AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Don’t let me hold you.”
Steve continued on his way, and I stepped outside. The sun descended, taking with it the warmth of its rays. The evening air was crisp, and I wished I grabbed my flannel. I scanned the crowd, looking for a seat. The bonfire along with the screen cast a soft glow as the sheriff and Loomis searched the old Myer house. Steve was right. The good part was coming.
My eyes caught the familiar blonde, her gaze locked on mine.
She held her blanket up and shrugged, a metaphorical flag waving in the night. All the uncertainty and awkwardness vanished.
Whether it was a surrender or an invitation, I couldn’t resist. I crossed the lawn, going right to her.
“Perfect timing,” she said, and her eyes darted to the screen.
She shimmied over, still holding the blanket. I sat beside her and gratefully accepted the blanket as she draped it over my lap. Our fingers touched, and she gasped slightly. I wanted to grab her hand, hold it tight under the blanket, but I’d already decided she was better off without me. I didn’t want to string her along.
“Stop overthinking. You look constipated,” she said, and I laughed.
Under the blanket, she intertwined her fingers with mine, and every intrusive thought vanished.
The bell above the door chimed, and I glanced at the clock. My noon appointment was ten minutes early. “I’ll be right there,” I called out and placed the cake pans in the oven. Once they were cooked and cooled, I could stack them, decorate, and get the cake over to the winery before this afternoon’s event.
I washed my hands and headed to the front of the bakery.
The woman who had called to make an appointment last month after seeing one of my videos on social media gave me a wave as I approached. Her groom smiled, his dark brown hair was cut short and his face clean shaven, revealing a dimple in his cheek.
“Good afternoon and welcome.” I dried my hands on the dish towel, tossed it on the counter, and approached the couple. “I’m Lainey.”
“It’s so nice to meet you,” the woman said. Her brown hair was pulled tight into a sleek ponytail and her tanned skin made it look like she’d recently come from an island vacation. Sun-kissed and beautiful. The only thing I ever got when I went in the sun was burnt and crispy. “I’m Celeste.” She motioned to the man. “And this is Damian, my brother.”
“Oh,” I said. “The groom isn’t here today?”
“Sadly, my soon to be brother-in-law was called away on business.” Damian took my hand, held it, and met my gaze. “But I was happy to stand in for him. I hear your cakes are delicious.”
I giggled like I’d never been flirted with before, and I wasn’t even sure if this qualified for flirting or just throwing me a compliment. Yeesh, you’d think after witnessing Nero flash his Grasso charm at woman after woman through the years, I’d be immune to a man’s flirtatious nature. Or maybe after Nero’s disappearing act, I was grateful for someone to pay attention to me.
“Hopefully, I can live up to those high expectations,” I said and motioned toward the table in the corner. “Please have a seat and I will bring out the tasting plates. Then when you’re ready, we can discuss flavors, design and all the fun stuff.”
“We can’t wait,” Celeste said as she took her seat and placed her small purse on the back of the chair.
“My mouth is watering.” Damian winked at me, and I swallowed the giggle wanting to force its way out, and headed to the kitchen.
“Can you behave?” I heard Celeste say before I turned the corner toward the plates I had already prepared.
I gathered the plates and brought them out, placing one in front of Celeste and one in front of Damian. I pointed to the first cake. “This is a carrot cake with maple cream cheese frosting, then we have a pistachio cake with honey vanilla buttercream, then we have a white almond sour cream cake with almond buttercream, a vanilla cake with strawberry jam and chocolate ganache, and, my personal favorite, a red wine chocolate cake with raspberry buttercream, fresh raspberries, and a chocolate ganache. I can do any combination flavor you like, but these are currently my most popular. I know your wedding is in June, so I’m trying to give a good balance of flavors for that time of year. I have another plate ready with five more flavors, but I don’t want to overwhelm you, so let’s start with five and go from there.”
“Perfect.” Celeste clapped her hands together and picked up her fork. “I don’t know where to start.”
“I’d recommend leaving the chocolate for last since it’s much more decadent than the others.”
Damian went right for the chocolate. “I prefer decadence first.” He took a bite, and his eyebrows shot high. “Holy shit, Celeste. This is amazing.”
“Thank you,” I said, heat erupting in my cheeks. It wasn’t just at the compliment—I got those often enough—but it was at the joyous look on his face and the way his eyes took me in as if I was some sort of wizard.
“Can I ask what wine you use?”
“It’s a local wine from right here in Vine Valley. It’s their Pinot Noir.”
“That’s the winery I showed you,” Celeste said to Damian as she forked a piece of the pistachio cake. Her eyes closed and her arms went limp. “My God, that’s good.”
“Wait till you get to the chocolate,” Damian said before turning his gaze to mine. “I’m a buyer for a group of restaurants along the west coast and always looking for good wines to add to our menus. Celeste and I were planning on visiting the vineyard while we were here, but Celeste has an unexpected meeting this afternoon.”
