by Nancy Warren
Before a full-scale battle erupted, Natalie smoothly intervened. “Erin, your mother did compromise on the location. And we’ve got Cupid in the wedding party. What if you were to let your mom choose the caterer and the menu? I’ll help her and we’ll keep you fully informed, of course.”
She’d be wearing her own design when she married Jared. Sadie and Cupid were both in the wedding party. It was going to be at the Kaslo Inn – sort of. She’d be too nervous to eat anyway, did she really care about the caterer? “All right. But I promised the Kaslo Inn the business already so make sure they get properly paid for the venue and at least do some of the catering.”
“Flowers?” Her mom snapped.
Once more, Natalie intervened. “Do you have a florist in mind?”
“There is a good florist in Seattle. I’ve read about him in Vogue. A friend flew him to the Hamptons for her daughter’s wedding.” She turned to Erin. “You remember Gretchen Van Haslan? She married a cardiologist. The wedding was exquisite and the flowers extraordinary.”
“Do you have a problem with that, Erin?”
She held on to the image of Cupid trotting down the aisle with the wedding rings around his neck. Sadie, so happy that she and her dog were both in the wedding party. That’s what mattered. “No,” she said. “I don’t have a problem with that.”
“Okay.” Natalie tapped some more keys. “We are moving right along.”
She scanned her computer screen. “Um, do either of you have thoughts on the cake?”
“Well, obviously—”
“My mother-in-law to be, Trish Gardiner. She’s making the cake.”
Her own mother raised her brows. “From a box?”
“No. Not from a cake mix. She makes a traditional fruit cake. She really wants to be involved.”
There was a tense moment. “This isn’t a kaffee klatch for the local book club. What about the photographs?”
“I am not going to upset my mother-in-law before I’m even married.”
“Fine. I’m going to order a back up cake in case your mother-in-law’s home baking doesn’t turn out.” There were practically icicles hanging from each syllable but for her this was a big compromise, Erin knew.
“That’s a great idea. I always think a back up cake is a good idea, anyway. You never know. Something could happen.” Natalie had been right when she said her psychology training was useful in her wedding planning business. “And how about decorations?”
But this was where Erin knew her mother would shine. “I was hoping you had some ideas,” she said to her mom.
A slight smile was her reward. “As a matter of fact, I do. If we’re going al fresco, I’m thinking candles and lots of greenery. It’s midsummer after all. It’s the time of magic and faeries. I’ll explain it all to the florist so the theme is consistent.”
Erin blinked. She never thought of her mother as whimsical. Seemed like her flowers and decorations would actually work with this extemporized al fresco wedding. Which, the more she thought about, the more she liked.
“All right,” Natalie said. “I think we’re doing really well.”
Adele said, “I only hope this groom follows through.”
Ouch. Thanks, Mom.
There was a moment, just a nanosecond, really, when she imagined standing there all ready to go in her personally designed dress sewn by the greatest seamstress in the Pacific Northwest. In her nightmare vision, somebody came to tell her not to bother walking down the aisle.
There’d be no one at the other end waiting for her.
Chapter Five
The wedding rehearsal arrived much too fast. Erin wasn’t ready to rehearse getting married, never mind actually getting married. Saying vows and joining her life with a man.
Natalie came up to her and said, “Hey, you’re getting married, not on a tumbril headed for the guillotine.”
“I know. But I’m not ready.”
She and Natalie had talked on the phone every week. Ostensibly the call was to discuss wedding arrangements, but after ten minutes of wedding catch-up they ended up chatting. About Natalie and her hopeless dating life. And her latest diet! She truly was becoming one of Erin’s best friends which was why she felt she could confide in her.
“Everyone’s being weird. Jared’s off in his own world. Half the time I don’t think he’s even listening to me.”
“Normal.” The psych major said.
“Sadie’s so excited she’s impossible.”
“Normal.”
“My mother’s acting like a complete nightmare.”
“Oh, so normal.”
“Only Cupid is exactly the same.”
Natalie glanced down at the dog who was looking angelic. The pink ribbon around his neck had been specially designed to carry their wedding rings tomorrow. For now, they would only pretend.
“That’s actually not normal. Dogs usually pick up on their special people’s emotions.”
“He’s a very smart dog.”
“Okay,” she said in a tone that didn’t seem convinced. Then she leaned closer. “I’ve got the rings right here.”
“What?” Erin squealed. She’d designed the wedding rings, of course, and had them made by an artisan jeweler Natalie had introduced her to in the city. Natalie had promised to pick them up but Erin had been so crazy busy with last minute details that she’d forgotten the rings.
And they were perfect. Simple, plain gold bands with their interlocked initials engraved on the inside of the ring. She tucked the brown paper package into her pocket and hugged Natalie.
They walked through the ceremony. The tents were already up. Caterers had erected long tables and by tomorrow they’d be laden with cloths and cutlery and glasses. A long buffet table would contain heaps of food, and twinkly candles would light up the night. Her mother had hired a live band for dancing and then … And then she and Jared would begin their lives together as a married couple.
