7
Erin yawned for what felt like the millionth time as she made her way to the country club the next morning. Thanks to Logan’s help, she’d been able to finish making a new wedding cake and two sheet cakes to hide in the kitchen. It wasn’t ideal, but at least there would be something for the bride and groom to cut after dinner.
After pulling into a spot, she sat frozen in her seat.
“You can do this,” Logan said from beside her. “It’s a gorgeous cake and it will get the job done. Besides, the cake isn’t what matters. It’s the marriage.”
Erin knew Logan was right, but it was hard to think that way after the verbal lashing she’d received from both the bride and her mother the night before. It had taken everything in Erin to put so much effort into a cake that was going to be underappreciated. Still, she was a woman of her word, and she tried her best tomake the prettiest cake possible with the time restraints.
“Erin.” Logan reached across the center console and squeezed her knee. “You did the best you could. It’s not your fault.”
Erin let out a shaky breath. With Logan’s hand on her knee, it was hard to think straight. She knew he meant the touch to be reassuring, but it sent her heart pounding in ways that were confusing. Even though Erin knew he was leaving soon, it had felt like they’d turned a corner last night. The way Logan took care of her kids while she picked up the pieces of the cake from the kitchen floor and the way he’d stayed up into the early hours of the morning with her to finish the new cake made her think that their friendship—or whatever this was—wasn’t completely lost.
It felt like answered prayer. And yet, it was impossible to understand.
“Come on. Let’s get this over with, and then we’ll go home and hang out with the kids.”
Home. The kids. Even his words made it difficult to sort through what was growing between them. But he was right, she needed to drop the wedding cake off and be done with it before she could think about anything else.
Logan and she got out of the car and walked to the back of the station wagon where the cakes were. She grabbed the small cake for the reception while Logan took the two sheet cakes that would be cut out of sightand then served to the guests. Careful not to let the cake slip from her hands, she and Logan walked through the front door of the country club. The building was the only place in Frostford nice enough to host an event of this caliber, and Erin was impressed by the light and airy feel of the inside, a result of the large windows that filled every wall.
The event hall was already decorated for that evening’s reception. Tables and chairs covered in white linens filled the room, except for the dancefloor in the middle. On top of each table were bouquets of yellow tulips. It was simple and elegant at the same time. Erin was hit with a wave of emotion as she recalled her own wedding.
She remembered the overwhelming feelings she’d felt that day. Excitement to be marrying the man she loved. The joy of knowing that she’d get to spend forever by his side. Erin never could have imagined that their forever would be cut short by cancer and that she’d be living a completely different life only ten short years later.
Erin blinked quickly, hoping to clear the tears that were filling her eyes as she re-lived those memories. But Logan was too perceptive for his own good. He stepped in front of her forcing Erin to stop.
“Wanna talk about it?”
Erin pressed her lips together and shook her head. She was afraid to talk about it. Between the stress of the cake and not sleeping, she was barely keeping heremotions in check. She knew if she tried to verbalize the emotions swirling through her, she would lose it.
Logan nodded. “If you change your mind, let me know. I know I wasn’t there. But ... Jake was my friend too. I’m happy to listen.”
For the first time, Erin didn’t feel anger at Logan talking about her late husband. She could see the genuineness in his eyes, hear it in his voice. He’d made some mistakes, big ones, but it was obvious that he was trying to make up for the way he’d acted. She was no better than the bride and her mother if she refused to forgive Logan for his past. It was time for her to let go of the grudge she’d been holding against him.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice soft.
She could see how Logan visibly relaxed with her response. She didn’t realize how much her animosity had been weighing on him. Jake was his friend too, and she was sure the guilt Logan felt from not being here was bad enough without her directing all of her anger at him as well.
He jerked his head toward what looked like a door to the kitchen. “Think we go that way?”
“Yeah. I think so.”
Before they could make it to the door, they were greeted by one of the caterers. The middle-aged man wearing a tuxedo looked at the boxes in her hands. “Mrs. Carlisle?”
Erin gave him a weak smile. “Yes, that’s me.”
The man turned up his nose at her. “If you’ll follow me.”
Erin pushed down the embarrassment of being looked down on by the man. She had expected it, but it was still painful. She walked behind him in silence, trying to mask the hurt. Thankfully, Logan’s presence was enough to give her the strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other. She didn’t know what she’d do without him here with her.
When the caterer pushed open the door of the kitchen, Erin followed him inside and was met by a flurry of motion. There were several men and women moving around in the small space. Some wore aprons and were cooking. Others wore similar get-ups to the man she’d followed back and were folding white napkins into intricate patterns.
The caterer pointed to a steel table off to the side. “You can put the cakes there.”
The words were not unkind in and of themselves, but he had a way of speaking them that made it seem like Erin brought a box of snails. As soon as she and Logan set the cakes down, the man opened the box with the small tiered cake. His face scrunched up in obvious disapproval. “I assume this is for the reception.”
Logan took a few steps so that he was standing between Erin and the caterer. “You don’t need to say it like that.”
