down at them from an open window.
Eric immediately released Kate. “Hey, sweetie,” he called out to Cecilia. “What are you doing up?”
“The noise out here woke me.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Who’s with you?”
Eric’s gaze slid to Kate, then back to Cecilia. Wonder why he looks worried.
“Kate Sullivan,” he answered his fiancée.
“Hey, Cecilia.” Kate waved—and realized she was still holding Eric’s phone. She quickly passed it to him. “Are you feeling better?”
The night was silent again.
“Eric, would you stop by my room before going to yours?” Cecilia asked, her voice noticeably cool.
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” She closed the window…with force.
She really seems kind.
“I’d better go,” Eric said.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll see ya.”
“Bye.” He walked to the front door of the inn. “Eric?”
He met her gaze. “Yeah?”
She smiled. “I’m glad you called.”
A smile spread across his face. “Me, too.” He pulled the door open and disappeared inside.
Chapter Seven
Thursday, March 1
Kate was decorating a birthday cake when Jess came through the kitchen door. “What do you think about this cake?” Kate asked.
“Is that a trick question?”
She chuckled. “No.”
Jess’s gaze slid to the cake, and her brows flinched. “Uh, it looks okay.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“It’s not your best work.”
Kate stared at her.
“Okay, it sucks.”
“I knew it.”
“Why does the cake look like…that?”
Kate sat down on a stool. “Something’s been bothering me, and now it’s starting to affect my work.” She motioned toward the cake. “Clearly.”
“This sounds serious.”
“It is.” Kate swallowed hard. “I’m going to be honest with you.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
“I hope you don’t end up thinking I’m a terrible person.”
“It would take a lot for me to think that.”
This might just do it. “Alright, here it goes. When I was walking down the aisle last weekend, Eric smiled at me the way he used to years ago. It evoked feelings I couldn’t pinpoint at the time.” Kate hesitated. “Now I know what they are.” She watched Jess’s facial expression change. Bet she knows exactly what I’m going to say.
“You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.”
Jess cast her a sympathetic glance. “Kate.”
“I know.”
“Maybe you’re just getting caught up in all this wedding stuff. I mean, you were the bride last weekend.”
Kate shook her head. “These feelings are familiar. I recognize them from three years ago.”
Realization crossed Jess’s face. “The summer you fell in love with him.”
“Exactly. I thought I got over him after we lost touch, but apparently, I was wrong.” She rested her head on her folded arms. “What am I supposed to do? I’m certainly not going to try and break up his engagement to Cecilia. I would never do such a thing.”
She felt Jess’s hand on her back. “I’m sorry, Kate. Damn.”
With tears in her eyes, Kate lifted her head and met Jess’s gaze. “How am I supposed to make a wedding cake for the man I love…and the woman he loves?”
Jess fell silent. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think I should try and break them up?”
“No, because if you succeeded, I don’t think it’d sit well with your conscience.”
“Okay. Do you think I should treat Eric any differently now?”
“What do you mean?”
“After our conversation on the altar and our game of cat-and-mouse on the terrace of the Wynnfield Inn, I feel like we’re reacquainted and back to where we were in our friendship three years ago. You know, being open and honest with each other—and also being playful and flirty. Maybe out of respect for his engagement to Cecilia, I should lay off the ‘playful and flirty’ part.”
“You mean, treat him less like your friend and more like your customer?”
“Yes. Well put.”
“I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Jess paused.
Eric immediately released Kate. “Hey, sweetie,” he called out to Cecilia. “What are you doing up?”
“The noise out here woke me.”
“Oh, sorry.”
“Who’s with you?”
Eric’s gaze slid to Kate, then back to Cecilia. Wonder why he looks worried.
“Kate Sullivan,” he answered his fiancée.
“Hey, Cecilia.” Kate waved—and realized she was still holding Eric’s phone. She quickly passed it to him. “Are you feeling better?”
The night was silent again.
“Eric, would you stop by my room before going to yours?” Cecilia asked, her voice noticeably cool.
“Yes.”
“Thank you.” She closed the window…with force.
She really seems kind.
“I’d better go,” Eric said.
“Yeah.”
“I’ll see ya.”
“Bye.” He walked to the front door of the inn. “Eric?”
He met her gaze. “Yeah?”
She smiled. “I’m glad you called.”
A smile spread across his face. “Me, too.” He pulled the door open and disappeared inside.
Chapter Seven
Thursday, March 1
Kate was decorating a birthday cake when Jess came through the kitchen door. “What do you think about this cake?” Kate asked.
“Is that a trick question?”
She chuckled. “No.”
Jess’s gaze slid to the cake, and her brows flinched. “Uh, it looks okay.”
“Tell me the truth.”
“It’s not your best work.”
Kate stared at her.
“Okay, it sucks.”
“I knew it.”
“Why does the cake look like…that?”
Kate sat down on a stool. “Something’s been bothering me, and now it’s starting to affect my work.” She motioned toward the cake. “Clearly.”
“This sounds serious.”
“It is.” Kate swallowed hard. “I’m going to be honest with you.”
“I would expect nothing less.”
“I hope you don’t end up thinking I’m a terrible person.”
“It would take a lot for me to think that.”
This might just do it. “Alright, here it goes. When I was walking down the aisle last weekend, Eric smiled at me the way he used to years ago. It evoked feelings I couldn’t pinpoint at the time.” Kate hesitated. “Now I know what they are.” She watched Jess’s facial expression change. Bet she knows exactly what I’m going to say.
“You’re still in love with him, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I am.”
Jess cast her a sympathetic glance. “Kate.”
“I know.”
“Maybe you’re just getting caught up in all this wedding stuff. I mean, you were the bride last weekend.”
Kate shook her head. “These feelings are familiar. I recognize them from three years ago.”
Realization crossed Jess’s face. “The summer you fell in love with him.”
“Exactly. I thought I got over him after we lost touch, but apparently, I was wrong.” She rested her head on her folded arms. “What am I supposed to do? I’m certainly not going to try and break up his engagement to Cecilia. I would never do such a thing.”
She felt Jess’s hand on her back. “I’m sorry, Kate. Damn.”
With tears in her eyes, Kate lifted her head and met Jess’s gaze. “How am I supposed to make a wedding cake for the man I love…and the woman he loves?”
Jess fell silent. “I don’t know.”
“Do you think I should try and break them up?”
“No, because if you succeeded, I don’t think it’d sit well with your conscience.”
“Okay. Do you think I should treat Eric any differently now?”
“What do you mean?”
“After our conversation on the altar and our game of cat-and-mouse on the terrace of the Wynnfield Inn, I feel like we’re reacquainted and back to where we were in our friendship three years ago. You know, being open and honest with each other—and also being playful and flirty. Maybe out of respect for his engagement to Cecilia, I should lay off the ‘playful and flirty’ part.”
“You mean, treat him less like your friend and more like your customer?”
“Yes. Well put.”
“I guess it couldn’t hurt.” Jess paused.
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