Three Girls And A Wedding

by Rachel Schurig

  “Jen, you need to come into the office with me,” he said.

  I sighed. “Jason, seriously? We’ve been over this. I’m not coming in. I’m not prepping for the rehearsal dinner. I’ve done tons of work on it already, you can handle the rest.”

  “How can you let Kiki down like this?” he asked. I rolled my eyes. Like he cared about Kiki at all.

  “Kiki is the one who told me that I didn’t need to be there. I’ve seen Kiki every day this week. She knows she can get in touch with me if she needs anything. And I’ll be with her all day Saturday to make sure the wedding goes off without a hitch. If that’s all, I have work to do here…”

  “I can’t believe you, Campbell,” Jason said. “Throwing everything away for a no-name event.”

  “That’s why you and I are different,” I shot back. “Unlike you, I understand that there are things more important than names, than status. There are things worth doing even if it doesn’t get you anywhere.”

  “We’re not different Jen,” he said, stepping closer to me. “Don’t you see that? Why do you think I’ve been dating you? We can help each other, push each other.” He looked over at Matt’s beat-up truck. “You shouldn’t be with someone like him. He’s not in your league. I am.”

  I stepped back, feeling disgusted. How could I have ever been on a date with this guy?

  “No thanks,” I said.

  “Jen, you have no idea what you’re throwing away. I’m going places and I’m basically offering to take you with me. Would you really turn that down?”

  “What are you talking about, Jason?” I said, impatient now.

  “My meetings in New York,” he said, grinning. “I wasn’t just trying to build up the client base for NoLimits.” He rolled his eyes. “The biggest firm in Detroit. Big deal. Who the hell wants to stay in this dump?” he asked, gesturing around.

  “What did you do, Jason?” I asked, feeling suspicious.

  “I interviewed with top New York firms. And I had a lot of interest. When I get my recommendation from Mr. Barker I’m a shoo-in to get the hell out of here.”

  I looked at him incredulously. “You went out there on the Barker’s dime and used the opportunity to interview for jobs in New York? And you seriously thought I would be impressed by that?”

  Jason sighed. “Spare me the moral crap, Jen,” he said. “I wanted something and I went for it. Isn’t that exactly what you did with the Barker wedding? You didn’t care what it cost you, you saw the opportunity and you did what it took to make it happen. At least, you did until this recent lapse in sanity.”

  I thought about that for a minute. It did sound awfully close to my thinking all these long months working on the wedding.

  “Think for just a minute how things could be if we were together, Jen,” Jason said softly. “We could get out of here, go to a real city. Being with someone who has the same goals, never needing to feel guilty for putting work first. Think of how successful we could help each other become, the two of us working together. Think about that life, Jen. Nice cars, designer clothes, the most exclusive restaurants. Isn’t that what you want?”

  I could picture that life with Jason, or some faceless guy just like him. Finally getting all the nice things I had been working toward for so long, all the things my mother had always told me I deserved. But then I thought of my mother’s life—working non-stop, always fighting to get ahead, no time for friends or family—hell, no time for herself. She had always told me it was the only way to live, the only way you could be sure to be safe.

  But I didn’t want it. I didn’t want that life.

  “I’m not like you,” I whispered, and as I said the words a feeling of immense relief crashed over me. Because it was true: I wasn’t like Jason.

  I was a girl who loved my friends more than anything. A girl who liked to drink too much wine and dance around the living room. A girl who would just as soon curl up in PJs with take-out as go to a fancy restaurant. I wasn’t a perfect girl—in fact, I was a girl who could make huge mistakes. But I was also the type of girl who would do whatever it took to right those mistakes.

  I thought of Matt, waiting inside for me. Matt, who had put his whole life on hold to help me and my friends. Matt, who liked to build things with his hands, who hated wearing suits, who never tried to impress people or be someone he wasn’t. Somehow, I knew I fit better with a guy like him than I ever would with someone like Jason.

  Jason was looking at me like I was crazy. “When this wedding is over, you do what you want to,” I told him, squaring my shoulders. “But the life you just described is not one I’ll ever be interested. So good luck, but no thanks.”

