by Chloe Taylor
“Starting a family? Like, having kids? That would be so amazing to have a baby cousin!” Zoey squealed. “You know, I feel like I could burst too. But it’s almost Saturday. We can do it.”
Lulu reached for Zoey’s hand. “We can do it,” she repeated. “And I have a little something special to give to you to top off your beautiful dress for the big day.” Lulu walked over to her purse, pulled out a large velvet sachet, and handed it to Zoey.
“Oh!” Zoey exclaimed when she loosened the drawstring and peeked inside. She pulled out a beautiful headband topped with a row of pearls.
“Here, let me help you,” Aunt Lulu said. She brushed Zoey’s hair back with her fingers and gently placed the headband on Zoey’s head.
“It’s perfect, Aunt Lulu! Thank you!” Zoey said.
“No, thank you!” Aunt Lulu gave Zoey a squeeze. “I couldn’t have pulled this wedding off without you, sweetie.”
At last, it was the night before the wedding.
Zoey’s dad had planned a very informal “rehearsal dinner” at their house for John, Lulu, and Lulu’s parents, who were in on the wedding surprise. Zoey was thrilled to have her grandparents come over, since they were staying at Lulu’s house and Zoey had been at school during the day and hadn’t been able to hang out with them. She’d gone over the night before to help Lulu and her grandmother tie up favors for the guests, and she’d had the chance to tell her grandparents all about school and her friends and her tap class. But it still wasn’t enough time.
When the doorbell rang, Zoey raced to answer it first, but Marcus beat her to it. He hugged his grandparents, Bill and Dorothy Price, and then Zoey did the same. Zoey didn’t remember her mother very well, and though she knew Lulu was a lot like her, whenever Zoey saw her grandmother Dorothy, she felt like she was getting a glimpse of her mother.
Mr. Webber offered everyone a drink, and the family sat down in the living room to chat. Zoey had put out cheese and crackers and some dip, which mostly Marcus ate. The doorbell rang again, and this time Mr. Webber went to answer it. Zoey knew it would be her aunt and John arriving, so she was surprised when the first thing she heard was a muffled sob and some sniffling when the door opened.
Lulu and John walked into the living room, Lulu clutching John with one hand and holding a tissue to her eyes with the other. Zoey wasn’t used to seeing her aunt cry, so her alarm bells went off immediately.
Grandma Dorothy immediately stood up and went over to her daughter. “What is it, dear? What’s happened? Nothing serious, I hope?”
John shook his head slightly, and Zoey felt momentary relief. At least no one seemed to be ill or anything.
Lulu blew her nose, and said, “I was having trouble getting hold of the photographer this week to confirm. I kept calling and calling. Finally, he called me back as we were driving over here, and he said that he’d made a mistake. He doesn’t have two hours for us—he’s actually already booked for the exact same time. He can’t shoot our wedding.”
Lulu took a deep breath to calm herself, and Grandma Dorothy put her arm around her.
“He’s completely double-booked? How on Earth did that happen?” Mr. Webber said.
Lulu shook her head in disbelief. “He has some new scheduling system, and it didn’t sync up correctly with the old system. So he thought he had two hours to shoot our wedding, but he doesn’t. And he booked the other event first, so he has to honor their contract. So now it’s the day before our wedding, and we don’t have a photographer.”
“It could be worse,” Marcus chimed in. “You could not have a bride or groom.”
“Not funny, Marcus,” Mr. Webber snapped, but Aunt Lulu managed a small smile.
“Actually, Marcus is right,” she said. “This is not the end of the world. It’s just . . . not great.”
Grandma Dorothy led Lulu to a chair and then went to the kitchen to get her a drink. She brought back a glass of water and handed it to her. “We’ll solve this, dear, okay? We’ll call some other photographers.”
John said, “Well, we tried everyone else already. Saturdays are their busiest days, so they’re all booked too.”
“I can’t believe there isn’t anyone available for tomorrow,” Mr. Webber said. “I’ll take the pictures myself, Lulu, if you’d like.”
Marcus laughed. “You take terrible pictures, Dad! You always cut off our heads.”
