Snow is Falling, Cocoa is Calling! (The Coffee Loft Series: Fall Collection)

11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER 11

CAITEY

A fter breakfast, Caitey met Jenna in the dining room to discuss food, cake, decorations, and the timing of the wedding day.

As soon as they were seated, Caitey heard a male voice through the doors leading into the kitchen.

“Who is that ?” Caitey whispered. She didn’t recognize the deep voice with a folksy accent.

Jenna glanced up. “Oh, I forgot to introduce you to Gus. He’s the cook I told you about. He’ll be here for the rest of the week because of the wedding and all the house guests.”

“Gus made all that fabulous food last night for dinner?”

“Oh, yes, he was a chef and ran his own restaurant in Los Angeles. I think he was trained in Europe, but you’d never know it. I think he actually grew up in the Bronx, dirt poor.”

The kitchen door swung open, and a short, stout man peeked his head into the dining room. “Hey, ladies, I think someone’s walking over my grave. Someone’s callin’ my name.”

“Yes, we’re talking about you,” Jenna admitted. “Please meet my cousin, Caitey Belgrave.”

“Pleased to meet you, young lady,” Gus said with a slight bow and a wide smile. “I hear you’re our famous wedding planner. Miss Jenna didn’t want me to do her wedding, only you. But that’s fine with me because I’ve got my plate full already—if you know what I mean,” he added with a wink. “Full plate and all.”

The cook was grinning from ear to ear. A jovial man in his early 60s with a rotund figure and bright red cheeks was wearing baggy jeans, a pullover shirt along with his splattered apron and holding a long spatula.

“Gus has a talent for transforming the simplest ingredients into culinary masterpieces,” Jenna said with a dramatic wave of her hand. “His kitchen is always filled with the tantalizing aromas of his latest creations.”

“I’m just a homeboy, Miss Jenna,” the man said in a self-deprecating manner, but he was beaming from ear to ear as if every day was the best day ever. “Miss Caity, if I can make something for you or whip up goodies or treats for your room, just let me know. I’m always prepared to please the taste buds of the Hearst family home.”

“Thank you,” Caitey told him. “Do you happen to have any cocoa mixes in the pantry?”

“Do I have cocoa mixes?” Gus asked, widening his eyes. “ No need to ask twice. I am always prepared! The very finest of cocoa, with all the toppings and sprinkles and whipped cream to go with it. None of that artificial Cool Whip, either. Real, homemade whipped topping from the best cream lies right there in my refrigerator.”

“That sounds heavenly. Whenever it gets a little cool, I think about drinking cocoa. Of course, where I live in San Diego, that’s pretty much never. When I went camping with my family, it was always a treat, and my mother would pull it out to drink around the campfire.”

“So far, we’re having a mild fall, but if that changes, we’ll bring out the finest flavors from the back of my pantry. Happy wedding planning, ladies!”

Gus swiveled on his sneakers and disappeared back into the kitchen.

“Okay, back to our lists,” Caitey said.

“I can’t get over how elegant the cake top is,” Jenna said. “Thank you for finding the perfect one.”

“The bride’s gown and sparkling diamonds are gorgeous, and that groom is even more handsome—even if he’s porcelain,” Caitey told her. “At least that’s what other brides have told me.”

Jenna widened her eyes in faux shock. “Oh, the double entendre, my cousin. You are wicked.”

She shrugged her shoulders. “It only makes me cross my fingers to find a good guy, too. But wow, are they scarce these days. Maybe I should start getting on my knees and praying! Nobody seems to want to get married.”

Jenna nodded. “With Logan’s background of a philandering great-great-grandfather and great-uncles—who are all long gone now, of course—all of which sure had a lot of affairs and mistresses, it’s hard not to worry that it runs in the genes!”

“I do like Logan now that I’ve met him,” Caity assured her. “He’s very kind and seems like a happy man. His parents were so welcoming yesterday. I’d been nervous about meeting them and hoping all my past wedding fumbles and job catastrophes wouldn’t make them leery of me.”

“They would never hold that against you. After all, you’re my cousin, but I never told them anything about your wicked witch of the west boss! That is water long gone under the bridge, girl.”

Caitey gave a wry smile. “When I first arrived, I was quite intimidated, but this gorgeous estate is the perfect spot for your wedding. I must admit watching Logan a little to ferret out his nature, but he’s so down-to-earth. Besides, he’s constantly looking at you and grinning like a kid at Christmas time.”

“Really? Well, that’s nice to know!”

Caitey let out a snort of laughter. “As if you hadn’t noticed!” She began singing in a deep voice, playing the role of Logan. “And I’ve only got eyes for you-u-u-u-u-u . . .”

“The feeling is mutual, believe me,” Jenna said, laughing at her antics. “I never tire of gazing at him. How lucky that he happened to come into my Coffee Loft that day. We hit it off immediately and have been inseparable ever since. Our wedding day cannot come soon enough!”

“It will be here in less than forty-eight hours!”

“There’s still forty-eight hours!” Jenna said, feigning shock. “More than that before we leave for our honeymoon!”

“Do you have one of those paper chains we used to make as kids for Christmas to count down the days?”

“Of course!”

Caitey burst out laughing. “Okay, I don’t believe you. Let me see.”

“I’m joking, but it is a nice idea. Instead of two chains for two days, I could put up 48 hours and rip one off every hour! And then get up in the middle of the night to take them off on the hour at the top of the hour!”

“Be sure to set your alarm!”

