Takes the Cake (7 page)

Someone helped her to stand. She was aware of the crowd that had gathered, but she didn’t care. “It’s bad enough I’ve had to put up with your complaints and such but to start a fight in the kitchen.” She limped forward.

“I didn’t start this fight,” Keegan snapped. “I was defending myself.”

“I don’t care!” she shouted. “You didn’t like the cake in the first place, and this is your way of making sure it doesn’t happen.”

He held his hands out, palms up. “We didn’t mean for this to happen.”

“You hit him with the cake!”

Keegan looked away. “Well, I—”

“Out!” She lifted her arm and stabbed a finger toward the swinging doors. “If you are not on staff as a caterer, get out of my kitchen.”

People scrambled to leave while her staff slowly dragged trash cans and brooms toward the chaos created. A few of the onlookers carefully helped David to his feet. If she weren’t so angry, Liz would’ve laughed at the cake-covered man.

“At least let a few of us help you clean up,” Keegan offered.

She glared at him. “Your help has put us twelve hours behind schedule.” She blinked to clear the angry tears blurring her vision. The only way she was going to get things done was to work through the night. They would all have to work through the night. Then a thought struck her.
There may not even be a wedding now.

“I think you’re being unreasonable.”

For one long moment, she stared at him, silently cursing him to hell and back. She spun on her heel and stalked away. If she stayed, she’d be tempted to slap him silly.

“Liz.” He grabbed her arm and pulled her to a halt.

She jerked away from him. “Keep your hands to yourself, buddy.”

“You have to know I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.”

“You got your wish. The cake has been destroyed, and so has any chance you had with me.”

Chapter Five

Keegan stared after her, not sure if he should follow or stay put. He retrieved his shirt from the floor and tugged it over his head. He glanced around and realized all the workers were staring at him with a mixture of disdain and pity. Quite frankly, he didn’t blame them as he surveyed the kitchen.

Pans of food dotted the tile like a bad game of dodgeball, while small lakes of what appeared to be gravy, marinara, and oil collided to form a river of sorts and stretched toward the drain in the middle of the floor. Worst of all was the wedding cake. The dark brown, almost black innards spilled over the once pristine icing to litter the floor like a macabre outline. Not even the pillars that had been placed between the tiers remained intact. The broken shards rose like spindly bones from the crumbs. Nothing from the creation was salvageable.

He shook his head and trudged through the double doors, head bowed and shoulders slumped. Maybe the wedding wouldn’t go forth as planned. It couldn’t now that Caroline knew about David and Sandra. Surely his sister wasn’t going to still marry that two-timing louse.

Keegan dragged a hand through his hair, then lowered his arm to inspect the abraded flesh on his knuckles. Nothing a little antiseptic wouldn’t help. He had only been defending his person. David had thrown the first punch, and well, one thing led to another until…until they’d managed to destroy a wedding cake and whatever chance Keegan had with Liz.

He exhaled and leaned against a nearby wall. The coolness of the plaster seeped into his back, rivaling the ice forming around his heart. What had he been thinking grabbing that cake? That was the thing—he hadn’t been thinking. He just reacted. Both the cake and David went down.

There had to be a way to placate Liz. He couldn’t lose her now. Not over something as trivial as a fist fight. Even though he hadn’t agreed with the design, he respected the work and time she’d invested in the project. And the thing had been very beautiful in its simplicity. He was sorry it had been destroyed, but worse was thinking he’d ruined everything with Liz. Again.

“I can’t believe you got in a fist fight with the ex-groom,” Christian said.

Keegan peeled one lid back and stared at the best man. “Yeah. Well. He started it.”

The other man laughed. “What are you? Four? That excuse never works.”

Despite the situation, his lips quirked upward. “It’s the truth.”

“He surprised me, ya know. I had no idea David could fight.”

Keegan winged a brow. “He’s your best friend. I thought you knew everything about him.”

The other man shrugged. “He keeps a few things to himself. So, why are you looking so glum?”

“Fight in the kitchen and I’ve ruined my sister’s wedding.” He scrubbed the heel of his hand down his face. “Has she called the wedding off?”