Zoey wanted to defend her father, but it was true. “You do take bad pictures, Dad,” she said. “But we love you, anyway.”
“Well, thanks,” said Mr. Webber. “Sort of.”
Then Zoey had an idea, and she thought her aunt might be desperate enough to go for it.
“Aunt Lulu,” she began, “remember my friend Gabe I told you about? The one who’s taken all the photography classes? We could ask him to photograph the wedding, and maybe we could also buy a bunch of disposable cameras and put them on tables, to encourage the guests to take photos, too. Then you’d have lots of people taking pictures, and you’d be bound to end up with some great ones! And I know Gabe would do a terrific job.”
Grandpa Bill coughed. “A middle-school student as the wedding photographer?” he said. “Really?”
“Well, why not?” said John. “A middle-school student designed and made the wedding dress, and the junior bridesmaid’s gown. And even though Lulu refuses to tell me anything about them, I know she thinks they’re both gorgeous!”
Zoey couldn’t help feeling right then like she was very glad John was joining their family.
“After all,” John continued, “we wanted a fun, low-stress, nontraditional wedding. We’re certainly getting the nontraditional part.”
“Let’s do it!” Lulu said. She wiped her nose one last time. “Go call him, Zoey, and tell him we’d be delighted to have him shoot our wedding.”
“We’ll have to let him in on the secret . . . ,” Zoey said, looking at her aunt for permission.
“Ack! The secret. I can’t worry about that anymore. Just ask him to please not tell anyone except his parents and to please, please, pretty please, bring his camera and his talent tomorrow.”
“I’ll arrange it,” John said. “You call him, Zoey, and then hand me the phone, okay?”
“Thank you, honey,” Aunt Lulu said gratefully, looking at him like he was her personal wedding hero. Zoey noticed her grandparents exchange a look as well, one that said they really liked John too.
Zoey called Gabe, told him briefly about the plan, and wasn’t surprised that he was beyond excited to do it. In fact, he kept thanking her over and over, until she handed the phone to John. John took the call in the kitchen, and the rest of the group waited in the living room, eating some crackers, until he returned.
“It’s all settled,” John said. “He didn’t want us to pay him, but I insisted on at least a small fee for his time. He was just excited to get to start a professional portfolio by photographing a wedding. He did ask if he could bring an assistant to help with carrying cameras and lighting, which I said was fine.”
Probably Josie, Zoey thought. Oh well.
“And you told him it had to remain a secret, right?” Zoey asked John.
“Yes,” said John. “Though he did have to ask his parents for permission.”
The family laughed, and Zoey felt enormously relieved. Everything was arranged, the wedding was tomorrow, and soon the secret would be out and the fun would begin. And, in the meantime, she had an evening of pasta and charades with the family to enjoy. After all, there was nothing left to go wrong!
CHAPTER 10
Party! Party! Paaaaaarty!
The engagement party for my aunt is later today! I’m so, so, sew very excited! There’s going to be food and friends and family there, and even though the weather is looking pretty rainy and gross, I just know it’ll work out. I’ve got a great dress to wear, and I’m planning something fun with my hair, too. Now, if I can just make sure my brother and my dad wear what I tell them to, we’ll be all set!
You may be confused about the golf outfit sketch I’ve posted, because this is not a golf-themed engagement party! But my grandparents are here visiting, so I wanted to sketch something inspired by them. They live in a retirement community with a golf course, and they play golf a lot, so I figured, why not look good doing it? Sew Zoey is really branching out this year (wedding dresses, golf outfits). I wonder what will be next . . . military uniforms? Hmm! I won’t have time to make this before they head back to AZ, but I’ll show them the sketch to see if they like it. Hoping for a hole in one!
The next day, Zoey, Marcus, and Mr. Webber left for Lulu’s house mid morning. The party/wedding wouldn’t be until the late afternoon, but they’d all planned to help John and Lulu with the setup and last-minute details. They would dress at Lulu’s house just before the party. Zoey had showered at home, so that all she’d have to do later would be throw on her dress and maybe put on some pink lip gloss, if her father would allow it.
