But he’d been away on business, and it just hadn’t happened. Ever.
Maybe that’s what went wrong: we ignored tradition.
Anyway, it never got tossed. And I knew if I’d left it at the house, Marc would have disposed of it without a second thought, so I’d dragged it with me to my apartment and gave it a home in my new freezer. Somehow, as silly as it sounds, I wasn’t ready to get rid of it yet. That stupid piece of frozen cake represented a life that didn’t happen. A life that part of me still yearned for, still mourned.
“You’re here early,” Jon said.
I jumped at the sound of his voice and then turned to face him. “And you’re not?”
He came closer, his jeans hugging his hips like they were painted on. “I wanted to be sure you were okay.” Simple statement, but it conveyed a lot. Just like Jon.
“Of course I am.”
He gave me a look with his baby blues that shone with pity. I hated that look.
“Stop it. I’m fine.”
“No. You’re not. You should have taken the day off. For crying out loud, it’s your birthday.”
“So? You’re taking me out tomorrow night to celebrate. This is work.”
“You shouldn’t have to be here. It’s my fault we even have the order.”
And it was. Jon had only noticed the consultant’s name and the date of the wedding when the order came in. By the time I discovered the identities of the bride and groom, it was too late to pass on the job. If we had, we may have jeopardized our future business from this wedding consultant. Business was business, and A Taste of Magic was too new to chance it. Besides, we’d lost out on enough jobs lately.
“You didn’t do anything wrong.” And then, to change the subject, I said, “You cut your hair. It looks good.”
Jon grinned and ran his hand over his cropped, dark blond hair. “I found this great salon in the city. You should check it out.”
“Maybe.” For some reason, my stomach roiled, and I fought to quell the queasiness. Getting sick would be bad. Jon would send me home. While part of me wanted to run and hide, another part of me was committed to seeing this through. Possibly, it would give me closure.
Okay, closure was doubtful, but it was worth a shot.
Jon glanced at the counter, his gaze taking everything in. “Want some help?”
“I’m fine right now. But if you don’t mind, how about taking over the decorating portion? I won’t be in the mood for rosettes and fondant tomorrow any more than I am today. And then I can stay home tomorrow. Is that cool?”
“Absolutely.” Jon pulled me into his arms, squeezing tightly. “You know I love you, right?”
I closed my eyes and hugged him back. My cheek rested on his shoulder, and I could smell soap, shampoo, and his newest aftershave. This man, not just my business partner, but my friend, had been my rock for the past year. “I love you, too,” I mumbled.
We stood that way for a minute. Then, we both stepped away at the same time, disengaging ourselves. His eyes held worry, but he smiled at me. “You’re not going to wiggle out of tomorrow night, are you?” he asked, referring to our plan of karaoke and margaritas after my birthday celebration with my family.
“Nope. Maddie would kill me. She’s bringing her new man for our approval.” Maddie Sinclair was my other best friend. She lived in the apartment above mine. Actually, it was because of her I’d even found my apartment. And having her so close had made the move that much easier on me.
“Sounds good. I’m going to get started on the monthly accounting. Call me if you need anything.”
“I will.”
After Jon left the kitchen, I returned my focus to finishing the damn cake, which—somehow—had become synonymous with moving on with my life. I turned on the mixer and added some egg whites, along with some milk. I tried to think of something else, tried to push back the sadness. “Snap out of it,” I muttered.
Grandma Verda asked me to think about what I wanted, so I decided to concentrate on that. If I could have anything I wanted for my birthday, what would it be?
A vacation in Maui would be sweet. Or maybe a new car, one with a functioning radio. My little Volkswagen bug wasn’t nearly as cute as it used to be.
But there had to be something better. Something bigger.