Total pages in book: 65
Estimated words: 62314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62314 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 312(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
But then, again, so was his brother. In a more manly, bossy kind of way. More handsome, too, but I wasn’t going to hurt this guy’s ego by telling him that. Or that I knew Colton… biblically.
“Well, I’ll go tackle a few chores,” Boyd drawled, tossing another wink at his bride. So damn cute.
“Eek! I’m so excited for you guys,” I squealed as he sauntered out. Audrey watched his backside as he did so. I did, too, because it was quite a show.
“Do you want to get refreshed? Shower? Change?” Audrey asked when he was finally out of sight.
“Actually, I would feel better if I got a jump start on baking the wedding cake. I’m totally behind since I didn’t get here last night. I want to have time to decorate it, and sometimes that takes me a while because I’m not a pro.”
“I don’t know, from the pictures you’ve sent me, the birthday cakes you’ve made for your friends are as professional as they come.”
I laughed. “That doesn’t mean they don’t take me twice as long as they should.”
“You know we don’t need anything, fancy, right? It’s a barn wedding, after all.”
“Seeing the groom and this place? It sounds perfect. No matter the setting, you should have the perfect cake,” I insisted. “I just hope you have a fridge big enough to store it.”
“The bunk house has an industrial sized one. I told the guys to make a space… and not to eat it.”
“Problem solved.” I held my hands in front of me like I was praying. “Please just let me go crazy. I’ve always wanted to bake a wedding cake. You’re making my dreams come true here.”
“Well, I am the beneficiary of those dreams, so it works for me. Come on, I’ll show you to the kitchen.” She pushed her glasses up her nose. “It’s huge—you’ll love it.”
I couldn’t help but feel excited about working on Audrey’s cake… in a kitchen that sounded incredible. “Let me grab my recipe.”
I pulled it from my purse then followed Audrey back down the back stairs that led right into… yup, the fabulous kitchen. It wasn’t flashy—no contemporary granite or stainless steel. I knew the Wolf parents had been killed in a car accident when Boyd was only twelve. I doubted Rob, the brother who lived in the house full time, had done any updates since then. It didn’t matter. It was rustic and perfect, with a huge farm table that would be ideal for frosting and assembling the cake. I envisioned three square tiers with white buttercream frosting and piped flowers that matched what was to be in Audrey’s bouquet.
“I emailed my dad that I was coming here for the wedding,” I said, hoping the news wouldn’t drop like a bomb. I winced a little when she turned round eyes on me. “I’m sorry. Was that okay? I’m sorry, not my dad. He’s your dad, too.”
She shook her head. “He is your dad. I’ve only met him once. He hasn’t made any overtures to connect, so…”
She didn’t need to say more, only leaned a hip against the counter.
“I understand.” I did. I felt an emptiness where I should have felt love for my father. Disappointment. “I grew up with him, and he doesn’t try to connect with me. Or, it seems, to pay the school bill,” I muttered the last to myself. “You’d think he’d be interested that I was here with you. Whatever.”
She just offered a shrug, clearly beyond the point of caring about a dad who’d been MIA her entire life.
“Anyway,” I replied with a sigh. “He didn’t respond. Go figure.” I said the last on a whisper and glanced at her through my lashes.
He was too busy in his own life to notice what was going on in his daughters’ lives. Like a wedding. I tried. I’d always tried to connect with him. I was just now coming to realize it was wasted hope. Especially after meeting Audrey because he had a child, a real person, who he should have wanted to connect with but didn’t.
Audrey’s face turned a little pink—whether it was from anger or disappointment, I couldn't be sure. “It doesn’t matter. Really. I never knew him. It sounds like you’ve got more issues with him than I do.” She went to a lower cabinet and pulled out some mixing bowls.
She kept busy finding measuring cups and sifters and ingredients. It took her a little while to search, and I remembered this wasn’t her kitchen. She’d never lived in this house.
I licked my lips and stood out of her way as she set everything on the counter. “Yeah, and see where that’s gotten me.”
“It’s gotten you here to bake me a wedding cake.” She turned her head from the open fridge and smiled. “If you want to go into baking for a career, do it.”