Page 4 of The Accidental Honeymoon

Jay looks uncomfortable. "I haven't really thought about it."

"We need to maximize engagement!" Blake cuts him off, her voice rising with excitement. "Something jaw-dropping needs to happen every five minutes. Maybe we could have the cake explode glitter at regular intervals?"

I can't help but snort, then quickly try to cover it with a cough. Jay and Blake look at me as if I am somehow intruding on a private conversation. I wish like hell that they’d talk about social media strategy after I leave. My time is money, although not as much as I would guess Jay and Blake’s time is worth.

"Sorry, frosting fumes," I mutter. I fan the air, making a face.

Jay catches my eye, a hint of amusement in his expression. "Blake, I'm not sure that's a realistic plan."

"Don't you want this to be the wedding of the century?" Blake demands. “It’s like you don’t even care about viewership!”

I clear my throat, desperate to steer the conversation back to a more neutral topic. "Speaking of the wedding, I hear it's the talk of Greater. You must be so excited. Only three days away!"

Blake's attention snaps back to me. Her eyes narrow. "What's your point?"

"Well," I say, thinking fast. "Since it's such a big event, why don't we do something really special? I have an idea that might work. Both for the taste and the, uh, visual impact you're looking for." I can feel Jay's curious gaze on me as I continue. "What if we did a multi-tiered cake with different flavors in each layer? And then for the guests, we could do all-white cupcakes. Each will have a surprise flavor inside. It would be like a fun game for your followers. Guessing what's inside! Very Instagrammable."

Blake's expression shifts from skeptical to intrigued. "Hmm. That could work...."

I hold my breath, hoping she'll take the bait.Please let this work, I silently plead. I'm not sure my sanity can handle many more color-changing, glitter-exploding demands.

Jay's eyes light up. He turns to me with a grin. "That's brilliant, Calla.”

Before I can think of a response, Blake's icy voice cuts through the air. "Listen, you two," she hisses, her perfectly manicured nails digging into Jay's arm. "On my wedding day, I want everyone’s focus and attention to be onme. It’s my day to shine. You two are there to make sure of that. I need you to commit. If you can’t do that, Clara, I think that we need to find another baker."

There is a long beat where Jay and I are silent. I catch his eye, but he just shakes his head at me. His mouth presses into a thin line of displeasure as he turns to his bride-to-be. "Blake, that's enough," he says firmly, his easy-going demeanor evaporating. "This baker is here as a favor to us. We’re getting married in three days!! You already fired two bakers. There are no others to be had.” He pauses, taking a deep breath to calm himself. “If you fire Calla, the wedding's off. Period."

My jaw drops. Did he just...? I sneak a glance at Blake, whose face has gone from porcelain white to tomato red in seconds flat.

"You wouldn't dare," she sputters, but there's a flicker of uncertainty in her eyes. “We are the IT couple of Greater. Your fans love us together.”

“Oh?” Jay crosses his arms, his stance unwavering. "Try me."

The tension in the room is so thick I could frost a cake with it. I want to sink into the wood floor. But that’s not happening, so I’m stuck here, frozen.

Blake's gaze darts between Jay and me, her lips pressed into a thin line. Finally, she lets out a huff that could rival a steam engine. "Fine," she snaps, snatching up her designer handbag. "I don’t care which cake we choose. Butif this ruins my wedding day, I’ll make sure you'll both regret it."

With that, she storms out of the room. I hear her high heels clacking through the living room and then the door slamming closed behind her.

I let out a breath I didn't realize I was holding. Blake is frenetic and there seems to be no good way of letting her energy out. "Well, that was... intense," I say, trying to lighten the mood.

Jay runs a hand through his hair, looking sheepish. "I'm so sorry about that, Calla. Blake can be... a lot sometimes. She’s not all bad. Obviously, or I wouldn’t be marrying her."

Sometimes?I think.Seems like always.But I keep that thought to myself.

"It's okay," I assure him, even though my nerves are still jangling. "These things happen in the wedding business."

This is a lie. I don’t have any experience with crazy Bridezillas. But it seems to reassure Jay all the same.

His expression softens. "Still, I want to make it up to you. I promise I'll make sure your cake gets tons of attention at the wedding. I'll even film a short video about how much I loved it for Alto & Ash's social media."

My heart does a little flip at his thoughtfulness. "That's really kind of you, Jay. Thank you."

As he walks me to the door, I can't help but wonder what it would be like if things were different. If he wasn't engaged to a social media-obsessed Bridezilla. If we had met under different circumstances.

But I push those thoughts aside. After all, I'm just the baker. Nothing more.

two

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