Page 31 of Hers to Marry
Chapter 9
Kat iced the last cupcake for the tasting samples. She carefully placed it on a decorative plate beside the other three pieces of the same flavor. Taking a step back, she admired her work. This time she added two new cake flavors to their bestselling five.
One of them came to her the day Drew walked back into her shop and said he was marrying Parker. A deep rich vanilla from Tahitian-grown beans with a touch of caramel and chocolate. A crazy combination of floral and earthy flavors that she perfected in three tries.
Kat smiled. Creating flavors was truly her passion. If any of these new cupcakes took off, they’d have more orders on their hands. She had already iced the day’s cupcakes and set them out front for patrons. Now with the samples complete, she’d face the ultimate test: the bride and groom.
Kat was washing remnants of icing off her hands when Drew poked his head inside the kitchen.
“Hey, Kat.”
“Drew! What are you doing back here?” She yanked off her hairnet and fumbled with her apron tie. Did she have icing on her face? She was in flour earlier. Some of it was probably stuck in her hair.Susie’s influence is getting to you. Calm down! It’s just Drew…and he’s engaged.
“Sorry. Is it okay?”
“Sure. As long as you don’t touch anything.”
“You mean I can’t steal one of these cupcakes?” He was eyeing the tray of cupcakes she had prepared for their tasting.
“Not yet! Where’s Parker?”
His face darkened. “Not sure. She’s late, as always.”
Kat looked up at the clock above the door. “Well, the tasting isn’t for another five minutes. Maybe she’ll be right on time.”
Drew held up his cell phone with the text app showing. “Nope. She’s going to be at least thirty minutes late.”
“Oh. Well…”
“I don’t want to wait for her,” he said stiffly, lifting one of the cupcakes off the tray.
Kat rushed forward. “Wait! Let me do my presentation.”
Drew groaned and then chuckled when Kat swiped the cupcake from his hand. “Okay, okay. Although it’s not really necessary.”
Kat frowned. “It’s part of my job.”
He lightly pinched her chin. “I get it. I’m sorry. It’s just I’m not entirely convinced any of this is necessary. But don’t worry, I’ll eat all the cupcakes, no problem. I’ll love anything you cook. It’ll keep me in the gym for the next week.”
Kat eyed him suspiciously. He wasn’t convinced any of it was necessary? He shoved his hands in his pockets and leaned against the doorframe, his gaze roaming around the kitchen. When his gray-green eyes met hers, he winked, and Kat knew. “What’s wrong? What happened?”
He shrugged. “Nothing. Do you want to wait for Parker? I don’t.”
“Andrew,” she gently prodded. “Tell me what happened.” Kat lifted her apron over her head and hung it on a spoke near the door. She took her friend’s arm and guided him to a small table away from the food. They sat down.
He rubbed his hands over his face. “Kat… If I had to guess, there’s not going to be a wedding.”
Kat couldn’t ignore how her heart lifted at the news. And then she felt sick with guilt. Her friend loved Parker. She had to be supportive. For crying out loud, she was baking their wedding cake. “I’m sorry, Drew. What happened?”
“Not on the same page about life. Where we should live and having a family.”
She bit her lip. She was afraid this was going to happen. She had wanted to say something sooner, but this wasn’t her business. His pained expression tore fissures in her heart, and she second-guessed her decision to stay out of it.
“So she told you about London.”
Drew’s eyes sparked with anger. “She told you? She toldyouwe were moving to London?”
Kat nodded. “She said there was a good chance she’d be president of the international branch or something. That’s based in London.”