  “You’re so not who I thought you were,” he muttered, glaring at me.

  I smiled. “Jason, I couldn’t have said it better myself.”

  Behind him, an SUV was pulling into the parking lot. I could make out Eric in the driver’s seat, Kiki next to him. Before he’d properly parked the car, she was out of her seat and running toward me.

  “Jen, we have all the dishes. I found really good stuff!” she cried. She noticed Jason, and stopped short. “What are you doing here?” she asked, not entirely nicely. “I thought you were supposed to be picking up the tuxes for the groomsmen?”

  Jason went from sour-faced to smarmy in two seconds flat. “Just on my way now,” he said, smiling. “Jen and I were just going through some details since she won’t be with us tomorrow.”

  Kiki waved this away. “Jen’s done everything for the rehearsal already,” she said flatly. “She’s worked her ass off. Now we’re working on this project together, so give her a break until Saturday, okay?”

  I had never loved Kiki more than I did in that moment. Behind that exterior of silly girlishness, she didn’t mess around.

  Jason’s smile faltered, but only slightly. “Sure, Kiki,” he said. “No problem. I was just leaving.” Without looking at me, Jason turned and got in his car. I was very happy to see him go.

  “Was he giving you a hard time?” Kiki demanded.

  “A little, but I doubt he will again after that. You’re pretty tough, Kiki,” I said, grinning at her.

  She winked. “Being sweet only gets you so far. Now.” Kiki put her hands on her hips. “We do need to address a problem with the rehearsal dinner.”

  I looked at her, confused. “What’s wrong?”

  “You’ve booked far too many staff,” she said seriously. “It’s wasteful and they’ll be tripping over each other at my parents’ house.”

  “Kiki, I only booked the standard—”

  She held up a hand. “Eric and I have talked it over and we’ve decided the best thing would be to send a bartender and two busboys over here to Ginny’s wedding tomorrow night.”

  My mouth dropped open. “I can’t let you do that,” I said, shaking my head.

  “She actually wanted to send the entire staff, all the waiters, too, but her parents said it wasn’t fair to ask her ninety-three-year-old grandmother to serve herself and do her own dishes.”

  I stared at them both, open-mouthed.

  “Jen, we have plenty of staff to help us,” Kiki said, her voice low and serious. “The very least I can do is send someone over to make drinks and handle the dishes after dinner. It would be a shame for you or Annie or anyone else to miss the reception because you’re clearing dishes and stuck in the kitchen.”

  “Kiki…” I didn’t know what to say. It was such a nice offer, but I couldn’t possibly accept. Her parents had already paid for all the staff we’d arranged.

  “Consider it a wedding present for Ginny,” Kiki said. “You can’t say no to a wedding present.”

  I hugged her impulsively. “I couldn’t have done any of this without you,” I whispered in her ear.

  She pulled back, beaming at me. “I should say the same to you! Okay, enough of that; I have the place settings—I got eighty just in case. I found some vintage-looking ones and a few really funky ones. I think they’ll go great in the sp
ace. Eric, honey, will you start unloading?”

  Before he could get the trunk open, Josh’s car pulled into the lot, closely followed by Annie’s.

  “Oh, good,” Kiki said, clapping her hands together. “Now everyone’s here. Oh, I can’t wait! Tonight is gonna be so much fun!”

  I looked over as the girls and Josh climbed out of the cars. I had a feeling Kiki was right.

  Chapter Twenty-seven

  ‘With so much on your mind, it’s sometimes easy to forget the true purpose of a wedding. It’s not really about having the perfect dress or the most expensive venue. It isn’t about gourmet food or extravagant flower arrangements. A wedding is about the love you share with your fiancé, the love you share with your friends and family. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, take a moment to remember that. Your wedding is no more or no less than a celebration of love.’—The Bride’s Guide to a Fabulous Wedding!

  “You look perfect,” Annie whispered as she joined Ginny and me in the ladies’ room. I had to agree with her. Ginny was the perfect bride.

  Her hair looked soft and lovely pulled back in a low chignon. Wavy tendrils escaped around her face and neck. A vintage comb I had found at an antique store was placed low in her hair holding the veil. It was long, lace-trimmed, and gossamer-fine. Perfection.

