Bride by Mistake Read online

  She couldn’t let her emotions control her behavior or usurp her carefully planned life. Not when she and Martin had a future together.

  Zach stood at the counter of Cake Heaven, staring at the amazing creations displayed in the huge glass case. He’d had no idea cakes came in so many shapes, sizes, and flavors.

  Maybe looking at cakes would prove a distraction. He still reeled from the loss of the Patterson account, and the insurance company was tossing up roadblocks. On top of that, his neck and shoulders felt like he’d been in a fistfight. And lost.

  And he needed major distracting where Liza was concerned. Even with today’s challenges, he couldn’t get her off his mind. Each time he took a break, there she was, front and center. To Zach’s dismay, his attraction to Liza grew stronger each day. He forced his attention back onto the cake display.

  “May I help you?” A woman in a bright-red pantsuit topped with a white apron hurried toward him, drying her hands on a tea towel. “What do you think of our cakes?” she asked, gesturing to the display case.

  She was plump with rosy cheeks, black curls, and a warm smile. Zach figured if he worked at Cake Heaven, he’d be plump too. Just looking at these high-calorie desserts could accomplish that.

  “My fiancée is on her way,” he said. “We want to buy a cake for my grandmother’s eighty-fifth birthday party.”

  “You have lots to pick from,” she said. “We only display a few of our cakes, but if you look through the books on the table you’ll see photos of many more. I’ll let you browse awhile. Just holler if you need me. My name’s Gilda.” She smiled again and padded off to the kitchen.

  A moment later the front door swung open and the tinkling bell announced a customer. Zach turned and watched Liza breeze in. Just seeing her again brought an unexplainable surge of delight.

  Liza’s auburn hair curled softly around her face. She’d changed into jeans and a lemon-yellow knit top with an enticingly low neckline. Zach felt a rush of pleasure just looking at her.

  Get a grip, he told himself. He’d come here to choose a cake for Gram, not to ogle Liza. Besides, it wasn’t appropriate to ogle your good friend. Especially not while harboring un-friend-like feelings toward her, which Zach harbored plenty of these days.

  As Liza joined him she glanced around the showroom. “Wow! I’ve never seen so many cakes.”

  “According to Gilda, this is just the beginning.”

  “Who’s Gilda?”

  “The lady I spoke with earlier. She suggested we look through those books for more ideas.”

  “Why don’t we, then?”

  “Fine with me,” Zach said. In truth, his head still throbbed, and all his body wanted to do was stretch out and sleep. He’d hoped they could choose one of the forty or so cakes displayed in the case. But since Liza had sacrificed part of her evening to help, and since she loved to consider every option, he’d be a good sport.

  They sat down, and Zach passed Liza a book and opened one himself. After thumbing through several pages he said, “Do you believe this? Alligator cakes, ostrich cakes, cakes shaped like the Eiffel Tower. Look at this one. An entire snow fort built of cupcakes.” The possibilities boggled his brain.

  “My book has a palm-tree cake, cakes shaped like cars, and…” Liza stopped and giggled. “Would you look at this chimpanzee cake? Do you think Eloise would like any of those?”

  “They don’t seem to fit her personality. I figured we’d get a plain cake with a couple layers stacked on top of each other, and top it with thick, preferably chocolate, frosting. Wouldn’t that work?”

  Liza pursed her lips. “I suppose so. But I’m fascinated by these photos,” she said, continuing to flip the pages. “Someone is certainly creative.”

  Gilda came to rejoin them. “Have you found anything you like?” she asked. “Did you say this was for your grandmother’s birthday?”

  Zach nodded. “That’s right.”

  “Does she like flowers?”

  “She loves them. Her rose garden is amazing,” Zach told her.

  “Then check out the ‘Gilda’s Garden’ section. If you’ll notice, I’ve named each cake, and it’s listed under the photo for easy identification.” Gilda paged through Liza’s book, looking for the appropriate section.

  “Do you bake the cakes yourself?” Liza asked.

  “Every last one of them. I majored in art in college and took baking classes as a hobby. Since I knew I’d never support myself as an artist, I combined my passions, and voilà. Cake Heaven was born.”

