“Why do you use eggs at room temperature? I never got that.”
I register Brooke’s question over the sound of my brand new mixer, which is an absolute dream. Not only does it have all these settings my old mixer failed to come with, but it’s also whipping my ingredients in record timing. After depositing the bags of flour and sugar onto the worktop, I answer. “Because they mix better into the batter. And it makes the finished product fluffier. I can always tell when someone doesn’t use room temperature eggs.”
“It’s a tragedy when cold eggs are used,” Joey adds, sticking his head through the doorway. “Brooke, grab me the container of blueberry muffins. We’re almost out up here.”
I measure out my dry ingredients as Brooke hands off the Tupperware container. She returns to my side, brushing the flour along the wood with her finger. “Do you always make wedding cakes a few days in advance?”
“I like to. Especially if I have more than one to make. We’ll knock out the cake layers today, and I’ll freeze them overnight. That will help lock in the moisture. And tomorrow afternoon, we’ll focus solely on assembling the cakes and all the intricate detail work.” I look over at her with a playful expression. “The fun stuff.”
“This is so cool. I can’t wait to see the finished products.”
I see that familiar excitement beaming off Brooke that I always have when I make wedding cakes. Maybe this will be her niche. Maybe she was always meant to be a baker. I step to the other side of the worktop, motioning toward the measuring cups I’ve readied for her. “Can you add those in after the batter turns a light, golden color? That’s when you know the caramel is fully mixed.”
“You’re not going somewhere, are you?” she asks with wide, startled eyes.
I laugh, grabbing the bowl of bananas in front of Reese. He lifts his eyes off his phone screen to give me a quick wink before returning to his task. Whatever he’s looking at, it’s kept his attention for the past hour.
Looking over at Brooke, I shake my head and begin peeling the twenty-five bananas I made Joey run out and get this morning. “No, I’m not going anywhere. We’re doing this together.”
She opens her mouth to respond when the sound of Reese’s cell phone ringing halts her.
He stands abruptly, nearly knocking his stool over but grabbing it before it crashes to the ground. He frantically brings the phone up to his ear. “Reese Carroll.” His eyes drift from the stool to my face, and I see his chest rise with a deep inhale. He mouths “I’ll be right back” and takes quick strides across the kitchen, taking the stairs at a rapid pace.
“Jeez. Must’ve been important,” Brooke jokes, but at her word usage my mind begins to wonder if this urgent matter has anything to do with Bryce. I feel my pulse quicken at the thought but quickly focus on my task. I have two cakes to make, and one can’t even be started until Reese disappears. He can’t see the ingredients I’m using for our wedding cake. It will definitely give away my surprise to him.
I’m slicing the bananas and depositing them into a big mixing bowl when Reese comes running back down the stairs. His heavy footsteps gain my attention, spinning me around. He’s dressed in his work clothes now, wearing one of my favorite gray-plaid ties of his. Hands grab my face and he plants the sweetest, gentlest Reese kiss to my lips, melting me like the caramel sauce I used in the batter.
He pulls away, and I see the sheer thrill pouring out of him, like he’s just won the damn lottery or something. He smiles and I melt further at the sight of my favorite lines next to his eyes. “I need to run to the office.”
“You seem very happy about that.”