Page 15 of You Had Me at Chocolate

“So, I guess… I’ll see you in a couple of months.”

Her hand was warm on his skin as their gazes locked. “I’ll be here.”

She squeezed his arm and, for a moment, she just stood there, not moving, like she wanted to say something else but she didn’t know what. “Okay. Bye then,” she finally said as her hand slid away and she turned and headed for the library door, a flash of color against the dark wood panels framing her body.

“Bon voyage,” he called after her.

But she didn’t turn, she just let herself in, the door closing on a soft whisper of air.

Chapter Three

At eleven o’clock on Saturday night, a female voice called flights over the JFK intercom as crowds of people ebbed and flowed along the concourse. But Clem was oblivious, glued as she was to Tamsin’s Instagram account. The pictures that had been posted were gorgeous. Tasmin made an exquisite bride, the cream lace of her dress complementing the caramel tones of her skin, the flamenco-style ruffle at the back of the dress running all the way from her butt and widening out as it descended to form a unique train.

It was very haute couture, designed, according to Maggie, by an up-and-coming American designer.

And the way her new husband looked at her? The way they looked at each other, like they were the only two people in the room? That caused a stupid little flutter of her heart. And a stirring of the same feelings that had bubbled up a year ago—like there was more to life than the status quo.

They were clearly in love and, for a beat in time, Clem envied them. She wanted that, she realized. She wanted a man to look at her like Gary looked at Tamsin. Like she was all he ever needed. Not because she was practical and sensible but because he simply couldn’t live without her. And she wanted to look at a man like Tamsin was looking at Gary.

That he was the one and nothing else mattered.

One day. Not now, of course. There was the Med and then New York and a whole new life waiting for her—an antidote to the status quo blues.

But some day…

Hastily pushing those feelings aside, she concentrated on the cake picture. She spread the image on her phone screen with her index finger and thumb to make it bigger so she could look at the intricate detail. And it was utterly stunning—Jude had outdone himself.

The cake would be, as he had promised, the envy of every bride in Montana.

It was four round layers, one on top of the other, the largest at the bottom. They were covered in a dark chocolate fondant-style icing from what she could tell. It was smooth and plain, no decorative touches, except for a plain coppery-brown ribbon circling the base of each layer.

But then there was the top layer. It was crowned with the most extravagant chocolate ruffle, a clear homage to Tamsin’s train. It flowed down the tiers of cake like a waterfall, rippling in tight waves that almost looked like flowers, widening as it descended, mimicking the dress, into a river of chocolate fondant as glorious and alive as the swish of a flamenco dancers skirt.

It was so rich, so intricate. It must have taken him hours of work.

Opening her texts, she navigated to the conversation between her and Jude. She’d left her cell number with the keys at the concierge desk in case he needed to contact her with some kind of house emergency. But he’d texted her last night to thank her again and let her know he was in and they’d been texting back and forth ever since.

He’d refused to send her picture of the cake because Tamsin had wanted the big reveal to be on Instagram but now she’d seen it, she had to congratulate him.

Just saw the cake!! OMG. Juuuude! Every bride in Montana is going to want you!

Clem wasn’t sure if he’d get back to her before she boarded the plane in half an hour, which meant it would probably be another twelve hours before she got the answer because surely, he must be exhausted after his massive dose of jet lag and that magnificent cake? The immediate appearances of those three little dots had her heart skipping.

Very pleased with how it turned out. Tamsin was too.

She smiled. For a guy who had come across on TV as having an ego as big as North America, he was being surprisingly modest.

I bet she no longer doubts your abilities.

It had been disappointing to miss Tamsin’s wedding but this trip had been booked first and, due to the sparsity of regional flights and the necessity for several connections to get to New York on a weekend, Clem would have missed the wedding anyway even had she left Marietta today. With over two hundred guests helping the happy couple celebrate, including her parents, Clem knew she wouldn’t be missed.

Still, she would have loved to have seen that cake in real life.

She apologized for the doubting.

Clem laughed. Her phone buzzed with Jude’s next text. You at the airport?

Yes. Plane boards in 30.

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