  I glanced at Annie. She didn’t look too bad herself. For our bridesmaid’s dresses, Ginny had picked out tea-length cocktail dresses in spring green. Annie and I each had our hair pulled up in loose twists with a spray of daisies above our ear.

  “I can’t believe it’s actually here,” Ginny said, stepping toward a mirror and peering at her reflection. “How does it look out there, Jen?” she asked.

  “It’s ready whenever you want to go check it out,” I told her.

  “Yay,” she said. “Let’s go.”

  As we left the bathroom (our makeshift dressing room) and headed out into the main room, Ginny took my hand. I felt slightly calmer, but still nervous. I so badly wanted her to love it.

  We stepped into the space and I heard Ginny’s breath catch next to me. The room was lit softly by lanterns and candles. Though the chairs were all arranged outside (pulling double duty for the ceremony), the mismatched tables were scattered throughout the room, dressed in various hues and styles of linens. The centerpieces looked perfect—ribbon-wrapped stacks of books were placed amongst several jam jars filled with wild flowers and baby’s breath. The same flowers could be seen throughout the room, spilling out onto window ledges, shelves, and in corners of the room. I had opted for an array of vases, jars, and buckets—some borrowed from Kiki’s house, some found at an early-morning trip to a thrift store on Wednesday.

  At each place setting was the favor Kiki had designed—and spent hours putting together. She had made a CD of love songs for each guest. The impressive thing, to me, was how she packaged them—each CD case was wrapped in brown paper and tied with raffia. She had taken a single gerbera daisy and slipped it between the paper and the ribbon. The effect was perfect for the setting.

  In my opinion, the whole room was exactly right. Unique and eclectic. It wasn’t fancy or glamorous, but it felt like Ginny and Josh. I turned to my best friend expectantly.

  Ginny had tears in her eyes. “This is perfect,” she whispered. “Perfect.” She threw her arms around me. “Jen, thank you so much.”

  I squeezed her back. “We wouldn’t have had to do all this work if it wasn’t for me screwing up so bad,” I told her.

  “It doesn’t matter,” she said, still not letting go. “I love this. It’s so much more like me and Josh than any restaurant. This is, like, designed for us.”

  “It was,” I told her as she released me. “Just for you.”

  She wiped her tears away. “You’re gonna smudge your makeup,” I told her, sniffing.

  “No biggie, makeup can be redone,” Annie said, holding out a Kleenex. She looked me in the eye. “If it can be fixed, it’s nothing to stay upset about.”

  That was all it took. I totally lost it, blindly reaching for her through my tears while Ginny threw her arms around both of us.

  “I love you guys,” I wailed.

  “You’re my best friends,” Annie agreed.

  “I can’t believe I have to go and live with boys!” Ginny cried.

  “What the hell is going on in here?” Josh asked, standing in the doorway.

  “Get out, get out!” Ginny screamed, pushing Annie and me in front of her. “Are you crazy? You can’t see me in my wedding dress!”

  “Gin, I think we used up all of our bad luck,” Josh said.

  “You don’t know that,” she said, hiding behind me. “Now get out!”

  “Fine, fine,” Josh said, backing out of the room. “But the guests are starting to arrive so you guys should get out of sight.”

  “Crap!” I said, automatically looking down at my wrist. But I had taken off my watch when I put on my bridesmaid’s dress. “What time is it? I need to get the food in the ovens!”

  “We’ll go wait in the office,” Annie said.

  “I’ll come get you when it’s time to go,” I said, turning to go.

  “Jen,” Ginny called, stopping me. I turned to look at her. “Thank you. Seriously.”

  I nodded, determined not to cry again, and hurried to the kitchen.

  ***

  Twenty minutes later, we were ready to go. The courtyard was filled with guests, the candles were lit, and Annie’s friend (and most recent crush) was playing soft music on his acoustic guitar. Annie and Jen were waiting in the little office off the foyer while I stood with Josh and his two groomsmen, ready to give them the signal to walk out and start the ceremony.

