Baking Love (14 page)

“It’ll be priceless for sure—almost as priceless as Cecilia’s face when
she
realizes it’s blue.”

Kate laughed. Being a baker certainly had its advantages.

* * * *

Kate paced her and Jess’s beautifully-decorated room at the inn.

“What’s wrong?” Jess asked.

Kate stopped in the bathroom doorway. Jess was leaning over the sink, stroking a mascara wand across her lashes. “What do you mean?” Kate asked.

“You were pacing.”

“How’d you know?”

“I saw you out of the corner of my eye every time you went by.”

Kate sighed. “I’m worried the cake table won’t be decorated in time for Mark to help us assemble the wedding cake.”

“Shawn said the decorators were coming today.”

“I know, but they were running behind schedule. What if they can’t get it all done tonight and have to finish tomorrow?” She frowned. “What if they’re not even here yet?”

“What time is it?”

Kate glanced at the clock on the nightstand between their beds. “Five-fifteen.”

“I would think they’re here by now.”

“We don’t know, though.”

“You should go up to the house and see.”

“You think that’d be okay?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“The rehearsal’s going on. I don’t want to interrupt.”

“You’re not going into the room where they’re practicing. You’re going into the banquet hall.”

“I know, but what if someone sees me?”

Jess met Kate’s gaze in the mirror. “Who are you worried is going to see you?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do. Who?”

Kate shrugged. “Cecilia, I guess.”

“Why do you care if she sees you?”

“I’m afraid she’ll think I’m spying on her rehearsal. She might even think I’m there to stand in for her again.”

Jess laughed and closed her makeup bag.

“You look nice,” Kate told her.

“Are you sure you don’t mind if I accompany Mark to the rehearsal dinner?”

“I’ve told you a hundred times, it’s fine. Our work for the day is done. The evening is yours. Besides, it’s standard protocol for members of the wedding party to bring a date to the rehearsal dinner.”

“I know—but this time, it’s different.”

“How?”

Jess cringed.

“You mean because of
whose
rehearsal dinner it is?” Kate offered.

“Yeah. I feel like I’m crossing enemy lines.”

“It’s okay. Eric will appreciate you being there.”

Jess slipped on her heels. “Mark rode with Eric to the rehearsal, so if you decide to go up to the house, the van is still here.”

“In that case, I think I will.” Kate pulled her keys from her workbag. “Hope you and Mark have a good time tonight.”

“Thanks. Hope you find a decorated cake table.”

“Thanks.” Kate opened the door to their room and left to go find out.

* * * *

When the Wynnfield House came into view, so did the high-end vehicles packed into its driveway.
Looks like a car dealership.
Kate drove to the back of the house and found that parking area filled, too—only by trucks and vans instead of luxury cars. She eyed the bright green grass.
I won’t be long.
She pulled onto the soft turf and got out.

Kate followed several people up the service entrance ramp and into the holding area. She made her way around more people and boxes, then entered the staff hallway. From there, she could see the banquet hall abuzz with activity.
That’s a good sign.
She stepped into the room, and her gaze flew to the cake table.

It’s decorated!
“Yes!”

“Can I help you?” a woman asked.

“You already have.” Kate navigated the maze of bags and piles of decorations to reach the table. It was draped with a white, floor-length tablecloth and pale yellow overlay.
Bet the bridesmaids will surround the cake with their bouquets after the ceremony.

Satisfied, Kate turned to leave. While heading back toward the staff hallway, curiosity unexpectedly struck.
Wonder how the rehearsal is going. Wonder if they’re doing anything differently this time.
She hesitated.
Wonder if I should stop by and listen.

I think I will.

Kate changed course, crossing the banquet hall and entering the main hallway of the house. She followed it to the foyer, and the room where the pre-rehearsal had taken place. The large, wooden doors were closed, so she put an ear to one of them.
Too bad I can’t hear anything.

The sound of footsteps suddenly filled the foyer. Kate quickly straightened and turned to discover a woman approaching the room.
Think fast.
“Excuse me, is this the Smith-Moore wedding rehearsal?”

“No, it’s the Prescott-Wagner rehearsal.”

