Page 99 of The Backup Groom

I glanced across the table at Stella. “That’s right, we never gave him one.”

“That’s because he’s a Scotty, not a Ryan,” she said.

Scotty shrugged. “It’s not fair that the other guys get a nickname, but not me. Give me something good. Maybe coffee related.”

Stella smiled. “Robust Ryan. That’s a good one!”

Scotty scoffed. “Nota good one, since I don’t go by Ryan. Try again using Scotty.”

I had to think about it for a moment. “Okay, I think I’ve got it. You’re Scotty-the-Hottie.” I laughed, because it was kind of cute, and totally true.

“Bingo!” Stella said.

Scotty shook his head, trying to hide his amusement. “This is getting worse by the minute.”

Dean also crossed his arms. “Hey! What about me?”

“You men are so demanding,” Stella said, gesturing to Lesta, who had just arrived, carrying a huge tray loaded with small plates of various cakes. “You’ll have to wait because it’s time to sample some cakes.”

“Okay, here we go.” Lesta placed the cake samples on the table with four plates and four forks. “The sampler has eight flavors that we offer for weddings, each one clearly labeled so you know what you’re trying. Chocolate raspberry truffle is our most popular cake, but the burnt almond with bavarian cream comes in a very close second. My favorite is the red velvet with the cream cheese filling, but don’t let me influence your decision. Do any of you have problems with nuts, gluten, or anything else?”

Dean was the only one who spoke up, raising his hand. “Nuts.”

“You’ll want to avoid the banana cake and the burnt almond. You’re good to go with the rest of them,” Lesta said, pointing back to the front counter. “I need to get back, but let me know if you have any questions. Enjoy.”

“Thank you,” I said, glancing down at the enormous platter with big, thick slices of every flavor. “Wow. This is a lot of cake.”

Stella put on her game face and picked up a fork, ready to take the first bite. “We can handle it,” she laughingly insisted.

“Oh, my goodness!”A woman nearby jumped out of her seat, her eyes glued to her phone. “This can’t be happening.” She passed our table, spilling her coffee on the floor as she rushed out the door.

“I wonder what that was all about?” Scotty asked.

“Maybe somebody stole her wedding dress,” Dean said.

“I seriously doubt it,” Stella said, looking at the floor. “But that needs to be cleaned up before someone slips and breaks their neck.”

“I’ll get an employee.” I slid my chair out to stand, but then noticed a man about to step on the spill. “Watch your step!”

It was too late.

As if I were watching in slow motion, the guy’s long, lanky legs flew out from underneath him. He reached out and held on to our table for stability, but ended up tipping the table completely over, our teas and the cake samples, everything, crashing to the floor along with the man.

The bakery went silent.

Scotty jumped to his feet, righting the table, and checking on the guy. “Are you okay?’

“I’m fine,” the man said. “Wet, but fine. No broken bones.”

Scotty stepped over the mess and held out his hand, pulling the man to his feet. The floor was a complete disaster and our cake samples were demolished.

Lesta frantically rushed over, worry plastered on her face. “Did you hurt yourself?”

The man shook his head and stared down at the cake smashed over almost every inch of his clothing, flicking some frosting to the floor with his finger. “I’m okay, just a little embarrassed.”

“Well, it wasn’t your fault,” Stella said. “The woman who just walked out spilled coffee everywhere. We tried to warn you.”

He nodded. “I heard you as I stepped in it, but it was too late by then.”