With This Cake: A Meet Me At The Altar Novel Read online

  Contents

  Thank you

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Epilogue

  Don’t miss the rest of the Meet me at the altar series!!

  Looking for some more wedding fun??

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Also by Samantha Chase

  About Samantha Chase

  By

  Samantha

  Chase

  Copyright 2021 Samantha Chase

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  All Rights Reserved.

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  No part of this book, with the exception of brief quotations for book reviews or critical articles, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

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  Cover Design: Kari March/Kari March Designs

  Editing: Jillian Rivera Editing

  Praise for Samantha Chase

  “If you can’t get enough of stories that get inside your heart and soul and stay there long after you’ve read the last page, then Samantha Chase is for you!”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Melanie Shawn

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  “A fun, flirty, sweet romance filled with romance and character growth and a perfect happily ever after.”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Carly Phillips

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  “Samantha Chase writes my kind of happily ever after!”

  -NY Times & USA Today Bestselling Author Erin Nicholas

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  “The openness between the lovers is refreshing, and their interactions are a balanced blend of sweet and spice. The planets may not have aligned, but the elements of this winning romance are definitely in sync.”

  - Publishers Weekly, STARRED review

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  “A true romantic delight, A Sky Full of Stars is one of the top gems of romance this year.”

  - Night Owl Reviews, TOP PICK

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  “Great writing, a winsome ensemble, and the perfect blend of heart and sass.”

  - Publishers Weekly

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  “Recommend Chase to fans of Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Well-written and uniquely appealing.”

  - Booklist

  Thank you

  To the amazing bakers at Wrenhouse Bakery in Knoxville, Tennessee

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  I want to thank you for providing me with the decadent treats I needed to help me finish writing this book. Your Gibby cookies are to die for and your customer service is simply the best and one of these days, I’m going to make the 6 ½ hour drive to get more!!

  Yes, readers, they’re worth it!!

  xoxo

  Chapter 1

  Sugar, spice, and everything nice.

  It was 8:05 on Monday morning and Leanna Baker was already stressed.

  Not a great way to start the week…

  Oh, she was still singing along to the radio–Katy Perry was one of her favorites–but even her upbeat chorus of Firework wasn’t helping this morning. As she pulled up to the Meet Me at the Altar office, the only thing keeping her sane was the fact that one of her business partners and best friends, Skye, was back from her honeymoon and they were going to hear all about it over breakfast.

  Which Leanna was currently juggling.

  Climbing from her car, she almost sagged with relief when Josie, her other business partner and best friend, came walking over to help her.

  “Good morning,” Lea said, feeling a little breathless as she started handing things to Josie. “Sorry I’m late.”

  “Late? It’s only eight o’clock.”

  “8:09 to be exact.”

  Groaning, Josie took the tray with their coffees and then the bag of bagels from Lea. “Stop being such a stickler for crap like this. Skye’s not here yet and no one’s waiting on us, so relax.”

  Easy for her to say, Lea thought. She hadn’t been harassed all weekend by her bridezilla cousin, Charlene.

  They walked into the office and set their breakfast up at the conference table like they did every Monday morning. “Have you heard from Skye since they got back?”

  “Only a text thanking me for watering the plants and for handling the appointment with their electrician last week. As far as I can tell, she should be here any minute.”

  “Good. Good. That’s good,” she murmured as she moved around grabbing napkins and knives for the bagels. It was their standard menu for their weekly meeting and Lea could probably have it all set up blindfolded, but she found a certain amount of peace in the mundane task.

  “What’s going on with you?” Josie asked after a minute.

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re scurrying around here and you’re acting a little twitchy. What’s up?”

  Maybe she’d feel better if she just talked about it–especially before Skylar arrived and the conversation turned to how deliriously happy she was and about her fabulous honeymoon.

  Grabbing her chair, she collapsed on it. “My cousin is a nightmare,” she blurted out. “Like the worst bridezilla I’ve ever dealt with! I thought it wouldn’t be so bad for this engagement extravaganza, but it just keeps growing and taking on a life of its own and it’s too late for me to get out of it!” Slouching down in her seat, she let out a long breath. “Oh my goodness. It feels so good to say that out loud!”

  Taking the chair opposite her, Josie gave her a sympathetic smile. “Okay, if you’re unable to say something positive, then I know there’s a problem. What can I do to help? Seriously, just name it and I’m there for you.”

  “Thanks, but…I think I finally have it all worked out, I’m just going to have to make sure I have several backups ready just in case.”

  “Why?”