“Oh, I have the wrong room. Thanks.”

The woman pulled one of the doors open and entered. As the door closed behind her, Kate stuck a foot in its path.
Now I can hear…and see.

Kate peeked inside—and immediately wished she hadn’t. Cecilia stood on the platform, wearing an exquisite pale pink dress, and Eric faced her, wearing a dark suit.
Damn, I want that man.
As Maryanne ascended the tiers, Cecilia leaned toward Eric and said something. He smiled at her.

I shouldn’t have come.

Maryanne stepped onto the platform and adjusted the microphone on her headset. “Let’s practice the exchange of rings.”

I can’t watch this.
Kate released the door and started running toward the van. With any luck, she’d never have to see Cecilia and Eric together again.

Saturday, June 2

Kate stepped out of the changing room and into the massage room. This was her first massage—and her first time wearing nothing but a towel outside her house.
This thing barely covers my body. Did I accidently pick up a hand towel instead of a standard sized one?

She walked up to the table and quickly unwrapped the towel from around her body. She lay down on her back, then covered herself with the scant piece of material. She pulled and tugged at its corners, trying to force it to cover more surface area.
It’s useless.
Defeated, she released her death-grip on the towel and cleared her throat. “I’m ready,” she called out.

The door opened. “Hi, Kate. I’m Amanda, your masseuse.”

“Hi.”

“How are you?”

“Nervous.”

Amanda chucked. “I guess you’ve never had a massage before.”

“You’re right.”

She pulled a bottle of oil from a cabinet. “I’m going to have you turn onto your stomach.”

Without flashing you? How?
Kate tried to hold the towel in place and flip over at the same time.
Hopefully, she’s still focused on that cabinet of oils.
“Okay.”

Amanda came up beside the table. “I’ll start with your shoulders.” She pressed into Kate’s shoulder muscles, and Kate melted.
Why have I never done this before?

“What brings you to the Wynnfield Estate?” Amanda asked while working.

“My bakery made the wedding cake and groom’s cake for a couple getting married here this weekend.”

“Are they having a big wedding?”

“I hear six hundred people were invited.”

“Wow! That must be some cake.”

“It is.”
I’ll tell you anything you want to know about the cake. Just don’t ask me about the couple.

Kate’s phone rang inside the changing room. “Would you like me to hand that to you?” Amanda asked.

“No…but I guess you should.”

Amanda retrieved Kate’s phone and gave it to her. Kate saw Jess’s name and number on the screen. “What’s up?” she answered.

“I need to tell you something. Are you sitting down?”

“I’m lying down.”

“Even better.”

“What’s going on?”

“A caterer just knocked one of our cake boxes onto the floor.”

Kate popped up. “Are you serious?”

“Yes, unfortunately.”

Her blood boiled.
How the hell did this happen?
“Get my keys and workbag. I’ll meet you in the lobby in three minutes.”

“You got it.”

Kate ended the call. “I’m sorry, Amanda, but I have to go.” She hurried into the changing room and yanked the curtain closed.

“Is everything okay?”

“No,” she called out as she threw on her T-shirt and shorts. “Some idiot knocked one of the wedding cake tiers onto the floor of the Wynnfield House kitchen.”

“Oh, crap.”

“Well said.” Kate shoved the curtain aside and handed Amanda the amount she owed for the hour.

“You don’t have to pay me for the whole hour. You were only here ten minutes.”

“I’m not in the frame of mind to figure out how much I owe you for a sixth of an hour, so the full amount is yours.” Kate turned to leave, then met Amanda’s gaze. “Sorry if I flashed you when I popped up on the table.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

That means I did.

“I hope you get things worked out.”

“Oh, I will.” Fuming, Kate left the massage room and ran to meet Jess in the lobby.

* * * *

Kate and Jess flew up the road toward the Wynnfield House. “I can’t figure out how this happened,” Kate seethed. “Shawn told us yesterday the caterers wouldn’t be in that part of the kitchen.”
I don’t know whether to spit because I’m so angry, or cry because I’m so afraid of what I’ll see when I open that box.

