DWP fic - Like Love pt 49
Hey there....
Got a bunch of stuff to do this weekend... so I may not answer emails as fast as normal. :)
Closer and closer we're inching up to the big event... ;)
Like Love part 49
Andy, Serena and Lara navigated the last curve of their running route to begin the long straight stretch back to the hotel. They weren't shocked to see the construction crew and the huge tent that was to be the site of the wedding ceremony itself. What did shock Andy and Serena was the very visible presence of Emily and Miranda. They were obviously arguing with a man who towered over them. There were no words exchanged, but the instant Andy and Serena recognized their lovers, they both increased their speed to Olympic class. Lara followed behind, slightly slower, her eyes seeing what her companions had not paid attention to.
Andy skidded to a halt in front of Miranda. “Miranda, what are you doing out here?”
Serena was only a few seconds behind and breathlessly asked Emily, “Is there a problem?”
“Too right there's a problem!” Emily gestured to the tent. “It's too bloody small!”
The large man Emily had been arguing with had stepped back when Andy and Serena arrived. He spoke up again now, “Look, Lady, I only know that this is the size tent they sent. I'm the head of hotel maintenance. I signed off on the invoice myself. It's exactly what you ordered!”
With a cry of frustration, Emily threw herself at Serena and spoke against the woman's sweaty shoulder. “I have so cocked this up. I ordered two smaller tents as dressing rooms, and a tent to hold the exact number of guests...”
“This one looks big enough for the guests to me.” Andy wrapped her arm around Miranda's waist. “How many people will be left out?”
Miranda ran her tongue over her teeth and spoke quietly. “Seven.”
Laughing at that, Andy smiled, “Seven!? C'mon... we can find seating for seven more people...” Her smile faded as Miranda shook her head. “No?”
“They do not need seats, Andrea...” Miranda glanced at her distraught assistant and sighed, “It's us...”
“I'm sorry, what?” Andy tilted her head as if to hear better. “I don't...”
“Us... the wedding party...” Miranda gestured toward the tent, then she tapped a blueprint type drawing of the tent layout that had been spread onto the table next to her. “There is exactly enough room to accommodate the number of guests that will attend the ceremony.” Miranda's finger traced the length of the drawn tent and tapped the end of the schematic, “but then there is no room at the front for... us.”
“I was so thrilled,” Emily sniffled and moved away from Serena, also gesturing to the plans, “because the size of tent I needed for the guests would exactly fit into the space here, between the walkway and the pool area.”
“excuse me...”
Emily continued her explanation, “This would have been perfect. Miranda's dressing room would have been off to the side at the front, Andrea's at the back, so that she could walk down the aisle... and because the guests could have walked down the walkway from the hotel into the tent. Most of the female guests are going to be wearing heels, so they can't walk too far across the ground... I was barely able to fit the pianos in, but even if we took them out there still won't be room...”
“Excuse me...”
“...and now that we need a larger tent, I have to find another location and everything will have to be changed, moved... “ Emily dabbed at the tears running down her face, “...and I'm not sure we have time for that.”
“EXCUSE ME!” Lara smiled sweetly when all eyes, finally, turned toward her. “If I may, make a suggestion?” She too tapped the drawing on the table. “It's a tent. You can open this end.”
Emily made another sound of frustration, “Yes, of course, but look!” She pointed to the paper. “The pool is barely two inches from the edge of the tent. What good will it do to open the panels? Do you expect them to stand in the water for the ceremony?”
Lara raised her eyebrows and grinned at the brides. “There's a thought. It is the children's wading pool, only two feet deep...” Laughing at the expressions on everyone's faces, Lara shook her head. She reached up and quickly twisted her long, fairly sweaty white/blonde hair into a loose bun. Now in full architect mode, Lara explained, “No, I'm saying they should get married on the water.” She grabbed a pencil laying on the table and began to sketch, “You see, if that end is open, you can build a platform, out over the water, like a stage, for Miranda, Andy, and the wedding party to stand on.”
“A platform?”
