Page 120 of Someone You Deserve
The technician couldn’t fix my mixer quickly, so I called everyone that I knew to bring in their hand mixers for me, and between me and my three employees, we managed to finish on schedule with just enough time to go home and get changed before leaving for the two-hour drive to Raleigh. I was a nervous wreck the entire trip, praying that I packed everything tightly enough in the back of my SUV and the other cars so that nothing would get ruined on the way here. And by some miracle, even through the rain, it all worked out.
“You’re a rockstar, Astrid.” Willow grips my shoulders. “You pulled this off and I had no doubt that you would.”
“At least someone believed that because it sure wasn’t me.” My eyes bounce around the room again, but I still don’t see the face I’m looking for. And at six foot five, Penn would be hard to miss.
“He’ll be here,” she whispers, squeezing my upper arms before releasing me.
“I don’t know, Willow. We haven’t talked since last night, and even that was a short text exchange. I have no idea what happened with him and Dick.” I shake my head. “What if it was too much for him?” I say, bringing my nail to my mouth to chew on.
Willow slaps my hand from my mouth. “None of that. Penn wouldn’t change his mind, Astrid. I’m sure there’s a reason why he’s late. He wouldn’t miss this. He wouldn’t let anyone down, especially you.”
“Yeah, I used to think so too before we became a couple and our entire relationship changed. I mean, he won’t text or call me back.” I stare down at my phone again, looking at the unanswered messages from the past few hours.
“Seriously? We are talking about the same Penn, right?” Willow rolls her eyes at me. “I’m going to let your momentary lapse in sanity slide since you’ve had a rough few days, but if you don’t chill out, I might just have to slap you around a bit.”
“I’m sorry. I hope we’re not interrupting something.” A deep voice I don’t recognize says from behind us, and as we both turn to the man standing before us in a completely black tuxedo, my eyes nearly pop out of my head at the sight of him.
“Just pretend like you didn’t hear me threatening one of my best friends, and everything will be fine,” Willow says through a grin, reaching out to shake the man’s hand. I’m still in awe over howmesmerizing he looks—his dirty blonde hair slicked back into place, the light green of his eyes, and then I see the stunning woman with jet black hair standing right beside him, her arm woven through his. “It’s good to see you, Wes.”
“Likewise, Willow. You look like small-town life has been treating you well.”
Willow beams and nods her head. “It has. And it looks like the Raleigh location has been treating you well.”
His grin is lethal. “Thanks to your help, of course.”
She winks at him. “Don’t forget it. And Shayla, you look just as gorgeous as ever.” Willow leans forward to kiss the woman on the cheek.
“Same to you, Willow.” Her eyes veer around the room. “And the event is already bringing in more donations than we could have dreamed of.”
“Well, that’s what we like to hear, isn’t it?” Willow pulls me forward now. “Wesley and Shayla Morgan, this is Astrid Cooper, the baker who is responsible for your dessert table this evening.”
Wes reaches out his hand to shake mine. “Pleasure to meet you. And thank you for venturing all this way to help us out this evening. Willow spoke very highly of your talent.”
For a moment, I forget how to form words. “Thank you. It’s an honor, truly.”
“These cupcakes look so beautiful that I’m almost afraid to eat them,” Shayla says through a laugh. “But don’t worry, I will. I never turn down sweets.?
I take them both closer to the table and gesture to the display. “Well, the ones on the right are the Ferrero Rocher inspired cupcake we discussed—vanilla cake, hazelnut filling, chocolate ganache, and chopped hazelnuts on the top. And the ones on the left are astrawberry cheesecake flavor—vanilla cake, strawberry filling, cream cheese frosting, and graham cracker dust on top. There’s also a layer of graham cracker crust on the bottom.”
“My mouth is literally watering right now,” Shayla says, wiping at the corners of her lips.
“And the cookies,” I continue, holding one up for them to see. “I wanted to bring attention to your hotel, of course. So I replicated your logo on a buttery shortbread cookie that is to die for, in my opinion.”
Wes nods his head, a pleased grin on his lips. “Looks just as amazing as you said they would. This set up is incredible and I’m sure it will be a talking point all evening.” Someone calls out to him from the other end of the room. He holds a finger up to them, and then turns back to me and Willow. “I hate to end our conversation, but duty calls.”
“No problem. We’ll be here all night,” Willow answers.
“Thank you again, Astrid, for taking the time to contribute to this evening. I hope you find the time and energy worth it.”
“My pleasure, Mr. Morgan. Thank you for the opportunity to contribute to such an important event.”
With a nod of his head, he leads his wife away and I let go of the breath I had been holding. “Holy shit. They are two of the most beautiful people I’ve ever seen in real life.”
“I know, right? But honestly, they’re some of the most down to earth billionaires I’ve ever met. This benefit is very important to them personally.”
“How so?”
Willow motions for me to follow her as we slide up to one of the open bars and she grabs us each a glass of champagne. “Every year the money they raise from this event goes to building another Wings & Wheels facility, like the one Wes built for his younger brother back in their hometown of Santa Barbara.”