Tomorrow would be louder, more complicated, and full of people and expectations with the wedding.
But tonight, standing in the quiet after a long day, I knew one thing clearly.
This mattered.
Chapter Twenty: Familiar Sharp Edges
Jane
Wedding mornings were organized chaos.
I was in the kitchen before the guests stirred, before the hallway filled with footsteps and voices, before the inevitable questions began. Coffee was brewed stronger than usual to get me and the staff motivated. Lists were taped to the counter where I could see them without searching. The ovens hummed steadily, familiar and reliable with breakfast started. Trays were stacked in careful order and the dining room had already been set up.
I liked mornings like this. There was comfort in knowing what needed to be done and doing it well. Food was something easy to manage. Timelines made sense when you followed them. I could trust my hands even when my thoughts wandered.
And they did wander.
The quiet of the early kitchen gave my mind room to drift back to the night before. The way Braxton had listened without interrupting and how he had waited to go at my pace. It was a lovely, steady feeling that something had shifted into place without either of us pushing it.
I didn’t let myself linger in my thoughts for long, as much as I wanted to. Wedding days were not for reflection. They were for execution.
I checked the prep list again, then turned as the back door opened and two unfamiliar faces stepped inside, stamping snow from their boots.
“Jane Bennet?” one of them said quickly, already shrugging out of her coat. “I’m Molly and this is Erin. We are the extra help Kitty hired.”
Relief loosened something in my chest.
“Thank you for coming early,” I said. “I will get you set up.”
They nodded eagerly, watching my hands as I pointed out stations, tasks, timelines. Molly took notes without being asked. Erin asked smart questions. They were competent, calm, and respectful of the space.
I realized how badly I needed that. Today was going to be busy and I didn’t need to babysit anyone. It was wonderful to have staff that was ready and willing to work at an experienced level.
As they got to work, I moved to the walk-in and checked the cake. It was three tiers, flowers and ribbon winding upward on each tier, with a tiny bride and groom at the top holding hands. I looked it over carefully. The frosting was still smooth, no cracks, and no shifting. I let myself shut the door to the refrigerator, taking a relieved breath. The dozens of sugarplums were also there, perfect and waiting for their moment to be served to guests.
We sent out breakfast service in record time due to the extra helping hands. This set me up for a good chance at getting the rest of the day ahead of schedule in the kitchen which made my already happy mood even happier.
Footsteps sounded in the hallway outside the kitchen. They were confident and deliberate, and if I were not mistaken, a set of heels. While this shouldn’t be uncommon for the wedding day, it was midmorning and I didn’t see why any of the wedding party would already be fully dressed.
“Jane.” Carly Hale said my name the way she always had, in a bright and polished tone that wasn’t exactly unfriendly. It was as though she were greeting someone she had already categorized.
I turned and found her standing just inside the doorway, coat still on, scarf arranged with effortless precision. She looked exactly as she had the first time I met her. Tall, thin with her red hair pulled back neatly, and not a strand out of place. She did not look like someone who baked or rushed or worried.
She looked like someone who arrived and was intimidating.
“Carly,” I greeted her cautiously.
Carly was Braxton’s sister. She also knew Dex quite well as a family friend. For a while, Lucy had been worried that Carly and Dex were a couple. Carly had certainly wanted her to have a relationship with him. Fortunately, Dex had cleared the air, told Carly that they would only ever be family friends, and made his feelings clear to Lucy.
Her eyes moved quickly through the kitchen, taking everything in. “It is still very… quaint.”
The word landed exactly where it always did. Not exactly an insult but certainly not praise.
She stepped farther in, heels clicking against the floor. “I wanted to see the kitchen before everything became chaotic.Braxton mentioned you were handling most of the food yourself, to which I was astounded.”
“Yes,” I said.
Her manicured brows lifted slightly. “That is impressive. Very… hands-on. I would have thought you would need assistance to run a big event like a wedding. People are so demanding and want perfection on their big day.”
