Chapter 1
Jojo
Black wasn’t a traditional color for a wedding cake, but getting married on Halloween wasn’t exactly a mainstream choice either. I set the last box I’d carried in from the car down on the cake table and took a look around.
The inside of the Phillips House had been transformed.
Fake cobwebs stretched from the crystal chandelier to the corners of the room.
Someone had even covered the walls in floor-to-ceiling swaths of black satin.
I’d seen my friend Lacey, who also happened to be the mayor and the chief event planner, go above and beyond for a bride, but this Halloween-themed wedding might be the most extravagant yet.
“It’s a bit much, isn’t it?” Lacey swept in from the kitchen, her hands wrapped around a glass vase full of black roses.
I lifted the lid off the box holding the base tier of cake and carefully slid it onto the table. “As long as the bride and groom are happy. That’s the only thing that matters, isn’t it?”
“That and making sure their final payment clears.” She set the vase down on a table in the foyer and started back toward me. “I can’t wait to see this cake.”
“You and me both.” I’d spent hours perfecting the design and most of the last week making it become a reality. “This is by far the most complicated cake I’ve ever made.”
Lacey stood by while I centered the bottom tier on an antique silver platter. “It’s going to be amazing.”
“I sure hope so.” Her confidence in me was the only reason I’d agreed to take the job. Assuming all went well, once images of this beauty hit social media, I was hoping I’d be able to cut back on my shifts at the Burger Bonanza and spend more time working on my baking side gig.
“How many layers did you end up with?” Lacey asked.
I set the next tier on top of the base. “Thirteen. The bride said it’s her lucky number. Can you believe it? The two middle tiers are fake though.”
“You’d never know it by looking at them.” Lacey leaned closer. “It smells delicious, and I bet it tastes even better than it smells. One of these days you’ve got to tell me the secret ingredient you put in the buttercream frosting.”
“We’ll see.” Her kind words made me smile. I’d spent most of my adult life working for others and helping them achieve their dreams. Since I’d started making cakes, I’d found something I was good at. Something I enjoyed. Something that was all mine.
Lacey glanced toward the front window. “Looks like the best man is here. I need to go find out where he wants to set up the coffin.”
“Coffin?” I arched a brow.
“Yeah. He’s some big special effects guy from Dallas and made a few custom props.
I told you this wedding might be a bit much, but as long as the bride is happy…
” She gave a slight shrug as she backed toward the front door.
“Oh, and Suzy’s in the kitchen working on some floral displays if you need an extra set of hands. ”
“Thanks.” I refocused my attention on the cake.
Usually, I didn’t like setting up the day before an event, but this time I didn’t have a choice.
The bride and groom wanted to take all of their pictures tomorrow morning so they could have good natural lighting as opposed to waiting until their nighttime wedding.
Since the cake was a major part of their event, that meant it had to be ready as well.
I wanted to make sure I had plenty of time to devote to getting everything just right. Lacey had cleared a spot in the large commercial refrigerator so once I set up the cake, I could transfer it there. At least it would stay cool overnight.
With almost all of the tiers in place, I searched for my kit of decorating tools. It was time to place the candy cobwebs and chocolate molded spiders I’d created. Realizing I must have left it in the car, I headed toward the front door just as Lacey pushed it open.
“Watch out, Jojo. Coffin coming through. Jojo, meet Rafe.”
She stepped to the side and held the door as a giant of a man backed into the house, his hands wrapped around the handles of a large dolly. A huge deep red coffin with silver and black accents came next.
“Where do you want to set it up?” Lacey asked.
Rafe looked up and surveyed the space. “There’s a big enough spot over by that cake.”
Lacey shot me a worried look. “Is that okay with you, Jojo? I don’t want it to get in the way.”
“It’s the only spot it will fit,” Rafe said.
I shrugged. “As long as the bride and groom are happy. Just don’t touch the cake.”
Rafe turned to face me. Holy guacamole, the man was hot. He had movie-star good looks and a body to match. His dark hair fell over his eyes, and he blew it out of his face, revealing the most gorgeous baby blues I’d ever seen. Wouldn’t surprise me a bit if he ended up having dimples to die for too.
I stood there, frozen in place while his lips turned up into a wide grin. A dimple popped on each cheek, just visible under the dark scruff. “Don’t worry. We won’t be anywhere near it.”
“Jojo?” Lacey gave me a gentle nudge. “Are you okay with that?”
“Hmm?” Her voice pulled me from my awkward stupor. I wiped at my mouth to make sure I hadn’t actually drooled.
“The coffin by the cake. Does that work?” Lacey pressed.
“Yeah. Um, I need to grab something from the car.” I stumbled onto the porch and down the stairs as I tried to piece myself back together.
A man had never had that kind of effect on me before.
It had to be the size of him that set me off balance.
He was at least six and a half feet tall, maybe even more, and built like one of the hundred-year-old pecan trees out at Taylor Grove.
Well, none of that mattered. He was just in town for a wedding, and I had much better things to do than stand around and make heart eyes over a stranger. I grabbed my decorating toolkit and headed back inside, determined not to get distracted.
As I stepped through the doorway, I glanced over at the blood-red coffin on the other side of the room.
“This is the cool part,” Rafe said. “After they cut the cake, they’ll push on this button here, and—”
The coffin door sprang open and two life-sized skeletons popped out.
One was dressed like a bride in a black wedding dress and veil.
The other had on a black tux and top hat.
The skeletons flew into the air. Time slowed as they sailed toward the cake table.
I watched the scene in front of me unfold in slow motion.
Rafe reached out to grab the skeletons. He caught hold of the bride’s arm, but the groom continued to vault through the air. Lacey’s mouth opened like she was yelling but I couldn’t hear a thing besides the buzzing in my ears.
My blood turned to ice as the skeleton groom crashed into the top half of the cake. My cake. The cake I’d spent more time on than the last four weddings I’d done combined.
“Jojo, are you okay?” Lacey’s hand on my shoulder set everything back in motion.
“The c-c-c-cake,” I stuttered.
Rafe dropped the bride and moved over to pull the skeleton groom off the table. “I’m so sorry. They were supposed to be attached to the bottom of the coffin. I don’t know what happened.”
“I know what happened.” My voice came out sounding like a stranger’s as I moved toward the table. “You killed my cake.”
He let out a soft sigh. “I’m really sorry about that.”
“Sorry doesn’t cut it.” I advanced, my pointer finger aiming for the center of his massive chest. “That cake took me days to make.”
“It’s going to be okay. We can turn it into a whole vibe.” He grinned as he made a move to pick up a chunk of the ruined cake.
“Don’t touch it,” I half-shouted, half-growled.
He lowered his hand, but his mouth kept moving. “How about a deconstructed wedding cake? Or we can sprinkle chocolate cookie crumbles on it and turn it into a graveyard, or—”
“No.” Lacey stepped between us like she was afraid of what I might do. “It can be fixed. No one has to know about this. Just tell us what you need.”
My mind raced. I took in a deep breath and tried to focus. “I need a kitchen. I’ll have to run home and get some supplies. And I’m going to need an extra set of hands if I’m going to be able to pull this off.”
“I’ve got another event I need to check on tonight but can come back later,” Lacey said.
I shook my head. “This wasn’t your fault. It was his.”
Rafe’s eyes widened. “I said I was sorry. What do you want me to do, bake a whole new cake?”
“Yes.” I reached into the bag I’d left by the cake table and pulled out an apron. “Put this on. Until we have the cake fixed, you’re mine.”