Baking Love (4 page)

“We’re aiming for early Friday afternoon,” Kate said.

“Perfect.” He made a quick note.

They arrived at a door with a small, golden plaque beside it reading THE OVERLOOK ROOM. Michael opened the door and held it while Kate, Jess, and Mark entered.

“Wow, this is spectacular,” Kate swooned. Small but elegant crystal chandeliers worked with the purple and gold carpet to give the ballroom an ambiance of royalty. Windows lined two walls of the room, and when Kate walked over to them, she was met with an idyllic view of a sparkling lake backed by majestic mountains.

“We’re going to set up the cake table beside the windows, near where Kate is standing,” Michael informed them.

Kate watched the wind blow ripples across the surface of the lake.
No one will notice the cake for the view. I know I wouldn’t.

“Mrs. Wagner and her family plan to decorate this room, including the cake table, on the afternoon of the rehearsal dinner. They expect to finish by four o’clock.”

That’ll give us more than enough time to set up the groom’s cake.

“The kitchen is over here.” Michael led them through a swinging door and into a state-of-the-art kitchen. “Does the groom’s cake require refrigeration?”

“No,” Kate answered.

“In that case, I have just the spot for it.” He led them to the back of the kitchen and pushed open a second door, revealing a small room with a counter along each wall. “Prior to an event, this is where we keep food that needs to stay away from the heat—and traffic—of the main part of the kitchen.”

Kate smiled. “It’s perfect.”

“Is there anything else you’ll need for that weekend?

“Not that I can think of.” Her gaze slid to Jess for confirmation.

“You’ve got us covered, Michael,” Jess said.

“We appreciate you accommodating us,” Kate added.

“My pleasure. Feel free to stay and look around as long as you like.”

“Thank you.”

As Michael left the kitchen, Jess pulled her phone from her pocket and glanced at the screen. “Hey, it’s already after four. The ceremony pre-rehearsal starts in less than an hour.” She looked at Kate. “You want to sit in on it?”

“I don’t know. Do you?”

“Sure. Maybe I’ll get some ideas for my wedding.”

Guess I don’t have anything better to do.
“Alright.”

“You want to come?” Jess asked Mark.

“Uh, no—but while y’all are gone, I’ll take care of finding the bar.”

“We’d better change before we go so we don’t stand out like sore thumbs,” Jess told Kate.

“Good idea. I want to fly as low as possible under the Prescotts’ radar.”

They left the kitchen and headed for the elevators.

* * * *

Kate and Jess entered the Wynnfield House—this time, through the
front
door.

“Hello,” a woman greeted them. “Are you here for the pre-rehearsal?”

“Yes,” Jess replied.

The woman pointed to the room at the other end of the foyer. “You’re welcome to make your way inside.”

Kate and Jess walked the length of the foyer and entered the room. Kate stopped in her tracks.
Whoa.
The ornate ceilings were easily thirty feet tall, with oversized crystal chandeliers hanging from multiple points. Columns adjoined by arches ran down both sides of the room, and floor-to-ceiling windows filled one wall.

None of that, however, affected Kate as much as the activity going on inside this room. People stood in groups, talking and laughing. Florists appeared to be putting final touches on their arrangements. A pianist played softly while a soloist stood nearby, thumbing through sheets of paper on a music stand. Several photographers and their assistants checked gear and lighting. Rows of chairs faced the front of the room, where tiered levels culminated at an elevated platform.

“This
is a pre-rehearsal?” Jess whispered, sounding as astonished as Kate felt. “It looks more like the actual wedding day in here.”

“Good evening,” a voice rang out. “Would you please take your seats?”

The music stopped, and the photographers made their way to the sides of the room. The florists retreated to the back row of chairs, where Kate and Jess also took their seats.

“Thank you.” Kate slipped off her coat, then turned to face the front of the room. A man holding a Bible and a woman wearing a microphone and earpiece both stood on the elevated platform. “My name is Maryanne Hagen,” the woman said. “For those of you who don’t know, I’m the coordinator for Cecilia and Eric’s wedding.”

The headset gave you away.

