Blissfully Taken (Blissful, #4) (7 page)

“
Five hundred.”

Jenny shrugged her shoulders. “Well,
you can’t beat that.” Jenny was touched that the store keeper put
the dress into a protective cover with the same reverence and care
as if it had been the more expensive dress. It did Jenny’s heart
good and made her feel better about the choice.

The two then picked out a handsome
black tux with a gold vest and red tie for Dan. “I’ll be wearing
thermal underwear, so what you see is what you get.” He struck a
handsome pose for her.

He looked devastatingly handsome in
it. “I am one lucky girl,” Jenny replied with a happy
sigh.

The next order of business was to find
the coat that would cover up her dress. On the drive to the
boutique Jenny told Dan, “I’m glad we didn’t get that other dress.
It’s going to be covered up by a coat anyway.”

Dan gave her a playful sideways
glance. “Buy the most beautiful coat we can find.”

Unlike the dress, finding the coat was
easy. Dan noticed it in the window of the store as they walked in
and pointed it out to her. The tickling of a bell announced their
arrival as they opened the door to the small boutique. An older man
greeted the couple.

“
Can I help
you?”

Dan immediately asked,
“How much is the coat?” pointing to the
mannequin
in the window.

Jenny looked horrified when she saw
the fur.

“
That stunning piece is
950.”

“
It certainly looks worth
that,” Dan said encouragingly to Jenny.

She whispered, “It has fur on
it.”

The gentleman overheard her and
grinned. “It’s faux fur, Miss. If you feel it, though, I bet you
will have a difficult time telling the difference.

Jenny looked at the coat again with
fresh eyes. It was white with large pearl buttons up the front. It
had a large hood which was rimmed in white faux fur, along with the
cuffs and the bottom of the coat. It was romantic in every way.
Jenny could see why Dan was set on it, but the price scared her.
“That seems like a lot of money.”

He put his arm around her waist. “It
is a gift from me to you. I want to see you standing beside me in
that coat, my love.”

Jenny smiled at the thought and turned
to the man. “Please, can I try it on?”

Dan helped her into the coat and
lovingly buttoned her up. He stood back and whistled.

She snuck a peek in the mirror and
caught her breath. It fit her curves seductively and the fur made
her look like a frost princess. She liked it every bit as much as
the fancy dress. “I’m in love with it!” she said, throwing her arms
around Dan and giving him a kiss of appreciation.

“
Sold,” he told the man
when she broke the kiss. The gentleman suggested a pair of white
leather boots with similar fur lining that seemed made for the long
coat. When Dan saw them on her feet he nodded agreeably. “Box them
up as well.”

The old man smiled. “Wish all my
customers were so easy.”

Jenny put her arms around Dan’s hips
and looked up at him. “When it’s right, it’s right.” With the
clothing for the wedding taken care of, Jenny felt deliciously
content on the drive home.

“
Now for the flowers,” Dan
announced.

“
What, we’re doing that
today too? Jenny asked in surprise.

“
Hey, woman, I took the
day off. I plan on getting everything set up so we don’t have to
worry about it.” Instead of a floral shop, Dan took Jenny to a
greenhouse. “I know the owner. She said she would take care of
us.”

Jenny looked at him doubtfully, but
followed him inside. A rotund woman with red cheeks met them at the
door. “Dan, you finally came to visit me!” She gave him a big hug
and then went straight for Jenny. “And this must be Dan’s main
squeeze!”

Jenny stiffly accepted her hug, thrown
off by the enthusiastic greeting of a stranger. She looked at Dan,
raising her eyebrow questionably.

“
Sorry, Baby. I didn’t
tell you that Rose is good friends with my mom.”

“
The best of friends,
Bubba,” she said, giving Dan a swat on the ass.

The lady is certainly a
character.
Jenny’s next thought
was,
What would she be doing hanging
around Dan’s mom? “
So you’ve known Dan’s
mother for a while?

