Page 27 of Cut The Cake

Jimmy nodded. “I know what I want.”

“You run that past your girlfriend, did you?”

“Nah. I don’t have anyone special yet. When I do, she’ll want what I want.”

“I hope you’re right about that.” That was every man’s wish, wasn’t it? That the girl of his dreams would share his likes and dislikes.

“What do you want for your wedding, boss? You’ve thought about it, haven’t you?”

Living in Heart’s Landing, how could he not? He took his time, measuring the baking soda into the mixture while he considered his answer. Roses or orchids? A seated meal or a buffet line? Dashing through a hailstorm of dried rice or a cloud of bubbles? There were pros and cons to each. In the ten years he’d been in charge of I Do Cakes, he’d seen what worked and what didn’t at scores of weddings. When all was said and done, the good ones shared one thing in common—a man and a woman so deeply in love that they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. The rest was just icing on the cake.

“As long as we love each other, nothing else matters,” he said, giving the eggs an extra stir.

“That, and the cake,” Jimmy nodded.

“It wouldn’t be much of a wedding without cake,” he acknowledged with a grin that faded as quickly as it appeared. Thoughts of wedding cakes had led to thoughts of brides, and suddenly, he’d come full circle back to Jenny. He dumped the last of the ingredients into the mix and shook his head as he stirred. Why she’d chosen almond for her wedding when her eyes practically glazed over every time she bit into one of his chocolate cupcakes was beyond him. Then again, he didn’t understand much of what made Jenny tick. She was different from every other bride he’d ever met. As different as almond was from chocolate. And, heaven help him, that only made him want to get to know her better.

Chapter Nine

At the end of another long week of meetings and appointments, Jenny kicked her shoes off as she walked into her suite in the B&B. She took a fortifying sip of the coffee she’d picked up at her last stop, dropped into the comfortable Queen Anne chair by the window, and scanned the ever-changing To Do list. Though it had taken a full week of hand-holding and commiserating, and though there’d been compromises at nearly every turn, she’d gotten everything back on track for Kay’s wedding. The venue was set, the flowers on order, the favors arranged. Janet at Food Fit For A Queen had sworn she and her staff were up to the challenge of feeding the additional guests on her list. The elaborately tiered cake Nick had designed for the reception was guaranteed to garner nearly as many oohs and aahs as the bride herself.

Jenny sighed in relief. Once she checked off this final item on her To Do list, she’d treat herself to a nice, long soak and a couple of chapters of the romance novel she’d wanted to read. Tomorrow, she’d spend her final day seeing the sights in Heart’s Landing before she jetted back to the West Coast. Lifting her phone, she speed-dialed her cousin.

On the other side of the country, Kay answered with a cheery, “Oh, Jenny, thank goodness it’s you. I was just getting ready to call you.”

“Oh?” Kay rarely called unless she needed something. Instinctively, Jenny braced for bad news.

In the breathy voice Kay used on camera, she whispered, “I need you to make a teensy-weensy change in the plans for the wedding.”

Jenny checked the calendar she’d referred to so often, it might as well be imprinted on her brain. With two weeks left before the big day, even the simplest of changes could have serious repercussions. “What now?” she asked, struggling to keep her voice low and even.

“You know how careful I am about my appearance. Especially in public.”

“Yes.” Kay took hours to dress and put on makeup for something as uncomplicated as a trip to the store for a carton of milk. Not that she drank milk. Or even knew where the nearest grocery store was located.

“Well, Chad absolutely refuses to wear light gray. He says it washes out his skin tone. Even though I tried to explain that it was too late to change the color of his tux, he went with charcoal. I need you to swap out the linens for a darker shade to match. I’m texting you the color right now.”

Jenny’s hand dropped. She stared up at the ceiling, half expecting it to crash down on her. This latest change of plans had “disaster” written all over it. From the tuxes to the floral displays, from the place settings to the bridal bouquet, she had carefully color-coordinated everything according to Kay’s wishes. This teensy-weensy change would ripple through the entire wedding.

“Are you there? Jenny?”

When the ceiling remained firmly in place, she sighed and pressed the phone to her ear. “Anything else?”

“Funny you should ask,” Kay said with a humorless laugh. “I’ve been reading a few bridal magazines.”

Now? Now that she had done everything Kay had asked her to do?

“Pink is so last year. Peach is much fresher and brighter. It’d look better against the dark gray, too. What do you think?”

“It would, but …” Jenny’s voice sputtered to a halt. What she thought wasn’t fit for words. She needed a moment to regroup.

“But what, sweetie? Don’t you want my wedding to be perfect?”

“Yes, of course, but—”

“Well, that settles it, then.”

“It’s. Not. That. Easy.” Jenny bit off the words. She’d just spent an entire week convincing shop owners and vendors from one end of town to the other to accommodate Karolyn’s extra guests. How was she supposed to go back to those same people now and tell them to change the entire color scheme?

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