Page 54 of Cut The Cake

“I know. I know. And I’m sorry. But it didn’t feel right to leave our friends to fend for themselves on the flight.”

But it was okay to leave her hanging? “It’s not like they’re going to suffer,” she protested. She’d flown with Kay enough to know everyone on board would be treated to first-class service, a coast-to-coast open bar, movies, meals. “They’ll have everything they could possibly want.”

“But what they want is to spend time with Chad and me. Besides, I can’t fly to Rhode Island tonight. I have other plans.”

Other plans? Plans more important than your wedding rehearsal?

Jenny stalled, trying to find a way to get her cousin to change her mind. “What about the restaurant? I reserved one of their private dining areas.”

“Oh, just cancel the reservations. People do it all the time.”

“Kay, be reasonable.” She thought of the cooks and kitchen staff at Bow Tie Pasta. “Do you have any idea how much prep work went into preparing for twenty-five VIPs? People have put a lot of effort into making sure everything is perfect for your rehearsal and your wedding. You can’t just change your mind at the drop of a hat.” When Kay didn’t answer, she added, “Even if they could fill those seats at the last minute, I’ve already paid the bill.”

“I don’t suppose they’d give us a refund.”

“Have you completely lost your mind?” Jenny gulped. She’d pushed too hard. Listening to dead air, she half expected Kay’s next words to be, “You’re fired!”

“You’re right. I’m sorry,” came the words she least expected to hear. “I’ve been a pain, and you have every right to be upset with me. I’ve asked too much of you.”

Jenny swallowed. The abrupt change of direction threw her off guard. “It’s okay,” she said, calming. “Weddings are stressful.” She should know—she’d been at her wits’ end over this one, and it wasn’t even hers.

“No. I’m really sorry. Mom’s been on my case about taking advantage of people. Especially you. She says I don’t hear the word ‘no’ enough.” Kay’s voice dropped to a conspiratorial whisper. “I think she might move into the guest house once Chad and I get back from our honeymoon. I bet I’ll hear ‘no’ plenty then.”

“Whoa, that’ll be different.” The image of her mega-star cousin being bossed around by her aunt made Jenny smile. Except, with Aunt Maggie there to run Kay’s life, it sounded like she might be out of a job sooner than expected.

Needing some time to sort out how she felt about that, Jenny steered the conversation back to the topic at hand.

“So the rehearsal is out. You’ll just have to wing it. Remember the wedding in The Blossom Point?” In the blockbuster movie released the previous fall, Karolyn played a girl whose rocky courtship had finally concluded with her walking down the aisle in her mother’s hand-me-down wedding dress. Viewers across the country had reached for tissues as the closing credits had rolled across the screen. “Just think of that scene tomorrow, and you’ll do fine. Better than fine,” she corrected. “Because you’ll be marrying Chad.”

“Thanks, Jen. I knew I could count on you.”

Maybe that was part of the problem. Jenny exhaled a ragged breath. Maybe Nick had been right again, and she’d been too accommodating. That was something else she’d have to change when—and if—she returned to California. For now, they had a wedding to get through. “I’ll see you tomorrow, then. The flight still gets in around eight?” She’d arranged for a dozen buses to ferry the guests to Heart’s Landing.

“I guess.” Karolyn’s voice grew distant. Jenny caught snatches of effusive greetings and the rustle of fabric before her cousin said, “Hey, I have to go. Haley and Sue just got here.”

“Sure.” Jenny nodded. Haley, her cousin’s bestie, and Chad’s sister, Sue, were in the wedding party.

“We’re getting facials, then they have some sort of bachelorette party in the works. So see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah. On your wedding day. Don’t worry about a thing.”

“Oops. The girls say I have to hang up now or they’ll steal my phone.” Kay’s voice dropped to a whisper. “I’m sure everything will work out perfectly. It always does when you’re in charge.”

Jenny listened to the click that indicated Karolyn had ended the call. She wished she shared Kay’s confidence, but she didn’t. In less than twenty-four hours—without trying on the gown she’d chosen for her reception, without ever taking a peek at the location for her wedding, or running through her lines even once—her cousin planned to walk down the aisle in front of some of the industry’s top movers and shakers. So much could go wrong with that plan that Jenny couldn’t bear to think about it.

She sank onto the steps of the Captain’s Cottage. In rapid succession, she cancelled the appointments at Dress For A Day and Perfectly Flawless. Her next call went to Mildred, who agreed to deliver the floral arrangements for the rehearsal dinner to the Captain’s Cottage. If nothing else, they’d use the flowers to brighten nooks and alcoves throughout the mansion. She worked her way down a list of musicians and drivers until, near the end, she spotted an item that nearly gave her heart failure.

“The gift bags.” Two hundred and fifty of them, to be precise. Each one empty and waiting to be filled by a bridal party that had decided they had better things to do.

Now what? She shook her head. This was exactly the kind of problem she and Nick used to discuss at I Do Cakes each afternoon. She’d walk into the bakery with the newest wrinkle in Kay’s wedding hanging like an albatross around her neck, and somehow over coffee and a cupcake, he’d set her free.

She wished she could turn to him now.

But she couldn’t go to him for help. Couldn’t turn to the one person in Heart’s Landing she trusted to come up with a solution whenever Kay threw a stumbling block in front of the wedding plans. She and Nick were never going to find happiness together. They weren’t even speaking to each other.

Her face fell. The barriers she’d erected around her broken heart weakened. Another round of tears threatened. She fought them down.

Dusting her hands together, she reached a decision that was long overdue. No matter how the future played out between her and Nick, no matter how badly Kay had messed up the plans for the rehearsal, she was done with letting her will-o’-the-wisp cousin determine her future. It was time to move on. She hadn’t nailed down the particulars yet, but she’d work on it. She might even come up with a plan tonight. In the meantime, she needed to speak with Alicia about cancelling this evening’s rehearsal and get to work on those gift bags. Moments later, she knocked on the event coordinator’s door.

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