LITMIR.BIZ

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special in mind, Lily?”

      “No, not really,” she told the voluptuous blonde who had breezed into the Cartwright home more than two hours ago with enough energy and enthusiasm to power a ship. Dressed all in black, Felicity Farnsworth had been as cheerful as the butterfly clips she wore in her hair.

      “Not to worry,” Felicity said and flashed a smile that lit up her green eyes. She pulled out another thick binder from her arsenal and plopped it on the table. “Let’s see if we can find something in here that you like.”

      “Ooh, that one’s lovely,” Sandra said.

      “So is this one,” Courtney said enthusiastically. “And this one.”

      “That one looks like a Barbie-doll cake,” Elizabeth said dryly.

      Lily sat back and watched the exchange. There was something warm and endearing about the dynamics of the Cartwright family, the way they reacted to one another, the affection beneath the squabbles, the sense of belonging. They were a real family. She looked over at the twin fireplaces and the mantels filled with family photographs. More pictures fought for space on the desk and library shelves. Beyond the library, which spilled into the living room, she saw the baby grand piano, its gleaming top covered with more photos of Jack as a boy, at graduation, of Elizabeth at her sweet sixteen party, of his parents celebrating their anniversary, of the family gathered around the Christmas tree. Someday her baby’s picture would be there. Her baby would be a part of this family. Her child would belong. It was the reason she was doing this, Lily reminded herself again. She just wished that she didn’t have to mess up Jack’s life to make it happen.

      “This one is beautiful,” Sandra Cartwright declared. “What do you think, Lily?”

      Lily blinked at the sound of her name and realized all eyes were on her. She looked down at the book and there was the photograph of an elegant white wedding cake trimmed with sugar roses and real white tea roses. “I think Sandra’s right. It’s beautiful.”

      “So do you want to go with this one?” Felicity asked.

      “Yes,” Lily said and once again she was hit by the realization that she was getting married.

      “Do you have any preference to the filling? Almond and butter cream are the most popular, but we can have the pastry chef do just about anything you like,” Felicity informed her.

      “What about one of those cakes where every layer is different?” Courtney suggested. “Tiffany Aldrich had one at her wedding. The cake had six tiers and each one was a different flavor. I had a slice of the Italian cream and it was to die for.”

      “Well, we can certainly do that if that’s what Lily wants,” Felicity announced. “Do you think you’d like the multi-flavored layers for your cake?”

      “Six tiers sounds like a lot of cake,” Lily remarked as she looked again at the photograph of the rose wedding cake, which consisted of only three layers and a small bride and groom on the top.

      “That depends on how many people you plan to have at the wedding,” Felicity explained. “Do you have an idea of the number of guests you expect?”

      “I hadn’t really thought about it. I just assumed it would be small, Jack and me and his family, maybe a few friends.”

      “But, Lily dear, surely you realize that Jack has a great many friends and associates, not to mention the friends of the family who would expect to be invited,” Sandra said. “Why, I think at a minimum we’ll have three hundred guests.”

      “Three hundred!” Lily repeated and she could feel her stomach drop at the thought of all those people watching her.

      “There’ll be no more than thirty,” Jack announced.

      Lily swung her gaze to the doorway where Jack stood. He was wearing charcoal-gray slacks and a white shirt, having ditched his jacket and opened his shirt collar. And she had never been so happy to see someone in her life, Lily thought. His eyes never left her face and as he walked toward her the knot in her stomach eased. He stood behind her, placed his hands on her shoulders. He gave her a gentle squeeze and Lily could breathe again.

      “Thirty?” Sandra Cartwright said aghast. “You can’t possibly be serious, Jack. Why, my garden club alone has thirty.”

      “Your garden club isn’t going to be invited, Mother.”

      “But, Jack—“

      “Save it, Mother. Lily and I want something small and intimate with just family and a few friends. If you can’t do that, then we won’t have the wedding here. We’ll just go back to the original plan and get married in the justice of the peace’s office.”

      “Lily dear, try to talk some sense into my thick-headed son,” Sandra said. “Explain to him that it would be an insult not to invite our friends to celebrate your wedding.”

      “Actually, I’d rather we kept it small,” she admitted.

      “But—“

      “You heard the girl, Sandra,” John said as he joined them. “She and Jack don’t want to turn their wedding into a circus. And I can’t say I blame them. If they decide they want to have a big reception later, then we’ll throw them one.”

      “Well, I can see that I’m outnumbered here,” Sandra said. She turned to Felicity. “Evidently we’ll need a cake to feed thirty.”

      Felicity jotted down details in her notebook. “All right. Now that we’ve taken care of the wedding cake, we’ll need to decide on the groom’s cake. Most grooms like a chocolate cake, but we can do just about anything. Do you have any preference?” she asked Jack.

      “Chocolate’s fine,” Jack told her.

      “Great. Now what about the menu?”

      Lily could feel herself starting to fade. Yet every muscle in her body was tense as Jack continued to rest his hands upon her shoulders. Suddenly she flashed back to that night in his hotel room. She’d been both nervous and excited when she’d first arrived at his room. She couldn’t remember how long she’d stood there waiting, debating whether or not to use the key. Sanity had returned for an instant and she’d turned around, prepared to go. Indecision had her still standing there when the door opened behind her. Jack had said nothing. He’d simply come up behind her and rested his hands on her bare shoulders. Then gently he’d turned her around, lowered his head and kissed her. And all thoughts of leaving had melted beneath the touch of his mouth.

      “.we had talked about mini beef Wellingtons,” Sandra Cartwright was saying.

      “Lily, do you want the beef Wellington?” Felicity asked.

      “I tell you what,” Jack said before she could answer. “Mother, why don’t you and Felicity work up a menu? I’ve got a busy day tomorrow and I’m guessing Lily does, too. I’m sure whatever you decide will be fine with us. Right, Lily?”

      “Right,” she said, grateful to him for arranging an escape.

      He pulled the chair back for her, and Lily stood. “Just remember, no quiche, Mother. Lily and I are going to need you to help us with everything else.”

      “All right,” Sandra said. “I’ll make the quiche Lorraine for you after the wedding,” she told her.

      “Thanks,” Lily said. “I’ll look forward to it.”

      Ten minutes later, after saying her good-byes and agreeing to speak with Felicity the next day, Lily was in Jack’s car driving through the iron gates.

      “I’m sorry for leaving you to the wolves like that,” Jack told her. “Tom Carlton is an old family friend and he had some business to discuss with me before he left town. Unfortunately, it took a lot longer than I’d expected.”

      “It’s okay,” she told him, because he seemed genuinely concerned. “I liked your family. They’re not at all what I expected.”

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