A/N: Thank you all for your continued love and support! I hope you enjoy this next chapter.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 10: A Piece of Cake
Saturday came around much sooner than Ana had anticipated.
She had agreed to help Claire with Christian and Gia's wedding cake, but a large part of her couldn't deny that she was very nervous when the day of their scheduled meeting finally arrived. She didn't even know if Christian knew that she was helping Claire with the wedding cake. Would he protest to her involvement in making it? Would Gia Matteo? Ana didn't know how this day would go, so she felt incredibly anxious once Saturday rolled around.
Days at the bakery had been going along faster since Mia had published her article, but Ana knew the faster days could also be attributed to Claire working alongside her in the kitchen. Having another skilled baker like Claire, who had learned the ins and outs of Ana's kitchen very quickly, made the busy days feel much more manageable. Ana knew that, in time, she would feel comfortable enough with Claire and Kate running things at the bakery that she could take a day or two off at some point.
An actual day off? Such a novel concept.
But now it was Saturday, and Ana and Claire were leaving the bakery this morning at around 10:30 to head over to the Grey Estate out in Bellevue. Christian and Gia were apparently holding their rehearsal dinner at Christian's family's estate in a few months, but today, multiple vendors were meeting with them there to hash out all the wedding details.
Just to be safe, Ana and Claire had made sure to bake double batches of everything before opening, and Kate was allowed to close the bakery early if things got too chaotic to handle by herself. Ana was a bit nervous leaving things to Kate, but Kate assured her everything would be completely under control.
So at 10:30, Ana and Claire left the still-busy bakery and got into an Uber to head over to the Grey Estate. Ana had decided to borrow a nice work-appropriate dress from Kate: a belted black number with three-quarter sleeves and buttons down the front. It looked designer and elegant, yet also modest, something Kate said would be perfect for this type of meeting. Kate also wanted Ana to wear strappy heels with the dress, but Ana opted for flats, not trusting her clumsy feet in high heels.
Claire looked similarly nice in a black pencil skirt and white blouse, her hair in its usual low bun, which Ana had learned was how she typically wore her hair. Claire also seemed a bit nervous for this meeting, so the two of them were mostly silent as the Uber took them out to the Grey Estate.
They arrived at the entrance of the gated community in Bellevue, and Claire thankfully had the email pulled up on her phone to show the security guard that she and Ana were allowed to be here. He opened the gate for them, and the car made its way through one of the nicest neighborhoods Ana had ever been in.
"You mentioned some of the other vendors were going to be at the Grey Estate today too, right?" Ana asked Claire, her eyes glued to the beautiful mansions they passed by.
Oh, to be this rich.
"Yeah. The wedding planner, the florist, and the caterer are all going to be there too, according to the email I got from the Matteos," Claire said, glancing down at her phone screen. "Hopefully this meeting will go by quickly, but it's hard to say with all the other vendors being there."
"I'm sure it won't take too long. They just have to pick a wedding cake design, and the mock-ups you came up with are all beautiful," Ana said truthfully, glancing down at the messenger bag sitting between them. "I'd be very surprised if they didn't pick one of them today."
Claire gave her a smile, looking grateful yet nervous. "Thanks Ana."
They were silent as the Uber turned onto a long circular driveway, and he pulled up to one of the largest and most beautiful stone mansions Ana had ever seen in her life. Perfectly trimmed hedges lined the driveway leading up to the house, which had gorgeous vines and morning glory flowers creeping up the exterior; a gorgeous fountain also sat in the middle of the circular drive. Ana knew that the Grey family was well off, but this place was almost ridiculous with how opulent it looked.
"Oh my God," Claire said, looking stunned as she stared up at the house through the car window. "This place is huge!"
"You haven't been here before?" Ana couldn't help but ask, also gazing up at the house. "I thought you met with the family already."
"I did, but that was at Christian Grey's penthouse condo at Escala," Claire explained. "That place is pretty opulent, too, but it has nothing on this house."
Ana and Claire got out of the Uber once it stopped and they walked up a set of wide stone steps. They reached the front doors, and Ana was just about to knock when one of the doors opened, a familiar face peeking out at them with a grin.
"Elliot?" Ana said, surprised to see him. The blonde grinned even more brightly, opening the door fully.
"Ana! How the hell are you?" He stepped outside and swept her up into a big hug, surprising her once again. "I didn't know you were coming by today. Why aren't you at the bakery?"
"I'm helping Claire with Christian's wedding cake," Ana explained, hugging him back with an amused smile. She hadn't expected Elliot to be this overly friendly with her, but she supposed that was all part of his personality. "I didn't realize you were going to be here too."
"I usually swing by and visit my parents on Saturdays. I wasn't made aware that Chris and Gia were gonna be here in full wedding planning mode today, though," Elliot explained, stepping away from Ana and smiling at Claire. "I'm Elliot Grey. Christian's brother."
"Claire Mathieson. It's nice to meet you," Claire smiled politely, shaking his hand. "Is everyone inside then?"
"Yup, I can take you to them."
Elliot gestured for them to follow him inside, and they complied. Ana couldn't help but gaze at her surroundings, taking in the high vaulted ceilings, the large windows facing the vast backyard, and the sweeping grand staircase leading to the upper floors. Ana could hear people talking and moving about deeper inside the house - a house that hardly seemed real, it was so beautiful.
