Page 4 of Center Ice

“The father of the bride was in the back, checking on the food, and he walked into it.” She glanced around, making sure no one else was within earshot.

“Show me.” I followed silently behind her with a fixed smile on my face. Ever the serene, prepared woman I presented to the world. Inside, the warm, humid air was getting to my head and making my light pink dress stick to my back. I didn’t need a crisis on top of everything.

When we stepped through the kitchen doors, out of sight of the wedding party on the patio, I sprinted to the half-destroyed cake on a back table.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t see it.” The babbling man’s face was red, either from a sunburn or too much champagne. My vote was on the latter.

“Don’t worry. We’ll take care of everything. Please, go enjoy,” I narrowed my eyes at Maggie, and she ushered him out of the kitchen while I stared at the disaster. The four-tier monstrosity had been flown in from the bride’s favorite bakery in New Orleans. Half of it was untouched, but the other half was smashed and crumbling.

“What can I do?” The resort’s pastry chef, Robbie, halted next to me, taking in the mess.

I shook my head, ideas running through my mind faster than I could speak. We could redecorate the ruined half and have it be a bride versus groom theme. It wasn’t a look I particularly liked, but some brides did. Or we could make it look like you were supposed to see inside the cake, like a geode. If all else failed, we could cover it with flowers.

The wedding theme was focused on the beach and tropical setting, so I decided. “Get as many fresh flowers you can and refrost this side, then put the flowers on. I’ll delay as long as I can.”

He nodded. “On it.”

Hopefully, the bride and groom and guests were enjoying the open bar enough that they wouldn’t notice the unexpected change. As long as the cake looked good, I’d be able to spin a story making it seem like it was all intentional. Like the bride got special treatment. Something to save the day and leave them smiling.

“Dani,” Maggie whisper-yelled when I stepped out of the kitchen and back outside where the reception was in full swing.

Keeping one eye on the bride at all times, I went to her. “What now?”

I just wanted one second to sit back and enjoy the idyllic scene we created. The purple-blue sky made the ocean so dark and the white caps on the waves seemed to fight against it.

“One of the groomsmen is insisting he needs to make an announcement. The DJ is holding him off, but he won’t take no for an answer.”

We discretely walked along the perimeter of the patio to where a man, with his white shirt unbuttoned down his chest and glazed eyes, was arguing with the DJ. “Just give me the mic for one minute. I have to say something.”

I tapped his shoulder, and he spun to me. “Hi, what is it you need to say?”

“They need to know. I have to tell them.”

I kept my smile in place and said in a sweet voice, “What do you have to tell them?”

“That the bride is pregnant, and it’s mine.” He swayed on his feet, and I blinked.

“We should get him to his room,” Maggie suggested.

I was not a therapist. This was none of my business. My only job was to plan and pull off the bride and groom’s dream wedding. If the family found out I let him destroy their day, I might not get paid. Even worse, they could file a complaint with the resort. A bad review could destroy my career. I would not let that happen.

“Okay, you’re right. That’s very important,” I told him and put my arm on his back. “But you can’t just blurt that out. You should really think about what you’re going to say. Maggie’s going to walk you back to your room so you can plan it out.”

He didn’t fight me as I led him farther away. “Yeah?”

Maggie took over, leading him by his elbow. “She’s right. You don’t want to ruin your one chance.”

“Don’t let him out of his room. Call security and have someone stand watch outside.”

She nodded as she walked him back toward the tower of guest rooms.

Only two fires to put out so far. The ceremony had gone off without a hitch, and the dinner was uneventful. Why couldn’t I have just one wedding that went smoothly? At least this time, it had been things I never could have planned for. Everything on my end was fine. It was the humans I couldn’t control.

I wondered if what the groomsman said was true. Was the bride really pregnant? I’d been working with her for four months, and she seemed so in love with her new husband. I couldn’t see her having an affair, but stranger things had happened.

When Maggie got back, we checked on the food and drinks. Both were well stocked and the guests seemed to be enjoying themselves on the dance floor, so I checked on the cake.

“What do you think?” Robbie stepped back from the cake to reveal a beautiful creation. He’d added orange, purple, and pink flowers cascading down from the top tier like a sunset.