Six

 

Clay glanced up toward Dakota. She sat in front of all the files and papers, muttering to herself.

"Need any help?" he asked.

She slammed a three-ring binder shut. "Charlotte called me personally about the wedding, but I can't even get hold of her. Her assistant, Sarah, keeps answering her phone and putting me off."

"Well, Charlotte does have a bit of a reputation, you know."

"And she's surely living up to it," Dakota grumbled and opened a file. "I'm just going to fax these over. Charlotte and Hugh can sign them and fax them back whenever they get around to it. Theirs isn't the only wedding around here."

"Do you want to take that ride now?" Clay asked. "Some fresh air might do you some good."

She looked like she was trying to smile. "Thanks. Maybe after I fax these over."

"Want me to do it? I'm almost done with this, and you could really use a break."

"You'd do that?"

"Sure. It's no problem." He rose and cracked his knuckles.

Dakota walked over with a file. "They need these—all of them. The number is right here." She pointed to a handwritten fax number on the inside of the manila file.

He took it from her. "Gotcha covered."

She threw him a grateful expression and headed out of the office.

Clay turned on the fax machine and was glad that his work as a cubicle rat came in handy for something. At least he could help Dakota. He felt bad for all the stress Charlotte was putting on her.

Just as he was turning off the machine, Dakota came back in with a steaming mug. "Do you want some coffee? It's a bit stale, but…" She shrugged and sipped the drink.

"Nah. I'm good. You ready for that ride?" He found himself looking forward to it more than usual. Maybe it was because of being stuck behind the desk all morning.

"Yeah, let me just finish this." She took a long sip. "You have an extra helmet, right?"

"Of course." Though sometimes he wondered why, since Lauryn would never even get on his bike.

"Perfect." She set her mug down. "I'm all—"

Her phone rang. She pulled it out, and her eyes lit up. "It's Charlotte."

"Answer it!"

"Figures she'd call now." Dakota pushed a button. "Hi, Charlotte. How are you?" She paused, nodding every so often. "You can fax or mail those back—or even hand deliver them. We'll need to get you and Hugh fitted soon—not to mention the others in the wedding party, but not everyone needs to be here at the same time."

Dakota paused again and then her eyes widened.

"What?" Clay asked.

She turned around and walked over to the window. "We really need more than measurements. There's nothing that's going to replace having you right there. Plus, you need to see the dress in person." She nodded her head while tugging on her ponytail. "And then there's the cake tasting and—" Dakota paused again. "Yeah, he's here… Okay, I'll put you on video. Hold on."

"What's going on?" Clay asked.

"She wants to talk to you." Dakota slid her finger around the screen and held it out. "Are you there?"

"Yeah. Where's Clayton?" came Charlotte's voice.

Dakota walked over holding the phone out toward Clay. "Right here."

Clay looked at the screen. Charlotte appeared to be laying down on top of rows of bright lights. She had small, round sunglasses on. Was she tanning?

"Clayton, darling. You're new, right? I think Dakota mentioned that before."

"Yeah, I am."

The image moved out, showing Charlotte in a tanning bed wearing a teeny bikini.

"Hey, Sarah," Charlotte snapped. "Hold the phone closer."

The screen went blurry for a moment, and then focused on Charlotte's face. "Okay, here's the deal, Clayton. Hugh and I can't make it down there to—what's it called? Ember Bay?"

"Enchantment Bay."

"Right. Okay, we can't make it in time to taste the cake. Can you be a doll and test them for me? I want to watch your reactions."

Clay glanced behind the screen at Dakota.

She rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Um, okay," Clay said, turning back to Charlotte. "You sure you don't want to taste them yourself?"

"My cousin said it was all perfect when she got married, so I'm not really worried about it."

"Sure. When do you want to—"

"Now. My personal trainer is going to be here in twenty minutes. Let's get this done."

He glanced back at Dakota. She turned the screen to herself. "We're going to walk over to the kitchen now. Sound good?"

"Wonderful," Charlotte replied. "Let's just hurry."

"We're heading over now," Dakota assured her. She rushed into the hall.

Clay followed her down through the building and into the kitchen. Dakota shared with Charlotte about the various types of cake. It made Clay's head spin—even more so, knowing he would need to learn all of the details. It was a good thing he was just the taster today.

Dakota pulled a tray of tiny cake squares from one of the massive fridges and led them into a small dining room. Clay assumed it was for testing only, and not for receptions.

She held the phone toward the little pieces of cake. "Clay will test these for you. We'll start with a chocolate raspberry. It's one of our most popular—"

"Is it made with real sugar?" Charlotte asked.

"Our chefs can make it any way you want. Gluten free, vegan, sugar free, and even with—"

"No sugar alternatives," Charlotte insisted. "Ever."

"Okay," Dakota said. "That's not a problem. I'll make a note of that in your chart. Only real sugar for your wedding."