“Yes,” Lara looked at the man and read his nametag, “Chris. A platform. I noticed the windows on the hotel's upper floors are plexiglass. What's the measurements on those? Four by... eight?”
“Yes, Ma'am, four by eight.”
Nodding at the dimensions, Lara asked the all important question. “You have extras of those, right? In storage?” Lara had never encountered a hotel worth its salt that would be caught without window replacements, especially one so close to an ocean.
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“Well then,” Lara smiled. “Let me work up a materials list for you and we'll get started building that platform...”
Chris smiled, “Yes, Ma'am.”
“Well, it seems as though things are under control here.” Miranda smiled at Lara, “Thank you for your assistance.”
“Of course...”
“Lara,” Andy dropped her arm away from Miranda. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Uh...” Lara found her elbow in Andy's grip as the young bride led her slightly away from the others. “What.. um...”
“Emily has me walking down the aisle...”
“Yeah,” Lara smiled, “That is usually how it works...”
“But...” Andy's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, “I don't have anyone to walk me down the aisle... Daddy...” The word caught in her throat. She wrapped her arms around her middle to keep her breaking heart together. “I want to walk to Miranda... but...” Comforting arms covered hers and Miranda's soft voice caressed her ear.
“Andrea, as beautiful as I think you would be walking down the aisle toward me, this is an easy obstacle to manage.” Miranda squeezed her fiancee briefly and assured her. “We will walk down the aisle, together.”
Lara reassured her friend, “Let me work on it... I may have an idea...” She grinned as she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text. “Don't worry. I'll work it out and go over everything with you later at the rehearsal.”
Andy smiled, “Thanks, Lara.”
Miranda agreed, “Yes, thank you... Lara.”
Nodding at the couple, Lara winked, “My pleasure.” Her attention turned to the small group approaching, “Ah... good.” Lara grinned at her son and his friends. “Alan. I need your help with a materials list...”
“Yeah?” The boy shrugged, “Okay...”
All the Priestlys' jaws dropped, but Alyssa just grinned and spoke to her friend, “Cass, remember when I was amazed about you tuning the piano, and I said I couldn't do anything nearly as good as that...” She waited for Cassidy to nod then shrugged, “Alan can. He's great at all this construction stuff. He's been going with Dad to construction sites for years... and in the last few he's actually been helping, during the summer.”
“Really?” Caroline sounded amazed. “Like a real job?”
“Well...” Alan rubbed the back of his neck, “More like internship... he keeps saying he's 'grooming' me to take over for him...”
“My husband is very good at his chosen profession. Alan has learned from the best.” Lara smiled at her son. “Okay, we had better get moving if we want this thing done in time.”
Alyssa snorted and gestured for her friends to leave. “We may as well go. When Dad and Alan start talking about the job...they get all caught up in it...” She whispered to Cassidy, “Mom does too.”
Lara wrapped her arm around, Alyssa's shoulders and laughed. “If you had shown even the slightest interest in the work, you could have been right there with them.” She kissed her daughter's temple and shooed them away. “G'wan now, we have work to do.”
Alyssa snorted, “Yeah, okay. I'll bring you some coffee and breakfast sandwiches in a few.”
“Excellent.” Lara was already absorbed in the schematics, pointing to different things and discussing them with Alan who was just as engrossed.
Shaking her head, 'Lyssa turned to her friends and sighed, “Aannnd... there they go..”
Cassidy and Caroline both grinned. They didn't have a brother, but they could totally relate to a work-absorbed mom.
“Speaking of breakfast,” Miranda gestured toward the hotel, “I'm told this establishment has an excellent buffet.”
They all agreed that that sounded very good and headed that way. Andy quickly texted the rest of their family and friends, letting everyone know that they were welcome to join them for breakfast. Finished sending out the messages, Andy leaned into Miranda as they walked. She could feel the tension in her fiancee and whispered quietly, “It will work out. Lara is good at what she does.”
“Of course it will...” Miranda nodded, almost to herself, “Of course.”
