Page 40 of Very Special Forces

I palmedthe bill and added it to the tip jar on the bar while I assessedthe crowd. Bryce had just stopped talking and was receivingcongratulations while insisting everyone take a look at theengagement ring flashing on Julia's hand. Plenty of backs werepatted and air kisses exchanged before someone called forcake.

"Yes,cake," agreed Bryce loudly. He grabbed Julia's hand and raised itabove their heads in a victory salute. "Honey, let's cut the cake.It'll be great practice for the wedding," he added to a roar ofcheers. They moved their way through the guests, stopping at thecake table. I produced the knife Lily left under the bar for thecake cutting and handed it to Bryce's outreached hand before Iturned away. I began looking for the cake plates and dessert forksLily had to have left somewhere. The shelves under the bar wereempty.

"Whereare the plates?" I asked Ruby.

"Lilysaid to leave them in the stockroom. The plan is for them to makethe first cut here and then we’ll take the cake to the stockroomfor proper slicing. There's an extra sheet cake for easier cuttingtoo and we'll bring the plates back here."

"Makessense," I agreed. Cutting the cake and distributing plates would bean unwieldy exercise given the lack of space on the bar. "Are thenapkins in there..." I whipped around at the sound of a scream anda loud curse just in time to see the cake tumble from the tableonto the floor where it smashed into the tastiest looking mess I'dever seen.

"I don'tknow what happened," gasped Julia as she stared down at it and thenat the frosting-covered knife in her hand. "I just cut it and therewas a splintering sound..."

"It'sall fine," said Bryce through gritted teeth. He took the knife fromJulia and handed it to me. I looked at it and handed it to Ruby,which spared me from having to work out what to do with it thatdidn't involve licking it. "We can rescue this. Honey, some of thefrosting is on your skirt. Why don't you go clean up?" He turnedher around and gave her a gentle push towards the door. "See what Imean?" he laughed, shaking his head. "Such a klutz! No, it's okay,I've got this and we have another cake behind the scenes. Holdfast, people!" He smiled, laughed at something the man next to himsaid, and patted his shoulder. The tension seemed to diffusequickly as Julia hurried from the room.

Igrabbed a roll of paper towels and stooped down. "Don't worry aboutit," Bryce said, scooping up the two bottom layers from the smashedtop layer, now upside down. "I'll handle it."

"Whydon't you take that piece to the stockroom and I'll clear this up?"I replied. "You don't have to clean up. That's what we're herefor."

"No,really. I should. My future wife made this mess."

"Andshe's probably very upset. Like you said, there's another cake inthe back so don't worry about it."

Brycehesitated. "If you're sure?"

"I'msure," I said, waving him away as I began to clean up the cakemess.

"Thanks," he said gratefully. He balanced the cake andscooted from the room, holding it like it was the most preciouscargo.

"Yikes,"said Ruby as she dropped to her knees and reached for the papertowels. "Oh, look, the leg splintered," she said, pointing to thebroken table leg peeking out from under the cloth. "I thought itwas a bit wobbly earlier."

"Weshould take the table out and tell Lily. She might have to refundthe cake since it's the table's fault."

"I feelreally bad. I should have examined the table beforehand while wewere setting up. Do you think I should go check on the rest ofthem?"

"No,just make sure everyone has plenty of drinks and forgets all aboutthis. I'll go check on the couple and then I'll bring back as muchsliced cake as I can carry. The sooner everyone starts eating andmoves on from this, the better."

"What doI tell Lily?" wondered Ruby.

"Thetruth. It was a simple accident. It could have happened to anyone.There. I think the floor is clean." I grabbed the used towels andhurried out of the room, dropping them into the trashcan in thestockroom. Bryce had already left the cake in there but he wasnowhere to be seen. I needed to wash my hands before I cut the cakeso I walked over to the washroom. Just as I reached for the door,my hand on the knob, I heard voices inside.

"Youstupid bitch. You couldn't even get that right!"

"I'msorry, Bryce. I just pushed the knife and the cake collapsed. Idon't know what happened!" Sobs sounded through the crack in thedoor.

"Youmust have pushed too hard! Now everyone is laughing at you," hesnapped.

"Theyare?"

"I madea joke about it to try and defuse the situation but everyone knowsyou do stupid stuff like this all the time. Why do you think theydon't want you around?"

"They...they don't?" Julia sniffed.

"I makeexcuses for you all the time. I tell them you're stressed or tiredand you don't mean it but everyone can see through them. I keepthinking maybe if I pay you more attention or help you more often,things will improve but in reality what you need is a kick in theright direction. You're a grownup now, Julia. You need to act likeit."

"I'mtrying. You're right. I must have pushed too hard. I'm sorry,Bryce."

"And nowyou have cake down your dress. You're such a mess."

"I canclean it off with some water and a paper towel."

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