Chapter 11
M iles prepared lunch and sat with Kelly and Emma while they all ate. School had let out early for conferences, so Emma had been hard at work helping Savannah take orders. But Miles could tell she was losing steam fast.
“Did you see the cake Daddy made?” Emma asked Kelly.
Kelly smiled. “No, I haven’t.”
“It doesn’t have frosting on it yet, but it’s big!” Emma held her arms out wide, and Kelly looked impressed.
“Oh, I bet it’ll taste delicious too.”
“Yeah,” Emma said. “But I’m not going to the wedding, so I won’t get to eat any.”
She looked dejected, and Miles smiled. “Emma, you know I give you cake all the time that I make in the restaurant.”
“But it’s not wedding cake.”
He shrugged. “No, my specialty chocolate cake is better than wedding cake. And it can be a wedding cake. Uncle Jackson and Aunt Mia had it at their wedding, remember?”
Emma lit up. “I forgot about that. Can I have some after lunch?”
Miles looked down at her plate, where she had only been picking at her grilled cheese sandwich. He raised his eyebrows. “Not unless you eat your lunch. You need your energy.”
Emma said nothing else. She picked up her sandwich and dipped it in the bowl of tomato soup next to her plate and took a big bite. Once she had finished, she slid her plate and bowl forward. “All ready for my cake now.”
Miles stood and grabbed a slice, setting it in front of Emma. “Care to join me?” Miles asked Kelly.
She followed him over to the counter, where he was unloading the cake rounds onto the counter. They had already been leveled and crumb-coated. She watched as he frosted a layer and put it back into the walk-in refrigerator before moving onto the next piece.
Miles glanced toward the table where Emma was licking her plate. Chocolate frosting was in a ring around her lips and all over her chin. “Look at my small savage.”
Kelly laughed. “I think she has you wrapped around her little finger.”
“Oh, she does. I know she picks at her food on purpose, so I bargain with her to eat and then she gets dessert.”
Kelly snorted. “Smart girl.”
“She really is.” He looked over at Emma with a small smile and shook his head.
“So how’s everything else going around the resort? Are people getting healthy again?” Kelly asked.
“Yes, thank goodness. I’m looking forward to getting some days off soon. I could really use some sleep.”
“Is there anything I can do to help?” She reached out and rested her hand on his arm. He paused, and their eyes met, electricity passing through them. She blushed, pulled her hand away, and tucked some hair behind her ear that had escaped her ponytail.
“You’re already doing it,” he said. And that was the complete, God-to-honest truth. Her being there had helped ease so much of his stress with the wedding. He wasn’t sure how he would survive if he had to do it all.
She had already improved the layout of the wedding.
He had never considered where the catering tables had been set up in the past, but now things would be more streamlined in the new spot.
It would make things more efficient for him and his staff, and he wasn’t sure why he had never thought of it.
Probably because he wasn’t a wedding planner and would just leave that to others and do what he was told.
“Daddy, I’m bored,” Emma said, interrupting their moment.
Miles looked over at her and cleared his throat. “Did you leave any frosting on the cake? You need to go wash your hands and face.”
Emma laughed hysterically and took off toward the bathroom.
Kelly threw a thumb over her shoulder. “I should get back to it. Emma is welcome to join me if she’d like. She could help me get some decorations up.”
Warmth filled his chest. “I think she’d really like that. Thank you.”
Kelly set up the table where the cake would go and had the linens delivered to the ballroom. Emma worked alongside her, putting tablecloths on the tables Kelly had already set up. The wedding was more on the upscale side, so they were also organizing the place settings and cloth napkins.
“We need one table that’s absolutely perfect so that when we get some help setting up tomorrow, everyone knows what it should look like,” Kelly said.
Emma moved things around the table, lining them up perfectly with the chairs they had placed around it. Then she stuck her tongue out in thought and held up her hands, pressing her index fingers into her thumbs, making a circle with them while the rest of her fingers remained straight.
Kelly furrowed her brows, watching as Emma then moved a few things around the table before stepping back and smiling brightly.
“Perfect,” Emma said.
“It looks great,” Kelly said. “But what were you doing with your hands?” She imitated the way Emma held her hands up, and Emma laughed.
“My daddy taught me that. It’s the best way to remember where the cup and bread plate go for each person.
See?” She held her hands up again, showing the circle she created with her index finger and thumb on her left hand was part of a “b” for bread, while the one on the right hand was part of a “d” for drink.
Kelly’s eyebrows shot up in surprise as she stared at the place settings. “Wow. You learn something new every day.”
Emma only giggled. Then they moved over to hang a few decorations the bride requested with the couple’s name on them. Emma handed things to Kelly as Kelly stood on a stepladder and attached them to the wall.
“Are you having fun in Wintervale?” Emma asked.
Kelly smiled down at her and took another glittery letter from her to hang behind the cake table. “I am. Do you enjoy living here?”
“Yes, it’s fun. All my friends are here. Are you moving here?”
Kelly sighed. “I wish I could, honey. But it’s just not in the cards for me right now.”
“Why?”
“I have a job back home I need to get back to.”
“Oh,” Emma said softly. “I’m going to miss you.”
Kelly stepped off the stepladder and knelt down to Emma’s level. “I’m going to miss you too, but we can always write and call each other.”
Emma’s eyes lit up. “Really? I can send you pictures. I’m really good at coloring.”
“I’d like that very much.”
They hugged before Kelly stepped back up onto the stepladder to continue hanging letters.
Emma did a great job following directions. Kelly suspected it had to do with going to the restaurant with her dad a lot growing up. They worked for a few hours before they both were too tired to continue.
“I’m hungry,” Emma said.
“Me too. Let’s go see if we can talk your dad into making us something yummy,” Kelly said.
Emma’s eyes widened, and she nodded excitedly. The two of them left the ballroom and walked back toward the restaurant. She was done for the night. Tomorrow, some of the staff would come in and help her get the rest of the tables set up. But she was happy with the progress she had already made.
Ava stood in front of the restaurant looking at a menu, but she gave it back to the hostess when she spotted them.
“Hey! How did setting up go?” she asked.
“Good. With Emma’s help, I was able to make a small dent,” Kelly said. “How was the hike?”
“It was challenging, but good.” Ava’s eyes moved to Emma. “Your uncle is a tough cookie on those hikes.”
“Uncle Ethan is a badass.” Emma threw her fist in the air.
Kelly and Ava both looked at her in shock.
Emma’s smile dropped, and she looked around with her eyes wide. “Daddy said that’s a bad word. I forgot. Please don’t tell him.”
Her pleading eyes had Kelly biting back a smile. Ava snorted.
“Your secret is safe with us, kid,” Ava said.