Andy sighed, “Girls...” She waited for the twins, and Alyssa to look at her. “You guys go on to breakfast... I need to talk to Miranda for a minute.”
“Sure, Ma.” Cassidy grabbed Alyssa's hand and walked away quickly, Caroline keeping pace with them.
Pulling Miranda into a quite alcove, Andy took the older woman's trembling hands and smiled, “I am going to marry you, Miranda. We've done all the paperwork, we've made all the arrangements... and I don't care if I do have to stand in two feet of water to do it... I am going to marry you, tomorrow. No matter what...”
With a deep breath, Miranda nodded, “You know what else?”
“What's that?” Andy studied Miranda's face closely, glad to see the tension leaving the older woman.
Brushing Andrea's cheek with the backs of her fingers, Miranda smiled, “I'm going to marry you too. No matter what.” They began walking toward the restaurant and Miranda chuckled, “How much of a scandal would it be if we did wear Wellies while standing in the water during the ceremony?”
Andy laughed, “If you wear them... rubber boots will be all the rage.”
Miranda sniffed haughtily, but her eyes reflected a mixture of playfulness, amusement and love. “Naturally.”
###
Dorothy pushed the remains of her third plate away from her and sighed, “That was great.”
Andy laughed as she took another bite of her first, and probably only, plate of food. She had taken the time, as Serena had, to shower quickly before joining the rest of the wedding party at the restaurant. Her hair was still slightly damp, but not enough to drip on the nice clean, dry, running outfit she'd changed into. “Yeah, it's delicious.” She chewed and swallowed a bite of her made-to-order omelet.
“You aren't eating much...” Dorothy fretted. “You're going to waste away...”
Laughing at that, Andy shook her head. “No, Ma... I'm fine.”
“Andrea's diet is quite healthy,” Miranda smiled at her fiancee, “so long as I can keep her away from things like, pizza and Cheese Doodles.”
“Mmm... Speaking of which...” Andy searched the crowd to find Lily. “Lily, is everything set for the party tonight?”
“Yep...”
“Are you going to tell me where we're going now?” Andy had been trying to get the details of her bachelorette party out of Lily for a week now and the woman steadfastly refused to divulge any information on the subject.
“Nope. You'll just have to wait and see.”
The way Lily grinned and shoulder-bumped Doug was not reassuring to Andy at all.
Emily spoke up, “Everything is set for your party as well, Miranda. After the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, we can all go our separate ways.”
“My, um... room is ready.” Andy raised her eyebrows at Miranda's shocked look. “We discussed this... and agreed. We are going to spend the night before the wedding, apart.”
“Tradition,” Miranda murmured. She took a deep breath and nodded once, “Easier said than done though.”
Andy couldn't take her eyes off of Miranda and agreed softly, “You bet it is.”
###
After the meal was over most of the wedding party moved to one of the many sitting areas in the lobby. They spoke quietly among themselves, most rehashing things they'd discussed last night. The girls were all busy texting their friends when another group of young people, dressed in swimwear and carrying surfboards, walked past them.
Miranda watched her children's eyes follow the group of surfers out the door and asked, “Do you wish to go surfing?”
Caroline and Cassidy both scoffed in unison, “Hell no.”
“Language!” Miranda was appalled at the girls' response and glanced quickly at Tante.
Cassidy laughed, “Sorry, Mom. It's just that we checked the water temperature yesterday and it's way too cold! I'd want a full body suit to even think about going out.” She glanced at the doorway where the others had gone. “Dressed like they were, they'll be shivering back through the door pretty soon.”
“You surf?” Alyssa shook her head then made a sound that mixed disgust with grudging admiration, “Of course you do...”
“We like to surf, but only do it occasionally.” Cassidy shrugged, “When we're on vacation or at one of the beach houses.”
“We started on boogie boards a few years ago and upgraded to surfing pretty quickly after that.” Caroline smiled at the memory, “That was a really fun Spring Break.”
