Cupcakes & Chardonnay Read Online Free PDF

lips.
    Then Daryle straightened up and his eyes went dry and cool. Disappointment surged through her veins.
    "You don't have to give me an answer tonight, Suzanne. And I'm not asking you to give two hoots about whether I inherit Iris Vineyards or not. But do think about your life. Think hard about it. Because doing me this favor could make all those cupcake dreams come true."

Chapter 3
     
    When she heard the first opening notes of Pachelbel's Canon, Suzanne took a deep breath, then exhaled as slowly as she could. She looked down at her bouquet of brilliant blue hydrangea. This is it.
    Brent took her arm. "Are you ready?" he whispered.
    She nodded.
    "You look beautiful," he added. "As beautiful as I've ever seen you."
    She did look beautiful in her long ivory dress of duchesse satin, cut in a simple A-line, no long train. Tiny satin roses dotted the neckline and continued down the sleeves to her slender wrists. In the sunlight, her auburn hair looked streaked with golden thread.
    "You're not disappointed in me?" she asked.
    Brent hesitated just a beat too long before answering; it told her everything she needed to know.
    "I understand your reasons," he said quietly.
    What did it matter what anyone else thought? She was disappointed in herself. She had agreed to Daryle's plan and now here she was.
    "Well then, let's get this show on the road," she said and moved from behind the corner of the manor. At the end of the long aisle waited Daryle in a white tuxedo and blue boutonniere that matched her bouquet. She had let Daryle and his mother plan the entire affair—from the color scheme to the food. The only thing she had done was choose the dress. At least I didn't have to cater my own wedding. She had to suppress a smile at that thought.
    They were outside on the grounds of Iris Vineyards, on a hill overlooking the acres of vines. Two hundred guests sat, expectantly, on white folding chairs with white tulle laced through the seat backs. On the other side of the main building were carefully arranged tables covered with crisp white eyelet tablecloths and sporting individual centerpieces of blue and purple irises. The sun was high and bright in the sky. Mrs. Catterton had stipulated a mid-day wedding; that was when her energy was greatest.
    A warm breeze caressed the bare skin of her upper back. Suzanne plastered a smile on her face as she walked resolutely down the aisle. She scanned faces as she passed. She recognized no one. Brent was the only person she had invited. He didn't approve of what she was doing, but he understood better than anyone how much The Cupcakery meant to her. She would do anything for her business. Well, I'm certainly proving that today.
    Halfway down the aisle, she was no longer hearing the lovely string music. She was barely aware of Brent's hand resting lightly just below her elbow. I'm getting married. The full force of what was happening suddenly struck her. She swallowed the lump of emotion rising up in her throat.
    Here I am in my beautiful dress, on this beautiful day. Here are all these guests, in their lovely dresses and suits. There is my handsome groom, in his perfectly-tailored tux and shining shoes, his hair elegantly slicked down. She knew her real wedding—to the man she would someday meet and love, for real—would never be this nice. This was a society wedding. Mrs. Catterton had pulled out all the stops. Suzanne wondered how many of the guests knew that the wedding was a complete sham.
    An immense wave of sadness swept through her and she slowed her step, Brent almost tripping on her change of pace. Except for Brent and Daryle, there was no one here she knew. The guests were all from Daryle's family and the Napa community. Her mother was deceased and she hadn't wanted any of her own friends to witness this. She'd explain the marriage in private, later. 
    Brent tightened his grip on her arm and gently nudge d her to pick up the pace. She noted a quick frown take over Daryle's eyes and