At five minutes to three, I sat in the Charming Cakes parking lot waiting for Alex to return any of the four voicemails I’d left him that day or the three texts I’d sent him in the past fifteen minutes. Cars entered the parking lot and stopped, but none of the people who got out were him.
Three o’clock came and I couldn’t wait any longer to go inside to meet Sherry, the wedding cake planner at Charming. I didn’t know whether to be angry with Alex or worried. It wasn’t like him to not answer my calls or my texts.
I walked into the building and waited behind two older ladies standing in front of the bakery display cases choosing their pastries very carefully. One didn’t like lemon, but the other did, and they began to argue about including one in their order instead of getting all cherry pies for some get-together they were having two days from then.
“A little variety is always nice,” said the one with the white hair and rosy cheeks from too much blush.
The other one, a heavy woman with grey hair, turned to look at her like she’d just announced she hated all pie and sneered. “Variety is fine, but lemon isn’t. No one eats lemon pies, Margery.”
The first woman sulked, pouting as she said in a quiet voice, “I eat them.”
Just as I was sure this would take until Wednesday for them to make up their minds, the grey haired one relented with a sweet smile for her lemon pie loving friend. “Okay. We’ll get one and the other two will be cherry. Sound good?”
Margery beamed her happiness and nodded. “Thank you, Delores.”
That issue settled, the women paid for their pies and went on their merry way, still the best of friends, it seemed. Delores would likely still be the bossy one, but I had a feeling Margery knew how to work around her friend’s demanding nature to get what she wanted.
Sherry looked out through the bakery door window and smiled. Her chin length, wavy black hair bobbed up and down as she waved to me through the bakery door window and called out, “I’ll be right there. Take a seat.”
I sat down at a table and chairs farthest away from the door in an area they called the solarium. A tiny area off the bakery store, it was filled with windows that let the sun come in. Even though all the glass made it feel wide open, the warmth from the sun gave it a very cozy feel.
Looking out the windows, I scanned the parking lot for any sign of Alex. What could be keeping him? He knew the cake tasting appointment was for three. I’d reminded him that morning.
Sherry walked toward me with a tray filled with samples of cake and said loudly, “Hi, Poppy! I think you’re going to love what I have for you and Alex today.”
She stopped and looked around at the empty solarium around us. “Where is the groom-to-be?”
“I think he’s running a little late. It’s okay. We know who’s going to have to make the final decision anyway,” I joked, forcing a laugh.
She nodded, wholeheartedly agreeing. “It’s always the bride who does. Get ready because this is the way marriage is. The woman is always having to decide.”
I hated falling back on that supposed truism that men were idiots and only women knew how to do things right. That’s not how Alex and I saw ourselves or wanted our marriage to be. He and I respected each other. We were a team, partners who worked on cases together and then in our private life, truly enjoyed one another’s company.
The idea that at some point I would look at him like I’d seen so many women look at their husbands like they were the biggest morons walking made my stomach turn. My parents never felt that way about themselves. Never once did I see my mother look at my father like his very words and behavior disgusted her. They may not have always gotten along, but their arguments didn’t change the fact that beneath everything existed a solid foundation of love that remained strong until the day she died.
I adored Alex in every way, but just as importantly, I respected and admired him for the kind of man he showed himself to be time and time again to the world. I knew he respected me too, and that respect meant everything to me. Years from now when he may be bald and wrinkled, and nature will have done its worst to me, I wanted us to still have that admiration and respect that we’d started with.
As Sherry set up her cake samples on a table behind me, I looked out the window once again to see if Alex had finally arrived. Glancing at my phone, I saw it was already ten after three. I wouldn’t be able to put off starting the tasting for much longer.
“Oh, I forgot the water!” she said in a panicked voice. She rushed by me as she said, “I’ll be right back with a pitcher. Just give me a second!”
She didn’t have to worry. What I’d drink during the tasting was the last thing on my mind.
While she ran for the water, I quickly called him once more, but like all the other times that day, it went directly to voicemail. After listening to his deep voice tell me to leave a message, I did just that, my tone full of concern about why he hadn’t arrived yet.
“Alex, it’s after three and I’m at the wedding cake tasting appointment. I’ve called a bunch of times today, and you haven’t called me back yet. I’m beginning to get worried. Are you okay? Please call me back when you get this and let me know you’re okay. Love you.”
Just as I clicked END, Sherry returned with a glass pitcher of water. Setting it down on the table, she smiled and said in a voice that sounded almost as worried as mine just had, “I hope you don’t think I’m not prepared. I am. I just always forget the water.”
Her nervousness made me want to ease her mind, so I smiled and waved away her concerns about the water. “It’s fine. To be honest, I’m not sure if I hadn’t read up on these tastings that I would have thought of having a glass of water, but I guess with all the tastes and all the sweetness, water’s a good idea.”
My words made her relax, and she sat down at the table with me. “Thank you for saying that, Poppy. I sometimes get a little flustered with things. Now, are you ready for some cake tasting? I have what you and Alex asked for, in addition to a few that are a little wilder and a few of the more traditional choices. Feel free to ask me anything you want. I’m here to make sure that you get the cake you absolutely want for your big day.”