At Lulu’s, there was already chaos. The steady drizzle outside was making the outdoor ceremony seem unlikely, and the tables and chairs couldn’t be delivered until the rain stopped. And as the Webbers filed into the kitchen, hoping to be told what they could do to help, there was more bad news.
“The baker called,” John said, with a nervous look at Lulu, who was drinking coffee and staring somewhat blankly at the countertop. “The bakery’s basement flooded from all this rain, and that’s where its ovens are. So they can’t make the wedding cupcakes cake.”
“It’s just getting rather silly, isn’t it?” Lulu said, with a small smile. “One thing after another. That’s how weddings always are, really. I’d just hoped to avoid it with our small, surprise, low-stress version.” She laughed. “Not low stress anymore.”
John laughed too. “Agreed.”
Mr. Webber spoke up. “I could run out to the grocery store and buy up a bunch of cupcakes, and we could arrange them like a cake? It’s not perfect, but it could work.”
Aunt Lulu nodded gratefully. “That would be wonderful. Thank you! That’ll just leave us with where to have the ceremony if the rain doesn’t stop.”
Mr. Webber left for the store, and the rest of the family, including Zoey’s grandparents, worked on weather contingency plans. When Mr. Webber returned with a large box, he placed it on the counter and said, somewhat regretfully, “This was the best I could find.”
John and Lulu opened the box to find a selection of Halloween cupcakes. They were all orange and black, with cats and ghosts and witches on them. Lulu laughed again. “Oh my,” she said. “This is really something. It’ll have to do, I suppose. Halloween cupcakes at our wedding!”
“We didn’t want traditional, right? At least the orange frosting kind of matches the color scheme,” John said. He shrugged, as if cupcakes were the last thing on his mind.
But when Lulu’s hairdresser came to do her hair and makeup, and they disappeared into Lulu’s room, John pulled Zoey, Mr. Webber, and Marcus into a huddle.
“Is there anything else we can do for wedding cake?” he asked. “Lulu was so excited about that cupcakes cake, and I really do want her to have her heart’s desire today. She’s already had to compromise on so much. I really wish I could bake!”
At the word “bake,” Zoey thought immediately of Priti and her home ec class. Zoey did know someone who could bake—in fact, two people: Priti and her mom.
“Excuse me one second,” she said to John, picking up her phone and running into the other room.
She called Priti and hurriedly explained about the party actually being a surprise wedding, and the lack of wedding cupcakes for the big event.
“I KNEW IT!” Priti screamed through the phone. “Zoey, I knew it. That is so awesome. And of course Mom and I can help. Let me think, though. . . . What could we make that would be ready by then and that won’t need time for cooling and frosting?”
“Molten chocolate cakes?” Zoey suggested.
“MOLTEN CHOCOLATE CAKES!” Priti said. “Yes! I’ll talk to my mom and call you back in one minute.”
Zoey hung up the phone, waiting anxiously. Exactly one minute later, the phone rang, with Priti confirming that she and her mother were on their way to the store to get ingredients and that her mother had tons of ramekins from her old catering days to use for the cakes. They would make the batter at home and then bake the cakes at Lulu’s, so they’d be warm and delicious for the reception.
“And of course we’ll keep it all a secret,” Priti said. “Though we might need extra sets of hands to get so many done in time. Can I call Kate and Libby?”
“YES! You’re the best,” Zoey said. She couldn’t help feeling pleased by how all of her friends were coming through at the last minute to help her aunt have a wonderful wedding.
Zoey ran to report the good news to John, Marcus, and her father, who were delighted, and they all agreed to keep it a secret from Lulu.
“She’ll love it,” John said. “I’d like for the bride to have a few good surprises on her wedding day. Now everyone had better get dressed!”
Remarkably, after Zoey’s phone call to Priti, things took a turn for the better. The sun came out, and the tables and chairs were able to be set up outside. The ground was a bit soggy, but John was optimistic that the strong sun would soon dry it up. Lulu’s hairdresser offered to style Zoey’s hair and to secure the headband, so it wouldn’t fall out when Zoey was dancing. She also applied just a touch of lip gloss and even a little mascara, which Mr. Webber had authorized. Zoey twirled in front of the mirror in her dress, feeling like she was ready to party.