  “Your cakes are amazing,” Liza said. “It’s obvious you love what you do. I’m convinced that creative people enjoy life in a special way.”

  “I totally agree with you,” Gilda bubbled. “What kind of work are you in?”

  Liza paused a moment and caught Zach’s eye before she answered. “I’m an attorney with Burns, Logan, and Grant. I handle mostly divorce cases.”

  Gilda’s dark eyes widened. “No kidding? I figured you for something more free-spirited, like a musician or a dancer. You’ve got the body of a dancer, honey.”

  “Oh, no,” Liza countered. She flushed vividly as she twisted a tissue nervously in her hands. “But I’ve always admired creativity in others,” she added.

  Zach rubbed his neck, waiting for Gilda, the artistic baker, to locate the garden section. It would take a bottle of aspirin and hours of sound sleep to restore his body to normal. But the way Liza chatted with Gilda, choosing a cake could take all night.

  “Ah, here it is. Gilda’s Garden,” the woman finally said. “Will you folks excuse me a minute so I can take a cake out of the oven? See if you find something you like in this section.”

  Zach expelled a relieved breath as Gilda fluttered out of the room. He might possibly have managed this high-energy woman on a normal day. But her lively chatter didn’t help his headache one bit. Maybe with Gilda in the kitchen, Zach could move the selection process forward before his head exploded.

  “Do you see anything appropriate, Liza?” he asked.

  She turned the pages slowly, smiling at the various creations. Finally she stopped. “What about this one? It’s called A Cottage Garden.”

  She pointed to a rectangular cake with several tiers, decorated with gaily colored flowers. Hmm. Maybe Gilda was an artist after all. “I like it,” he said, feeling genuinely impressed.

  “So do I.”

  When Gilda returned, they ordered the cake then headed out to their cars. Zach felt suddenly hungry. Remembering his refrigerator was bare and that his housekeeper had the day off, he turned to Liza. “Are you hungry?”

  “I’m always hungry,” she said. “Um, recently, I mean. What about you?”

  “To be honest, my head is pounding and my muscles ache, but I’m hungry too. Why don’t I pick up a pizza and meet you at your condo so we can share it?”

  Liza paused a moment and bit her lip. Finally she said, “Okay. That’ll be fine.”

  “See you in a little while…Oh, Liza?” Zach said, just as she turned to go.

  When she turned back to look at him, the attraction kicked in again. More powerfully than ever.

  “What is it, Zach?”

  “Gram will love that cake. It’s a great choice.”

  Her smile drew Zach like a high-powered magnet draws paper clips. “I’m glad,” she said. “Eloise is one delightful lady.”

  And so are you, Zach thought. But he didn’t say the words out loud.

  Meg drove fast, hoping she’d have time to straighten the condo before Zach appeared with pizza. She’d vegged out all afternoon bemoaning her lost vacation—and her powerful attraction to Zach that refused to back down.

  She groaned as she recalled the disastrous state of Liza’s living room. All afternoon she’d tried every trick she could think of to make herself feel better, including yoga and meditation. While they usually helped calm her, they didn’t work today.

  In addition, Meg had indulged, heavily, in comfort food: several kinds of
Oreos and chocolate milk, her drugs of choice. While she’d managed to dull her senses, she couldn’t erase the stirrings she felt for Zach. They stayed uppermost in her mind.

  Next, she’d pulled out half of Liza’s DVD collection and searched through them until she found the right movie: Doctor Zhivago. Those were the only characters she could think of with lives more confused and complicated than her own. Maybe they would claim her full attention.

  Meg glanced down at the gas gauge and panicked. Empty! She looked around for a gas station and spotted one just ahead. Fortunately, she was able to cruise to a pump—probably on fumes—hop out, and grab the nozzle. Of course she picked the most cantankerous pump of all. The nozzle managed to click off every thirty seconds or so.

  Come on, come on, she urged. But it took forever before the tank was full. When the nozzle clicked off the final time, she sighed. Thank goodness!

  Meg hopped back into Liza’s Volvo and sped toward the condo. But every stoplight in the city turned red the moment she approached. She hoped the pizza place Zach chose was backlogged so she’d have time to straighten the condo before he showed up.

