Page 27 of Not Just Gal Pals

As soon as the ceremony was over, I raced back to the barn and grabbed my phone, hoping there’d be a Sorry, I’ll be there in ten minutes type text waiting for me.

There were no text messages, but there were three missed calls and a voicemail. I clicked on the voicemail, holding my belly with one hand in an attempt to calm its churning.

The message started with a rhythmic beep, beep, beep—the sort you heard on hospital medical dramas when the person was on life support.

I took a sharp intake of breath. Shit. That was not a promising start.

After a few seconds, a man cleared his throat. “Jenny, it’s Charlie. I’m so sorry, but I’ve been in an accident. I… There was a deer, and I hit a tree trying to miss it. The cake is destroyed, and I’m in the hospital, but I’m fine. I’m so sorry. I feel terrible.” There was some muffled talking. “Look, I’ve got to go. Please tell Amanda I’m sorry.” The message cut off.

Trying to keep my panic at bay, I took a few deep breaths and looked around the barn. At one end, there were rows of long tables now covered in crisp, white tablecloths and Olivia’s gorgeous fall flower arrangements of red, orange, and yellow dahlias, zinnias, rudbeckia, and snapdragons. Rustic wooden chairs with white silk bows and matching cushions were tucked under the tables.

It looked fantastic.

Amanda was going to have an amazing wedding, even if she was short a wedding cake. With the canapes and three-course meal, it wasn’t like anyone would go hungry. But then the small, round, empty table where the cake was meant to sit caught my eye, and my confidence faltered.

Amanda loved cake, and I knew she and Peter had spent weeks sampling different options before they’d settled on Charlie’s coconut-and-lime cake. Should I call Miriam and see if this had ever happened to her before? Or Google, What to do if your wedding cake gets ruined?

“This place looks great! No hint of our haunted barn. And the wedding is fantastic so far. Good job,” Blake said behind me, causing me to jump. I turned, and she saw my face. “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah… Everything except the cake, which is no longer with us.” Blake’s eyes widened. “The baker had a car accident on the way here, and the cake didn’t make it. It sounds like no one was seriously hurt, thank goodness. But it’s obviously not great for the wedding. We don’t have any dessert now. They won’t be able to do the traditional cake cutting…” I trailed off, tears welling in my eyes. It will be fine, Jenny. It’s just a cake.

“Shit!” Blake chewed on her lip for a second and then looked at her watch. “What time is the cake scheduled to get cut?”

I examined the schedule. “Eight thirty.”

“Great. That gives us plenty of time,” Blake said, satisfaction in her voice.

“Plenty of time for what?” I asked Blake as she turned and walked out of the barn, ignoring my question. I shook my head and started to Google.

A few minutes later, Blake walked back in with George, who was looking dapper in a black tuxedo.

“I’ve spoken to George, and we are going to bake a new wedding cake,” Blake announced with authority.

“You…you are?” I looked between them, some of the tension in my chest lifting. “Are you sure? I mean, that would be amazing, but won’t it be a lot of trouble?” I was touched Blake and George would be willing to miss half the wedding to bake a new cake. And the fact Blake had thought of it herself and managed to rope George in was surprisingly sweet.

George grinned. “Yep, I can’t promise it’s going to look super professional—I’m not a cake decorator—but I’ll make sure it at least tastes good, which is more than I can say for most wedding cakes. Do you know what sort of cake Amanda ordered?”

“It was a coconut-lime layer cake with lime filling, cream-cheese frosting, and candied limes.”

George grimaced. “Hmm, that sounds a little tricky to pull off in less than four hours.”

A thought hit me. “What about your lemon-blueberry cake? Amanda mentioned it was incredible. Would that be doable?”

George clapped her hands. “Perfect! Now that I can do. I have enough different sized tins that we should be able to make a three-layer version with white lemon frosting.”

“That sounds amazing!” My face fell. “Where are you going to bake it, though? The caterers need the kitchen.” Behind the back of the barn was a smaller barn, which housed a commercial kitchen. When I’d peered in the door earlier, it was already a hive of activity. Blake and George could probably bake at the Novel Gossip kitchen, but that would mean they’d miss even more of the wedding. They’d also have to drive all the way back, and I didn’t want to lose another cake to the road.

“I know Ms. Levi, the owner,” Blake said gruffly. “I just called her. She’s happy for us to use the kitchen in her house. We’ll drive back into town quickly so we can pick up George’s baking supplies, and then we’ll get to work.”

I breathed out a sigh of relief and fought the urge to throw my arms around them both.

Amanda’s wedding was back on track.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

BLAKE

I stared at all the ingredients, bowls, and spoons spread out on the kitchen table. This was not how I was expecting to spend Amanda’s wedding. But it was a relief to have something to keep me busy. Watching Amanda and Peter exchange vows, I couldn’t help feeling a pang of sadness I’d never have a similar experience. I’d tried my best to push those emotions away and focus on being happy for Amanda, but hadn’t been altogether successful. I knew I couldn’t risk any more heartbreak, but that didn’t extinguish the feeling that I was missing out on something.