Nikki watched her boss scurry off to attend to last minute details, with the lurking feeling that things with him would be coming to an end soon. Her desire to make her dreams a reality had begun the day she decided to marry Luke. And she knew that her next dream she wanted to work for was to be an actual wedding cake and pastry chef. Even though she didn’t have a clue yet how that far-fetched dream would become a reality, she’d felt like it was somehow just around the corner - so much so, in fact, that she’d even warned Nikolai that her marriage life may lead the way to other changes in her life. From the fact that he’d only celebrated and looked forward to hosting her wedding ever since that warning, Nikolai had obviously not felt let down.
In fact, Nikki was completely shocked when he came to her and offered to do her wedding for free. “Who knows, maybe I’ll be the one hosting the wedding of someone who will one day be New York’s most celebrated chef?” Nikolai had casually said, the compliment leaving Nikki speechless.
“Hey babe,” Nikki’s attention was drawn away from Nikolai when she heard the voice of her fiancé and soon-to-be husband. Luke came up and put his arm around her. It may have been normally taboo for the groom to see the bride before the wedding, but that all got cast aside by the way they had planned to do their wedding. As if the happiest day of their lives wasn’t already busy enough, they’d met in the early hours of the morning to cook their own wedding desserts.
“Hey there,” Nikki replied with a serene smile as she kissed him, pausing from her moment of worrying about details of the wedding to slow down and actually enjoy seeing Luke.
Just then, Nikki’s parents came up and hugged them both.
“It’s so good to see you both again,” Luke greeted while shaking her father’s hand.
Nikki’s mom was already in tears. “You look so beautiful, Nikki,” she barely managed to say between the tears of happiness. She then turned to Luke: “And thank you for making my daughter so happy.”
Luke hugged Nikki’s mother before her father leaned in and whispered something in Luke’s ear: “I don’t need to remind you that we put guys who treat our daughter poorly in jail.” Her father meant it more as a humorous warning but saw Luke’s sincere look of honesty in response, which said that he fully understood. It was this look which reassured Nikki’s father that he was about to give his precious daughter away to the right man. He patted Luke on the back. “Well, you two,” her father said, “it looks like people are starting to arrive. We should greet some of them before taking our places. Good luck to you both, and congrats. We love you.”
Just as her parents left, Nikki was bombarded by a giant hug from behind.
“Sara!”
“Ahh! I can’t believe it!” Sara was so extremely giddy in excitement as Nikki turned and hugged her again from the front. “Well, I mean, I can believe it. It’s just …” Suddenly emotion overtook Sara, having witnessed first-hand her best friend’s trials and journey at finding love.
“I know,” finished Nikki.
“… I’m just so happy for you both. Luke, I’m so happy it’s you.”
“Who else would it be?” Luke joked. They had hung out with Sara and her husband so many times in the past several months, that many funny stories about Nikki’s prior failed dates had been shared with him. This joke made Nikki, Sara, and Sara’s husband all laugh, so Luke just continued with the humor. “I mean, when I say I won the lottery, I guess the odds were just about as bad as they were for her to pick me compared to all of the other guys it could have been.”
Nikki still chuckled before stopping short. “No, don’t do that. Don’t make me laugh! If I laugh any harder, then I’ll pop this dress open!”
“Well, congrats you two – really,” Sara said. “I’ll start to take my position. Is there anything else I can do?” Sara had been hard at work all morning, having been Nikki’s only real – and obvious – choice to be her maid of honor.
“Depends, are you on the clock with Nikolai? How much am I gonna have to pay you?” Joked Nikki.
“Oh, very funny!” Sara said, taking it as a cue that Nikki was giving her blessing to go enjoy the wedding and get ready for it to start.
Nikki and Luke took a step forward to assume their places, since all the guests had been piling in to fill up the several rows of chairs set up to watch their wedding nuptials. But just as they took a step, they heard one last voice approach them.
“Darling, these desserts are magnificent.”
“Delia!” Nikki exclaimed as she and Luke both turned around to greet her. “Thank you so much for coming! Just your offer to make the cake was generous enough.” Nikki was beyond humbled to have the great chef not only at her wedding, but to actually have Delia reach out to her several weeks after giving her cell phone number at the cooking class. When it’d come out that Nikki was now engaged, Delia had been insistent on being a part of the celebration.
“Oh, stop that. Now, tell me who did your other desserts? Not only do they look fantastic – inspired, really – but they taste delicious!”
“Delia!” Luke continued with his jovial humor from before: “You didn’t sneak a taste before the wedding, did you?”
“Just don’t tell the couple,” Delia winked.
Nikki laughed at Delia’s comeback, but stopped herself short to prevent herself from ripping her gown from laughing. Getting serious, Nikki replied: “It was both of us.”
“Us, who?” Delia said, before coming to a realization. “Oh, both of you? You both are chefs?”
Nikki and Luke both nodded their heads.
“We did them together,” Nikki explained. “It’s always been kind of our dream to do our wedding our way. Cooking is one of the things that brought us together.”
“It shows.” Delia said bluntly, her experience and knowledge in cooking underscoring her genuine approval. “Not just in the cooking, but in you two. What you two have is special. I can tell - easy. And it comes out in your cooking.”
Delia looked at them both like she was inspecting them, sifting them through her seal of approval both as chefs and as individuals. She then continued: “Join me.”
Nikki and Luke both clasped their intertwined hands tightly, in shock at their professional idol’s surprising words.
“I mean it,” Delia said. “Look, if I’m being honest, my wedding line of business has not been what it should be lately. The taste just isn’t … well, inspired – like your desserts are. I need new direction. I need a couple who loves what they do and knows what love is, so that it can be tasted. And I’m experienced enough to see that what I’ve been needing is in front of me right now.”
Nikki and Luke’s eyes shot to each other, both reading each other’s expressions the same.
“Yes!” They both almost exclaimed out loud at the same time.
“Oh my gosh, yes!” Nikki again emphasized in shock that both of her dreams were now coming true on the same exact day. Two dreams which previously seemed just that – dreams – were now becoming a reality.
“Great,” Delia said, a relieved smile overcoming her face. “So, take a week or two after this all. Keep in touch with me and then I’ll see you, ready to take it over.” She then reached her hands out and grasped one of Nikki’s hands and one of Luke’s hands. “I truly look forward to it. And congratulations again to both of you.”