“
Since college. Oh, the
trouble she and I used to get into…you wouldn’t believe it. But
enough about me. You’re here about the flowers. I collected several
different kinds for you, so you can decide which works best for
your wedding.”

Jenny wasn’t paying
attention. She was lost in her own thoughts.
So, Mrs. Hayes has a wild past, does she? I wonder how
wild…

Dan handed her a book of wedding
bouquets. “Rose says she can make any in this book. Check it out
and pick your favorite. Whatever you want, Baby.”

Rose pulled out the chair and
insisted, “You sit here, dear, while Dan and I look at the potted
plants I picked out.”

Dan had envisioned a red carpet lined
with flowers on the frozen water. It intrigued Jenny, so she let
him have free reign to make his vision a reality while she quietly
picked out her perfect bouquet. Thumbing through the pages several
times, she finally decided on an unusual nosegay of white
gardenias, miniature red roses, accented by a few thin sprigs of
pine. It looked wintry and romantic.

Her decision made, she got up and
walked over to Rose. “Can you make this?”

The affable woman took the book and
smiled at the picture. “Yes, but I will make it even more
beautiful.”

Jenny smiled gratefully, warming up to
the woman who so obviously loved Dan like an aunt, a humorously
naughty aunt. “Thank you.”

The enthusiastic woman gave her
another hug, and this time Jenny returned it fully. Anyone who
cared about Dan was instantly a friend to her, and Jenny couldn’t
help wondering if time spent with Rose would eventually reveal
surprising secrets of her soon to be mother-in-law.

“
So kids, leave it all up
to me. Will you come by to pick it up the day of the wedding or the
night before?”

Dan put his hand around her shoulder.
“Actually Rose, I was hoping you would hand deliver
them.”

Rose’s cheeks turned an even brighter
shade of red. “Do you mean it, Danny Boy?”

He chuckled lightly. “Of course. I
want my auntie to be there when I marry my soul mate.”

It was Jenny’s turn to blush. Rose
insisted on a three-way hug. “Just you wait, kids. My flowers will
blow you away.”

“
And you’re sure you can
handle the other thing?” Dan asked her.

Jenny looked at him sideways. “What
other thing?”

“
My surprise, little
Kumquat.”

Rose’s jaw dropped. “Did
you just call her Kumquat? That was my pet name for you when you
were a tiny boy.” She winked at Jenny. “He
must
be smitten.” Jenny knew with
certainty that she would grow to love this woman.

As they headed away from the
greenhouse Jenny assumed they were going back to John’s apartment,
but no… Dan pulled up to a hole-in-the-wall bakery. “Our last
stop,” he promised when he saw her look of exhaustion.

As much as Jenny liked the idea of
shopping for a wedding cake, doing all the wedding errands in one
day was grueling and she grumbled as she got out of the car. “Is a
cake even necessary, Dan? It’s not like we are having a reception
or anything.”

“
Totally necessary,” he
said, lifting her chin up with his finger. His brown eyes sparkled
when he added, “This cake will be only for you and me.”

His answer melted her heart. “That’s
so sweet.”

“
Just because we are
having a small wedding doesn’t mean I don’t want you to have all
the trappings.”

The bakery was run by an elderly Asian
couple. Dan introduced Jenny to them with an ease as if he’d known
them his whole life. “Mr. and Mrs. Tran, I would like you to meet
my fiancée, Jenny Cole.”

Mr. Tran took her hand warmly and
bowed. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Miss Cole.”

She bowed back, enchanted by the
gesture. “It is a pleasure for me as well.”

Mrs. Tran spoke in a small, but sweet
voice, “We are honored to make your wedding cake. Thank
you.”

Jenny blushed and looked at Dan.
Everyone was so nice and obviously thought the world of Dan. It
made her proud to have such a fine man for a husband.

“
Mrs. Tran makes exquisite
cakes and Mr. Tran ensures it tastes as good as it looks. The
perfect combination,” he informed her.

