20. Aurora: An Honor, Truly

Chapter twenty

Aurora – An Honor, Truly

Searing, white-hot embarrassment lances through my chest as I make my way back into the shop. Forcing a calm demeanor and painting a smile on my face, I walk towards Jake’s family on my way out of the café. I cannot bear to walk out of the shop without so much as a greeting. Never mind how pissed I am right now.

It’s bad manners and my dad raised me better than that.

They are nice people and don’t deserve such rudeness. I spot them at their booth, laughing at whatever Noah is telling them, waving his hands animatedly. They all look up at the sound of me walking across the floor. Melissa smiles up at me and Bella waves excitedly. Noah throws me a salute and a wink which I return with a slight grin.

“Hi, Mel! Bella! Sorry to keep you waiting.”

“It’s no problem, dear. Noah here has been great company. ”

“And this is why he has won Employee of the Month three times in a row. The customers love him, and the girls aren’t immune to his charms, either. He tells wild jokes with serious expressions while asserting they’re true, even when they’re not.”

“Where’s Jake, though?” Bella asks, peering back the way I came from.

“Oh, he’ll be back soon. He has a little . . . um . . . situation to take care of. But I’ll be heading out now. There’s something I have to go take care of. It is such a delight meeting you both, I look forward to seeing you again.” I signal to Noah and he nods, jogging towards the kitchen.

“So, when is the wedding, Bella?” I ask, trying to make small talk until Noah returns.

“Please, call me Bells. You're family now,” she says, while grinning widely, and I feel a twinge in my chest. Your brother doesn’t seem to think so, though—he’s probably reconciling with his ex-girlfriend in my office right now, I think to myself bitterly. I smile at her statement and nod at her to continue what she was saying.

“I honestly haven’t picked a date yet, but it’ll be in December, and I’m fervently hoping for a white wedding. As in snow, you get it?”

“Aw, that would be so nice. You’ll get the wedding of your dreams, I’m sure.”

“Thank you, Aurora.” She smiles at me adorably while sharing a meaningful glance with her mom. I resist raising a brow at the gesture .

“So, we’ve been contemplating,” Melissa begins. “How about you bake Bella’s wedding cake? It’d be such a great honor, Aurora.”

I choke on my own spit at the request. “What?” I eventually manage to sputter out, surprise grabbing my vocal cords into a tight chokehold, my eyes widening comically.

“Please, don’t say no! Please, don’t say nooooo! Pleeeeaaaase!” Bella begs, joining both palms in a prayer position and extending them towards me.

“You want me to bake your wedding cake?” I ask again, feeling overwhelmed with the trust that comes with the request and the task. I hadn’t been expecting this when I stopped to say goodbye on my way out.

I only sat down because I had signaled to Noah to go pack them our signature Cake Bomb Special. It’s the shop’s specialty and a recipe known only to me. Right on cue, Noah approaches with the colorful plastic boxes, with golden bows delicately tied on them. I have to gift them something. Who knows, this might be our last encounter. But it seems the universe has other plans in store for me now that Bella and Melissa are asking me to bake Bella’s wedding cake. How do I say no?

He places one in front of each of them, smiling sweetly. “Our cake special, from the house, ma’ams.”

Melissa smiles sweetly. “You shouldn’t have, Aurora. This is so kind of you. Thank you so much.”

“Thank you so much, Aur,” Bella mimics in awe, staring at the cake through the transparent lid with so much wonder.

She loosens the bow and unwraps the box, revealing a rainbow-colored cake in the shape of a heart. She grabs the small fork neatly tucked in a compartment in the box and takes a bite. Her eyes widen comically, and she rapidly shovels two more helpings into her mouth.

“Shish ish sho goord,” she says, with a mouthful of cake. Melissa smiles at her daughter’s antics and shakes her head tenderly.

“Isabella, where are your manners?” she tries to say sternly, but ends up grinning in the end.

Bella swallows and stares at me wide-eyed. “You’ve got to bake my wedding cake, please! Aurora, please! I want this cake! It’s wonderful!” she chants, turning to me and grabbing my hands.

She pouts, giving me the puppy look. I laugh and nod, unable to resist her charm. Guess I couldn’t have said no even if I wanted to.

“Yay!” she squeals, hugging me tightly, and I gulp down a knot in my throat. It has been a while since I enjoyed such warm comfort coming from a family, with dad being in the city and mom. . . well, I know nothing of her location.

“Thank you so much, Aurora,” Melissa says warmly, her eyes crinkling kindly.

“It’s an honor. Thank you so much for trusting me with something as important as your wedding cake.”

“The honor is ours. My brother is lucky to have you,” Bella says, winking energetically at me.

I feel the anger return at the mention of Jake, but I think I hide it well, and I remember my plan to be out of here, not wanting to see his stupid handsome face. I wouldn’t want him to meet me here with his family when he’s done reconciling with Sophia. He will have to handle telling them the truth about the situation.

I hope to remain friends with Bella and Melissa, if they will have me after the truth comes out. I make a show of checking the time on my phone.

“Whoops! I really need to go, now. I need to take my cat to the vet for a checkup. I’m sorry, I don’t want to miss the appointment.” I lie through my teeth, hoping they will not see the lie.

“It’s okay, honey,” Melissa says, with a sorry expression on her face. “I hope he gets better.”

“Aw, it’s all right, Aur. Take care! Byeeee!”

I stand up, and they both stand too, hugging me in turns. I revel in Melissa’s motherly, warm embrace and enjoy every bit of Bella’s sisterly hug.

Returning Bella’s energetic wave and risking a glance at the passage leading to my office, I see no one. I feel an unidentified emotion roll through me. Not looking back again, I hear a tiny voice reminding me that Alex is nowhere to be seen.