The Wedding Gift

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER EIGHT

"Thanks for agreeing to help me, Aunt Evie," Julie said as she took the third layer of cake out of the oven and put it out on the side of her aunt's kitchen counter.

"It's no problem, honey," her aunt assured her, handing her a pastry bag full of frosting. "I know you haven't done many wedding cakes before."

"I haven't done any wedding cakes before," Julie corrected. "I really need to get this one right."

"But isn't this one just for the tasting?"

How could she explain why this cake was so important? Should she tell her aunt about everything that had happened with Andrew picking her food apart? Or how badly she needed to make things up to Rose after the fiasco with the O'Neils and their extreme reaction to squid and sushi-style meat?

But she knew she couldn't drop her problems onto Aunt Evie's lap, not when the stresses of the wedding business had already made her ill once before.

"I just want to make the best impression I can."

"I know you do. You've always worked so hard, honey. Too hard, sometimes."

While the cake was nothing more than a few simple ingredients mixed up right, decorating it was practically an art form-one that took extreme focus. Which proved to be a problem-a big problem-every time thoughts of Andrew's very unexpected kiss flashed into her mind.

"Julie?" Evie asked when she messed up a string of frosting for the third time. "Tell me what's wrong."

But Julie didn't want to think about what had happened the night before. Maybe if she buried it deep enough, she might just be able to forget how good Andrew's mouth had felt on hers.

"Nothing's wrong. I'm just not good at this."

Aunt Evie took the frosting tube out of her hands. "I'm not letting you do anything else to that poor cake until you tell me what has you making such a mess of the edges."

"I...I kissed this guy." Julie suddenly felt like a teenager again. "Actually, he kissed me and I kissed him back. And now I don't know what to do about it."

"Do you like him?"

Julie hesitated as Andrew's beautiful face swam into her thoughts once more.

"Let me rephrase that," her aunt continued with a smile. "You obviously can't run a line of frosting straight so, yes, you like him. Now, what's the problem?"

Julie shook her head. "I shouldn't like him. I should hate him. But things..."

"Aren't that simple?" Her aunt laughed softly. "They never are. My advice is to just get on with life and see where it takes you."

Fortunately her aunt left it at that and by the time they were done with the cake, Julie was fairly certain Rose would be pleased with it-enough, she hoped, to get them over the hump of the O'Neils.

Before she left for work, Julie put on far too much makeup, then took most of it off again before changing into her normal work clothes.

When she arrived at The Rose Chalet, Phoebe was putting together a couple of small floral displays. The florist was dressed in a long blue-and-green dress that hugged her figure and Julie almost felt as if she were dressed in rags by comparison.

"Phoebe, those designs are incredible." She really hoped Andrew wouldn't pick away at her new friend's arrangements the same way he had at her food. "I didn't expect you to be here today, though."