"The others should be in the dining room," Elliot explained, and he started leading them past the staircase and down a wide hallway. "So Ana, who's running the bakery right now?"
"Just Kate," Ana explained, still taking in her beautiful surroundings. "I felt bad leaving her by herself, but hopefully this meeting won't take too long so we can get back and help her out before closing."
"Or I could swing by and help out," Elliot offered, looking over his shoulder at Ana with a wide grin. "I wouldn't mind seeing dear Kate again… especially when she's all alone and desperately needs my help."
Ana and Claire glanced at each other before snickering. "Sure Elliot," Ana said in amusement.
They made their way through the gargantuan house before turning into a massive open kitchen and dining room area. Multiple well-dressed people milled about, talking quietly with each other: a bald man and bespectacled woman sat together at the dining table, holding up scraps of lace fabric while talking about patterns. A few men in catering uniforms stood at the kitchen island over plates of delicious-looking gourmet food, one of them talking about the plating. A couple middle-aged women in the corner of the dining room were discussing floral arrangements, holding up bouquets and switching out some of the flowers to make them look as nice as possible.
In the center of the busy room were a group of people, standing and talking to one another. Among the group was Christian, standing beside a beautiful blonde woman Ana guessed was Gia Matteo.
Ana felt her heart catch in her throat, and she swallowed, trying to tamp down her nervousness.
"Hey Chris," Elliot said, and Ana and Claire trailed behind him. "Look who's here."
Christian turned and practically froze the moment he laid eyes on Ana. He seemed stunned to see her there, and Ana now knew that he'd had no idea she was helping Claire with the wedding cake.
"Ana," he said, seemingly on instinct. He cleared his throat before walking over, glancing between her and Claire. "I… uh… what are you doing here?"
"I'm here with Claire," Ana said, nodding to Claire standing beside her. "She asked for my assistance with your wedding cake."
"Just for when we bake and decorate it," Claire explained, gesturing to the messenger bag in her hand. "I have the cake design mock-ups with me here today, but I thought it would be helpful for Ana to be here at the meeting with us today."
Christian blinked, and Ana had the impression he was avoiding her gaze. "Oh. Of course."
"Elliot, can you come in here?" a middle-aged woman poked her head around the corner from the living room, where Ana saw a few other people hanging around. "I'm scheduling the tuxedo fittings for you and your father, and I want to see what time works best for both of you."
"Sure thing, Mom," Elliot called back, and he grinned at Ana and Claire before walking away.
"Hello," Gia Matteo and another woman Ana guessed was her mom walked over to them, standing on either side of Christian.
"Ms. Mathieson. It's good to see you again," Mrs. Matteo said, shaking Claire's hand before turning to Ana, fixing her with a shrewd gaze. "And you are?"
"Mrs. Matteo, this is Ana Steele," Claire introduced Ana. "She's my employer over at The Royal Treatment bakery and she agreed to help with the wedding cake design."
"Oh," Mrs. Matteo said, giving Ana a onceover. "Well, I suppose if Ms. Mathieson trusts you, Ms. Steele, then you can be involved. In the future, though, I'd prefer all vendors keep me up-to-date on who they're bringing on for anything wedding-related."
Claire blushed, looking uncomfortable. "Of-of course, Mrs. Matteo. My apologies."
"Ana is an acquaintance of mine, Lorraine," Christian piped up, looking at Mrs. Matteo. "She and my sister are friends, so I can vouch for her."
Mrs. Matteo's face cleared as she smiled up at Christian. "Ah, excellent! Well that certainly is a relief," she turned back to Ana and Claire. "Welcome aboard, Ms. Steele. Why don't we all move into the kitchen? There's a small table set up where we can go over the cake designs."
"Sounds good," Claire agreed, looking relieved.
She, Mrs. Matteo, and Gia all began making their way into the kitchen. Christian held Ana back, however.
"Ana," he said, and Ana looked up at him. He had lightly grasped her elbow, and they both looked down at his hand on her. He quickly let her go.
"Is everything alright?" Ana asked, looking up into Christian's eyes. She could tell there was something he wanted to say to her, but didn't quite know how to articulate it.
"I…" he began, but then hesitated, glancing up at Gia and the others in the kitchen. "Are… are you sure you want to do this, Ana?"
Ana felt her heart pounding in her chest as she looked up at him. "What do you mean? I bake cakes, Christian – it's what I do. In fact, I do it pretty well. Why wouldn't I want to do this?"
"No, Ana, that's not what I'm saying," Christian insisted, running a hand through his already messy hair. "I know you're a great baker. I just… I don't know if this is a good idea."
Ana stared up at Christian. Deep down, she knew what his concerns were, but if he wasn't willing to verbalize it, neither would she. "I'm doing this for Claire," she said firmly. "That's it. If you really don't want me to be involved in any of this, then tell your future mother-in-law. Otherwise, I'm only here to talk wedding cakes."
With her heart still pounding in her throat, Ana turned and followed the others into the kitchen, leaving behind Christian with a stunned expression on his face.
A/N: Oh what a mess 0_0 What do you think is going to happen next?
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