Page 52 of Cut The Cake

Jenny ducked her head. “No horse and buggy for me.”

“Seriously?” Just when he’d thought she couldn’t surprise him anymore, she accomplished the impossible. He leaned forward. “Why not, when you’re so obviously carried away by them?”

“Nice pun,” she quipped, her mouth slanting up as she raised her head. “But that wasn’t something Bob and I wanted.”

Humph. Bob again. He should have known.

He traced the outline of his cell phone. This was one problem he could solve. With a single phone call, he could give the girl of his dreams her heart’s desire on her wedding day. A carriage ride through town following the ceremony could be his present to the happy couple, his farewell gift.

There was just one problem, but it was a biggie. He couldn’t watch Jenny and her Mr. Right ride straight down Procession Avenue and out of his life forever. Not without breaking down he couldn’t. He was strong, but he wasn’t that strong.

The solution came to him in an instant. It seemed so obvious, he wondered why he hadn’t thought of it right away. It was about time young Jimmy oversaw his very first wedding. Jenny’s was the perfect place for him to start. Taking charge of the cake for a true Heart’s Landing Bride would give his assistant a chance to shine while sparing Nick a painful farewell.

He mentally patted himself on the back for coming up with such a brilliant idea. His plan only had one little flaw, he realized. He was in for heartache, no matter what.

Jenny dragged her fork through the tasteless lentils. She didn’t bother stirring the unappetizing mound of brown soba noodles. Some julienned carrot, a spicy sauce, or a handful of pine nuts might have dressed up the side dish, but the strands of buckwheat pasta sat unadorned and cold on her plate. She lowered her knife and fork to the plate, a sign she had finished her meal.

“You’re not going to eat any more than that?”

Great. Just what she needed, a waitress who felt entitled to chastise her for not cleaning her plate. She’d had her fill of people telling her what she could and couldn’t do. She pushed the offensive dish aside. “I’m done.”

So done.

Done with trying on wedding gowns she’d never wear. All but finished with the items on today’s To Do list. Most of all, so over her cousin’s latest suggestion to change, change, change one more thing about the wedding. This time, Karolyn had insisted on switching the location of the rehearsal dinner to a vegan restaurant north of Newport. Something that—now that she’d been there and done that—wasn’t going to happen. Not only would the drive add several hours to a schedule so tight it squeaked, the food simply didn’t live up to the hype. She shrugged. The pickiest eaters in Karolyn’s wedding party would just have to fill up on tossed salad and the restaurant’s Old World-style bread drenched in olive oil and herbs while the rest feasted on top-notch Italian cuisine. She was sticking with her first choice, Bow Tie Pasta.

Waiting for the bill, she rubbed her forehead as worries about the days ahead troubled her thoughts. She’d have to sweet-talk like a Southern belle to keep the star-studded wedding party on track throughout their busy day on the eve of the wedding. The rush would start the moment she greeted the new arrivals at the Captain’s Cottage. From there, she’d whisk Kay off to a final fitting before dropping her off at Perfectly Flawless. Massages and facials would help the bride and her attendants recover after the long flight from L.A. The rehearsal and dinner would follow. Later still, they’d assemble the gift baskets.

Had she crammed too much into one day? She gave her head a small shake. Kay hadn’t left her much choice. They’d simply have to get it all done.

Speaking of getting things done, though, now that she’d decided in favor of Bow Tie Pasta, she’d have to stop by the restaurant and make the final payment. Thank goodness she hadn’t cancelled those reservations like Kay had wanted her to. She supposed she had Nick to thank for that. Ever since they’d met, he’d been encouraging her to trust the decisions she’d made, stick with her original choices. This time, she had.

For a second, she pictured his face when she shared the news. He’d be happy for her, no doubt. To celebrate, he’d serve her one of his delicious cupcakes.

Her empty stomach clenched. She balled the paper napkin in her lap.

There’d be no more afternoon visits to the bakery. No lingering talks with the baker over tea and cupcakes. No. More. Nick. He’d made his position very clear—he didn’t love her like she loved him.

“Dessert comes with your meal. How about a non-fat, gluten-free, black bean brownie with organic prune topping?” The waitress plunked an overpriced bill on the table.

Jenny fought the urge to clamp a hand over her mouth. She couldn’t think of anything worse.

Unless it was spending the rest of her life without Nick in it.

Chapter Sixteen

Her broken heart safely hidden behind sturdy barriers, Jenny reached the end of the wide walkway in front of the Captain’s Cottage. She turned and retraced her steps to the entrance. Where were they? Her heels tapped out the question on the concrete like an operator tapping out a message in Morse code. She mounted the steps to the front door and, from the higher vantage point, checked the horizon. Beyond the spot where the road disappeared around a bend, trees swayed in the mid-morning breeze. Otherwise, nothing moved. Certainly not the town cars she’d hired to ferry Karolyn, Chad, their attendants, and their closest relatives from the airport to Heart’s Landing.

She tromped down to the sidewalk where she completed another circuit. When there was still no sign of the arriving party, she whipped out her phone.

“Global Limo Service.” The receptionist answered on the first ring. “How may I assist you?”

“This is Jennifer Longley. I need to check the status of a pickup from Terminal V at Boston Logan.” Quickly, she provided the necessary details, including the expected arrival time of Karolyn’s private jet.

“I’ll look into that for you, Ms. Longley. Please hold.”

Jenny tapped her toe. A mercifully short time passed before the woman came back on line.

“Ma’am? The drivers are waiting at the gate. Their passengers haven’t arrived yet.”

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