I took one last look out the windows to see if Alex had arrived and my heart sank. I’d have to do this cake tasting without him.
“Okay, let’s do this,” I forced myself to say.
The last thing I wanted to do at that moment was eat sample of eight different cakes.
“Great! We always start off with the lighter and fluffier cakes first. The fillings and frostings are separate, so once you find a cake you like, we’ll move onto those. You’re definitely going to need the water then.”
Sherry jumped up from her seat to bring over the tiniest and cutest piece of white cake I’d ever seen. I looked at the table behind me and saw all the pieces were the same size. They looked like someone had baked eight little doll-sized cakes and cut a wedge from each. Obviously made for just a few bites, probably enough for the groom and bride to try each variety, they were the cutest little things.
Placing it in front of me, she explained, “This is angel food cake. It’s definitely light and fluffy, and for a warm weather wedding, it’s quite popular. Give it a try and see if you like it.”
I picked up the fork sitting on the plate and sunk it into the first cake sample to cut off a bite. As soon as I tasted it, I had to admit it was delicious. Sweet yet not sickeningly so, it practically melted on my tongue.
“Oh, I like that. I’ve never had wedding cake that tasted like this. Most of the ones I’ve tasted are heavy.”
Sherry shook her head, making her curls swing left and right. “Oh, I know. And then they put on that frosting that makes you feel like you’re going to be sick. But this is so light. I love it for wedding cakes!”
Her enthusiasm began to push away my unhappiness that Alex had stood me up for our one and only cake tasting appointment, so I took another tiny piece of the angel food cake and had to admit it might not be necessary to try any others I loved it so much.
Pointing at it with the fork, I nodded. “This is definitely going to be in the running, no matter how great the other ones taste. I just love how light it is.”
Thrilled I’d found one I liked already, Sherry beamed. “Okay. Great! I’m going to put this over to the side in the area I’ll call definitely a possibility.”
She poured me a glass of water and stood up from her chair again. “Let me get another one, but take a drink of water to cleanse your palate.”
The next cake she placed in front of me instantly made me think of the beach. I didn’t even have to taste it to know it contained coconut as the scent wafted up to my nose. Another white cake, this one looked a little less fluffy and a tiny bit denser.
“This is a coconut cake, and it’s usually paired with a lime frosting, but that’s entirely up to you. Take a taste of the cake and see if you like it,” Sherry said as she poured more water into my glass.
This one tasted creamy and rich and reminded me of a piña colada. It wasn’t bad, but I didn’t think it would be right for our wedding.
I pushed the plate away after just one bite. “I don’t think that will work. Neither of us are huge coconut fans.”
For a moment, Sherry looked disappointed, but her buoyant attitude toward this whole cake tasting thing rebounded almost immediately. Shunning the coconut cake to the other table, she returned with a third variety that looked nothing like the first two as I washed away the remnants of the coconut flavor from my mouth.
A slice of red velvet cake sat in the middle of the plate in front of me looking decadent and heavier than the previous two choices. I knew almost instantly that I didn’t want a red colored cake for my wedding, but I humored Sherry, who looked like she wanted to explode she was so excited about this cake.
“It’s a little wilder, but it tastes divine!” she squealed as I took my first bite.
I had to admit it did taste good. I couldn’t place exactly what it tasted like since it wasn’t chocolate or vanilla or even like the angel food cake.
“It’s very good, but I don’t think I’m a red velvet kind of bride,” I said with a smile, pushing the plate toward her to place it in the banished section with piece of coconut cake.
Sherry carried away the unwanted cake to the other table, and I took another drink of water, wondering how people drank so much water and ate so much all in one setting like this. At this rate, I’d be floating away or bouncing down the road after so much water and cake.
As I considered telling her that I’d already made up my mind and wanted the angel food cake so we could move on to the frosting that would work with the flowers I wanted, I saw Bruno Carter come through the front door of the bakery and walk up to the counter. As handsome as the last time I saw him, now he wore a grey dress shirt with black dress pants instead of jeans and a t-shirt, but his nicer clothes hid nothing of his very muscular body.
After she put down another plate in front of me, Sherry looked behind her to see who I was watching and whispered, “That’s Eliza Morrow’s driver. He doesn’t look like any driver I’ve ever seen. He’s not exactly Morgan Freeman in Driving Miss Daisy, is he?”
No, he wasn’t.
I didn’t respond to Sherry’s question, which encouraged her to keep talking. “I heard some people say at Diamanti’s last night that they thought he might have killed poor Mr. Morrow. I guess since he’s walking around looking like that and not wearing a prison jumpsuit that the police haven’t been able to arrest him yet.”
Although I knew I shouldn’t say anything about the case, I didn’t want Sherry to think that anyone guilty would be allowed to walk around free by the Sunset Ridge police, so I whispered, “I don’t think he’s a suspect so much as a person who might know something. But don’t worry. The police will find out who did that to Samuel and put them away for a long time.”
Bruno Carter finished buying whatever he’d come to Charming Cakes for and walked out without looking over at Sherry and me. Once he’d left, she turned back toward the table and said, “What do you think a man who looks like that is doing driving around Eliza Morrow?”