Andy glanced at her mother. The casual mention of beach houses had, as she suspected, caused a bit of consternation to cross her mother's face. It was something the woman was going to have to deal with though and Andy was proud of her Ma for letting the reference slide. She grinned, remembering the Spring Break Caroline was talking about from her own perspective. She'd still been the bumbling assistant back then. Chad's voice pulled her from her musings.
“Didn't you go somewhere warm and surfy one year, Sis?” He saw Andy's confused look and elaborated, “One year... when you were going to Northwestern?” He ignored his sister's widening eyes and frantic glances at their mother. The almost imperceptible shake of her head was lost as he continued. “Yeah... I remember I was so jealous. You went to like... the Bahamas.. or... No! It was Rio.. right?”
“It was Cancun.” Dorothy chuckled at Andy's jaw dropping. “Really, Andy, you don't think a mom knows where her children are??”
Miranda chuckled and turned her attention to her children. “You see?”
Andy was still gobsmacked. “How did you...”
Dorothy laughed, “Oh, Andy... when you decided to stay at school and “study” during that Spring Break your father was so impressed. He thought it meant you were really buckling down in your studies.” She shook her head, “You'd just turned twenty-one... and when we'd visited for your birthday I noticed the flyer in your room. When you told us you weren't coming home, I had assumed that you'd managed to get the required number of your friends to sign up and gotten the free trip.”
Dropping her shoulders in defeat, Andy smiled weakly, “Yeah, I did.” Grimacing, not really wanting to know the answer, she asked softly, “And... Daddy?”
“Blissfully unaware.” Dorothy held up her hand reassuringly, “Your status as a bookworm is still intact with him.”
“Yeah...” Andy swallowed hard. Only Miranda, sitting right next to her, heard Andy's next quiet comment, “I wish that was enough...”
“Andrea,” Miranda stood and offered her hand to her fiancee, “walk with me.”
They all watched as the soon-to-be married couple walked, hand-in-hand, out the door.
###
Miranda and Andy had only been gone for a moment before Caroline and Cassidy stood.
“We're gonna go check on the pianos.” Cassidy smiled at Alyssa when the tall girl also stood.
“I should probably go check on mom and Alan too.” She laughed. “They barely acknowledged their breakfast earlier. I need to make sure they have water to drink. It's warm today.”
The girls left quickly and then Blair spoke up as she drew her buzzing phone from her pocket.
“Thank you all for a lovely breakfast,” she said as she studied the small screen on the device in her hand, “but I must take care of a few things back at the office.” She leaned over, placing a quick kiss on Jo's lips before she stood. “I will see you at the rehearsal.”
Jo smiled and nodded as she watched Blair walk away.
Louise watched the young executive leave and with a tinge of admiration in her tone spoke to the half of the couple left behind. “You're wife works quite a lot...”
“Yes, ma'am.” Jo shrugged, “Keeping her father's faith in her is very important to Blair. She's very loyal to her family.”
“You don't have much use for the man though?” Louise easily read the younger woman's tone of voice.
“To me...” Jo looked around the sitting area to make double sure the children, and Blair, were gone. “He's a bastard-coated bastard, with bastard filling.” She sighed and shrugged, “But he's her father.”
Dorothy asked quietly, “She kept her name, when you two... married?”
“Mmm.. yeah.” Jo smiled at Andy's mother, “We hyphenated our names... I'm Joanne Polniaczek-Warner, and she is Blair Warner-Polniaczek. Although often when Blair RSVP's events she will just list us as Blair and Joanne Warner.”
“And you're okay with that?” Dorothy wasn't sure what the protocol was for name retention in lesbian weddings.
Jo shrugged, “Sure.”
“Do you know what Andy has decided about that issue? She hasn't discussed it with me.” Dorothy was a bit saddened by that. “She hasn't discussed much of anything with me.”
“Me either,” Jo shrugged again but shifted it into a stretch, “Not much to discuss really, not that it any of my business...” The implication that it wasn't any of Dorothy's business either, mother or not, was definitely present in Jo's tone. “Most of the planning is being done between them, and that Emily gal...” With a smile, Jo held out her hands, helplessly, “I just show up and do what I'm told.”