Mrs. Tran twittered and looked down at
her feet in embarrassment. It was adorable.

“
What size of cake, Mr.
Hayes?” the old baker asked.

“
Just big enough for the
two of us. It is a gift to ourselves.” He smiled at Jenny with such
tenderness her stomach quivered. “But I want it to look as grand as
you can make it. Don’t hold back,” he instructed Mrs.
Tran.

“
I will do well by you,
Mr. Hayes,” she answered.

“
That I have no doubt,”
Dan assured her. “I wouldn’t want anyone else to handle such an
important detail.”

The old woman twittered again. Jenny
had to stifle a giggle. The woman was just too darn cute. After the
details of the cake were finalized, Dan bought two cupcakes and
handed her one. “Take a taste and you’ll understand how talented
these two are.”

The cupcake sported a delicate orchid
on top. It seemed a shame to eat it, but Jenny took a bite and
purred in delight. The cake was incredibly moist and burst with
unusual flavors. She could detect ginger and a hint of star anise.
It gave the simple cupcake complexity and depth. She chewed it
slowly, savoring the exotic sweetness.

Jenny bowed to Mr. Tran. “I never
thought cake could taste like this.”

He returned the bow and said humbly,
“It is my calling.”

“
Mr. and Mrs. Tran, I am
sorry to eat and run but we must go. I’ll be back to pick up the
cake Friday after work.”

“
It will be ready, Mr.
Hayes,” the little woman said, twittering again for no
reason.

Jenny finished her last bite of ‘cake
heaven’ in the car. “This will be the best wedding ever! I can’t
believe you know so many talented people, Dan.”

“
My mom used to be a
social person, always throwing parties and getting involved in the
community. But she’s changed over the years…it’s scary. The older
she gets the more she reminds me of her mother.” He turned to
Jenny, “and that is not a good thing.”

Although Jenny was
surprised by his revelation, she did her best not to show it. Mrs.
Hayes appeared to have a lot more to her than Jenny
imagined.
The years ahead just might be
more interesting as I peel back the layers of this unpleasant
woman.
The thought made Jenny
smile.

With all the wedding details taken
care of, Jenny spent the remaining week looking for a job. Word had
spread throughout the local brokerages about her disgrace. Some
firms would not take her calls because of the scandal. Thankfully,
there were a couple that did and her interviews with them were
promising.

It gave Jenny hope that employment
might be possible, after she was told at one interview, “A person’s
personal life is just that. At our establishment, we only judge our
employees based on their dedication and work ethic. Fail us in
that, and we will send you packing.” She was informed that they
would get in touch with her the following week.

Things were looking up. Kelly’s
attempts to ruin her had only caused her to grow stronger. Jenny
yelled in defiance. “Take that, Bitch!”

“
What was that?” John
asked from his room.

Jenny blushed. “Oh nothing. Just
feeling a little feisty today.”

“
Hey, before you move out,
could you make another pan of lasagna?”

“
Not a problem. In fact, I
will make a whole pan just for you,” she called to him.

He didn’t respond and she wasn’t sure
if he’d heard until she saw John at his doorway with a look of
disbelief. “Seriously?”

Jenny chuckled.
“Seriously.”

“
Damn that Dan. He is one
lucky bugger.” John disappeared back in his bedroom and started
typing away.

She looked at the clock and realized
Dan was over a half-hour late. She picked up her phone and called.
It took several rings before he answered. “Hey, can’t talk right
now. Will call back as soon as I can. Order takeout for you and
John. I will be a while.”

Jenny could hear the stress in his
voice. “What’s going on, Dan?”

“
Don’t worry. I’m with
Ryan.”

“
Do you want me to meet
you?”

“
No,” he cleared his
throat, “Sorry, he doesn’t want you here. I’ll explain things
later, but I have to go.” Jenny was shocked when he hung up on
her.