“On behalf of the Prescotts and Wagners, I want to welcome you. If you’re a family member or friend of the couple, we’re glad to have you with us to share in this special occasion. If you’re a professional, we appreciate you coming to familiarize yourself with the venue.”

It’s obvious you enjoy being in the spotlight.

“I’m sorry to say I have some unfortunate news. Cecilia was sampling food earlier today and has since come down with something along the lines of food poisoning—so she won’t be joining us this evening.”

Gasps filled the room.

“Don’t worry,” Loraine called out. “That catering service won’t be doing business again in the state of North Carolina.”

Kate and Jess exchanged glances.

“Cecilia insisted we go ahead despite her absence because everyone else involved with the pre-rehearsal is already here.” Maryanne smiled. “She said her part is easy anyway.”

“Awws” resonated at that compliment to Eric—who, incidentally, Kate had yet to see.

“I need all the members of the wedding party to assemble in the foyer, and I need Eric and his best man to join Reverend Wilson on the platform.” Maryanne turned off her microphone and descended the tiers. She stopped briefly to speak to someone in the audience before continuing up the aisle and out into the foyer.

The wedding party followed Maryanne, and Kate counted them as they passed: ten bridesmaids and nine groomsmen.
The best man makes ten…and I bet it’s Eric’s dad.

Sure enough, Eric and Mr. Wagner stood up in the front row. When Kate saw Eric in his dark suit, she couldn’t help but smile.
He always did clean up well.
She noticed he wasn’t wearing a tie.
Guess he still hates those things.

While Eric and his dad ascended the tiers, Loraine stood up and faced the audience. “Maryanne has informed me that we need a woman to stand in for Cecilia as the bride.”

The room fell absolutely silent.

Kate shifted in her chair.
This is about to get very awkward for someone.

No one spoke. No one moved. No one even seemed to breathe.

Kate lowered her gaze to her hands.
No need to make eye contact with a woman who’s scanning the room for a stand-in bride.

Suddenly, Kate’s phone rang…loudly.

“What the—!” She grabbed her purse and frantically searched for her phone, which continued to be the only sound in the entire room.

Finally, she felt the phone against her fingertips. She yanked it out and silenced it. Before returning it to her purse, she caught a glimpse of the number on the screen.
Who the hell is that, and what the hell city are they calling from?

“Who was
it?” Jess whispered.

“I don’t know.” Kate lifted her gaze from her purse.

Every eye in the room was on her.

“Kate,” Loraine waved. “Won’t you be a dear and stand in for Cecilia?”

Kate blinked.
Are you for real?

Loraine smiled pleasantly. “It would be most helpful.”

Kate turned to Jess. “Is she serious?”

Jess’s gaze slid to Loraine and back. “Uh, yeah, she’s serious.”

“I don’t want to stand in for Cecilia. I’ll feel like an idiot, not to mention how I’ll look.”

“You’ll look fine.”

This is unbelievable.
“One of Cecilia’s friends should be doing this, not her
baker
.”

“I sympathize with you, really, I do. However, in the interest of a certain eight-tiered wedding cake, I suggest you get up there pronto.”

Kate scowled. “Damn it.” She rose from her chair and stepped out into the aisle. As she started toward the front of the room, she shifted her gaze from the floor to Eric.

He was grinning from ear to ear.

Her blood boiled.
Why the hell is he smiling? Does he think this is funny?

“Kate?”

Loraine.
In an instant, Kate had abandoned her scowl and met Loraine’s eye with a sweet—and utterly fake—smile. “Yes?”

“Other way, dear.”

Kate felt her face flush. “Oh, right.” Before turning around to go back up the aisle, she glanced at Eric.

Still smiling, he winked at her.

She gasped.
The nerve!
She had words for this schmuck, and she wouldn’t wait until this fiasco was over. She would let him have it as soon as she met him on the altar as his bride.

* * * *

“Go,” Maryanne instructed the next couple in the wedding party. She waved her arms rhythmically to “Canon in D”, as if trying to get everyone to walk down the aisle in sync with the music.

