Page 55 of Cut The Cake

“Jenny! Come in. Come in.” Alicia rose from the chair behind her desk. “Is Bob with you?” The coordinator glanced over Jenny’s shoulder as if she expected the nonexistent groom to appear in the doorway. “I’ve been so looking forward to meeting him.”

“Bob—” Her tongue tripped over the name of her mythical fiancé. She rubbed her head, tired of the pretense. According to the plan that lay in ruins, she should be introducing Karolyn to the star-struck citizens of Heart’s Landing right about now. Yet here she was, still stuck with keeping her cousin’s secret for another day. She cleared her throat. “I’m sure he’d love to meet you, too. Unfortunately, there’s been a delay. He and the rest of the wedding party weren’t able to leave as soon as they’d hoped. I’m afraid they won’t get here till tomorrow.”

“I see.” Alicia’s eyebrows might have climbed to her hairline, but otherwise she did a good job of controlling her shock. “You poor thing,” she gushed, stepping forward. “I know how much you were counting on his arrival tonight. I suppose this means the rehearsal is off?”

Jenny took a big breath and exhaled it slowly. “Yes. I’ve notified the minister and called Mildred. She’ll bring the flowers here.”

Alicia ventured a tentative, “And the wedding?”

“Oh, it’s still on,” she rushed to reassure the woman. Kay might waffle when it came to having a plan and sticking to it, but her cousin and Chad Grant were in love with one another. That much, she knew for sure. “Everyone should get here by ten tomorrow morning.”

Alicia’s head swung back and forth in wonder. “Seriously, Jenny. I don’t know many brides who could handle this as well as you have. Not only did you pull your wedding together on very short notice, you’ve taken every curve and upset in stride. You’ve done an amazing job.” Alicia glanced around the room, her focus coming to rest on a family photograph. “I don’t suppose there’s any chance you and your new husband will decide to settle here, is there? Because I could use someone with your skills to help me run this place until I retire in a couple of years.”

Her pulse jumped. That sounded an awful lot like a job offer and what might be an answer to her prayers.

As much as she wanted to talk more, though, she’d promised her cousin she’d keep her secret until Karolyn arrived in Heart’s Landing. And that meant any talk of her future would have to wait until after the wedding. “If circumstances were different, I’d jump at the chance.” She glanced down the hall to the room where boxes were stacked from floor to ceiling. “But right now, I need to see about the gift bags for our guests.”

“You’re going to do those yourself?”

She brushed a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I guess it wasn’t such a good idea to count on putting them together with my bridal party.” She straightened her shoulders and aimed for levity on her way to the door. “It’s going to be a long night. But with all that chocolate, I’ll have plenty of fuel to keep me going.”

Leaving Alicia’s office, she headed for the room where wine crates lined the walls and towering stacks of boxes from Favors Galore covered two of the six tables. She eyed the cartons of tissue paper and ribbon that had been piled in one corner and sighed. Like she’d told Alicia, the job wasn’t going to do itself.

She grabbed a bag and a handful of tissue and went to work. Minutes later, she finished off the first of the gift bags with ribbon. “One down. Two hundred forty-nine to go,” she murmured. She checked her watch and groaned. At this rate, Karolyn and Chad would be on their honeymoon by the time she finished.

“Where are you? I thought you were watching out for this girl.”

“Hold on.” The mixer had practically drowned out Alicia’s voice. Nick turned the dial. Quiet descended on I Do Cakes’ kitchen. “Now, what was that again?”

“I asked where you were, although from the sounds of things, I know exactly where you’re not. You’re not here—watching out for Jenny—like you’re supposed to be.”

Nick bristled. He’d done exactly what everyone had asked him to do, and what had he gotten for his efforts? Nothing. He’d given Jenny his heart, and she’d tossed it aside, scratched his name off her list of favorite people, and made it perfectly clear that she wanted nothing further to do with him. “She’s no longer my responsibility,” he replied firmly. That had ended the moment Bob had stepped off the plane. “I did everything I was supposed to.”

“Then why is she alone in the conference room, putting together gift bags for her wedding without a single person to help her?”

“I don’t know anything about that, Alicia. If you want answers, talk to her fiancé.” According to the schedule, Bob and the rest of the wedding party had arrived earlier this morning. By now, the happy couple should be walking about Heart’s Landing arm in arm. Which explained why he’d hunkered down in the bakery, determined not to so much as stick his nose outside until this particular wedding was over and Jenny was out of his life forever. Not that he had any intention of telling that to Alicia. Or anyone else, for that matter.

“You’re not hearing me, Nick. The point is, Bob isn’t here. Jenny said his flight was delayed, and he won’t be able to get here till tomorrow. In the meantime, she’s trying to assemble those gift bags by herself.”

Nick wiped a dab of frosting from his hand and frowned. Like the cake he’d burned, the caramel he’d scorched, and the marzipan he’d ruined after seeing Jenny on Wednesday, he would toss this batch of frosting in the trash. This time, he’d let the butter sit too long at room temperature. It had separated, leaving a slick, oily residue on his fingers that felt as wrong as Jenny’s wedding.

But that situation was no longer his problem. After they’d spoken outside Dress For A Day, he’d made a promise to himself. From now on, he’d stay as far away from Jenny as possible. She’d made her choice, and it wasn’t him. No matter how much it hurt to think of her in the arms of another man, he had to respect her wishes.

Or did he?

The man Jenny planned to marry had let her down. It hadn’t been the first time. Nick was afraid it wouldn’t be the last. He couldn’t be certain of that, of course, but he was sure Jenny needed a friend. Could he be that for her? Could he ignore the empty hole where his heart used to be long enough to help her one last time?

“That’s too big a job for one person, Nick.”

Alicia’s not-so-gentle reminder was just the nudge he needed. “I’m on it.”

Of course, there was always the possibility that Jenny would take one look at him and say, “Thank you very much, but no thanks.” To keep that from happening, he needed reinforcements. He reached for his phone. In minutes, he’d enlisted several volunteers who were more than happy to pitch in and help a true Heart’s Landing Bride out of one more jam. After all, Jenny might refuse to let him lend a hand, but she couldn’t very well refuse an army.

Now, all he had to do was hide his broken heart for a few more hours. Long enough to help the woman he loved put the finishing touches on the preparations for her wedding to someone else.

He gulped.

Helping Jenny was going to be harder than he’d thought it’d be. A lot harder.

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