Chatper 24
My hair was still wet, my makeup not even a thought in my mind, but the cake was loaded in the car and ready to be brought to the vineyard. After I finished last night, Nero helped me carry the cake to the fridge. Then we played out more than a few fantasies, including one of me in nothing more than an apron. As promised, he helped me bleach down the entire place.
It was worth it.
I had gone to his place where I had fallen asleep in his arms. I didn’t want to get up. My legs hurt from being on them for so long the day before, and I was tired, but my job wasn’t done until that first slice of cake was cut and everyone was served.
“You ready?” Nero asked as he closed the door. I still had to stack the cake when I got to the vineyard, but I had more than enough time to get it done, then get myself ready for the ceremony.
“Let’s do this,” I said. He hopped in the passenger side, and I got in the driver’s seat. We headed across town, and when we were almost there, we hit a line of cars crawling along the road.
Nero rolled the window down and stuck his head out. “Fucking Albert,” he said before sliding out his phone. He tapped the screen and put the phone to his ear.
“Yeah, can you get the fuck out of the way? We have a cake to deliver.”
There was silence on the other end. I assumed Albert was talking.
“We’re behind you. Either pull over and let us pass or you’re cut off from the cake tonight.”
After a moment, traffic started to move, and I sighed in relief. As we passed Albert, who was pulled over on the side of the road, Nero waved out the window. “Thanks, old man. See you tonight,” he called out.
I turned into the parking lot of the vineyard and drove right to the barn. Once parked, Nero helped with each tier, bringing it into the back door of the kitchen while I started to unpack the carefully wrapped cakes.
The caterers had already arrived and took over a good portion of the kitchen, but luckily, they saved me an area to work. It wasn’t the biggest space, but at least there was enough room to clear my ass.
“What do you need me to do?” Nero asked as he placed the box full of freshly cut fruits that would cascade down the middle of the cake with the gum paste flowers I spent days perfecting.
“Give me a kiss good luck,” I said.
He obeyed my request then grabbed my boob. I swatted his hand away with a laugh and got to work, placing the largest tier on the board. It was a five-tier cake, each tier a different flavor combination since neither Laurent nor Phoebe could decide. Then, because they had decided on a couple of chocolate layers, doing a naked cake like Phoebe originally wanted wasn’t as easy to pull off. That’s where the extra fruit and flowers came into play.
I had a vision, and I just needed to let myself get in the zone and work. Nero leaned against the stainless-steel counter, crossed his arms, and watched me. I knew he was staring at my ass, but I ignored his sexy gaze and focused on the task at hand.
Each placement was a measured decision, trying to find the perfect balance that would bring the entire vision together. I moved around the cake, assessing each blank space and adding to it to create the cascade effect Phoebe loved.
When the last piece of fruit and gum paste flower was on the cake, I backed away and took in the whole thing.
Nero’s arm wrapped around me, and I settled my head against his shoulder. “It looks amazing,” he said.
I stepped out of his grasp and walked around the cake one final time. He held his hand up, and I jumped up to high five him. “Nailed it!”
“Come on. Let’s go get ready for the wedding.” He took my hand and guided me out of the barn. His head tilted toward the sky, and he smiled. “Not a cloud in sight.”
“I think after everything Laurent and Phoebe have been through, they deserve a little sunshine.”
“Hey,” Sherry said, and I jolted.
“Hey, Sher.” Her eyes landed on my fingers intertwined with Nero’s, and I unlinked us, dropping our hold. “What are you doing here?” I asked. She was already in her bridesmaid dress, hair done in a pretty loose updo and her makeup a perfect balance of natural and glam that highlighted her light brown eyes.
“I was stopping by to see if you needed any help.”
“We’re all good here, sis,” Nero said. “Cake looks great. Of course.”
Sherry didn’t look at Nero. Her gaze stayed on me, confusion creating lines above the bridge of her nose.
“Yeah,” I said, shifting from one foot to the other. “Cake is all set. The caterers are in there now, getting everything ready to go.”
“Good.” Sherry cleared her throat. “Nero, shouldn’t you be with Laurent? Getting ready?”
“I’m heading there next. I think between Franc, Brady, Rhone, and Wyatt, he’ll be fine if I’m a few minutes late. Shouldn’t you be with the bride?”
“I just left her. She’s getting her hair and makeup done. I wanted to check on Lainey and the caterer.”
“All good,” Nero said. “You have nothing to worry about. As usual, you’re going to pull off another perfect event.”
“Don’t,” she said, pointing at him. “You better go find some wood and knock on it right now.”
“You and your superstitious ass.” Nero turned toward the barn and knocked on the opened door with as much exaggeration as possible.
“Thank you,” she said.
“Sher, are you okay?” I asked. I could sense when something was off. This was more than her seeing me hold Nero’s hand. Something was worrying her.
