Must Love Frosting (Must Love Diamonds 1)

She nearly snorted wine from her nose and reached to snatch her friend’s glass. “That’s it. You’re cut off.”

Mae’s eyes sparkled with mirth as she held the last few sips of her one and a half glasses out of reach. “You certainly wouldn’t have to worry about coming up with any ice-breakers if Camilla was there.”

“A perfect reason to go alone.” The idea of her mother in a room full of rich politicians made her shudder. With divorce number four final only three short weeks ago, she would be on the hunt for husband number five the second they entered the governor’s mansion.

“What are you gonna wear?”

She’d been pondering that as she unpacked yesterday. Choices were slim, and money was tight. “Probably the same dress I wore to the wedding the other night.”

“No. You just wore it.”

“I’ll get it cleaned, of course.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“It’s the only thing I have that’s formal enough.”

Mae leaned forward. “What about that dress I got when we went to Vail last fall? The off-the-shoulder one, with the slit up to mid-thigh?”

Honor sighed with longing. “I do love that dress—but you haven’t even worn it yet, have you?”

“No, but the way things are going, I never will. I’m serious, you should wear it. It’ll go great with your black sandals.”

Four inch heels with a simple strap across the toes and a second around the ankle. Of course Mae remembered the sandals, because Honor had bought them on clearance during the same trip. And her dear friend was kind of a shoe slut when she wasn’t wearing her steel toed construction boots.

“I don’t want to wear your dress before you do. Besides, burgundy doesn’t go so well with my red hair and freckles.”

“It’ll be gorgeous with your red hair and freckles. Trust me.”

CHAPTER 7

Honor carried the final cake outside to the dessert table set up on the huge, pergola-covered patio of the Diamond mansion. There were a multitude of individual

treats set out by the caterers bustling about between the kitchen and the patio, but her four designs were front and center as the main attraction.

The first was triple layer red velvet with snow white butter cream frosting, a replica of the top tier of the Diamond’s wedding cake from thirty-five years ago—original topper supplied by the bride-to-be daughter, Celia. The second was chocolate with chocolate ganache frosting featuring a hand scrolled family tree, with leaves for each of the couple’s five children: Celia, Loyal, Asher, Merit, and Shelby.

At the request of Mrs. Diamond, the third was a southern favorite, hummingbird spice cake with cream cheese frosting, in the shape of the Colorado state capitol building to honor the governor’s political career. And last but not least, lemon poppy seed with Bavarian cream filling. She’d shaped that cake into a pair of interlocking wedding bands, frosted with butter cream, airbrushed silver, and layered with delicate gold fondant lace.

Sliding the fourth cake into position, Honor stood back to survey the table. Other than the capitol building, the cakes had been fairly simple, but she’d still taken time with all the little details, plus triple taste-tested the batter to make sure each was exactly right. Everything was as perfect as she could make it. If this didn’t secure her the job, nothing would.

As she started to turn back to the kitchen, she pulled up short. She’d been so focused on her work, the beauty before her hadn’t even registered. Of course she’d noticed the sheer size and grandeur of the mansion when she arrived, but the grounds out here in the back were nothing short of amazing.

Her awestruck gaze swept over a massive swimming pool and sprawling flower gardens, past a combination tennis and basketball court, all the way across the lawn to a large stable with pristine white fences. At least a dozen horses grazed in the spring green pastures, and the picture-perfect setting was topped off by the Rocky Mountains rising up in the background.

She knew the Diamonds came from old money, but hadn’t ever really seen what that could look like up close. This was the family’s private residence, not the state-owned governor’s mansion. Realizing the level of wealth left her dumbfounded and wholly intimidated. Insecurity knotted in her stomach as she smoothed a damp palm past the hem of her T-shirt, over the hip of her jeans. Thankfully, she had Mae’s dress to shore up her courage.

And if all else fails, just remember they put their pants on one leg at a time, too. Designer pants that probably cost more than her new monthly house payment.

On that note, she’d rather face Celia, Mrs. Diamond, and the governor in a dress rather than her jeans and tennis shoes, so time to get changed. Her hasty pivot almost knocked over one of the tall heat lamps dotting the outside edge of the patio every fifteen or twenty feet. Once lit, they would provide welcome warmth as the evening cooled, but realizing the threat of melted frosting, she wrestled the danger away from the dessert table before hurrying through the kitchen so she could retrieve her evening clothes from her car.

“Cakes all set, hon?”

She paused at the question from the woman who’d directed her where to go when she first arrived. Appearing to be about fifty years old and dressed in a sharp, figure-flattering uniform, the dark-haired, olive-toned Elena clearly ran the entire show as she directed and delegated while still monitoring the stove and the oven.

“Yes, thank you.” She was about to ask where the nearest bathroom was located when Celia Diamond breezed into the kitchen wearing an emerald green dress similar to the one Honor had worn to the wedding the previous weekend. The one she’d almost worn tonight.

Marvelous Mae. You truly are a Godsend.