"Organic, pure-cane."

"Got it." Dakota scribbled something on a notepad.

"Start tasting," Charlotte told Clay. "Begin with the chocolate raspberry one. Oh, wait. It's not real raspberry, is it? Hugh's allergic."

"Be sure to note that in the paperwork," Dakota said. "We can substitute it with strawberry, rhubarb, or anything, really."

"We'll figure that out later," Charlotte said. "Start tasting."

Clay held back a smile. The whole thing was amusing—him being bossed around by a famous reality star to eat sweets. He should have quit his old job long before he did.

He reached for a toothpick and picked up a dark brown square cake with red filling and put it in his mouth. The entire thing practically melted as soon as he closed his mouth.

"Oh, this is good."

Charlotte smiled. "And that's the chocolate raspberry?"

"Actually," Dakota said, "that one is cherry."

"I said to try the raspberry one," Charlotte snapped.

Clay swallowed the cake. "You're the one who wanted me because I've never done this."

"Fine. So, you liked it?"

"It's the best I've ever tasted."

Charlotte pushed herself up onto her elbows and narrowed her eyes into the camera. "Are you just saying that?"

"If it was anything less, I'd tell you. You can trust me."

She scrunched her face and lay back down. "I hope you're as trustworthy as you are hot. Next cake."

Clay held in a snicker. He couldn't wait to tell Lauryn about that. She always complained about his hair being too long. What would she think of Charlotte Pemberley saying he was hot?

"I said next."

"Just trying to decide which one you might like best," Clay said, studying the platter. "How about white cake?"

"Chocolate. I want chocolate."

"We do have a white chocolate option," Dakota said.

"Oh, really?" Charlotte's voice went up two octaves. "Try that."

The next fifteen minutes went by in a blur of sugary sweetness. This was without a doubt the best job ever.

Charlotte climbed off the tanning bed. "Okay, my trainer's here. Which one do you recommend, Clayton?"

"The white one with rhubarb filling."

"And that can be done with organic, pure-cane sugar?"

"Easily," Dakota said.

"Okay. We'll go with that one. Talk soon."

"Wait!" Dakota exclaimed. "We still need to talk about the fittings. Your wedding is coming up soon, and we don't have time to spare."

"I told you. Sarah will send everyone's measurements. It's no big deal."

"But we need you to be here. We need to schedule at least one day for you to come out before the wedding."

"Talk to Sarah. I gotta go."

The screen went blank.

Dakota threw her head back. "Can you believe her?"

"Her reputation does precede her."

"I'm beginning to wonder if this is worth it." She put her face in her palms.

"What do you mean?" Clay snuck a piece of vanilla cake Charlotte hadn't wanted him to taste. "At least the cake is picked out. You'll have her measurements. I'm sure the tailor can work with that."

"Up to a point."

"Look, I'll drive them up to her, if I have to."

She looked at him with an expression mixed with gratitude and disbelief. "You'd do that?"

"Why not?"

Dakota shook her head. "Thanks, but it wouldn't work. The tailor would never go with you."

"Surely one of Charlotte's people could help fit it, right?"

"Maybe. I hope it doesn't come down to that. I'll call Sarah after lunch and see if I can schedule something. You'd think that coming down here just once wouldn't be such a big deal. I mean, she did choose to have her wedding down here. She had to know she couldn't just show up on the wedding day."

Clay snorted.

"What?"

"I'm sure that's exactly what she was thinking."

Dakota let out a long, slow breath and ran her hands through her hair. "You're probably right."

He stood up and covered the remaining cake. "Let's go for that ride and get your mind off everything. I find that there's nothing like speeding through the fresh air to lift my mood."

She nodded, but didn't move.

"You okay?" he asked.

"I just hope this works out. I've never had a wedding like this before. Sure, people from out of town have had their weddings here, but it's never been like this. It's like…" She frowned. "I don't know. It's just so stressful. I don't feel like I'm in charge."

Clay felt bad for her. He also wasn't quite sure what to do with such vulnerability. "Well, don't let her run the show. What would you do if she wasn't Charlotte Pemberley?"

Dakota sighed. "I would have already had an agreement to follow our typical schedule—which includes actually showing up. But maybe this is good. What if remotely planning weddings is the future? My clients seem to be coming from farther and farther away."

He nodded. "Okay, so this is a test. What we need to do is make a list of what works and what doesn't. Then after this wedding—which as you said, will bump your clientele into a new stratosphere—you'll be able to set the rules. This is showing you how far you're willing to go for clients."

Her pretty green eyes lit up. "You know, you're right. I shouldn't let this get to me. Trust me, I'm not usually like this."

"Most people aren't like her, and I'll do whatever I can to help."

She stared at him like he was a hero.

The back of Clay's neck felt engulfed in flames. He cleared his throat. "How about that ride?"