She paced away, then turned back.
“Sher?” Nero said, concern lacing his words.
“It’s just that this is my job, right? I’m the event coordinator. I have thrown a ton of weddings and parties in this very barn. And of course, all of those mattered, but this wedding? Oh, this wedding is the wedding of the VP of Sales, one of the owners of the entire establishment.”
“Um, sis, you do realize you’re one of the owners, too?”
She tossed her hands in the air. “Exactly!”
Nero looked at me, confusion distorting his handsome face. “Do you get it? Because I’m lost.”
I stepped toward my best friend and took her hand. “This is the ultimate representation of all you can offer. This is the crème de le crème so to speak. If something goes wrong for the actual owner of the vineyard, then that doesn’t say much for some random who wants to have a wedding here. The pressure is higher because of that.”
“You got all that from that?” Nero questioned.
“It’s also years of listening to Sherry’s meltdowns.”
“Hey!” Sherry said. “I don’t meltdown often.”
“No, you don’t,” I agreed. “And you don’t need to now. Everything will be fine, so take a deep breath, go in there, check on the caterers, then head back to Phoebe. You need to trust you planned everything, and the people you have put in charge are going to carry out your plan.”
Sherry nodded. “You’re right. I do this all the time. Just another day at Vine Valley Vineyard.” She straightened. “I’m going to check with the caterer. Thank you. Both of you.”
“I didn’t do anything,” Nero said.
“Yes, and let’s keep it that way. I’ll see you both at the wedding.” Sherry headed into the barn, her heels clicking across the wood floors.
“She saw us holding hands,” Nero said. “And she didn’t try to hit me. I call that progress.”
I poked his stomach, and he wrapped his arms around me from behind, hanging on my shoulders as we walked toward my car.
“Let’s get you to the groom,” I said.
“Or we can go back to your place. I can help you get into your dress. And then out of it. Then back in. And out one more time…”
He kissed my neck, and my resolve almost weakened. Almost.
“Keep your lips to yourself, mister.” I dodged out of his hold with a laugh. “Your brother’s getting married today, and you will not be late.”
“You are no fun.”
“That’s not what you said last night.”
“My memory is foggy. Help refresh it.”
“Get in the car.” I laughed at his pout. “And keep your hands on your side of the vehicle at all times.”
“You’re not playing fair.”
“Think of it as foreplay.”
“How is keeping my hands to myself foreplay?”
“It’s the wanting and the anticipation building up all day and all night.”
“All night?” He gaped.
I put a finger to his lips. “Every time you look at me, you’ll want to take me into a closet and have your way with me, but you can’t. The desire will drive you insane. Then when the cake is served, the wine glasses are empty, and the guests have left, we will go home and let those desires take control.”
His jaw tightened. His lips pressed together as those dark blue eyes locked on mine. “I was wrong. It has nothing to do with fair. You’re playing dirty. And I like it.”
“Good. Now get in the car.” I flashed him a smile and hopped in the driver's seat.
My heart came to a stop in my chest. The room spun around me, but even if I was standing perfectly still, I’d be able to see the cake was leaning. “Oh God.” Panic swirled around me. This couldn’t be happening. I promised Phoebe a perfect cake to go with her already perfect wedding. Seriously, everything had gone seamlessly, and she looked absolutely gorgeous. I couldn’t serve her the Leaning Tower of Buttercream.
“Hey, sexy—” Nero’s words cut off as he stared at me. “What’s the matter?”
Panic twisted my windpipe, making it impossible to speak. I pointed to the cake.
“What do you need?” He didn’t panic. He barely even reacted.
I turned to him, so grateful for this man. “I need time.” But as grateful as I was for him, he wasn’t a miracle worker. He couldn’t turn the clock back.
He kissed my forehead, and I closed my eyes, savoring his sweetness, trying to give myself one moment of peace before I allowed my defeat and self-deprecation to take over.
“You got this,” he said and took off for the door.
“Where are you going?” I called out.
“I’m going to get you time. Do what you have to do and trust me.”
He flashed that Grasso charm, and I knew not to ask questions. I grabbed my apron, tied it around my waist, and got to work.
I had no idea how this happened, but cake wasn’t like wood. It had a mind of its own, and it was all about proportions and balance. I got a chair, kicked my heels off, and stood on the seat. I needed to dismantle and reassemble, adding more dowers and hoping to all that was holy I’d be able to get it back together, looking as perfect as it did when I had left it.
Ignoring the negative commentary in my mind, I zoned in completely. I could hear Nero’s voice on the microphone just outside the door. Laughs and applause came in waves, but he was managing to keep the crowd from getting restless.
With the third layer off, I grabbed dowels and hammered them into place, crossing my fingers it would be enough to create a secure structure for the other tiers.
