I loosened the cap and turned back to the cake, ready to leave a drop of extract on the top, when I swear I could practically hear Rowan ask, “Is that the honorable thing to do?”
What the fuck was I thinking?Adding almond extract into a woman’s wedding cake when she was allergic? Only a damn monster would do something like that.
Not honorable at all.
The handle on the walk-in cooler rattled. My heart pounded in my ears as I tightened the cap on the extract, shoved it on the shelf, and flopped back on my stool.
True rejoined me at the table with frosting. “Are you okay? You look sweaty and are breathing heavy.”
I laughed nervously. “Ha. Yeah. I’m good. So good! Just excited about this cronut.” I took a big bite out of the confection and nearly orgasmed on the spot. “Holy shit,” I said around a mouthful of heaven. “This is amazeballs.”
True stood straighter. “Thank you! My Canadian baker friend and I devised that idea during one drunken cooking school weekend.”
“Cronut good.” I managed to say while I shoved the rest of the treat in my mouth. The pastry hit my stomach like a lead weight as I considered what I nearly did.
I needed something else—another plan.
True’s phone chimed. She carefully set the piping bag on the table and picked up her phone to frown at the screen. “Jesse’s not going to make it.”
I pulled out my phone to check for messages. There was nothing from Jesse, but there was a text from Rowan.
Rowan
I have a surprise for you at the dock.
I wonder if my surprise rhymed with dock?I snort-laughed, spitting right onto True’s wedding cake.
“Oh, my god! I’m so sorry!” I scrambled off the stool, sending it clattering to the tile floor. “What can I do to fix that?”
True waved her hand dismissively. “Meh. Don’t worry about it.” She turned toward utensils near the ovens and pulled out aspatula. “I’ll scrape off the part you got and redo it. Won’t take long.”
“I’m so sorry!”
True grinned at me. “Do you know how often I’ve botched the frosting on a cake and had to start over? Too many to count. This is on the back of the cake. No one will ever know.”
I shook my head, unsure of what to do now. Jesse wasn’t coming. My cronut was sitting heavily in my stomach. And True probably wanted me out of her kitchen. I bent to pick up the stool and set it to rights.
“Since Jesse’s not going to make it this morning, I can go over the Best Ma’am duties with you,” True offered. “It’s not much, but maybe you’d like to be part of some of the bridal activities?”
Kill. Me. Now.
“Sure,” I responded weakly. “Sounds like fun.”
Chapter 16
Rowan Rafferty tries to help
I walkedthe length of the dock next to Kendra’s former charter boat. The once-proud boat bobbed in the water, listing slightly to one side as if exhausted from last week’s ordeal. The pungent smell of burnt fiberglass hung heavy in the air, a bitter reminder of the electrical fire that had consumed her belovedNetfish and Chill. Blackened remnants clung stubbornly to the hull, contrasting starkly against the ashy gray that now marked its surface. My gut churned as I considered my harebrained plan to help Kendra without her discovering who I was.
As if I conjured her out of thin air, the woman of the hour strode down the weathered planks of the dock toward me. “Hey,” she said. “What’s going on?”
I took a deep breath. “Well, don’t get mad.”
Kendra rolled her eyes. “I thought we went over this, Boss. I can’t promise you something like that.”
“Okay, how about this? Keep an open mind.”
The rumble of the towboat entering the Pleasure Point Marina drowned out anything she would say in response. But her eyes widened as the boat drew closer to where we stood on the docks.
