Page 29 of Cut The Cake

Propping one shoulder against the wall, he faced the group. “What’s going on?”

Every eye in the room focused on Mildred. From a nearby chair, Janet nodded encouragement. The soft-spoken florist cleared her throat. “This Jennifer Longley person is out of control.”

Jenny?

Nodding, the others murmured their agreement.

Nick swigged coffee. His regret was instantaneous when the scalding-hot brew burned his mouth. He swallowed. Heat traveled down his throat to his stomach.

“Don’t get me wrong. She’s a sweetheart. We all love her to death, but …” Mildred took a breath. “She said she was planning a small wedding. Fifty people, she said. With only four weeks’ notice, that was hard enough, but we did it. Everything was settled, including some of the prettiest floral arrangements I’ve ever designed. Hydrangeas and roses. It would have been lovely.” Mildred gave her head a sad shake.

“Then, with no warning, her guest list jumped to two-fifty,” Alicia put in. “I could hardly object, since she’d rented the entire cottage for the weekend. But honestly, who does that?”

JoJo jumped in before Alicia finished. “We couldn’t let a true Heart’s Landing Bride down, so we did our best. But there were problems, added expenses. I had to bring in an extra photographer.”

Mildred picked up the thread of conversation. “I called every florist within three states. There just aren’t enough hydrangeas available this time of year.”

Alexis frowned. “My distributor didn’t have that much wine in stock.”

“My sous-chef and my pastry chef are pulling their hair out,” Janet added quietly.

“I understand.” He’d had his share of difficulties with Jenny’s order, too. “A cake for fifty on short notice is bad enough, but two-fifty? I’ll be piping the icing right up to the start of the ceremony.” Uncertain whether the coffee or the thought of Jenny walking down the aisle caused his throat to tighten, he rubbed his neck.

“To her credit, she’s one of the nicest people I’ve ever met,” Ashley pointed out.

“And she’s willing to compromise,” Alexis chimed in.

“Freesia and garden roses instead of hydrangeas.” Mildred’s displeasure showed in a glum nod.

“When we couldn’t get enough chardonnay, she chose a nice Moscato,” Alexis said. “Instead of plated service, we’ll set things up buffet-style. That’ll save both time and money.”

“Well, that’s good, isn’t it?” Not sure where his friends were going with this conversation, Nick blew on his coffee and waited.

“She’s almost too accommodating,” Alexis pointed out. “Most brides at least quibble over substitutions.”

Ashley recited a few of the more memorable moments. “Some do a lot more than that. We’ve all dealt with bridal tears after a well-meaning father poured the wrong champagne for the first toast, or the butterflies released after the reception had a different shade of blue wings than she expected.”

Around the room, heads bobbed.

Nick took a careful sip. He’d had a similar experience when Jenny had stopped by to review his ideas for her larger wedding cake. His first design had been a tower. The second, a multi-tiered layout. The difference was so great, he’d expected her to object. When she’d only shrugged aside his concerns, her reaction had left him scratching his head. “At least everything’s resolved now.”

“You’d think so.” Mildred glanced up from the hands she’d folded in her lap. “But she called me at home last night. Now she wants to change the entire color scheme. Two weeks before the wedding.”

“She what?” Nick pushed himself away from the wall. “I just saw her yesterday afternoon. She didn’t say a thing.” His gaze circled the room. The stricken faces of his friends and coworkers stared back at him.

“None of the flowers I’ve ordered will work now.” Mildred’s voice shook.

“I’ll have to get new table linens.” Alicia’s frown deepened.

Ashley leaned forward, her elbows on the table. “We had to cancel our orders for gift bags and tissue and get replacements.”

Mildred cleared her throat. “Never in the history of Heart’s Landing have we failed to come through for one of our brides. Some have stretched us to our limits, but none as far as this one. I’m telling you, Nick, this is the last straw. We’ll do what we can to accommodate this new color scheme, but nothing more. She can’t make another change. Not one.”

In a tone he’d never heard JoJo use before, his cousin said, “You’ve got to take her in hand.”

“Me?” Coffee sloshed over the rim of his cup. He pressed his back against the wall. “Why me?”

“You found her,” Janet pointed out. The others in the room murmured their agreement. “You’re the one who identified her as a true Heart’s Landing Bride. She’s your responsibility.”

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