“No problem. It’ll calm both of you down.” I grinned and squeezed Danny’s shoulder much like I’d done to his dad. I glanced at my phone and noted that we still had forty minutes before the festivities were going to start. The cake needed to be set up well before the guests were seated. We hadn’t exactly managed that, but at least it got here in one piece.
“Want to stop by and see the cake on your way to your mom?”
Interest sparked. “Can I taste it?”
I laughed. “Probably not, but I bet my friend has something for you to nibble on.”
He looked hesitant. He was still a little wary of asking what he wanted thanks to his mother’s abuse, but the kid was comingout of his shell more and more every day. I urged him toward the dessert tables which were the halfway mark between the bridal tent and where my brothers were congregated.
Mercy was still fussing with the cakes, but she’d done a lot since I left her. Cam was leaning against one of the pillars, his arms crossed as he laughed at something she said.
Cam’s wife, Maxine, was in the tent with the other women. The closer I got to him, the more I noticed he was craning his neck to get a good look at the tent. That was more like my brother. He was near obsessed with his wife and hated her out of his sight.
“That’s the cake?” The awe in Danny’s voice brought me back to the moment.
“Impressive right? My friend Mercy made it.”
“It looks just like Mom’s dress.”
“That was the plan, I think.”
“How’d she do that?”
Mercy must have heard Danny because she waggled a paintbrush in the air. “Lots and lots of time, that’s how.”
Danny picked up the pace and I could already see the millions of questions that were going to burst out of him. He was still in that magic age where his curiosity hadn’t been strangled by worrying about the cool factor yet.
“How’s it going over here?”
She didn’t look up as she dipped a tiny brush into a cup and painstakingly moved something around in the lacy design. “Only had one casualty. I could probably turn the cake to hide it, but I’m trying to fix it first.” She poked her tongue against front teeth and her hand was rock steady as she moved around pieces like it was a puzzle.
Danny crept up beside her, the pockets on his tux pants sticking out as he toyed with the strings. “What’s in the cup?”
“Vodka.”
I snickered.
She eyed me. “Not for drinking. It lets me move stuff around and dries almost instantly without changing the colors.”
Danny put his face right beside Mercy’s shoulder. “That’s tiny.”
“Tell me about it.”
“Hey, bud, don’t get so close.”
“He’s okay. See all those little bits of lace flowers. I gotta get them all lined up.”
“All of them?”
“Just these last three.” She straightened and stretched her back. My eyes went right to the high curve of her breasts and I immediately turned my gaze skyward.
“So cool.” Danny’s voice held awe and the bubble of questions were coming. I could practically hear them.
“We were just on our way to see Nora. To make sure the ladies were all ready.”
“I bet they want you crashing in on them,” Mercy said wryly.
I dragged Danny in front of me. “I have the winning ticket to get me in.” My voice softened. “It looks really amazing, Mercy. I know they’ll be excited to see what you did.”
