Chapter 17
The cake was a simple, two-layer vanilla sponge with chocolate frosting. Doug thought it should be covered in icing sugar roses or have a layer of raspberries or cherries between the layers, but Patricia assured him that when it came to cake, Jackie preferred rich and classic, so vanilla it was.
It smelled amazing. The sweet scents of vanilla and sugar filled the kitchen, along with all the other birthday party equipment strewn across the counters. His place was small, even for one person. Thankfully Scarlett had offered her house and yard for the party. He carefully lifted the cake stand. “Will you grab the plates and cutlery?” he asked Patricia.
“No problem.”
Half a dozen people milled around the picnic table in the backyard. He’d appealed to Patricia for help when it came to a guest list, and there were a lot of new faces. He knew Scarlett and Tyler. Like Jackie, they’d never left Hopewell, so with only a year between them, it made sense they’d become friends. Tyler’s younger brother, Paul, was joking around with Kayla, whom Doug had met at the festival. Owen Random, the junior RCMP officer in town, and Tyler hauled a box of odd-looking implements out of the back of Kayla’s car while Scarlett paced around the yard.
The sun nudged the horizon. The ground and buildings were beginning to release all the heat they’d absorbed during the day, so they had the perfect temperature to spend the evening outside.
Doing what, Doug had no idea. Scarlett promised to provide the entertainment. “We have enough space for it,” Scarlett said.
“Enough space for what?”
She grinned. “I’ll tell you after cake.”
Jackie joined them. The glittery, tinfoil “Birthday Girl” tiara she wore threatened to slip over her eyes. She pushed it back. “What’s going on over here?”
“I have no idea,” Doug said honestly. “Are you ready for cake?”
“Cake! Cake! Cake!”
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“I’ll go take care of the candles,” Scarlett said.
When they were alone, Jackie slipped her hand into his. “Thank you for my birthday party. I’m having a very good time.” Scarlett had told her she was having a few friends over after work, and since her birthday wasn’t until next week, Doug had managed to turn it into a small surprise party.
“You’re welcome. Patricia helped.” He’d done his best to make it a good night for her. He hadn’t wanted to cheat and invite just people he knew, and Jackie’s friends seemed like good people.
“Do I really have to wait ’til everyone goes home before I get my present?”
“Yes, you have to wait,” he teased. That had been harder to plan than the party. Fortunately, Kayla had been willing to help him out.
She smiled at him, so he smiled back. Then her grin got Cheshire Cat big, and she squeezed his fingers. “Cake,” she reminded him.
“On it!”
They demolished half the decadent dessert. Doug ducked into the kitchen to grab a bag full of drinks to replenish the cooler. “Now will you tell me what your back yard is big enough for?”
Scarlett helped herself to a bottle of iced tea. “Extreme croquet. Pairs edition.”
Owen looked as confused as he did. The rest of them burst into laughter and cheers.
“Hopewell is a small town. We’ve had to make our own excitement. This is what our class came up with.” Paul and Kayla took off to set up posts and hoops, while Patricia stepped up with a bag of wooden balls. “Pick your team,” she ordered.
Doug drew a ball with a yellow stripe. Owen drew blue, and Jackie pulled red. Patricia reached in and removed the last one, which was green. “Okay, put them back in and we’ll draw partners.”
He recognized the basic croquet field set up but didn’t see how it could be considered extreme. The hoops were a reasonable distance from each other. He’d expected them to be ten meters apart.
Tyler came to stand beside him. “Are you ready to draw for weapons?”
“Weapons? His voice squeaked. Then he saw the instruments of battle. “You have got to be kidding me!”
He pulled a slip from the hat, and he and Patricia ended up using a pitchfork as their mallet. It could have been worse. Kayla and Jackie had to use a pool noodle. Scarlett and Owen’s straw broom and Tyler and Paul’s crutch didn’t seem so bad after he saw that.
A lot of laughs and spilled drinks later, Tyler and Paul claimed victory and bragging rights. They had time for another round of cake before the guests departed in ones and twos.
“Did they leave any cake?” Jackie asked.
“Yes, there’s a big piece left for you to take home. Is that your biggest concern?”
“It was good cake.”
“You still have your present left to open.”
“Don’t you want me to save it for my real birthday?”
He wanted her to wear it on her birthday. “No. Open it here and now.” He handed her a little box with a large silver bow.
He hoped Kayla was right when she said it was exactly Jackie’s taste.
Jackie raised the lid. Her quiet gasp was a sign he’d hit the mark. “Do you like it?”
“I love it.”
Doug had heard her exchange with Kayla in the gymnasium, so he’d palmed one of her business cards and looked up her website when he got home. He found the piece she’d hinted at immediately. It was a gold-tone link bracelet, with eight silver and bronze disks hanging off it like charms. Like Jackie’s earrings, the bronze pieces were hammered pennies, and the silver ones had been dimes and nickels.
She stuck out her arm. “Put it on me.”
“It looks better than I thought it would.” And he thought it would look beautiful on her.
“It’s gorgeous. Thank you, Doug.” Her voice was soft. She wasn’t looking at him. Her eyes were down, watching the charms sparkle in the last of the sun’s red rays before it disappeared below the horizon. “You are most welcome.”
She leaned forward. “Thank you.” Then she quickly pressed her lips to his.
He raised his hand and wrapped his fingers around the back of her neck, pulled her closer, and kissed her again. If she was offering a sweet thank you for his present, he was going to make the most of it.