  Sitting up straighter, she explained. “It’s a four-day event–Thursday to Sunday. Thursday afternoon, people will start to arrive at the groom’s family estate in Chapel Hill. There’s going to be a casual dinner–they’re having some famous pitmaster come in and do a barbecue for them. I’m doing the cupcakes for dessert. A hundred of them.”

  “Yikes! Isn’t this just an engagement party?”

  She nodded. “Yup. There’s fifty people confirmed for Thursday and then another fifty coming in Friday and then an additional hundred for Saturday and Sunday.”

  “Seems a bit excessive for an engagement. I can only imagine what the wedding is going to be like.”

  “It’s going to be a three-ring circus, I imagine. Fortunately, I’m only doing the cake for that one…but it’s going to be like nothing I’ve ever done before. They’re expecting five hundred people. Can you imagine? It’s going to be a six-tiered cake with two giant cupcake towers on either side. Just thinking about it gives me a headache.”

  Josie nodded. “Okay, but back to the weekend thing. You’re doing cupcakes for Thursday night. What about the rest of the weekend?�
��

  “Friday night will be more of the same–lots and lots of cupcakes–plus a cake. All Tiffany & Co. themed.”

  “Tiffany & Co.? Like the jewelry?”

  “Yup. I finally got the fondant the right color. I was practicing with it all weekend. I swear, Josie, I ate way too much cake while trying to figure out the design. My pants are very squeezy today.”

  “Damn. You should have called me. I would have loved to have some cake rather than the bland vegan dinner I was forced to eat.”

  “Since when are you vegan? Have we talked about it and I forgot?”

  Josie shook her head. “No. I had a blind date Saturday night and he’s vegan.”

  “Oh, um…how did it go?”

  “I went to the Burger King drive-thru at midnight and scarfed down a Whopper in the parking lot. So…there’s that.”

  “Wow. Sorry.”

  “Don’t be. Even without the whole vegan thing, we weren’t particularly compatible.” She sighed. “But back to you. What’s after the cake and cupcakes?”

  “We’re doing a dessert bar Saturday night and fortunately, I was able to sub out a lot of it. I’ve got someone doing cookies, someone doing the sundae bar, and then we’ll have a chocolate fondue station, plus cupcakes.”

  “I’m afraid to ask what happens on Sunday…”

  “I have to prepare two hundred goodie boxes,” she said wearily. “One cupcake, one cookie, some assorted candies, and a little bag of those Jordan almonds.” She sighed. “I’ve got a team coming in starting on Wednesday to start prepping and assembling as much as we can in advance.”

  “Good grief, Lea! Is there space for you at their estate to work?”

  She nodded. “They’re going to set up a trailer for me as well as a tent specifically for setting things up and assembling. Plus, they’re giving me a room in one of the houses on the estate so I don’t have to commute back and forth.”

  “It’s only a forty-minute drive…”

  “I know, but it will mean I can sleep a little too. It’s going to be exhausting, but I’ve got a team of six coming to help, so it should be okay. Just a lot of work.”

  “O-kay…so tons of baking, but that’s nothing new to you and not enough for you to be this stressed.”

  Rather than respond, she groaned and slouched a little farther down in her seat.

  “That doesn’t sound good.”

  Letting out a long breath, she forced herself to sit up. “Charlene invited me to brunch yesterday so I could get a feel for the layout and walk around and check everything out. Basically, she wanted to make sure I was going to have everything I need for the weekend.”

  “Well, that was very nice of her. No surprises, right?”

  “Everything looked great.”

  “But…?”

  “So we’re in the middle of eating in this massive dining room where the table could have easily fit fifty people and…”

  “What did she serve?”

  “Um…what?”

  “The brunch?” Josie prompted. “What did she serve?”

  “Oh, um…we had lobster eggs Benedict, fresh fruit, and chocolate croissants. Very yummy.”

  “Nice. Okay, go on.”

  “We were eating, and she was going on and on and on about how fabulous her life is when somewhere in the house, people start yelling. Like seriously arguing.”

  Josie’s eyes went wide as she smiled. “Who was it?”

  “Apparently, the groom has two older brothers. One is married and–according to Charlene–the nicest guy in the world. But the other brother…”

  “Was the one arguing, right?” she asked excitedly.

  Nodding, Leanna couldn’t help but laugh. “Yup. Things are supposedly so hostile, that he’s not part of the bridal party.”

  “Yikes.”

  Nodding again, she went on. “So they broke the news to him Sunday morning that he was out of the bridal party, but then the father chimed in that he was still expected to be at the wedding and all the wedding and pre-wedding festivities! And on top of that, he has to be on his best behavior or they’re going to fire him from the family business!”