Everyone laughed at that since they were all pretty much in that exact same position.
Natalie had been sitting back watching the interplay and after the laughter died down she asked her aunt, “Tante, would you like to go back to your room for a while?”
“Why would I want to do that?” Tante's eyes glittered as she looked around. “This is a lovely place, and it's far too nice a day to be cooped up inside a hotel room, even one as nice as they gave me.”
Pava, who had been murmuring quietly to Mary, spoke up decisively. “I agree!” She stood and offered her hand to Louise, much like Miranda had done with Andy. “Would you like to take a walk with me? We can take a short walk through the grounds and then check on that chef fellow... He said he was going to have the samples of our recipes ready in a little while. ”
Louise smiled and took the hand, nodding as she rose from her seat. “That sounds lovely.”
Pava looked at Mary, “Are you joining us?”
With a small shake of her head, Mary stood. “No. It's going to be a long afternoon. I think I'll go back to the room and rest for a while, while I can.”
“Okay.” Pava watched Mary walk off fairly slowly in the opposite direction she and Louise were heading. Exhaling softly, she turned her attention back to Louise and offered her elbow to the shorter woman. “Shall we?”
Jo broke the silence that reigned after the older women's departure by shifting into the empty space next to Lily, “So, tell me about this bachelorette party you're planning.”
Lily smiled at the detective and began to regale the remaining people about her plans for Andy's last night of “freedom.”
###
Miranda broke the silence between them as they walked along the sandy beach, shoes in hand. “Are you... okay?”
“I'm fine.”
Licking her lips, Miranda stopped, pulling Andrea to a stop as well. She met Andrea's troubled brown eyes with her own concerned blue ones. “Truth, Andrea.”
Andy lowered her gaze to the sand at her feet. “It hurts, Miranda. Daddy...” A sob escaped her as Miranda's arms gathered her close. Burying her face in the crook of Miranda's neck, Andy inhaled the comforting scent. “... he hates me.”
“He doesn't.” Miranda held Andrea as tightly as she could and continued murmuring words of encouragement to her love. “The problem is because he loves you so much.”
“It doesn't feel like he does.”
“You're his daughter, his baby.” Miranda pulled away slightly to look into Andrea's eyes. “Imagine, if you saw Caroline or Cassidy doing something you thought was a mistake, something you thought would hurt them...”
“I would try to stop them...” Tears trailed down Andy's cheeks. “But I wouldn't stop talking to them. I wouldn't avoid attending events important to them... I wouldn't stop supporting them or loving them!”
“Andrea!” Miranda was at a loss as to how to comfort her distraught fiancee. “Andrea, please, calm down...”
Looking up and down the deserted beach they'd been walking on, Andy shook her head and pulled completely away from Miranda. “I need to run.” She searched Miranda's horrified face and shook her head. “Running helps me, clear my head. I'll be back before the rehearsal...” Sitting on a convenient piece of driftwood, Andy wiped the sand off her feet and put her socks and running shoes back on.
“Be careful.” Miranda leaned down for a quick kiss. “Come back to me.”
Andy smiled, “Always.”
Miranda nodded and stepped back then watched as the love of her life began to jog away from her. After a short distance, Andrea began to run.
###
Pava had already approved the chef's efforts in recreating their family favorites. Louise had also put her stamp of approval on all but one of the Princhek family dishes. Now Pava just waited for her companion to pass judgment on the final special recipe.
“Interesting.” Tante took another bite of the perogi, evaluating the flavor. “Not exactly like mine but as close as anyone has ever gotten I suppose.”
Gunter was appalled. “They are perfect, exactly as the recipe demands!”
“The filling is wrong,” Tante calmly informed him. “There are too many mushrooms in it. I suppose I should count myself lucky you didn't add spinach to the mix.”
Pava remained quiet, but watched the interaction between her new friend and the chef with fascination. