Page 32 of Cut The Cake

Across from her, Nick acknowledged the praise by crossing one leg over the other. “Glad you like it.”

All too soon, she stared down at the empty plate and wished for more.

Nick, who’d fallen silent while she ate, cleared his throat. “I heard you stopped by Forget Me Knot this morning. Mildred said something about wanting different flowers for the wedding?”

Despite the slight rise at the end of his sentence, Nick’s creased forehead told her he’d already received word of the recent spate of changes to the plans. Her fork rattled against the edge of the plate. She set it aside and folded her hands in her lap. “Yeah. My, um, fiancé changed his mind about wearing a light gray tux. He chose a charcoal one instead. That one choice affected every decision I’d made about the wedding.”

“I’m sure no one was happy about that.”

Nick’s sympathetic tone didn’t make her feel one iota less miserable. “No one could have been more upset about it than I was, if that helps any.”

One of his eyebrows lifted. “If it bothered you so much, why’d you go along with it?”

“I didn’t have much choice, did I?” Suddenly, the pressure of the last few weeks closed in on her. Unable to sit still, she rose and paced the room. “I had a plan,” she said, emphasizing the word. “It was a good one. This was going to be a small, simple wedding. I should never have gone along with inviting those extra guests. That was my first mistake. After that, things got out of control. Now, the wedding is two weeks away, and everything is a mess. The whole town hates me. Alicia’s mad at me. There’s so much to do, and I’m running out of time.” Her breath hitched, a sure sign she was moments away from falling apart.

At some point during her tirade, Nick must have come to his feet, because he stepped in front of her, his hands out like two stop signs. “Whoa, now. You want to know what I think?”

“What?” She stumbled to a halt in front of him.

“I think you need to get out from under the pressure for a while. Do something to take your mind off the wedding.”

Stricken, she pressed a hand over her heart. “I can’t. I need to get everything organized. I need a new plan. There’s a million other things left to do, too. I haven’t even decided on a restaurant for the rehearsal dinner.” Though she’d raved about Bow Tie Pasta, Kay had recently expressed a preference for steak and lobster.

Nick dropped his hands. “Things won’t get done any faster if you’re exhausted. You’ve been going at this full-steam for weeks. You should take a day off. Refresh and recharge. When you go back to it, you’ll be amazed at how much faster everything will fall into place.”

So far, every piece of advice Nick had given her had been exactly what she needed. This time, he was right again. She certainly could use a break. The last few days, the weight of Karolyn’s wedding had pressed down on her heavier than ever.

Nick lifted one shoulder in a nonchalant shrug. “What do you say? You’ll take tomorrow off? Do something fun?”

“Any suggestions?” She was fresh out of ideas.

“Have you done any sightseeing while you’ve been here? Newport’s not too far away. There’s lots to do and see there.”

As wonderful as that sounded, she couldn’t quite justify the hour-long drive to the town famous for summer cottages the size of castles. “Isn’t there something a little closer?”

“Lots,” Nick said with a confidence she found endearing. “There’s a great path along the cliffs. Very scenic. I bet Marybeth would lend you a bike—she has several for the guests’ use. How’s that sound? Fresh air and sunshine? It’s better than being cooped up in your room all day, don’t you think?”

“I don’t know, Nick.” She’d always done the responsible thing. In this case, that meant keeping her nose to the grindstone, though every fiber in her being urged her to try something different. “I have so much work to do.” Even as she said the words, she felt her resistance weaken.

Nick stared past her shoulder for a long minute. “In two weeks, over two hundred people are going to show up for your wedding. At least a few of them are going to have some free time on their hands. You should probably look into activities for them, right?”

He had a point there. Chad had arranged for a private jet to ferry friends and family to and from L.A., but the ever-changing wedding plans had kept her so busy that she hadn’t given a moment’s thought to what Kay’s guests were supposed to do while they were in town. They couldn’t very well spend the day wandering the halls of the Captain’s Cottage. She supposed she really ought to check out the local scenery and leisure activities. Going for a long, solitary bike ride over terrain she wasn’t familiar with had the earmarks of an accident waiting to happen, though. She had a sudden thought and tipped her head to gauge Nick’s reaction. “I’ll go, but only if you come with me.”

“Hmmm. I’ll have to think about that for a minute.” Nick’s gaze dropped to his shoelaces.

Jenny stifled a grin. She hadn’t missed the interest that flared in his eyes. “Now who has to adjust the plan?” she prodded.

“Touché,” he said, meeting her gaze once more.

At the easy smile that spread across Nick’s face, warmth spread from the tips of her toes to her face. “So you’ll come?”

He edged the tiniest bit closer. “We’ll make a day of it.”

“Great,” she said, aware of his breath on her cheek. She swallowed slowly. Get a grip. Nick was a friend, nothing more. “The B&B has box lunches. I’ll ask Marybeth to fix a couple for us.”

The moment stretched out between them. She fought a sudden urge to trace one finger along Nick’s jaw, but stopped herself before the thought went any further. She had a part to play, one that didn’t include falling for a handsome baker, no matter how attracted she was to him. As far as Nick knew, she was engaged to be married to another man. Now wasn’t the time for him to find out anything else.

A door slammed somewhere in the back of the house. The noise helped stiffen her spine. She shuffled back a step.

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