  “You guys look great,” I told Josh, adjusting his tie. Josh had elected for the guys to skip the tuxes. Instead, they were all dressed in light brown pants, dress shirts, brown vests, and green ties. It was a little quirky, but it worked for the setting and the feel of the day.

  Danny, standing beside Josh on his wobbly legs, started to fuss. “Hey, hey, big guy,” I said, pulling him into my arms. “You have to walk Daddy down the aisle. It’s a big job.”

  Danny looked up into my face, grinning and showing me his little baby teeth. I felt my heart turn over. I had missed so much in the last few months. I promised myself that no matter what it took, I was going to be around for this baby.

  I peered out into the courtyard. Everyone was settling in and it looked to be about full. “Okay, Josh,” I said. “You ready for this?”

  He smiled at me. “I’ve been ready for a year,” he said. I was impressed by his coolness. He didn’t look the least bit nervous; instead, he looked excited.

  I handed Danny to him. “Okay, guys,” I told them all. “You just walk to the end of the aisle and wait. As soon as you go out I’ll go get Ginny and we’ll be right behind you.” They all nodded. I turned back to Josh. “Annie’s mom is in the front row. You can hand Danny off as soon as you get down there.”

  “I think I want to hold him while Ginny’s walking down,” he said.

  “That’s fine. I’ll grab him when we get down there and pass him off. But if he starts fussing again, I suggest giving him to Mrs. Duncan. You want to focus on Ginny—she looks amazing.”

  Josh smiled. “I’m sure she does. And Jen…thank you.” Josh reached out and grasped my hand. “For the wedding and for being on my side from the beginning.”

  I smiled back. “No problem. But if you ever hurt her again, I will rip your balls off.”

  Josh laughed and I grinned at him. “Okay, let’s get this show on the road. Head on down there.”

  As Josh and the groomsmen began their walk, I hurried back to the office for Ginny and Annie. “You ready?” I asked.

  Ginny nodded, looking a little pale.

  “You look great,” Annie told her. “And you’ve been practicing your vows for weeks. You’ll be perfect.”

  “Girls,” Ginny said suddenly. “I know I said I wanted to walk down alone, but…” She t
railed off. Ginny, not at all close with her parents, had elected not to have her dad walk her down the aisle. Now I wondered if she was changing her mind.

  “Do you want me to go and get your dad?” I asked. “There’s time.”

  She shook her head. “No. No, I actually wondered…would you guys walk me down the aisle?”

  I felt tears fill my eyes again. I looked at Annie to see that she, too, was looking a bit misty-eyed. “Of course,” she said softly. “Of course we will.”

  I grabbed Ginny’s hand and led her to the patio door. Through the colored glass I could make out Josh at the end of the aisle, Danny in his arms. I gestured to the guitarist and I heard the music change to Somewhere Over the Rainbow. “That’s our cue, girls,” I whispered, looking over at them both.

  “I love you guys so much,” Ginny said.

  “Me, too,” Annie said. I just nodded, my throat tight. Out on the patio, Ginny’s friend Beth opened the door for us. Annie and I each took one of Ginny’s arms and we stepped outside.

  The sun was just beginning to set, filling the patio with soft golden light. The smell of flowers was strong in the air. As Ginny stepped over the threshold and into sight, I heard a collective intake of breath from the waiting guests. I couldn’t blame them. She was lovely.

  Ginny only had eyes for Josh. As we slowly walked down the aisle, her gaze never left his face. I glanced at her and saw that she was smiling hugely, even as tears filled her eyes. I squeezed her hand.

  As we approached the end of the aisle, Danny held out his arms to Ginny. I let go of her arm and went to retrieve him. Instead of bringing him over to Annie’s mom, I kept him in my arms, holding him tight. He nestled into my shoulder and I squeezed him. Next to me, Annie was kissing her oldest friend on the cheek before stepping into place. I leaned into Ginny, allowing her to kiss the top of Danny’s head. “I love you,” I whispered, kissing her cheek. Then I went to join Annie.

  I don’t remember much of the ceremony. I remember holding Danny in my arms, the way he nestled there and fell asleep, never fussing or making a sound. I remember the look on Josh’s face as he looked down at his bride. I remembered Ginny’s voice, clear and steady, as she read her vows.