liz looked around, realizing the rest of her crew was thinking the same thing. “I may not be Robert Irvine, but we can do the impossible if we all work together.” She studied each face in turn and appreciated the nods she received. They were with her. “We’ll stagger breaks, and if you fall behind on something, speak up. I know several dishes ended up on the floor, so we’ll start there and catch up.”
A warm breeze blew through the open window, bringing the scent of spiced chocolate and vanilla. Keegan rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling. He was still trying to wrap his head around the events of the night. David’s family surprised him. Keegan had expected the groom’s relatives to raise a fuss at the change of plans. Instead, they joined David in celebrating the happiness of both couples. Since everyone seemed amicable, it was just one big happy moment.
Once the booze started flowing and tongues loosened, things got a little dicey when David approached Christian about sleeping with Caroline, but it was merely to compare notes. That conversation Keegan had to walk away from. There were just some things he didn’t want to know about his little sister.
Now most of the wedding party was already sleeping off the effects of their alcohol-induced festivities. He didn’t have that luxury.
With each puff of sweet-scented air wafting through his bedroom window, he could only think of one woman with decadent caramel skin and lush curves. When he and the rest of the groomsmen stumbled throug
h the door an hour earlier, he was surprised to find the lights in the kitchen still on. Now with the quiet of the early morning, he wondered if she was still downstairs working.
Last night, she’d slept beside him, and his arms ached to hold her lithe frame against his, though he and Liz hadn’t slept much. His cock hardened as he recalled the silky slide of her mouth over his skin. He groaned and kicked off the covers. This was getting him nowhere.
He sat up, swinging his legs off the bed and planting his feet on the floor. The smooth wood was cool beneath his toes. He leaned over and scooped the silk pajama bottoms from the foot of the bed, slipped his feet through the legs, and stood to pull them over his hips.
If she was still downstairs, he wanted a chance to speak to her and apologize one more time. He couldn’t leave things the way they were between them. In a short amount of time, she had become too important to him.
Keegan exited his room, leaving the door ajar. Muted light lit the wide corridor all the way to the stairs. He skimmed his fingers along the banister as he descended, composing in his head what he’d say. Once he reached the bottom, he paused. The clock in the great hall chimed the hour. Three bells. He should be sleeping, not worrying about the hiccup in his love life.
He strolled toward the kitchen. With the stillness of the house, faint scuffing of feet on tile and the occasional clang of metal on metal reverberated through the hall. Goodness. Someone was still up. A muffled curse hastened his steps. He peeked in the small round window of the double door. Liz appeared to be alone. Her tousled curls were secured at the nape of her neck. Several tendrils floated around her face, and she brushed them from her cheek with the back of her hand. Her wire-rimmed glasses perched on the tip of her nose, precariously close to falling. A dab of green food coloring remained on her cheek.
She huffed, her chest rising and falling with the quick exhale, and she stepped back. He shifted to get a better view of what grabbed her attention. Rows and rows of flowers covered the table in front of her. He glanced to his left. Five cakes of varying sizes adorned the counter behind her. The smooth, white icing forms appeared to be petal shaped. Intrigued, he pressed his nose to the glass. This was different. He’d expected her to go with the earlier design, but this was a little more dramatic.
A metallic bang caused him to jump, and he snapped his focus back to Liz. Her brows knitted together while she pursed her lips. She stared at the bowl and then swiped at her face with the back of her hand. When she lifted one shoulder and dragged her cheek across the material, he realized she was crying.
Guilt sliced through his gut. This was indeed his fault. With a deep breath, he pushed through the doors. Her eyes widened while her jaw went slack.
“What do you want?” She sounded weary.
“You should go to bed.” He held her gaze before she turned back to the flower-covered table.
“I’ve got to finish these,” she mumbled, pinching off a piece of dough. She rolled it between her palms until it formed a small cone. He watched as she worked, a perfect rose growing with each flattened petal she applied to the conical base.
“Wow.” He glanced around the kitchen. Another table was covered in round and square pieces of chocolate. “All of this is going on the cake?”
She nodded.
He spied the design taped to a white board, and he wandered to it. The cake had more detail and smaller pieces than the first. He cast a sidelong glance in her direction. Did she even realize what she was doing? Somehow, this drawing surpassed the first and was much more fitting to what he had in mind for his sister. He opened his mouth to point this out, but when he turned, he clamped his lips shut.
She was crying again. Tears trickled down her cheeks, and she swatted them away with a shoulder shrug.
“That’s it,” Keegan said.
“Go away.”
He stalked to her, grasped her shoulders, and forced her to face him. “You’re crying.”
She knocked his hands away. “You would too, if you had to finish a cake that should’ve been finished hours ago. Or replace food for two hundred guests.”
“Well, it’s time you get some sleep.”
Her nostrils flared as she glared at him. “Go. Away.”
