Page 64 of Coming Home

“It’s going to be small,” he replied. “Only family and a few friends. About two dozen total. We’ll get married at a courthouse and have a small reception in her cousin’s home in Crescent Cove. That’s where I’m staying now.”

He had decided to name that place, knowing it was close enough to Maple Cove for it to make sense that he would come here for his cake, and yet he hoped she wouldn’t press him too much on names or details.

“I’m happy to help you, Charlie,” she said brightly. She opened the sketchpad she had placed on the table and asked, “Are you thinking a single layer. Two tiers? Round or oblong?”

“I… I’m not sure what I want,” he admitted. “Maybe I’ll know it when I see it?” he asked hopefully, playing the clueless fiancé.

She chuckled and pulled her phone from her pocket. “Let me bring up the Buttercup website, and you can see examples of cakes I’ve baked. We’ll find a few you like, and then I can draw something to your specifications.”

Ainsley handed him her phone and started talking about the various cakes, nodding so he would scroll to the next picture.

“Phone call, Ainsley,” Gloria called out. “It’s Mrs. Jacobs again. She’s wanting a change to the cake for her husband’s fiftieth.”

“I’ll be right back, Charlie. Keep looking.”

The moment her back was turned, Anthony searched her contact list, finding Jackson’s new phone number and committing it to memory. By the time Ainsley returned, he handed her the phone and tapped the photo displayed.

“I like this one. It’s not too large, but I like the two different levels and how they’re stacked.”

“Good choice,” she praised, claiming the pencil again as she began to sketch on her pad.

He watched, fascinated as the cake came to life on the page.

“This is a little different than the picture, but it captures the essence of it,” she told him, putting the finishing touches on the drawing.

“I noticed the cherry blossoms. They are all over Japan. Becky and I have traveled the country extensively while she’s been there. She would really like having cherry blossoms incorporated into the cake’s design.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I was hoping you’d say so. Are you comfortable going ahead and placing your order? Or would you like to think about it? Talk it over with Becky?”

“I don’t need to think about it, though I would like to snap a picture of your sketch and the cake on your phone.”

He took out his own phone and photographed both as she said, “Since the cake you chose is on my website, you can direct Becky there first and then show her the sketch and how I’ll alter things slightly to personalize it for your wedding.”

She got up and went to the counter, removing a business card from the holder it sat in and handed it to him. “Website is listed there. Also the bakery number. And I’ll jot down my cell, as well.”

Picking up her phone, she opened her calendar. “You said ten days? That would be not this weekend, but the next.”

“Yes. Becky lands on a Thursday. I’ve checked on the State of Oregon website and found we can apply for our marriage license and have the three-day waiting period waived if we pay an additional fee. She gets in that morning, so we’ll go directly to the county clerk’s office and apply. I figure she’ll need to catch up on sleep the rest of Thursday, and then Friday will be spent getting ready for the wedding on Saturday. She already found a dress in Tokyo. We also bought our rings there during my last trip to visit her, so that’s taken care of. I’ve got the other details covered.”

He grinned, ready to drop another personal nugget, which would seem friendly and possibly might draw out a mention of Jackson Martin. “We’re both Mickey Mouse fans, so we’ll go down to Anaheim and spend a few days in the L.A. area with the mouse. Neither of us have been there before. We’re looking forward to it. I just hope after Disneyland I can find a nice restaurant to take her to.”

“My husband worked in L.A. for several years. I can ask him if he can recommend a restaurant to you.”

“Oh, would you? That would be terrific.”

“Do you have time to wait a few minutes?” she asked. “I can print out the contract for you to sign, and you can put down a deposit on your cake. It will include a taste testing, which you’ll have to do on your own, I’m afraid, since I’ll need to know the flavors in advance.”

“No, you’re the expert. I’ll leave all that up to you. We like pretty much anything sweet.”

“Then let’s talk flavors and icings,” she said, giving him a few recommendations and even going to the display case and pulling a few slices of cake from it so that he could sample a few flavors, as well as try different kinds of icings. Together, they settled on a white almond cake with a ribbon of raspberry running through it and cream cheese icing.

“I think you’ve made a wonderful choice, Charlie. I have an apartment upstairs, which I’ve recently turned it into an office. Come on up and let me print out the contract for you and we can go over the details.”

He smiled broadly. “That would be great.”

Anthony followed her through the kitchen, seeing the older man pictured on the website kneading bread. They went up a set of stairs and into the tiny upstairs apartment. It had enough room for one person, but two would be pushing it.

It would be perfect, though, for what he had in mind after hours. Absolutely perfect.

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