Page 3 of The Bride and the Baker

Daisy did her best. She could see her sister, but she couldn’t hear much. The blood was pounding in her ears so hard she felt like she was underwater. She was aware of voices, but they were too fuzzy.

“What are we going to do?” Nina asked. “We’re going to have to tell everyone the wedding is off. Nick and Elena have already left.”

“I’ll tell Dad. You’d better tell your parents.”

“They’re going to be furious. Nick got them to pay for the honeymoon.” Nina gasped. “Oh, no. I remembered that Nick asked for the tickets yesterday, saying he wanted to know they were with him and it was one less thing to worry about.”

“You think he and Elena are going on our honeymoon together?” Daisy asked.

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Daisy felt like someone had just punched her in the gut. She felt really sick. She pressed a hand to her stomach.

“Oh, God.”

“Oh, Daisy.” Marigold squeezed her hands and stood up. “Nina and I will sort out everything. Do you want someone to come in and sit with you while we deal with this?”

Daisy wished that their mom was still around. Hugs from her would be great right now. She swallowed back the hard lump in her throat.

“I want Dad,” she croaked.

“I’ll get him. You just wait here.” Marigold kissed her head. “We’ll make sure that bastard pays for this. And that bitch.”

Daisy didn’t respond. She was still trying to take in that her fiance of four years had just run away with her friend of twenty years. This had to be a joke, surely?

But it wasn’t. This was very real. And her perfect day was turning into a nightmare.

* * *

Lee was glad to be home for the day. The bakery seemed to have been swamped all day, mostly asking for him to make an order in an impossible amount of time. The Fourth of July weekend always seemed to put him on edge.

Maybe he should close the store for the entire weekend next year. Last minute orders were a pain in the backside. Lee wondered if he could put that up somewhere that they wouldn’t take anything last minute. It always seemed to be the most demanding people on the planet who needed something last minute, almost like they were entitled to it.

He couldn’t believe the audacity of it.

But it was done now, and he had Sunday off. Ricky and Sam could take care of the store on their own, and it was only a half-day. If they were very lucky, it would be very quiet.

As he pottered around his apartment and leisurely made his lunch, Lee’s thoughts drifted to Daisy’s wedding. Was she having a good time? And were the cupcakes he had made for her getting a good reception? Daisy said she adored the little red velvet cupcakes Lee had made as a special some months back, and she had asked for him to make six dozen of them for her wedding. Nick hadn’t looked too impressed with that, but it was what Daisy wanted.

Lee found it very hard to say no to her.

A wave of sadness came over him again, and Lee hated himself for it. He shouldn’t be thinking about someone else’s wedding and wishing it wasn’t happening. And he shouldn’t be desiring someone who had been in a relationship for as long as Lee had known them. That was just pathetic.

But Lee couldn’t help it. The moment he laid eights on Daisy Soaper, Lee knew he was a goner. She was stunning, an absolute beauty. Tall and graceful, she exuded a sophistication that not many women possessed, not even his sisters. The blonde beauty had snagged his attention, and Lee couldn’t look at anyone else because of it.

Which just made it even worse. Daisy was in a relationship, and there was no sign of it slowing down. They were getting married today, after all.

Lee knew he was being pathetic. Daisy was nine years older than him and soon to be married. Lusting after an older married woman was asking for trouble. Lee needed to stop it before it got too bad.

Then again, maybe it had already gotten this bad. Ever since Lee moved into his new place just after the lockdown was lifted, he hadn’t been able to think about anyone but Daisy. And he saw her pretty much every day when they left their apartments at the same time to go to work. They talked all the time. Lee enjoyed those moments.

He was pathetic. This had to stop. Maybe he should look to move again, and then he wouldn’t have to long to see her each morning, or think about how gorgeous she was. Even if she was single, Daisy was far too good for him. It wouldn’t work.

Lee made a mental note to look for another place to stay. Perhaps he could take over Myra’s lease. She was finally moving into a house with her three guys, and her apartment would be empty. It was a bit further away from the bakery, but it was better than wanting to fuck his neighbor.

Hopefully, once she was married, things would be better. Although Lee had a feeling it wouldn’t be.

He was just turning off the hob and serving up his lunch when he heard voices outside. Lee paused and listened, just out of curiosity. Someone was crying, and she could hear another voice trying to soothe them. It was probably their neighbor at the end of the hall; she had been through a breakup recently, and she was very low about it.

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