  “No!”

  “Uh-huh!” Lea said, her heart beating a little faster just like it had at brunch. “I asked Charlene about it because…you know…we were overhearing everything, and she told me that she wanted five minutes alone with him to threaten him that if he did even the tiniest thing to ruin anything, that she’d personally lead the charge to have him thrown off the property!” Shaking her head, she sighed. “At that point, I kind of felt bad for the guy.”

  “That’s because you never like to believe anyone is bad and believe me, sometimes, people are. It sounds like this guy sure is. If the entire family is ready to throw his ass away like this, then you know it’s serious.”

  “Yeah, but…maybe he has his reasons! Maybe if someone just…”

  Josie held up a hand to stop her. “Don’t. Just…don’t.”

  “I’m just saying…sometimes people are misunderstood!”

  “Don’t get involved, Lea! This whole weekend is going to be enough of a circus without you getting involved in their messed-up family dynamic. Go and do the cupcakes, and the goodie boxes, and whatever else, and steer clear of this brother person.”

  “It’s not like I was going to actively seek him out or anything. And besides, I don’t even know what he looks like. There was a lot of yelling, but no one came near the dining room.” She shook her head and laughed softly again. “Seriously, the house is so big, I could have walked around it for hours and never found where the fighting was coming from.”

  “Sounds like they’re going to need the room for this whole weekend party. Where’s the wedding going to be?”

  “Their signature hotel–the very first one they built–is located just outside of Charlotte. It’s a massive hotel and golf resort and, according to my cousin, it’s the most magnificent place for a wedding.”

  Rolling her eyes, Josie snorted. “Please. We hear that from every bride, don’t we? She just loves it because that’s where she’s getting married and I’m sure they’re bending over backwards for her.”

  “Probably.”

  “And you’re just doing the cake for that?”

  “Unfortunately,” she murmured.

  “Lea, it’s okay if you tell her you can’t do it. After all, it’s three hours away. That’s a lot to ask when you’re transporting a cake for five hundred people.”

  “I know, but if I don’t do it, my family is going to throw a lot of guilt my way. As it is, I’m already hearing the usual remarks because I’m not bringing a date to the whole weekend thing.”

  “Sadly, that’s nothing new either, and I’m sorry. The good news is you can hide out in the trailer and ignore them and pretend that you’ve got way too much work to be socializing at the party.”

  “That was my plan,” she admitted and felt her cheeks heat. “I’m such a coward where my family is concerned.”

  “I think we all are in our own way.”

  They grew silent, but it didn’t last for long because Skylar came breezing into the room carrying two giant gift bags and smiling from ear to ear.

  “I’m back!” she cried happily, arms in the air.

  After that it was nothing but squeals of happiness and lots of hugs for several minutes and it was exactly what Leanna needed. Maybe listening to her best friend gush about how lucky she was to finally marry the man of her dreams was exactly what Lea needed to snap her out of her own funk.

  And maybe if she was really lucky, this engagement party wouldn’t be the nightmare she was already envisioning it’d be.

  The phone beside him chirped with yet another reminder that he was expected in hell in one hour.

  Okay, technically he wasn’t going to hell–not yet anyway–but his brother’s marathon engagement party was pretty damn close.

  Reaching for the phone, Brody King dismissed the reminder as he leaned back in his desk c
hair and groaned. There were a million other things he’d rather be doing than spending four days celebrating with his family and two hundred of their closest friends.

  Hell would be preferable.

  Raking a hand through his dark hair, he blew out a long breath. As much as he needed to get going, he knew he needed to get into the right mindset first. He’d already been warned numerous times that he had better be on his best behavior every second of every day of this ridiculous four-day engagement party.

  “Why does anyone need that long of a celebration?” he murmured, even as he felt his blood pressure rising.

  The whole thing was just beyond crazy to him. And to make matters worse, he was being attacked for simply being honest.

  Well, his brother had called him a rude and callous jackass, but Brody preferred to call himself truthful.

  For starters, no one needed a four-day engagement party.

  And no one needed to create such a spectacle and waste so much money in the process.

  But the straw that broke the camel’s back for him was the fact that this was all taking away from time that would be better spent at work. They ran a billion-dollar business and in order to keep it that way, someone actually needed to work.

  Something his baby brother couldn’t seem to grasp.

  Ever.

  An extended weekend may not seem like much to most people, but to Brody, time was money, and four days of pointless celebrating was going to grate on his last nerve.