“Hey, what’s going on?” Sherry stepped into the kitchen, and she gasped when her eyes landed on me and the half-dismantled cake.
“It was leaning,” I admitted. “I don’t know how it happened. It could have just settled. It could have been the heat. I don’t know, but what I do know is I’m fixing it, and other than you and Nero, no one will ever know. Okay?”
“That’s why Nero is out there acting a fool. Luckily, he’s entertaining, and people are eating it up.” Sherry kicked off her shoes. “What do you need me to do?”
I sighed in relief. Sherry was one of the few people I would trust in this situation. “If you can hold these and hand them to me when I need them. That way, I don’t have to keep stopping.”
Sherry hurried to my side and took the dowels. “Nero skipped out of the rehearsal dinner last night,” she said. “You wouldn’t happen to know where he went, would you?”
“Austin broke the bottle of Pinot Noir I was using for this layer of cake.” I motioned to the tier I was currently doweling. “Nero brought it to me.”
“Then why didn’t he come back?” she asked.
My teeth slid over my lip as I focused on placing the next tier in place and pretending to ignore her question.
“You slept with him again.”
“You make it sound like a crime.”
“Seeing how you two were earlier, I assume he stayed this time.”
“He did.”
Nero’s head popped in the door. “How’s it going in here? I’m running out of material.”
“I need five more minutes.”
He sighed and ducked back out. A smile tugged and heat filled my cheeks.
“You’re in love with him.”
“What? No. I mean, I have always loved him… like I love you.”
“No.” Sherry toyed with the dowels in her hand. “You’re in love with him.”
Nero and I hadn’t even made it official yet. We were taking it day by day and waiting for the wedding to be over before making any moves. I hadn’t even thought about if what was between us was lust or love. But this man had been the man of my dreams for so long. He had managed to break my heart and repair it. I was a vessel of happiness whenever he was around. He made me feel sexy and confident, and whenever he wasn’t around, I missed him. Desperately.
My lips parted, realization setting in.
“Told you.”
“I—”
“I’m dying out here,” Nero said before disappearing again.
I brushed off every thought in my mind. Right now, it wasn’t about me or Nero. I needed to get this cake ready to go for Phoebe and Laurent.
“Dowel,” I said, palm out. Sherry smacked the dowel in my hand, and we worked in unison until the cake was back to its original state.
Sherry held her fist out to me and I bumped it. “I never had any doubts.”
“Thanks, because I sure as hell did.”
“Guys,” Nero said, popping his head in again. This time, I smiled and nodded. “Oh, thank God.” He disappeared again, but his voice boomed out. “Without farther ado, it is time for the lovely bride and groom to cut the cake.”
“You ready?” Sherry asked.
“Let’s do this.”
Sherry and I rolled the cake out to the main barn, where everyone had risen from their seats and surrounded the dance floor. Oohs and aahs rang out from the crowd, and I couldn’t help but smile at the compliments.
Once the cake was in place, I handed Phoebe the knife.
“This is perfect,” she said. “Thank you.”
Maybe in time I would tell her about the almost disaster that was her wedding cake, but not today. “You’re welcome.” I moved out of the way and stepped to the side.
Nero came up beside me. He leaned down, his breath caressing my ear. “Nailed it,” he said, and I laughed. “It almost turned into an episode of Nailed It. Thanks for buying me time.”
“Whatever you need, Lanes.”
His arm brushed mine, then he intertwined our fingers. We held hands while we watched Phoebe and Laurent cut into their cake.
After, it was time to cut the rest of the cake and pass it out to the guests. I stepped forward, but Nero held me back. “The caterers have it. You haven’t eaten yet.”
My stomach decided that was the perfect moment to let out a grumble in agreement. I pressed a hand to my vocal tummy. “I guess I should eat. I’ll be right back. I’m going to grab a plate.”
My main course was at my table, but the appetizers were the good stuff, and those were in the kitchen.
I hurried to the kitchen and smiled at one of the caterers as I picked up a plate. “Is it okay if I graze?”
“There’s plenty here,” she said. “Eat as much as you want.”
“Thanks.” I filled my plate with a couple skewers that looked like chicken, a few fried balls I hoped were macaroni and cheese balls, some fresh mozzarella and grape tomatoes with basil—my fave—and a cute little pulled pork slider.
I took my plate to the main barn. Everyone was eating cake, so I stayed off on the side at a small table that was set up for the place cards.
I picked up the macaroni and cheese ball and popped it into my mouth. My teeth sunk in, and I waited for the ooey gooey cheese flavor to take over, but all I tasted was seafood.
My eyes widened, and I tried to assure myself it was cod or some other fish. The tingles started in my throat, expanding and constricting. Oh God.
I jumped up, the plate falling to the floor. I reached for my bag but remembered it wasn’t with me. It was in the kitchen.