She just prayed there weren’t any mishaps.
The trailer itself was sixty feet long, had multiple ovens and tons of stainless-steel prep and work space. There was a massive walk-in refrigerator that had all the shelves she was going to need to store everything. As she walked around touching everything, she made note of the three sinks and how she had a private bathroom too.
“That is certainly going to make things easier than having to run to a porta-potty.” There was a Keurig coffee maker on the counter with a little red bow on top. Walking over, she spotted the card from her cousin.
“Just a little something to keep you caffeinated while you create your magic!”
Beside it was a box of pods in her favorite Starbucks strength.
“She’s certainly thought of everything, that’s for sure.”
Working like this wouldn’t be a hardship, but it was going to be weird to work in another kitchen for so many days and not see Josie and Skye.
That’s what phones and Zoom calls are for.
Which reminded her…
Tapping out a quick text to Charlene asking about the tent, Leanna tried to think if there was anything else she needed to know.
Her phone rang and she laughed softly when she saw her cousin’s face.
“Good morning, Char!”
“Hey!” Charlene said, already sounding super bubbly. “You’re here nice and early. I love it!”
“Yeah, well…I wanted to get the lay of the land so I wouldn’t feel rushed this afternoon.”
“Good thinking.”
“So…about the tent…”
“There was a slight miscommunication with the rental company and they are going to provide us with a small tent to go right next to the trailer. The larger tent was placed over by all the other food prep ones.”
“Oh. Um…”
“But don’t worry! The small tent is still a decent size–twelve-by-twelve–and we’re providing you with a Work UTV. Isn’t that great?”
“What’s a Work UTV?”
“Oh, Lea, it’s going to be awesome for you! It’s like a golf cart on steroids! Imagine one with like a giant box on the back. It’s refrigerated and has a rack system–all stainless steel–that can hold up to sixty-eight trays or sheet pans! It will be perfect for transporting everything from the trailer to the party tent!”
“Wow!” she replied, still trying to figure out what that was going to look like.
“It’s being delivered at noon and someone will show you how it all works so you don’t have to worry.”
“Okay, great. I can’t wait!”
“Unfortunately, I’m booked solid all day otherwise I’d come down and have some coffee with you,” Charlene said excitedly. “You saw the coffee maker, right? Isn’t it adorable?”
She couldn’t help but laugh. “It is perfect. Thank you for thinking of me like that.”
“Anything for the best baker in the world! Kisses!”
And before Lea could respond, Charlene hung up.
With a long sigh, she tried to go with the flow and change of plans. A small tent was better than no tent and a golf cart thingy was better than having to walk the trays of cakes and cupcakes across the massive property.
I hope it’s not hard to drive a golf cart…
Pushing that thought aside, she knew it was time to get to work. The sooner she moved everything inside, the sooner she could get to work on the next round of icing cupcakes.
But first she made herself a cup of coffee with her new Keurig.
After a few sips, she stepped outside and made her way over to the van and began the long task of getting everything unloaded and set up in the trailer.
The extra pans and trays went in first, followed by all of the dry ingredients. Once they were situated and she was happy with their placement, she took a small break to finish her coffee. Moving the baked goods was always a little more time-consuming–especially when she was alone–because she believed in being overly cautious.
Rubbing her hands together, she stepped back outside and grabbed the tray with several layers of cake. They went right into the walk-in before she went out and repeated it with the second tray. After that, it was time for the cupcakes. She glared at the fifteen trays and knew it meant fifteen more trips from the van to the trailer.
“I am so going to eat a few of these when I’m done,” she promised herself before wondering if she should have packed herself a lunch or if she should call one of her assistants and ask them to bring something with them. “I’ll decide that when this mess is done.”
Stepping back into the van, she grabbed the first tray of undecorated cupcakes. Each tray held thirty-five cupcakes and she counted one hundred steps from the van to the refrigerator.
I better lose some weight after this.
By the tenth tray, her arms felt a little like limp noodles, but she was determined to finish bringing them all in before allowing herself to take a break. It wasn’t until she got to the last two trays which held the frosted cupcakes that she groaned.
“You are my Everest,” she grumbled as she carefully backed out of the van with one tray. Her steps were slow, her arms were shaking, and she wished there were a way to bring them both in at the same time.
Once her feet hit the pavement, she turned and went to walk around the van when something large and hard banged into her. Cupcakes went flying everywhere as she cried out, losing her balance and falling flat on her butt. The momentum kept her going until she banged her head. “No!”
“Son of a bitch!”
All of the breath had been knocked out of her and she swore she was seeing stars. There was icing all over her arms and even some on her face and Leanna wanted to cry. She had been so close to having everything done. What the heck had she walked into?
Suddenly there was a face hovering over her. “Oh, shit! Are you okay?” he was saying and for the life of her, she couldn’t quite focus. Her head was spinning and it took her a minute to get her bearings. “Here, let me help you up.”
“Um…”
“Did you hit your head? Please tell me you didn’t hit your head. I really don’t want to call a doctor.”
Whoever this guy was, he certainly was a little unfeeling.
Reaching behind her, Leanna felt her head and it hurt a little but she didn’t think she’d banged it too hard. Her butt hurt more than anything and there was no way she was going to share that information with him. He was holding out his hand to her and she had no choice but to take it, but as he pulled her to her feet, she groaned.
And he cursed.
Charming.
“Where are you hurt?” he demanded with very little patience and that simply made her snap.
“Everywhere, you jerk! Look at me! I’m wearing most of that tray of cupcakes thanks to you!” Looking down at herself, she wanted to cry. There was frosting all over her, she skinned her elbows, and her butt still hurt. She was ready to yell some more when she looked up and…
He was quite possibly the most attractive man she had ever seen.
Jet black hair, strong jaw, and eyes so blue they were almost as dark as his hair. Her breath caught and she felt a little dizzy.
Wow…I never had this kind of reaction to a guy before…