The wedding rehearsal went flawlessly. Surprisingly, the violin solo was perfect as they practiced walking between the chairs on the lawn to where the minister would join them. Jared had a dog biscuit in his pocket so that Cupid wouldn’t lose focus as he trotted up the aisle.
Sadie was adorable strewing petals out of a basket and miming holding a small bouquet.
The two mothers were perfectly friendly to each other, and the wedding guests who had arrived early seemed to be having a great time.
Adele and Henry Nash, Erin’s father, seemed as happy as two people could be who were seeing their only daughter get married far away from where they lived, knowing she’d settle on the other side of the country. Her father still looked great for a man in his mid-sixties. He was a vice-president in a multi-national firm and he loved his job too much to retire.
She’d thought he and Jared wouldn’t have much in common, but she should have known better. Her Dad wasn’t interested in hiking or fishing or any of the hobbies Jared enjoyed and Jared didn’t golf. But her father began asking about some of the latest supply management software, which Jared was currently designing, and soon they were boring the pants of anyone dumb enough to get in earshot. Her father was exactly the kind of end-user that the software was designed for. They were having their own private corporate think tank. One in a blazer and flannels sipping a martini, the other in a plaid shirt and his best jeans, sipping a local IPA. It was adorable. When she looked at the pair of them, she felt love for them both.
Her mother joined her. “I can’t believe they have a thing in common,” she said.
“I know.”
Her mother suddenly hugged her, a spontaneous gesture that shocked her daughter. Her voice sounded misty as she said, “I admit, I thought this was a mistake and you were marrying a west coast lumberjack on the rebound. But I was wrong.” She sighed. “Jared is a good and decent man. I think you’re going to be very happy.”
Her mother wasn’t the effusive type, but she’d always known she was loved. She felt her own eyes mist up. “Thanks,
Mom. And thanks for this beautiful wedding.”
“Well, it’s not what I would have chosen for you, but I’m glad you’re happy.”
“Thanks, Mom.”
“Are you sure you won’t come back to the hotel with us and stay tonight?” To Erin’s amazement her mother had decided to stay at the Kaslo inn and forego the in-house spa and room service of a big Seattle hotel. It allowed her to be on-scene and in control and it meant her parents didn’t have to drive in and out of the city. Still, Erin recognized that her mother was making a sacrifice.
“No. I want to spend one last night in my cottage. Me and Cupid.”
Her mother shook her head but didn’t argue. “All right darling. Get a good night’s sleep. We’ll see you in the morning.”
“Remember, Natalie’s got everything under control. You don’t need to worry about a thing.”
“A mother always worries.”
Chapter Six
“I have a surprise for you,” Jared said, as they headed back to his place, Sadie and Cupid cuddled up in the back.
“What kind of surprise?” She couldn’t help but remember the last time he’d surprised her, offering her an engagement ring and proposing marriage.
On Valentine’s Day.
She’d been so shocked. She was so overwhelmed by the suddenness of his proposal and by the fact that she could never give him the children he so clearly wanted that she’d turned him down. Of course, fate, Cupid and Sadie had conspired to get them back together and now they were getting married. Still, she suspected the whole surprise thing was making him a little stressed. It was certainly having that effect on her.
“You’ll see,” he said. Which wasn’t much of an answer.
They arrived back at Jared’s house, which would also be hers when they returned from a two-week honeymoon. They were planning to drive down the coasts of Oregon and California, staying at B&Bs and spending a few nights in a plush lodge in the Napa valley.
She could hardly wait to have all that time alone with her new husband, with neither of them working, Sadie and Cupid well looked-after by Trish Gardiner. To Erin’s surprise, her parents were planning to spend some time in the area getting to know their new grand-daughter and would still be here for a few days when she and Jared returned.
“You guys both were amazing in that wedding rehearsal,” Jared said when they settled at the kitchen table for cookies and juice before Sadie’s bedtime. Both Sadie and Cupid basked in the praise.
“Are you excited about tomorrow?”
“Yeah. I get to wear my new dress.” Sadie jumped off her chair and twirled around until there was a knock on the kitchen door. Jared opened it and a teenaged girl Erin vaguely knew came in.
“Hi Jessica,” Sadie said. And proceeded to tell her all about the wedding rehearsal. “Are you here to babysit me?”
“Yeah.” The girl had what looked like homework under her arm. She must be taking summer courses. She certainly looked serious and responsible. Erin realized she was thinking like a mother.
She glanced at Jared and he nodded, yep, this was part of the surprise.
“But Erin has to read me my bed time story first.”
“Okay,” Jessica said. “I’ll be down here if you need me.”
So Erin read Sadie the story of Snow White. The version where the step mother not only feeds Snow White an apple but shares her recipes for apple pie, apple pancakes, apple muffins… Sadie loved this story and of course, Erin had had to promise to bake some muffins with her.
“When I get back from our honeymoon.”
Sadie looked at her with those big, gorgeous eyes. “When you get to be my step-mother for real.”
She felt emotion catch at her. “I can’t wait. I promise I’ll try to be the best stepmother ever.” She kissed the little girl’s forehead and watched her settle her ragged-looking stuffed cat in her arms ready for sleep.