When the Wynnfield House came into view, Kate struck the steering wheel with her fist. “Why are there so many cars here? The wedding doesn’t start for almost seven hours!” Now angry
and
annoyed, Kate pulled into the driveway. “There’s nowhere to park. I’ll have to go around back.”

“Shawn said he’d meet us out front.”

“
Out front?”
Kate yelled. “Has he looked
out front
lately?” She scanned the driveway again…and smiled in sweet realization. “Okay, we’ll meet him
out front.
” She whipped the van off the driveway and into the grass across from the front entrance of the Wynnfield House.

“Nice.”

Kate grabbed her workbag and jumped out onto the freshly-mowed lawn. As she and Jess approached the house, she indeed saw Shawn standing on the front steps.

“Good morning, ladies,” he called out.

There’s a difference in his voice today. It’s fear. I bet he’s scared out of his mind about the ramifications of this mishap.
Kate went up the front steps, but when she reached the man, she didn’t stop. She entered the house and walked as fast as she could toward the kitchen. In a flash, Shawn had fallen in step beside her. “Talk to me, Shawn.”

“A caterer accidentally knocked one of your cake boxes off the counter.”

“I got that memo.”

“Apparently, he had retrieved a large container from the storage room and was in the process of turning around when he unknowingly made contact with the outermost box on the counter.”

“I was under the impression none of the caterers would be in that part of the kitchen.”

“That was my understanding as well.”

“What’s the number on the box that fell?”

“Based on the seven boxes remaining intact, I can tell you it’s box number four.”

“Why can’t you just look at the top of the box that fell?”

“Because that box is upside down.”

Kate stopped in her tracks. “It’s upside down?”

Shawn’s face flushed. “Yes.”

She shook her head and resumed her pace.
You couldn’t make this stuff up.

Kate entered the kitchen and impatiently maneuvered through the legion of chefs at work. When she came out on the other side, she gaped in disbelief. “The box is still upside down on the floor.”

Shawn cleared his throat. “Yes.”

“Any reason the caterer didn’t pick it up?”

“He didn’t want to incur further damage.”

Of course
—
because the cake will incur considerably more damage on its way up than it did on its way down.
“Glad no one stepped on it,” she muttered. Cursing the inattentiveness of the fool who’d let this happen, she lifted the box off the floor and brought it to rest on the counter. “Jess?”

Jess appeared beside her. “We need to flip it over,” Kate said.

“Okay.”

They took hold of opposite ends of the box. “On three…one, two, three.” They flipped it over and returned it to the counter. “Now let’s see what we’ve got.” Kate took a deep breath and lifted the lid.
Damn.

“Damn,” Jess echoed her thoughts.

Kate rotated the box. “The fondant wrinkled in some places and tore in others. A lot of the lacework is ruined, and a handful of flowers came off.” She studied the cake further. “We could patch the smaller tears in the fondant with royal icing and no one would notice, but any patchwork on that large tear along the top edge of the cake might be visible up-close.”

“Aside from that, it’s going to be difficult to get the fondant completely smooth where it’s wrinkled,” Jess added.

“Very little of the lacework is salvageable.” Kate shook her head. “This tier is beyond repair. We’re going to have to redo everything.” She met Jess’s gaze. “We need to take off the fondant, frost the cake with more buttercream, cover it with new fondant, pipe the lacework again, and attach new flowers.”

“Do we have time?” Jess pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. “It’s ten-thirty.”

“We don’t have to assemble the wedding cake for three hours.”

“Three hours should be enough.”

“Yes, it should.” As they held each other’s gaze, Kate sensed a mutual, unspoken confidence building between them.

Jess smiled. “I’ll unpack the repair kit.”

Kate kicked off her flip flops. Massages had nothing on cake decorating.

* * * *

Kate finished rolling out the new piece of fondant. “It’s ready,” she told Jess.

“The cake’s frosted and ready, too.”

Kate wrapped the fondant around the rolling pin, then unrolled it onto the cake. She and Jess lifted and smoothed sections of the fondant until all of the pleats were out. Jess ran a small pizza cutter around the base of the cake and pulled away the excess fondant. Kate rubbed two fondant smoothers over the entire piece of fondant to give it a uniform appearance and to ensure adhesion to the cake.