Jenna made a face. “It sounds dangerous. I’ll be falling over with fatigue while walking down the aisle as if I’m drunk.”

Caitey put a finger to her chin. “Good point. A tipsy bride doesn’t make for a good showing to the guests. They’ll be gossiping behind your back for decades to come.”

“I wrote down some notes on where everything should go.”

“I did, too. I was checking out the house after dinner last night. Let me make sure we’re on the same page.”

Caitey spread out her notes on the kitchen table. “Tomorrow is decorating day. I called the shop where I reserved a few more decorations in case we needed more, and they said they won’t be ready until tomorrow morning. But that works since the wedding isn’t until five o’clock, and the shop is only thirty minutes away. But we’ll need the men to help carry tables into the drawing room for the wedding dinner, which will keep the dining room free for regular meals.”

“Gus and Reginald will help, of course,” Jenna said. “That part should go fast.”

“I have the tablecloths and centerpieces for the tables, plus a set of three candles of varying lengths to put inside these exquisite glass cylinders I found that will line the path to the wedding arbor.”

“Ooh, I like that.”

“Roses and carnations and baby’s breath to circle the glass containers for the dinner table centerpieces. I also got goblets engraved with your and Logan’s initials. Every guest keeps one for a remembrance of the day.”

“Perfect,” Jenna said. “For the garden ceremony, I reserved some gorgeous columned posts to create the pathway to the top where the vows will be held, ending in front of the rose garden with the backdrop of the woods and blue sky.”

“Oh, what about the chairs for the ceremony?” Caitey asked.

“Can we just use the black ones we’ll be using for the dinner? They’re folding chairs, so quick and easy to set up.”

“Of course, that’s what I was thinking, too. China and silver from Gus’s kitchen, right? ”

“Yes, he told me that Reginald will lay the tables, as usual.”

“Perfect. When will the cake be delivered?”

“Tomorrow in the late morning,” Jenna said. “That will give us time to add the flowers and the cake top. We’ll store it in the big walk-in refrigerator, which will be perfect because it will keep the cake and the flowers fresh.”

“That’s a good idea since we won’t have much time to do it the morning of the wedding. We’ll all be busy getting dressed and doing any final touches to the decorating before the final guests arrive. I keep forgetting to ask if you confirmed the final details with the minister,” Caitey said.

“Yes, Logan and I met with him last week. He’s the family minister, going way back since Mr. and Mrs. Hearst were children.”

“He must be ancient?” Caitey asked, raising one eyebrow in a humorous arch.

Jenna laughed, shaking her head. “I guess he was fairly young when they were kids, so he’s about seventy-five but not ninety yet!”

“Hey, I’m going to head out to check my car and make sure nothing was overlooked when the guys brought in the decorations yesterday. Nothing left hiding under the seat or in a dark corner of my trunk.”

“I’ll go with you. Two pairs of eyes are better than one, as they say.”

Jenna linked arms with Caitey and squeezed her hand. “I am so happy you’re here to do this with me. It means the world. It feels like one of those adventures we used to make up when we were eight years old.”

“So true!”

A couple of minutes later, they reached her car parked in the lower garden near the fence line, where the lawns became dirt before the woods began.

Caitey popped open her trunk and rummaged around, but it was stark and empty. Then she opened all four doors, and the two of them looked under the seats and inside the seat pockets.

“Found something!” Jenna cried.

Caitey lay sprawled across the back bench seat, sticking her hands underneath to feel in the darkness. “What?”

“A picture frame of you and me when we were kids . . .” Jenna said slowly. “I’d forgotten about it. Weren’t we adorable back then? But why is it in the car?”

Caitey felt a blush rise along her face. “It’s not for the wedding, of course! I brought it to remind me to check and see if you wanted to put up some pictures of you and Logan on the table with the guest book. I found one that’s really beautiful. It wasn’t on the official list but consider it an early wedding gift.”

“Oh, that’s a great idea. I have an album of pictures from the past couple of years of dating. Never thought about putting up photographs.”

“We could create a collage against a background. Wedding guests always like to see the happy couple evolve in their relationship. Plus, it’s fun when there’s a couple of silly or goofy photos along with the professional studio shots.”

“I’ll put it together before I go to bed” Jenna said. “Won’t Logan be surprised?”

All at once, a chill wind rose from the northeast. The oaks and firs trembled in a sudden gust. The driver’s door slammed shut with a loud bang.

Caitey popped her head up again, sitting up in a hurry. “What was that?”

Jenna pulled the passenger door closed and gave a slight shiver. “Just a sudden burst of wind. Like a microburst. But gusting—and turning colder. Well, chilly, at least. After such a beautiful autumn, it’s hard to realize that winter is coming. But it usually doesn’t get here on the mountain until closer to Christmas!”

Caitey closed the rear door where she was sitting and peered through the windshield. “Look at the trees moving,” she whispered.

The tops of the pines swayed as if a giant was shaking the branches, then suddenly stopped.

“I guess that’s our cue to go back inside,” Jenna laughed. “But what if that happens on my wedding day?”

“It won’t,” Caitey said quickly to reassure her. “I looked at the weather on my phone this morning, and it’s predicting the same nice autumn weather. Cool mornings and evenings, warm afternoons. Until closer to Thanksgiving—which is still three weeks away. Just one of those freaky California things.”

“California can be pretty freaky,” Jenna said as they reached the back door to enter by the kitchen. “But New Orleans runs a competitive second. Logan and I decided to live in New Orleans—at least for the next year while my second Coffee Loft is built.”