  She swung Liza’s car into the driveway, and a moment later, Zach pulled in behind her. Meg groaned and banged her fist on the steering wheel. Nothing, nothing was going her way.

  “My, but you’re quick,” she said as they both climbed out of their cars.

  Meg noticed the Lexus’s mangled bumper and damaged back end. “Your poor car,” she said. “I’m so sorry.”

  He shrugged. “At least it’s fixable.”

  “How’s your neck?”

  “Still attached, I’m happy to say.”

  Meg smiled. Zach seemed less stressed than he had been earlier in the day.

  “They fixed that pizza in a hurry,” she observed.

  “Pizza City takes great care of me. Since I live alone and almost never cook, I’m a frequent customer. They’ve moved me to VIP status.”

  “Well, come in,” Meg said, wishing like crazy that she’d cleaned up after herself earlier. She unlocked the front door and they entered the condo together.

  “Liza, you’ve been robbed!” Zach shouted. “And they ransacked your living room!”

  Meg didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. The room looked even worse than she remembered! She’d pushed the coffee table aside to make room for her yoga mat, which was stretched out full length in the middle of the floor. Empty Oreo cookie packages lay scattered about, along with half of Liza’s DVD collection, and she’d left the chocolate milk sitting in the middle of the coffee table. It did look as if someone had broken in. As Meg surveyed the damage, she understood Zach’s reaction.

  “Don’t be silly,” she said as she cleared off a spot on the coffee table. “Just set the pizza down and give me a minute to clean this up.”

  Meg could feel Zach staring at her as she gathered up the DVDs, grabbed the yoga mat, and headed for the kitchen. Two more trips and she’d restored Liza’s living room to its normal pristine state. “There. Much better,” she said, forcing a smile and a confidence she didn’t feel. “I’ll be back in a minute.”

  As Meg headed for the kitchen, she realized that after announcing the robbery, Zach hadn’t said another word. But as he’d watched her clean up, she’d seen question marks in his eyes.

  No doubt he’d never seen an out-of-place cushion in Liza’s condo, much less a trashed room. But since Meg hadn’t planned on Zach coming over, pizza in hand, she wasn’t prepared.

  Tell him the truth, her common sense urged. The pretending’s gone on long enough. Meg knew it was past time to set the record straight. When Zach discovered she wasn’t Liza, he’d understand all the inconsistencies.

  But what would Zach think of her when he learned she’d tricked him? Denise’s deception had led to divorce and a broken heart.

  Meg sighed. She’d tell Zach soon, but not tonight. He’d had a rough enough day.

  Zach sat on Liza’s couch, wondering how his day had spiraled out of control. He’d been blindsided by the lost account and stunned when the Lexus got creamed. But Liza’s condo in chaos was the biggest shock of all. His neatnik friend never left a glass sitting on the counter. Yet when they had walked in, the condo had looked like the aftermath of a high-school party.

  She returned with plates, napkins, and sodas and joined him. “I’m starving,” she declared. “Shall we indulge?”

  “You mean we’re eating in here?” he asked, dumbfounded. Once, he’d brought over submarine sandwiches and asked if they could eat in Liza’s living room while watching football. “Civilized people don’t eat in their living rooms,” she’d replied. “That’s why God created dining room tables.”

  Liza shrugged. “Of course we’re eating in here. Houses are meant to be lived in.”

  Zach watched in amazement as Liza dished up their pizza, popped the tabs on the sodas, and handed him his plate and drink.

  “I brought your favorite,” he said. “Vegetarian Delight.”

  “Wonderful,” Liza replied. Her eyes seemed slightly glazed over and her smile rather stiff.

  Zach watched in disbelief as Liza began picking each and every mushroom off her pizza. “What’s wrong with the mushrooms?” he asked. “I ordered extras, like I always do.”

  “Huh?” Liza turned toward him with a blank expression.

  “Why are you taking off the mushrooms?” he repeated.

  “Recently I’ve, um, developed an allergy,” she said. “An allergy to fungus. I must have eaten too many of them and now I’m allergic.” Liza’s pupils seemed larger than ever, and her eye had started twitching again.

