Page 28 of Cut The Cake

Kay’s tone turned petulant. “I thought Heart’s Landing promised a perfect wedding for every bride.”

“It does,” Jenny said, trying her best to make her cousin listen to reason. “But there comes a point where even the most willing supplier has had enough.” Over the past two weeks, she’d worked so closely with the local shopkeepers that she considered them her friends. She valued those relationships, but these new changes would put them to the test.

“Are you telling me I can’t have the wedding of my dreams there?”

“I—hmm, no.” Jenny backpedaled. She’d seen what happened when others had failed to give the star what she wanted, when she wanted it. It wasn’t pretty. One push, one whisper of disagreement, and Kay might post a thoughtless comment about Heart’s Landing on social media.

She wouldn’t set out to deliberately cause any harm. That wasn’t the kind of person Kay was. Before the awards and accolades had started pouring in, her cousin had been one of the most selfless people Jenny had ever known. Why, Kay hadn’t once complained about having to share her room when Jenny had moved in with her new family. Throughout their teen years, the two of them had been closer than sisters. They’d shared everything from clothes and makeup to shoes and school supplies.

But then, Kay had won back-to-back Oscars, and her popularity had skyrocketed. Despite that, she had no concept of how much clout she wielded. For someone with hundreds of thousands Insta followers, one negative post was all it would take to damage the town’s reputation.

Jenny straightened. She couldn’t let that happen. Everyone from the sales clerks behind the counters to the shop owners themselves had gone out of their way to help her put this wedding together. She couldn’t let their hard work and effort go to waste. “No. That’s not what I’m saying,” she said, pulling out all the stops and using the soothing tone that had always calmed Kay in the past. “I’m saying, let’s be sure this is what you want this time. Charcoal and peach. You’re one-hundred-percent positive.”

“Yes, absolutely.”

“And two hundred fifty guests. No more? No less?” She held her breath.

“No, that’s it.”

“All right. I’ll stay here and straighten everything out.” So much for heading back to California anytime soon. It would take days—and lots of sweet-talking—to make the changes Kay wanted. She checked her watch. She might be able to reach Mildred this evening, but getting in touch with Alicia at the Captain’s Cottage would have to wait until tomorrow. She crossed her fingers and prayed Ashley and Alexis hadn’t placed their order for the gift bags and tissue yet.

“Are we done now?” A quiet tap-tap signaled Kay’s waning interest.

“There’s one more thing,” Jenny rushed. “The baker suggested piping the icing on your cake in the same pattern as the lace on your gown. How about snapping a picture and texting it to me?”

“I’ll be sure to get one while we’re at Madame Eleanor’s tomorrow.”

“Oh? Do you have a fitting?” Jenny leaned forward. Last year, Kay had spent hours discussing the pros and cons of which dress to wear to the Academy Awards, but her cousin hadn’t so much as mentioned her wedding gown in any of the recent texts that had flown back and forth between them. Suddenly, she wanted to hear every detail. “What did you choose—a ball gown or a mermaid? What kind of fabric? Who’s the designer?”

“You’re so sweet to ask, but we’re just getting started. I had Mom move the appointment while I was shooting in the Mojave.”

“You haven’t started looking yet?” Her stomach sank. Kay had only one thing to do for her wedding and, with the date only two weeks away, she hadn’t done it.

“You worry too much,” Kay said, her laugh disarming. “Don’t. I’m sure Mom and I will find the perfect dress tomorrow.”

Jenny propped her chin in her hand. She hoped her cousin was right. Based on how things had gone so far, she didn’t like the odds.

Nick whistled a jaunty tune on his way down the stairs from his apartment over the bakery. Today was going to be fantastic. And why shouldn’t it be? He got such joy out of helping brides plan their wedding cakes, and there were three new tastings on today’s schedule. Before the first of them, he’d kick the morning off by whipping up a batch of lemon cream cupcakes that would make the whole bakery smell like sunshine. Then, this afternoon, he’d get started on the cake for Jenny’s wedding.

At the bottom of the stairs, he stepped into the still-darkened bakery. A lingering trace of vinegar tickled his nose, reassurance that the cleaning crew had worked their magic overnight. As if to confirm it, a ray of light from one of the streetlamps bounced off spotlessly clean counters and floors. He unlocked the back door and left it ajar for the morning crew who would soon trickle in. Crossing to the massive built-in ovens, he twisted dials and smiled at the hiss of gas followed by a soft whoosh as the ovens began heating for the day’s bake. Coffee was next on the agenda, and he stepped through the swinging doors into the storefront.

The first streaks of sunlight turned low-hanging clouds pink and gold on the other side of the bakery’s picture windows. One by one, the old-fashioned street lights along Bridal Carriage Way winked out. Above the sidewalks, birds stirred in the trees. As the first of them flew off in search of breakfast, his smile deepened. The peaceful quiet of an early morning in the bakery was the best time of all. Not that he didn’t enjoy the hustle and bustle of customers and staff.

Speaking of which, when the doors did open, people would want their coffee. At the brewing station, he’d just dumped the first pre-measured packet of grounds into the waiting basket when something rapped on the window behind him.

“Pesky bird,” he muttered with a grin. It wasn’t unusual for one or more of them to attack their own reflection in the glass. Ignoring the noise for the moment, he added water to the brewing chamber. Once coffee began to trickle into the carafe, he turned, intending to shoo the bird away before it hurt itself.

But the bird, if it had been there in the first place, had flown off. In its place stood Mildred Morrey.

His grin twisted into a wry grimace. No matter how he wracked his brain, he couldn’t think of a single good reason for the florist to show up on his doorstep before dawn. His footsteps growing heavy, he cut across the room. Before he reached the entrance, at least a half-dozen other figures emerged out of the darkness to stand beside Mildred. Nick’s misgivings deepened as he held the door open for his unexpected guests.

“Nick.” Mildred’s silver curls bobbed as she moved past him with a curt nod.

Alicia, Janet, Alexis, and Ashley filed past next. Marybeth and Matt joined the others. Next came Paula and Ames. His cousin JoJo and her videographer, Roy, brought up the rear. Nick’s heart sank when the group spread out on chairs in the dining area. Whatever problem had brought them to the bakery this early in the morning, they planned on staying until the situation was resolved.

“Coffee, anyone?”

When a chorus of, “No, thanks,” rose in answer, he poured a fortifying cup for himself and carried it into the dining area.

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