“Okay. If you like him, I’m sure I’ll like him too. I just wish you’d told me you two started something.”
“This is the first chance we’ve had to talk. We’ve been so busy.”
I sighed. “We have. It’s ridiculous. We live together. We should be able to talk whenever we want.”
I agreed. She and I were like ships in the night because of how busy the bakery was. We needed to hire more staff. Hell, we needed a lot more than that.
“So what are we cooking him? We could make something fancy.”
“I’ve got it covered.” I grinned, finally letting myself feel that build of excitement at getting a chance to see him again.
A few hours later, Scarlett and I had put the finishing touches on the cupcakes, and I was buying fresh herbs for tonight’s dinner. We only had a short stretch of time before delivery and set up for this wedding, and I had to make sure everything else was ready before Taylor came over. I had butterflies in my belly at the prospect of seeing him after our last text exchange.
My phone chirped from my back as I headed to my car with my bags in hand. Pulling out the device, I grinned when I saw he’d sent me a message.
Taylor: I’m sorry, lass. I can’t make it tonight. Something came up. Forgive me?
Disappointment turned to a cold pit in my stomach. He wasn’t coming? I had just spent an hour painstakingly choosing the ingredients for dinner. Made my famous apricot tart. And he wasn’t coming?
Me: Oh, that’s a bummer. Rain check?
The dots on the screen bounced up and down as he began typing a message.
Taylor: Really sorry. It couldn’t be helped.
Me: I understand.
Taylor: I really want to get out of it.
Me: It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. You’ve got other things to do. I get it. I guess I’ll just have to enjoy this delicious tart all by myself.
Taylor: Kicking a man when he’s already down. That’s harsh.
Me: If you really wanted it, I guess you’d be able to change your plans.
Taylor: Don’t be like that. I really want to try your tart and see if it’s as sweet as I think.
I rolled my eyes and sent him an emoji that did the same thing.
Taylor: Can you forgive me, lass?
Me: Fine. But you’ll have to make it up to me. I was giving you a chance like you asked.
Taylor: I give you my word. I will make it up to you in a big way.
As I headed out to my waiting car, bag of groceries in hand, I let my frustration settle inside me. He said it couldn’t be helped. That he couldn’t get out of whatever obligation he’d been roped into. I couldn’t build any kind of relationship with him if we didn’t give each other the benefit of the doubt.
An hour later, Scarlett and I pulled up outside the wedding venue, a beautiful lodge nestled in the woods nearby. As soon as we arrived, the buzz in the air set my nerves on edge. Something was wrong. God, I hoped the wedding was still on.
“Oh, I’m so thankful you and your sister are here,” Nora Winters said, rushing over to us. Her long beaded necklaces rattled like the chains of a ghost straight out of a Dickens novel.
“Hi, Ms. Winters. Where do you want the cupcake bar? The wedding cake is still in the truck.”
Her usually breezy demeanor had vanished without a trace, replaced by an uptight stressed disaster. “Half the catering staff didn’t show up. Apparently they got stuck in rush hour traffic. All lanes of I-5 are shut down due to an accident.”
“Oh, that’s terrible,” Scarlett said.
“I don’t know what to do. We have five hundred people showing up here in two hours. My daughter is getting her makeup done as we speak, and then they’ll all be here for photos before the ceremony.”