Total pages in book: 87
Estimated words: 83881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83881 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 419(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“And grumpy as hell a lot of the time,” Carolina added. “He speaks mostly in grunts and frowns.”
I thought of the teasing way the stranger was with me. His smile as he ate the cupcakes. The fleeting feeling of his lips pressed to mine.
Not grumpy at all.
“Ah.”
Mrs. Frost looked at her watch. “Come, Carolina, we need to get you ready. The wedding is in three hours.”
Carolina hugged me again. “Thank you for the cake. It’s breathtaking. And you’ll be here, right?”
“Yep. Until it is cut and served.”
“You’re at table forty-one—close to the cake, the way you asked.”
“Great. See you soon.”
I watched them leave, feeling a little tug on my heart at their closeness. I had no family, my parents having died when I was younger. I’d bounced from foster home to foster home, and since I’d aged out, I had been on my own.
I had been my whole life, if I was honest.
I never knew the love of a mother or father. A sibling.
Anyone, really. The person I was closest to was Carolina, and even her, I held back. I didn’t get involved in her life outside of school much, or with her family.
I didn’t understand how to let someone in or get that close.
I shook my head and cleared my thoughts, doing a last once-over on the cake, adding some more touches. Finally done, I packed up the supplies. I would put them in the kitchen, then use the small room they’d given me to change and shower once I covered the cake table to stop dust and thieving fingers from touching it. I would come back after the ceremony and uncover it so when people came in, they saw it.
I was looking forward to seeing their reactions.
I got ready, slipping into the back of the altar room, watching from the shadows as Carolina and Allan said their vows. The twinkle lights and the wood arch wrapped with flowers were romantic. The room was filled with floral pieces and ferns. Leaves, branches, and fauna were woven together. Candles flickered. It was breathtaking.
Carolina was beautiful. Her gown was whimsical and suited her. The flowers she carried reflected the woodland theme—nothing symmetrical or hothouse about them. She said her vows in a loud, clear voice, smiling widely at her groom. I marveled at her obvious devotion to Allan and wondered what it would feel like to love someone that strongly.
More than once, I felt a shiver run up my neck and felt eyes on me, but when I looked around, I saw nothing. Everyone’s attention was on the bride and groom—as it should be. Yet I couldn’t rid myself of the feeling.
As they kissed, I slipped from the room and headed to the reception area. With the help of one of the servers, we uncovered the cake table, and I lit the tiny lights that flickered along the tree limb, highlighting some of the designs. I folded the cover and ran to the van, adding it to the extra cupcakes and supplies I had on hand. Before I could shut the door, a man appeared, startling me. I gasped, beginning to fall backward as I stumbled back in shock. He grabbed me, pulling me tight to his chest.
“Steady there, Little Bee.”
Instantly, my hackles rose. It was the cupcake-kiss-stealing stranger.
“What are you doing? Are you stalking me?”
Just then, I noticed the cigar clamped between his lips. He stepped back, blowing a perfect smoke ring into the air. “I was taking a stroll between the nuptials and reception. I noticed the door to the van was open. I thought perhaps a robbery was happening.” He peered around me. “I was wrong.” Then he grinned, the action changing his entire demeanor. I’d thought he was handsome before. When he smiled, he was devastating. His deep brown hair was brushed high off his forehead. Heavy brows set off his eyes that were like liquid fire. Molten gold gleamed under thick lashes. Scruff framed his full lips. Two dimples high on his cheeks deepened when he smiled a certain way. They were little divots of sexy on his face. And he was in a tux. Tall, sensual, deadly.
And smiling.
Was he smiling at me?
I wasn’t sure until I followed his gaze and realized where his attention landed and what made him smile.
“Don’t even think about it, old man,” I almost growled and grabbed the door to shut it.
He stopped me, his cigar discarded on the ground. He caught me around the waist, pulling me close again and overwhelming me with his rich scent. I had never encountered a cologne I wanted to roll in, but his was addictive. I blamed the fragrance for diverting my attention, and before I could do anything but bury my nose into his chest and inhale his essence, he popped the top off the container and grabbed more cupcakes. He stepped back, holding them high so I couldn’t possibly take them away.