Christian looked away. Keegan narrowed his gaze. Was that a flinch or did the man stiffen?

“Dunno, but it will interesting to see what she does next.”

Despite the light and easy tone, Keegan detected an edge in Christian’s voice. “I should go talk to her and apologize. She has to know I didn’t mean for this to happen.” He pushed off the wall, and Christian caught him by the arm. Keegan paused.

“The wedding isn’t the only thing bothering you,” Christian said.

“No, but it’s the only thing that matters at the moment.”

* * * *

“I told her!” Sandra stared at Caroline a moment before looking at each of the men seated in the parlor.

The families were seated in chairs or making use of the wet bar. At least David and Christian were on opposite sides of the room. They all seemed to have some variation of concern or interest on their faces.

Keegan shook his head as he rubbed his glass across his knuckles. Maybe the maid of honor wasn’t as dumb as he thought.

“I told you, Sandra…” David began.

“No, David. I told you I would tell her. I will not be second in your life.”

Caro cleared her throat. “That’s fine. I should probably be angry, but I was coming to tell David that I didn’t want to marry him anymore.”

A collective gasp rose, and Keegan sat a little straighter. Interesting.

David shifted in his seat to stare at Caroline. “Why? I thought we had something.”

Caro offered a gentle smile. “We did, but I’m in love with Christian. He’s the man I want to marry.”

Keegan watched as Christian moved behind Caroline and placed a hand on her shoulder. She reached out and squeezed his fingers. Maybe Keegan should have seen this coming. He raised his glass to his lips. If Caroline was getting a second chance, maybe he could get one too.

* * * *

Liz stared dumbfounded at the blonde woman sitting across from her, not quite sure what to say. Caroline pointed at different items on the menu with a perfectly manicured nail, all the while keeping up a running monologue. Finally, Liz lifted a hand.

“Wait. Wait.” She pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled through her mouth. Too much information and drama had her brain slow in processing this new turn of events. “The wedding is still on?”

Caroline giggled and nodded. “Indeed. The menu will include just these few changes as Martha gave you earlier.”

Liz rolled her shoulders, blowing out a breath. “I get that, but the cake—”

“Is there anything you can do?” She turned hopeful, tear-filled eyes in her direction, and Liz resisted a groan. “Whatever you can do at this point. I know it’s asking a lot, but I have to have a cake.”

She found herself nodding. “I’ll do my best.”

The other woman squealed and tossed her arms around Liz in a tight hug. “You are absolutely the best. I’m going to make sure all my friends know what a fantastic caterer you are.”

Liz could only nod as she slowly got to her feet. At this rate, she wasn’t sure if she wanted her name dropped to any of Caroline’s friends, not if Liz had to deal with this type of drama.

“I think that’s about it. Are the trays ready for the parties?” Caroline asked.

“Yes. Those are in the walk-in ready to go.”

“Fantastic. I’ll see where Martha is, and we’ll go from there.”

“Would you like me to work from the original design for the cake?”

Caroline tilted her head to the side. “Could you come up with something else? Even though I can’t change much of the menu at this late date, I can at least have a completely original cake.”

“I’ll do my absolute best, but you do understand that many of my supplies are not here, so I would be limited in what can be done for your cake. However, I will bring the design to you as soon I’m done.”

Gold ringlets bobbed up and down as Caroline nodded. “Please keep the chocolate. Christian and I just love the chocolate.”

“Sure. I can do a variety of chocolates. White, milk, dark.”

“That would be perfect. I’ll leave things in your very capable hands. Thank you so much. Once again, I’m so sorry this job hasn’t been smooth sailing for you.”

Liz inclined her head, not trusting her voice. Maybe she should’ve let Keegan fire her. Anything else would have been better than the hurt and betrayal she was experiencing right now. Since she’d walked into the estate, Liz actually believed Keegan and she had a second chance to get things right. Sadness lodged in her throat and burned her eyes. If she was getting this choked up about a stupid cake and a stupid guy, she really needed to get out more. Damn if he didn’t make her feel as if she belonged with—and to—him.

When she glanced up, she was alone. Caroline had left. That was fine. Liz pulled a small pad of paper and a pencil from her pocket and sat at the table. She needed a new design. Something that would speak to both Caroline’s and Christian’s tastes. Not an easy feat when she’d spent very little time with the new groom.