He shook his head. She was going to be pissed, but he didn’t see any other alternative. He bent his knees, scooped her up, and tossed her on his shoulder.
“Put me down.” Her voice raised an octave.
He slapped her bottom, and she yelped. “Be quiet. People are sleeping.”
“I’m not sleeping with you again.”
“Well, you are.” He carried her through the double doors and into the corridor. “You can’t even focus on what you’re doing. You need rest.”
She wiggled against him, and he brought his hand on her bottom again. She retaliated by smacking him in return.
“As much as I consider that foreplay, sleep is all I require tonight.” He mounted the stairs.
“Put me down. The blood is rushing to my head, and I already have a headache.”
He paused to set her on her feet. Indeed, her face was flushed. “You need to rest. A few hours to close your eyes won’t hurt either way.”
She folded her arms over her breasts. “I’m not sleeping with you.”
He planted a hand on the banister and the other on the wall. She’d have to go under him or knock him down the steps to get by. A flash of temper flickered through her irises before she firmed her lips, spun on her heel, and marched up the stairs.
He chuckled as he followed. “Turn right at the top and keep going to the last door on the left.”
She tossed a frosty glare over her shoulder but followed his directions. He closed the door behind them. “Do you have a bathroom so I can at least wash my hands?”
He pointed to a door on the far side of the room. Back straight and head held high, she crossed the room. A moment later, the door slammed shut. When she returned, she’d removed her chef’s coat to reveal another midriff-baring tank top.
“So now what?”
Keegan handed her a white tee. “You can have the bed. There’s a sofa in the other room. I’ll sleep there.”
She nodded.
“I’ll bring you something for your headache.” The door clicked.
When he returned a few moments later with a glass of water and two pain relievers, Liz was sprawled in the center of the bed. The thick fringe of her lashes rested on her cheeks. Lines of weariness etched deep in her face and, at the slow rise and fall of her chest, seemed to smooth. He placed the items on the bedside table and continued to watch her.
After a long while, he turned and went to bed down on the sofa. He could at least keep his promise about that.
Dusty had woken Keegan with a cold bucket of water. Keegan had plans of retribution for his cousin. He could still hear the kid’s laugher fading thorough the halls as he sat up cleaning water from his eyes. When he looked around, the pain reliever, glass, and Liz were gone. Part of him had hoped that she’d have awakened him before she left, but no such luck.
Now Keegan was trying to steal a few minutes away from the prewedding festivities to check on Liz. Every time he tried to leave, someone would pull him back. Finally, he gave up. There would have to be a moment before the reception when he could find a minute or two to see her. He had to ask her how she was feeling.
No such luck, now that he was standing in the receiving line greeting a bunch of people he wouldn’t see until the next family function. All he wanted to do was rush to the kitchen and see Liz. His sister touched his sleeve. He looked down into her beaming face. Truly, he’d never seen her so happy.
“Have you seen the cake?” she asked.
“Not yet,”
“I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything so beautiful. Liz truly outdid herself with that creation.”
“As soon as I get a chance, I’ll take a look.”
“You should slip away and check it out before we have to take pictures again.”
“Ten minutes, Keegan. Don’t make me have to look for you.”
He laughed and threaded his way through the throng of guests. After dodging several small children and shaking hands with several adults, he burst through the double doors of the kitchen and stopped. The room was vacant. He continued through the room and out the back door. Two workers were carefully pushing a wheeled cart over the paved walkway. The cake seemed to fare well. He followed, admiring the way the two people maneuvered over the stones and managed to get the cake to the tent in one piece.
They stopped in front of a table, and he realized they still needed to transfer the cake from the cart to the purple linen-clad surface. He held his breath as the man and woman each grabbed a side and carefully moved the cake.
Keegan exhaled as the cake settled in place without a hitch. The man returned the cart while the woman stayed behind to adjust the cake just right on the table. She touched a couple of the flowers before glancing his way.
“She does beautiful work, doesn’t she?”
He nodded. “It’s breathtaking.”
“I can’t believe she created this in so little time, but when she gets an idea in her head, she just has to complete it.”
“This was what I expected to see on my sister’s wedding day,” he admitted.
She chuckled. “You must think those rumors are true.”
“Rumors?”
“Don’t play coy. You know exactly which rumors. You were arguing about it the other day.”
A slow smile creased his lips. “Okay. Yeah, the one where she predicts the longevity of the newlyweds,” Keegan admitted.
She flashed him a conspiratorial wink. “Between you, me, and this cake, I think the rumors are true. She’s put so much more detail into this one than the other.” The woman shrugged. “But then again, different groom, different cake. She even managed to change the menu around to suit their needs.”
Keegan scanned the area, now filling with guests. White-jacketed servers milled around bribing the guests with finger foods, but he didn’t see a caramel-skinned woman in a pink chef’s coat. “Where is your fearless leader?”
Takes the Cake Page 6