Page 7 of Cut The Cake

Jimmy.

The urge to treat himself to a serious facepalm rippled through him when he hit on the reason for the extra tension in his shoulders. Though he’d been working with the young baker for some time now, today Jimmy was making his first solo delivery. Not that there was anything to worry about. He and his apprentice had delivered cakes throughout the area these past few weeks. On every occasion, the young man had proven himself to be up to the task. Jimmy followed orders without complaint and, the few times he’d slipped up, he’d learned from his mistakes. Take the delivery they’d made to the Cottage, for example. After brushing the curb that one time, Jimmy had steered clear of anything that might jar the precious cargo in the back of the van.

Nick gave the strings of his apron an extra tug. Jimmy’s training had been going well. So well, in fact, he’d started watching for a chance to let the boy handle things on his own. Not a wedding, of course. Though he’d be the first to sing the young man’s praises, an apprentice baker with Jimmy’s level of experience wasn’t ready for that kind of pressure. Luckily, weddings weren’t the only events the bakery handled.

When Mrs. Halperteen had called to ask if Nick could put her son’s birthday party onto the schedule, he’d found the perfect opportunity and had promptly handed the job to Jimmy. Though he’d kept a close eye on each step of the process, his young protégé had handled every aspect—from sitting down with the mother of the birthday boy to designing and executing a swim party-themed cake. He’d even followed the bakery’s tradition of going one step beyond by decorating a dozen matching cupcakes to use as party favors.

Nick smiled. He really had nothing to worry about. Jimmy was a talented young baker with a good head on his shoulders. He’d been right to let the boy handle this customer on his own.

Content that he’d identified the source of his concern and dealt with it, Nick returned to work. He’d carefully spooned a helping of icing into the decorating bag and had just dipped up a second one when his cell phone buzzed. Tempted to let the caller go to voicemail, he glanced at the screen. His stomach clenched.

“Oh, boy,” he whispered. So much for nothing to worry about. He set his decorating equipment aside. Mustering a tone far calmer than he felt, he managed, “Hey, what’s up?”

“Um, I’m so sorry, Mr. Bell. I don’t know what happened. I just—”

“Take a breath, Jimmy,” Nick said, while images of car crashes and ambulances filled his thoughts. “Did anyone get hurt? Are you all right?”

“What? No, it’s nothing like that.”

Nick followed his own advice and took a breath, a relieved one at that. “Well, that’s good. I’m glad to hear it. So what’s up?” There had to be a reason for the call and, judging from the note of panic in Jimmy’s voice, he’d bet it was a serious one.

“I’m at the Halperteen residence. I delivered the cake, just like you showed me. Mrs. Halperteen, she wants me to stick around and serve it in a little bit, and I don’t mind. The kids are so cute. You should see the Halperteen boy. He’s wearing these water wings that are bigger than he is.”

“Cut to the chase, Jimmy,” Nick interrupted while his heart rate slowed to near-normal.

“Oh, right. I, um, I forgot the cupcakes. I thought they were in the van. Honest, I did. But I must have left them behind. Can you see them anywhere?”

Searching for anything out of place, Nick scoured the roomy kitchen. At Jimmy’s end of the counter, a brown box bearing the bakery’s logo stood out like a sore thumb. For the second time in less than sixty minutes, Nick fought down an urge to slap his head. The cardboard contrasted so sharply with the white marble countertop, he should have spotted it the moment he’d stepped through the kitchen’s swinging doors. How had he missed it? No matter. He’d found it. That was the important thing. “They’re here.” He squelched a tiny urge to scold the boy and shouldered the blame. “This is just as much my fault as it is yours. I should have double-checked that you had everything you needed. Want me to run them out to you?” The Halperteens lived a short drive from downtown. If he left right now, he could make it there and back well before the party broke up.

“Would you?” A relief so palpable Nick could almost touch it flooded through the phone’s speaker. “I’d come and get it myself, but I’ve got to cut the cake in a few minutes.”

“Nah, it’s okay, kiddo.” He’d made his own share of mistakes when he’d started out. Back then, his dad had stood by him, backing him up with an unruffled attitude that had helped him stay calm and cool, even when those around him had been in a panic. Determined to do the same for Jimmy, he finished with an effortless, “See you in a few.”

Surveying his workstation, he decided everything could stay right where it was until he got back. Everything except for the frosting. The blend of cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar tended to separate when warmed. So, despite a thermostat set to a cool seventy-two, the bowl went into the fridge, along with the half-filled decorating bag. Hanging his apron on a nearby hook, Nick grabbed the box of cupcakes and headed for the front of the store.

“Hey, Denise,” he called, passing through the swinging doors into the customer area. “I need to make a quick delivery. You’re okay on your own for a few minutes, aren’t you?” He shot an appraising glance at the young woman who’d been working the lunch shift and the slower afternoons for the last six months.

“Sure thing, Mr. Bell.” Denise marked her place with her finger and hastily closed a book.

“Whatcha reading?” Nick gave the tidy counter area a cursory look. A half-dozen cupcakes dotted the shelves in the display case that had overflowed with an assortment of baked goods this morning. At one of the corner tables, a couple of regulars chatted over coffee in the otherwise quiet shop.

The college sophomore pulled a long face. “Economics. I need to get a B in the class to keep my scholarship.”

“Better get back to your studies, then.” Glad he could do his part in helping one of Heart’s Landing’s own get her degree, he nodded. “I won’t be long. I’ll call if I’m delayed for any reason.”

“Yes, sir.”

Intent on making the delivery as quickly as possible so he could finish decorating his cupcakes before it got too late, Nick stepped smartly toward the front door. A passing horse-drawn carriage drowned out the merry jingling of the bell that signaled the arrival and departure of the shop’s customers. Out of the corner of one eye, Nick spotted the slim figure of a woman who’d stopped mid-stride, her lips slightly parted, stars in a pair of dark eyes she’d trained on the carriage that turned the corner at a sedate pace.

Another bride. The town was chockfull of them.

He shrugged and hoped she didn’t have her heart set on a wedding cake from his bakery. So many orders already crowded his calendar that, even with Jimmy’s help, he’d have to put in extra hours to fill them all. He checked the woman on the sidewalk again. When she remained rooted to the spot, he picked up his own pace, eager to complete his errand and get back on schedule.

Chapter Four

Fifteen minutes after she signed the registry at the Union Street Bed-and-Breakfast, Jenny parked her rental in a public lot near the center of town. She headed in the direction of I Do Cakes, which, according to the map, was a five-minute walk. The light at the first cross-street turned red just before she reached it. Stepping to the curb, she cocked her head as a peppy rendition of Ode to Joy played from speakers mounted on the sign post. She tapped her toes in time to the music while she waited for the Don’t Walk sign to change. When the light blinked at last, the music switched to The Wedding March. Chuckling to herself, she hurried across the street.

A white sign with bright pink lettering swung beneath a chocolate-colored awning in the middle of the next block. Closing in on I Do Cakes, she picked up her pace. She was only a few feet from the door when the sound of jangling harnesses and the clop-clop of horses’ hooves filled the air. The sound drew her as effectively as the soft chiming of her cell phone. She spun toward the noise in time to see a high-stepping team turn the corner. She couldn’t help but stop and stare when, light glinting off its shiny metal trim, a spotless carriage followed the horses around the bend. Sitting high on the front seat, the driver wore a morning coat. He doffed his tall top hat to shoppers and pedestrians who stopped in mid-stride to watch. A smattering of applause broke out when the bride, resplendent in white lace, rode past a group of bystanders.

---