  “You mean eating a lot of something can make you allergic?”

  “I think so,” she murmured. “But I read that on the Internet, so it’s not an absolute fact.”

  Zach’s tension headache kicked up a notch. Tonight hadn’t turned out the way he’d hoped. Liza could always help him regain perspective after a troubling day. And when he’d recalled the great massage she gave him earlier, a repeat performance had sounded appealing. But that wasn’t going to happen.

  Zach still couldn’t believe he and Liza were munching on pizza in her living room. Just days ago he’d have bet his life savings that that would never happen. And the sight of this room when they had walked in was branded in his memory.

  Maybe he was asking too much of Liza, with all the planning and pretending. Maybe he’d put too much pressure on her, and she couldn’t deal with it.

  Zach vowed that tomorrow he’d back off. He’d give his good friend some space. Then maybe, just maybe, things would return to normal.

  CHAPTER 5

  ZACH SPENT ALL morning networking with his top clients. Maybe more personal contact would keep everyone happy. At least he hoped so. He stretched and yawned, then headed for his assistant’s cubicle. “I’m going to the coffee shop,” he said.

  “Good idea,” Monica replied. “You’ve been working awfully hard lately. And I know yesterday was a rough day.”

  “Today will be better,” Zach replied, hoping that was the case. “But if a crisis occurs, come and get me,” he said, only half kidding. Crises seemed the order of the day.

  As Zach walked past the showroom that displayed his company’s top-of-the-line furniture, he felt proud of his business. In addition to the showroom, Addison’s Fine Furniture provided a large catalog center. And a year ago he’d installed the coffee shop, where employees could relax on their breaks. While Zach didn’t visit it often, today he planned to indulge.

  He ordered a mocha-cinnamon latte. As he sipped it, the spicy beverage soothed him and brought much-needed comfort. He was still reeling from the trauma of yesterday—the lost account, the accident, and the baffling dinner at Liza’s. Total chaos was the only way to describe the state of her living room. He’d decided not to see Liza today, or even call her. His friend obviously needed a break.

  Zach was midway through his latte when Monica came hurrying toward him. She stopped when
she reached his table and took a moment to catch her breath. “Sorry to bother you, Zach, but your grandmother just called. She says she needs to see you. It’s urgent.”

  Zach sprang to his feet. “Is she sick?” he asked. “Did she say what the emergency was?”

  “All Mrs. Addison said was you should come right away.”

  “Will you cancel my one o’clock meeting?”

  “Of course.”

  “Thanks, Monica. I’ll be in touch later,” he said as he headed for the parking garage.

  Zach hopped into his Lexus and took off for Gram’s. Two weeks before, Gram’s butler, Ian, had told him that Gram was ill. And since she’d told Ian not to discuss her health condition with Zach, he couldn’t discuss it with her. While he’d known Gram would have problems, he hadn’t expected them to occur so soon. Each time he saw her, she looked perfectly healthy—like her usual wonderful self. But looks could be deceiving. Thanks to Denise’s shenanigans, he’d learned that lesson the hard way.

  When Zach reached the estate, he took the stairs two at a time and burst into the house, frightening Gram’s cook and housekeeper, who was dusting the entryway chandelier.

  “Maria, where’s my grandmother?”

  “In the sunroom, Mr. Zach. She’s waiting for you.”

  Zach strode into the sunroom and stopped cold. His grandmother sat at a beautifully set table, and she wasn’t alone. To his amazement, Liza O’Malley sat beside her! Zach’s heart, already racing, kicked into high gear.

  “What’s the matter, Gram?” he asked. “My assistant said you needed me right away, that it was urgent.”

  Gram stood and walked toward him. “I shouldn’t have said urgent, dear. Just important.”

  Zach embraced her and kissed her soft cheek. “Are you feeling all right?” he asked, praying her heart wasn’t acting up.

  “I’m fine, dear. You know I pride myself on my good health. I called because I need your help to deliver some papers to my attorney’s office. Since Ian has the day off, I thought you’d drop them off for me.”