Kate stood beside Walter Prescott at the back of the line. She’d declined Maryanne’s request to link arms with the man, and she’d flat-out refused to hold the bouquet of fresh flowers Maryanne had tried to force on her. In fact, Kate had come close to yanking Maryanne’s headset off her body and stuffing it into the overdone bouquet, just to prove her point.

Kate didn’t have anything against weddings, or even participating in one—but if she was going to act like the bride, she wanted it to be because she
was
the bride. Considering the fact she couldn’t be more single, standing in for Cecilia was like a slap in the face. The more Kate pondered the whole situation, the angrier she became, and the more ridiculous she felt she looked.

“Go,” Maryanne told the final couple. They started down the aisle, and Kate stepped into the doorway. “Oh, no, no, no!” Maryanne exclaimed. She motioned for Kate to step back, then proceeded to close both doors.

“We want him to be surprised, don’t we?” Kate’s words dripped with sarcasm.

“Yes,” Maryanne replied in all seriousness.

Before long, the music stopped. All was quiet. Kate stood perfectly still, except for her eyes, which scanned the intricate scrollwork carved into the wooden doors before her.
That scrollwork would be perfect on Cecilia and Eric’s wedding cake.

“One, two, three—” Maryanne counted quietly.

“What are you doing?” Kate interrupted, with no regard to the volume of her voice.

“The pianist said he’d be ready for me to open the doors ten seconds after he’d finished playing ‘Canon in D’,” she whispered.

“Oh.”

“Nine, ten.” Maryanne took hold of the knobs and pulled the doors open at the same time. She quickly moved aside, and Kate caught her eye. She was welling up with tears.

Does this woman remember I’m not actually the bride?

Before Kate could take a step, the pianist started to play “Trumpet Voluntary”. He played it louder and with more assertion than anything he’d played up to this point. A few chords later, a trumpeter began to accompany him.

Chills resonated through Kate’s body.
I’ve never heard a duet sound more beautiful.
The music penetrated her soul and silenced her cynical, critical thoughts. Her anger and frustration and disgust melted away. She simply listened…but she didn’t have long.

“You can go now,” Maryanne told her.

Kate looked again at Eric. He no longer had a silly grin on his face. His expression was solemn, stoic.
Bet the music helped him grasp the seriousness of the situation, too.

“Are you ready, my dear?” Walter asked.

Kate met his gaze. “I’m sorry it’s me instead of your daughter.”

He smiled. “It’s not your fault. Besides, if it had to happen, we’d rather it happen today than on the day of the wedding, right?”

Kate returned his smile.
There are probably very few people who ever get to see the gentle side of this man.
She slipped her arm through his. “You’re right.”

They passed through the doorway and entered the room. Kate glanced at Jess, who smiled at her with tears in her eyes. Kate knew Jess always cried at the sight of the bride—apparently even pretend ones—but Kate guessed there was more to it this time.
With her own nuptials fast-approaching, she’s likely envisioning herself as a bride…a real bride.

After Kate had passed Jess, she scanned the faces on either side of the aisle. Considering the fact she wasn’t the bride and didn’t know these people in any capacity, they appeared rather benevolent. In fact, most of them were actually smiling at her.
They probably feel sorry for me, especially if they can see my empty ring finger.

Kate shifted her gaze from the audience to the groom. He still had a reverent expression on his face, but when he caught Kate’s eye, he smiled—not in a goofy or teasing way, but sincerely and affectionately.
Oh, that smile. It used to light me up inside.
Kate quickly recalled the last time she’d seen it.
The summer after his freshman year of college, when he came back to Hillsborough…the summer I fell in love with him.

As Kate ascended the tiers with Walter, tension and unease suddenly and unexpectedly arose within her.
What’s going on?
The music now ceased to touch her soul. Instead, it served to infringe upon her thoughts and impair her ability to understand her feelings.
What inside me has become so…restless?
Unable to decipher the source of these emotions, she tried to dismiss them—but they refused to go away.

Someone in the audience coughed, snapping Kate back from her thoughts.
This roomful of people is focused on me—which, ironically, means I can’t focus on myself.
She relented.
I’ll have to figure this out later.

She and Walter stepped onto the platform in front of Reverend Wilson, and Eric turned to face him as well. Shortly thereafter, the musicians concluded their duet.