How crazy everything had turned. She’d suspected the two had something going on, but it was none of her business. Her job was to make sure the food was prepared and arrived on time. If she was to keep to that, she needed to focus and prioritize. Someone needed to start getting the ingredients ready for the cake while someone else went shopping. She might take that task just to get away from the estate.

She stood and stopped. Keegan lounged against the doorjamb. A faint bruise dusted his chin while a spot of blood marred the pale-blue shirt stretched across the taut muscles of his chest. His biceps flexed, and the cotton tightened when he folded his arms.

“Did you really mean what you said?” His tone was quiet with a pensive note in his melodious voice.

“Yes. I have a very long night ahead of me, and you’re a distraction I don’t need.” She moved forward, and he blocked her path.

“You have to talk to me.”

She stared up at him, hating how he could muddle her thoughts with just his presence. “Actually, I don’t. Now please get out of my way.”

“Liz. It was all a big mistake.”

“Yes. It was. It was a huge mistake for me to get involved with you again on any level.” His body jerked at her harsh words, and she regretted speaking them. A veil fell over his features, and she swallowed hard. “I really have work to do.”

He stepped from her path but caught her wrist as she moved past. She glanced at his tanned fingers curled against her toffee-hued flesh. Such a beautiful contrast, but the time for indulging in whatever slap-and-tickle fantasy she’d harbored was just gone. Keegan got what he wanted from her all along, and it turned out it didn’t matter anyway. Caroline was marrying someone else.

“I really need to go.”

“Just five minutes.”

She shook her head and pulled her hand from his grasp. “Not even that. Don’t come in the kitchen anymore tonight or tomorrow. Just stay away from me.” With that, she hurried from the room.

As Liz neared the kitchen, she wiped the moisture from her face with the back of her hand. She had to pull herself together. Taking several deep breaths, she regained her composure and stepped through the double doors. The room had been righted, and no signs of the earlier altercation remained. Her team was busy slicing and prepping. When the doors swung shut, movement ceased and all eyes turned to her.

“What’s the verdict?” George asked.

“The wedding is still on. There have been a few changes to the menu.” A groan rose through the group. “I know how you feel, but we can do this. Our biggest hurdle is building another cake.”

“Dee started scaling ingredients but hasn’t mixed anything,” he said.

Liz nodded in approval. “Good. Do we have enough ingredients for the cake on hand?”

Dee, a petite but plump brunette, stepped forward. “Just. I’m low on chocolate and eggs.”

“All right.” Liz grabbed her notebook and laid it on the counter. “Write what you need. I have to take a few minutes to work on a new cake design.”

“Will we be able to finish everything in time?” Worry entered Dee’s voice.

Liz looked around, realizing the rest of her crew was thinking the same thing. “I may not be Robert Irvine, but we can do the impossible if we all work together.” She studied each face in turn and appreciated the nods she received. They were with her. “We’ll stagger breaks, and if you fall behind on something, speak up. I know several dishes ended up on the floor, so we’ll start there and catch up.”

* * * *

A warm breeze blew through the open window, bringing the scent of spiced chocolate and vanilla. Keegan rolled to his back and stared at the ceiling. He was still trying to wrap his head around the events of the night. David’s family surprised him. Keegan had expected the groom’s relatives to raise a fuss at the change of plans. Instead, they joined David in celebrating the happiness of both couples. Since everyone seemed amicable, it was just one big happy moment.

Once the booze started flowing and tongues loosened, things got a little dicey when David approached Christian about sleeping with Caroline, but it was merely to compare notes. That conversation Keegan had to walk away from. There were just some things he didn’t want to know about his little sister.

Now most of the wedding party was already sleeping off the effects of their alcohol-induced festivities. He didn’t have that luxury.

With each puff of sweet-scented air wafting through his bedroom window, he could only think of one woman with decadent caramel skin and lush curves. When he and the rest of the groomsmen stumbled through the door an hour earlier, he was surprised to find the lights in the kitchen still on. Now with the quiet of the early morning, he wondered if she was still downstairs working.