Page 36 of If You Loved Me

Willow gasped as she caught sight of the six rows of miniature cakes. “Oh my gosh! They look so beautiful, Sarah.”

I couldn’t help but laugh because they were only ensconced in white or chocolate buttercream.

“I appreciate your enthusiasm, but I promise the actual cake will have a lot more details. I have a few sketches to show you both. Do you want to see them before or after the tasting?”

“Before,” Willow said at the same time Johnny said, “After.”

I threw my hands up and giggled. “I’m leaving this one between you two.”

Willow turned to Johnny and I for sure thought she was going to try talking him into seeing the sketches before theytried the flavors. But she surprised me. “I know you’ve been really excited to taste the cake, so we can do that first.”

He snaked his arm around her shoulders and kissed her neck. “This is why I love you.”

“Because I let you eat before I torture you with design choices?”

“Exactly,” he hummed.

We spent the next hour moving our way through all the cake flavors until Johnny finally decided on the vanilla with strawberry jam filling and Willow chose the chocolate cake with my cookies and cream icing. It was precisely how I thought the appointment was going to go, both of them compromising on the alternate cake tiers so they could both have what they wanted on their special day.

“Okay, so I have three design choices for you to look over. We can make any changes you want to them, they’re just an idea of some different directions we can go in.” I spread the three pages in front of them.

“This first one is called a semi-naked cake. It’s very simple and rustic looking. The icing will be a thin layer on the outside so you can still see parts of the cake sponge beneath it.” I pointed to the next page. “This one is a more traditional style with a cascading floral effect. We can use whatever flowers or objects you want for the cascade, it doesn’t have to be what’s in the picture here. And the final one is a little funkier. The sheen you see on the outside is a metallic edible glitter. I’m not sure that it’s the best fit for you guys, but I wanted you to see the full spectrum of what we can do.”

Willow looked up at me with glassy eyes and my heart sank.

“What? Do you not like any of them? I can work on some other sketches if you?—”

“No, Sarah. They are allperfect. I knew you were talented. But I had no idea you could do something like this. These designs are more than I could have ever hoped for.”

“Willow’s right, Sarah. They’re amazing,” Johnny echoed.

The tension in my stomach lessened as butterflies began to soar. “Thank you for trusting me with such a special order. I know I’m just starting with wedding cakes, but I appreciate you both taking a chance on me.”

Willow wiped under her eyes. “There’s no taking a chance when the mockups look this good.” She shifted toward Johnny. “What’re you thinking, babe?”

He considered each design carefully, taking the papers into his hands and switching back and forth between them all. Then he turned to Willow and said, “Since we’re getting married at the cabin I think the semi-naked one would look best with the color palette you picked out and the rustic nature around the cabin.”

Willow could have stopped the world from spinning with the smile she gave him. “I think so too.”

My heart ached as I watched two of my best friends fall deeper in love while planning out the details of their wedding. It made me long for Ranger and the way he made me feel when I was near him.

I cleared my throat, trying to ward the emotions away. Itwasn’t my moment, it was Johnny and Willow’s and I didn’t want my feelings getting in their way. “Okay. I’m going to have you two take this mockup and give you a week to think about the flowers you might want on it. Let me know by the end of the week so I can get a final sketch over to you to approve so there’s plenty of time to have the florist order them.”

“Will do,” Willow mused as she took the mockup and headed toward the door. “Oh! And don’t forget, I made a reservation to go apple picking in two weeks for your birthday.”

“Right!” I started clearing the remaining miniature cakes from the island. “Is it okay if I bring a plus one?”

“Of course it’s okay, it’syourbirthday.”

I blushed. I was still brand spanking new to the dating world and wasn’t sure what the etiquette was when it came to bringing a man around my friends.

“Plus”—Willow winked at me—“ that will finally give me a chance to vet Ranger and make sure he’s up to snuff.”

“Easy there tiger,” Johnny rubbed his hands up and down her arms. “Sarah’s got a good head on her shoulders. I’m sure if she’s bringing him around, she’s already done the vetting herself.”

Willow stuck out her bottom lip. “Fine. But if he hurts her, I’ll hurt him.”

Johnny laughed before pressing a kiss to Willow’s cheek. “Noted. Now let’s get out of here so Sarah can get back to work.”

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