Lulu wore a simple dark-blue wrap dress for the beginning of the party, but with her elegant hair and makeup, she looked stunning. She planned to change after the surprise announcement was made. As guests began arriving, congratulating John and Lulu on their engagement, Zoey’s stomach began to feel jumpy. It was almost time. The secret they’d all held on to so dearly for weeks would be revealed!
When all the guests had arrived, John gave Grandma Dorothy a wink, which was the signal to begin.
Zoey’s grandmother said to him loudly, so that everyone could hear, “So, John, have you two set a date yet?”
The guests were quiet, waiting for an answer. John looked at Lulu, wanting her to do the big reveal. Her cheeks immediately flushed, and she grinned from ear to ear, saying, “Actually, everyone, it’s TODAY!”
Marcus, who had been ready and waiting with the guitar, strummed the beginning chords of “Going to the Chapel of Love.”
There were gasps and a round of applause as everyone realized they would be attending a wedding that afternoon instead of an engagement party. Several people went up to John and Lulu and hugged them, wishing them well.
“I have to excuse myself now,” Lulu said giddily, “to go and get dressed for my wedding!”
Zoey followed her aunt back to the bedroom. She had a very special gift to give her.
She helped her aunt into the gown, still marveling at how well it fit her and how lovely the fabric was against her skin. Zoey pulled a small box from the bag she’d brought over and handed it to her aunt.
“What’s this?” Lulu asked.
“A surprise,” Zoey said. “Not from me, but from Daphne Shaw.”
Aunt Lulu’s eyes opened wide. “Daphne Shaw sent me a wedding gift?” She hurriedly tore off the ribbon and opened the box. There, resting on a piece of white velvet, was the beautiful blue garter.
“For your something blue,” Zoey said. “You have something old, Grandma’s earrings; something new, the dress; something borrowed, John’s mother’s bracelet; and now you have something blue!”
Lulu picked it up and examined it, seeing the small label on the inside. She smiled. Carefully, she slid the garter up one leg and then let her dress fall to conceal it. “It’s absolutely perfect,” she said. “I’d forgotten that saying, but somehow it all came together, didn’t it?”
“Just like the wedding will,” Zoey promised. “I’m going
to go out and help Dad, okay? You stay here and finish getting ready.”
Lulu nodded. “Okay. And, Zoey,” she said, pausing to look meaningfully at her niece, “this day wouldn’t be nearly as special without you in it.”
“Same,” said Zoey, laughing a little. “Although, then we wouldn’t have a bride, so it really wouldn’t be special!”
Zoey headed back to the main part of the house, where Mr. Webber was directing guests outside. Rows of chairs had been set up to face a makeshift altar, which was a flower-covered arbor delivered by the florist that morning.
As Lulu was getting ready, Priti, Mrs. Holbrooke, Kate, and Mrs. Mackey had appeared, slipping into the kitchen to begin baking the cakes. They hadn’t been able to get ahold of Libby, unfortunately, but they felt sure the four of them could get the baking done. Zoey told them the plan was to keep Lulu out of the kitchen, so the cakes would be a surprise.
“More secrets!” Kate said with an eye roll. “At least now I know why you missed tap class and roller-skating! Your dress is beautiful, by the way.”
“Thanks!” said Zoey. She checked the clock and realized it was showtime. “I’ve got to head to the ceremony. See you!”
As Zoey and Sybil lined up to be part of the processional with Buttons, Mr. Webber gave Zoey a quick hug. “I’m heading up to the altar,” he said. “I’ll see you there.”
“What?” asked Zoey. “Why?” Marcus was already up there with his guitar, to play the processional music, and John’s best man was there as well, but Zoey had no idea why her father would be there.
“I’m the officiant,” he said proudly. “I got certified online, and I’ll be marrying the bride and groom. That’s the favor Lulu asked me at our house a few weeks ago. Well, and she wanted to know if I was bringing a date.”
“I was wondering that too!” Zoey told her dad.
“Well, she’s out of town on business this weekend and couldn’t cancel at the last minute,” replied Mr. Webber. “But we’ve only gone out a few times. I’m not sure I’m ready to introduce her to you and Marcus, let alone the whole family!”