Page 12 of Suddenly Yours

Tonight, all that noise pressed heavily on me while I balanced the top tier of the three-tier wedding cake on my turntable. Vanilla chiffon with lavender buttercream—light, romantic, elegant. The bride wanted pressed flowers cascading down one side, and I’d spent the last hour carefully laying them in a pattern that looked artsy instead of crooked.

The floor smelled faintly of lemon cleaner thanks to Meredith’s cleaning spree before leaving, and the scent mixed with that of sugar and flour. My feet and back ached. My hair was in a bun that leaned too far to the left. My back cracked every time I bent even slightly.

But I loved this.

I loved it in a way I could never explain to my parents without them looking at me like I’d just said I wanted to join the circus.

I had just stepped back to squint at the cake when I heard it.

Drip. Drip.

I froze and listened.

There it was again.

Drip. Drip.

“No, no, no,” I muttered and glanced around and gasped when I saw the water on the floor. Moving fast around the prep table, I headed toward the sink.

Sure enough, a faint stream of water slid over the cabinet edge beneath the main sink, splashing onto the floor in a thin line.

Perfect. Just what I needed.

I yanked open the cabinet and was hit with a cold spray of water straight in the face.

“No!” I sputtered. Okay, I may have used a few choice curse words too as I slammed the door shut and wiped the water from my face. When I could see clearly, I patted my pockets for my phone.

There was only one person I could call.

He answered on the second ring, his voice thick like he’d been asleep.

“Missy? Everything okay?”

I ignored the flutter in my stomach at the sound of his low, sleepy, sexy voice. “The bakery sink is… um… aggressively leaking.”

A beat of silence. “On my way.”

Ten minutes later, Cade strode through the front door like some blue-collar superhero with his tool bag in one hand. His hair was messed from sleep. His white T-shirt was stretched across muscles I didn’t remember him having.

I had piled all the towels I had on the floor to mop up what water I could.

He walked over to the sink and crouched down. The second he opened the cabinet, I blurted out, “Careful!”

Too late.

The water sprayed directly into Cade’s chest.

When it had happened to me, I’d been agitated, but seeing Cade’s soaked shirt and him blinking water out of his face, I couldn’t help myself. I laughed. Hard and a lot.

Wrapping my arms around my side, I bent over with it. That kind of laughter.

He jerked back with a grunt as the water soaked the cotton and plastered it to his skin.

The laughter died in my throat.

Holy wow!

His shirt clung to every line of his chest. Hard shoulders. Defined pecs. Abs I had no business staring at. I swear the universe dimmed the overhead lights and put a spotlight over him.