Page 14 of Wedding Cake Carnage
Beasty prowls to and fro as I finish slicing up another pink champagne cake.
“How did you know Jana?” I whisper over to him as I move the cake to the front counter where Lily takes over.
Beasty belts out a rather unimpressive roar. “Her father dealt in the illegal sale of exotic animals.” He rolls his Rs and it’s entirely adorable. “I was one of them. I resided with the March family for a total of three weeks before I was sold to a restaurateur with a penchant for the extravagant. Once he was apprehended by the Mounties, I was placed in a zoo in Montreal.”
“Nice. International crime. Who would have known? Jana was a very nice girl. But just three weeks? She really fell hard for you.”
“The tears the girl shed when we parted ways.” He shakes his beautiful head. “I cried for her as well. She was my second mother.”
“That’s so heartbreakingly sweet.”
Lily pokes her head back into the kitchen. “What’ssweet, Lottie? Are you talking to yourself again?”
“The cake is sweet. Do we need more?”
“No, but your sister and her fiancé are here.”
“Ooh!” I skip to the front, thrilled to find Lainey and Forest out front. “Let’s take a seat.” I scoop up a plate full of cookies and Forest’s favorite dark fudge brownies as I meet them at the table. My ex Bear helped paint the interior of the bakery a delicious butter yellow. The furniture is hodgepodge, mismatched and painted in every shade of pastel. “Can I get you some coffee?”
Lainey shakes her head. “This is more than enough.” She slides a bloated notebook my way. “Our realtor is meeting up with us here in just a few minutes. Here’s the holy grail, Lottie. This was Jana’s notes for my wedding. You don’t know how hard it is for me to part with the original.”
“These are notes?” I marvel as I open the dictionary-sized three-ring binder with a picture of a wedding cake over the front. “I know you’ve got a lot on your plate, but do either of you have any idea of who would want to hurt Jana?”
Forest and Lainey exchange a glance, and I get the vaguest feeling they’re holding something back.
Forest takes a breath. “Jana mentioned something about having a falling-out with Jackie.”
“Jackie?” I think back to the convention. “The short girl with the wild black hair? That was her best friend, right? They seemed to get along fine for the five minutes I saw them.”
Lainey shrugs. “And they did. But Jana said there was tension. She never specified what it was about, but maybe Jackie still wanted Jana’s fiancé for herself? The guy is a looker.”
Forest growls and Lainey leans in and gives the scruff on his cheek a scratch.
How I miss Everett’s scruff. How I miss Everett’s everything.
“Aw.” Lainey takes up my hand. “You’re thinking about him again, aren’t you?”
“Oh, I don’t dare stop. I know Everett would do the same for me. He’d tear apart all of Vermont until he brought me home safe.” My chest bucks as I do my best to control my emotions. “It’s just so frustrating knowing he’s out there somewhere and I can’t do anything at all to find him.”
Forest leans in. “Noah told me about the note at the convention.”
Lainey sucks in a lungful of air so fast I’m afraid she might accidentally vacuum up all the cookies right off the platter. “What? You mean to tell me there weretwomaniacs running around the convention center that afternoon? That’s it. This planet’s not safe anymore. We’re moving, Forest.”
“To Mars?” I couldn’t help but ask.
Before my sister can answer, a redhead with her hair pulled into a bun, a pink silk jacket, and matching skirt saunters over.
“You two ready to shake up Honey Hollow?”
Lainey snatches a peanut butter cookie off the plate. “Do they have a Honey Hollow on Mars?”
“Never mind her,” I say. “I’m Lottie. I think we met briefly at the convention center. Hey, you were the girl Jana introduced us to. The event planner from Ashford?”
“That would be me. I just started my own event company—Make It Happen. I’m hoping it will take off soon. Hook is letting me take on these two because he’s seen how desperately I need to make ends meet. The real estate market is a bit slow in these parts, and most realtors have other means to supplement their income.”
“Makes sense.” I slide the cookie platter her way. “Sweet treat for the road?”
“Ohh, thank you.” She goes for the rocky road brownie, a tried-and-true favorite. “I remember you from the convention, too. So tragic what happened.” She shudders. “I hope this doesn’t sound callous, but I’m sure glad I know who her clients are. I mean, those people are going to need someone to step in and I’ll gladly be that person for them. In memory of Jana, of course.”