I honestly had no good answer for that, but I had my suspicions.
“Have you ever spoken to him?” I asked Sherry while she looked out the window as he drove away in Eliza’s silver Mercedes alone.
When he was out of sight, Sherry looked at me and shook her head. “No. I just see him around every so often. Sometimes he comes into Diamanti’s for a drink late at night just before the restaurant closes. He never seems to speak to anyone.”
As I filed that information away to tell Alex later, I said, “Well, he’s not the sharpest tool in the shed, if you know what I mean. Maybe that’s why he’s working as a driver.”
Nodding, Sherry smiled knowingly. “Big and dumb, huh? Isn’t that always how it is? The gorgeous ones are dumb, and the brainy ones who can make good money look like something only their mama can love. But you got a man who’s both good looking and smart with a great job. Alex is definitely a keeper.”
I smiled even as I wondered why my keeper had stood me up for our cake tasting date. “Yes, he is. I think I want to go with the angel food cake, so let’s move on to the frosting that will work with the flowers I want on top of the cake.”
The cake tasting behind me, I drove past the police station and didn’t see Alex’s car parked out front, so I headed home. He wasn’t at the house when I got there either, though.
Something felt wrong. Alex never just disappeared for an entire day like this.
I began to worry that he may have been hurt, so I called Derek to see if he’d heard anything. He hadn’t and didn’t seem particularly concerned. That didn’t mean anything, though. The world could be blowing up around him and Sunset Ridge’s police chief wouldn’t be worried.
But I was.
I brewed a pot of coffee to add to my nervousness and called my father. He hadn’t seen Alex at the bar in days and certainly not in the two hours since I left.
Ending the call, I tossed my phone on the kitchen table and began to pace back and forth through the house from the front door to the back door. Had Alex found a clue in the Samuel Morrow case that he left to follow? That would definitely be something he’d do, but if so, why had his phone kept going directly to voicemail?
As the minutes turned into one hour and then two, my mind began to play its usual tricks on me. On one pass through the house, I finished my second cup of coffee and wondered if Jared had been right.
Maybe Alex had gotten cold feet.
Maybe that’s why he didn’t show up to the wedding cake tasting appointment.
Maybe he didn’t want to get married.
Or more correctly put, maybe he didn’t want to marry me.
I needed to talk to someone before my doubts took over. Grabbing my phone, I called Holly and prayed to God she had a few minutes in between patients to chat so I didn’t let my worry run away with me.
“Hey, Poppy! What’s up? Oh, I meant to call you today. The bridesmaid dress will be ready this Friday, so I’m going to drive down and do one last fitting on Saturday. I don’t think you need to be there, but if you want to grab lunch, I’d love it.”
Continuing to pace toward the front door, I said, “Yeah, that sounds great.”
“Is something wrong? You don’t sound okay.”
I stopped at the front door and peered out the tiny windows at the top to see outside. Still no Alex.
“Yes. I mean I don’t know. Alex didn’t show up for the cake tasting appointment at Charming Cakes this afternoon. I’ve been calling him all day and it keeps going to voicemail, and he hasn’t answered not one of my texts.”
I took a breath and then said the words that had settled into my mind. “I think something’s wrong.”
Holly remained silent for a moment and then asked, “Do you think he’s been hurt? It is Sunset Ridge, and while you have some crime, I doubt anything’s happened to him.”
“That’s not what I’m worried about. Alex can handle himself on the job. I’m worried it’s something else,” I said, hating how self-doubt had already begun to overwhelm me.
Why did Jared have to show up in my life today and say those things?
But Holly wasn’t believing any of it. “Something else? Like what? Like you think he missed the cake tasting on purpose because he doesn’t want to get married? That’s it, isn’t it? You’re thinking he’s going to do what Jared did.”
Quietly, I admitted that’s exactly what had worried me for hours. “Maybe he got cold feet, Holly.”
“I don’t believe that for a second. Alex isn’t Jared, so whatever you’re thinking, don’t. The man is crazy in love with you. Don’t worry. He’s probably out doing something for work. That’s all. I’m telling you, Poppy, don’t worry.”
As much as I wished I didn’t believe that, my mind raced with possibilities, and they all involved Alex deciding he didn’t want to get married, just like Jared had a few weeks before the wedding.
What if the past was repeating itself?
Knowing Holly wouldn’t hear of Alex doing anything like that, I lied and pretended like our conversation had helped me. “Okay. You’re probably right, Holly. I’m sure you are. Thanks.”
“Okay, honey. Lunch on Saturday when I come down to Michelle’s?”
“Sounds good. Text me what time you’re coming.”
I ended the conversation and checked my messages for a text from Alex. Still nothing.
Walking into the kitchen, I looked up and saw the clock said it was almost five o’clock. According to what Derek told me, he’d been gone since before ten that morning. Where had he gone and why?
And was it to track down a lead on the Morrow murder case or for some other reason I couldn’t bear to even think about?
Where could he be that he hadn’t gotten any of my voicemail messages or texts?