When she got back downstairs, Jared was waiting, truck keys in his hands. He was jingling the keys like he was nervous. His eyes warmed when they looked at her and in that moment all her doubts vanished. They loved each other. Whatever shadows they brought from their former lives, she knew that their love could light up and make disappear.
“What’s up?” she asked him when they pulled out of his drive.
He seemed a little serious for a man who was about to get married. “I want to show you something.”
“Okay.”
They didn’t talk much on the short drive. He seemed jittery. So unlike himself. In spite of herself, she got jittery too. She supposed she was still scarred from getting dumped by the last guy she was going to marry. “Jared, you’re not planning to dump me, are you?”
“What?” He jerked his head so hard the truck swerved. He straightened and took a breath. “Jeez. Why would you even say something like that?”
“Because you are acting so weird. You’ve been getting stranger every day the wedding gets closer.”
“I don’t want to get married,” he said.
Chapter Seven
“What?” Even though she’d asked if he was going to dump her, she hadn’t in a million years thought he would. If she knew anything it was that they loved each other.
Even as the startled ‘What?’ left her lips, he was saying, “No, No. I don’t mean I don’t want to marry you. What I mean is I wish we could just be married already. Get past the parents and worrying that everyone will behave and, well, performance anxiety.”
Her eyes bugged out. “Performance anxiety? Let me tell you, you’ve got nothing to worry about in that department.”
He rolled his eyes. “Not that kind of performance anxiety. I mean, I hate giving speeches.” He sighed. Stared out of the front window, his hands rigid on the steering wheel.
She smiled to herself. She always thought of him as so grounded, so confident in himself. It was funny to think of him being nervous about giving a speech at his own wedding. She slipped her own hand over his right where it was welded to the steering wheel. She found out new things about him every day. Even his fear of public speaking charmed her. “I love you,” she said.
“Right back at you.”
He slowed, seemed to hesitate at a stop sign, then turned right, and then left into a leafy residential part of Kaslo she’d rarely been to. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” He slowed, and pulled up in front of a rather grand looking Craftsman that was so new she could see the stripes where the lawn had been laid down and fit together, like wallpaper edges. A real estate sign was planted where she thought a tree might one day go.
Jared turned to her. “It’s got four bedrooms and full suite for guests. Stainless appliances in the kitchen, granite counter tops. Fully fenced back yard. It’s close to Sadie’s school and walking distance to the high school.”
She blinked at him. “Are you trying to tell me you’re going into real estate?”
“No. I’ve been looking at real estate listings. For us. I narrowed the field down to six houses that I thought you’d like.” He shrugged and in the waning daylight, his eyes seemed darker than usual.
She glanced up at him and he seemed like he was putting on a brave face. “I’m not sure I understand,” though she was beginning to think she did.
“It’s my wedding gift to you. I thought maybe we should start our new life with our own house.”
“But you love your house. Don’t you?”
“It suits me,” he said, all cagey like he could take his place or leave it.
“And it’s the only home Sadie’s ever known.”
He shrugged. “Kids are adaptable. If you don’t like this one, there’s a smaller house that’s five years old but it’s right by the river which I thought you’d like.”
Something about his fake enthusiasm was feeling, well, fake. “Why are you looking at real estate?”
There was a moment, only a flash, when she saw pain and vulnerability in his face. Then he shook it off and went back to Mr. Fake Happy.
“I bought my current house with Laura. Shared it with her. I thought maybe we should start fresh. With our own place.”
“Oh.” She’d come to love his house. She liked that his first wife and Sadie’s mom had lived there with them. Obviously, if the woman had lived, Erin wouldn’t now be marrying her husband and mothering her daughter. But she hadn’t lived. And Erin oddly liked the idea that Laura would always be part of their lives. But perhaps for Jared the memories were too painful. “Do you want to move?”
He seemed like a man completing the last question in a really important test. This answer and this answer alone would decide whether he won the all-expenses paid trip around the world, or whether he went home with the studio goodie bag that said, Thanks for playing, loser. “Sure. We could have our own home. Make our own memories.”
“Well, if that’s what you want, then of course. I’m willing.”
“I told the realtor we’d call if we wanted to see inside. What do you think?”
“I don’t like it. This house is too big. It has no real character.”
He nodded. Seemed relieved. “Okay. I’ve got others we can see.” He flipped on the light in his truck and pulled his laptop from behind his seat where he’d stashed it. “We can save time if you look at them first on the Internet.”
So they scrolled through five local real estate listings. Two she immediately discounted as ugly or badly laid out. That left three. A trio of perfectly nice houses, in nice neighborhoods, with yards.
But none of them seemed like home.
She felt sad at the idea of him and Sadie abandoning this house and their memories. “Don’t you think it would be hard for Sadie?”
“She’s a kid. And she wants us to get married so badly that I’m sure she’d do it.”
“But—” It was one of those moments when the clouds split in the sky and a beam of sunlight shot down and smacked her in the eye. “Wait a minute. You’re doing this for me.”
He glanced at her as though that was one of the stupidest things she’d ever said. “Yeah. So.”