EPILOGUE
“Ithink I’m going to be sick,” I grumble to Lauren as I look up from the state-of-the-art commercial kitchen.
“It’s opening day jitters, Elle. It’s going to be fine. Have you seen the lineup outside? It’s all the way around the block,” Lauren explains to me.
“What happens if I haven’t made enough for everyone. I don’t want to disappoint my customers. That’s not a good look on opening day,” I moan to Lauren as I try to quell the unease that’s continually rising in my stomach.
“Elle, please don’t stress. We’ve got this,” Lauren tries to reassure me.
“And I’ve got you too,” Alistair says, walking into the kitchen with a wide smile on his face. “You are going to kill it today. London is going to fall in love with your cupcakes just like I have.” He leans down as he pulls me into his arms. “I told you I would never let you fall, and I mean it,” he says as he grabs my chin and brings our lips together. Alistair kisses me ever so softly, trying to give me the strength I need to deal with my opening day jitters.
“Okay, let’s do this,” I tell them both, trying to drum up the confidence that I’m severely lacking in this moment.
I step outside the kitchen, where I’ve been all morning with the other staff, and am greeted by Alistair’s friends, Alex, Jasper, Daniel, and Ivy. They all wish me well for the opening.
“Oh my god … this place is gorgeous,” a female voice says behind me as the sound of the door slamming shut echoes through the shop.
I turn around and stop dead.Is that Axel Taylor from Dirty Texas in my fucking shop?I look over at Lauren, and her mouth has fallen open as well. She then mouths‘what the fuck’to me as she stares at the rock star.
“This is my best friend, Olivia, and her husband, Axel,” Ivy explains.
“We’ve just moved back to London from LA. Ivy has been raving about your cakes for months now, and I had to come and see for myself. Congratulations on your grand opening. I can’t wait to taste one of everything,” Olivia says with a smile as she gives me a welcoming hug.
“Sorry, but Ginny was having a tantrum outside,” a stunning brunette walks in with …is that the ex-President of France?
Am I asleep? Because this seems awfully like some weird anxiety-driven dream I’d be having before opening day.
“This is my sister, Penny, and her partner, Julien,” Olivia says, introducing the couple to us.
“Your shop is amazing,” Penny declares, giving me a bright smile as she wrangles a wiggly child on her hip.
“Thank you all for coming. I’m overwhelmed by everything,” I say honestly.
“We are here to help.” Olivia smiles. “Babe, go take some photos with the cakes and post them online. Your fans will love it,” she tells her uber-famous husband, who kisses her and starts taking snapshots in front of the cake displays with the other guys.
“What the fuck is going on?” Lauren whispers to me. “You know that’s fucking Axel Taylor from Dirty Texas?” I nod my head, unable to speak. “And isn’t he that French politician who was into kinky stuff,” Lauren adds in a whisper.
“He was the President of France,” I mumble back.
“Fuck,” Lauren curses. “This is going to be the best PR for the shop.” She smirks excitedly as we watch everyone taking photos and generally having a good time.
“Sorry I’m late. Fuck me! There’s a line that goes all the way around the block,” another gorgeous blonde woman curses as she enters the kitchen.
“You made it,” Ivy squeals and runs to hug her.
Then my eyes widen, and I reach out and grab Lauren’s arm and squeeze it tight as we both stare at the owner of The Paradise Club, Nate Lewis.What the hell is he doing here?
“Eloise, Lauren … congratulations on your grand opening,” Nate says, holding out his hand for the both of us.
Lauren and I shake his hand in stunned silence because this is more than a little bit surreal. When I worked at The Paradise Club, Mr. Lewis was an enigma, you never really saw him, and now he’s here inmy shop.
Ivy skips over, dragging the other blonde, and smiles. “This is my sister, Camryn. She is the world’s best event planner. Camryn lives in New York with her partner, Nate,” Ivy explains.
“My sister has been raving about your shop, and we were in town for the weekend, so I had to see the finished product. And … it’s fucking awesome. My sister is so talented.”
“She truly is. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever expect what I had in my mind could ever be created almost exactly as I envisioned it would be,” I tell them both.
“That’s why she’s the best,” Camryn states with a bright smile on her face.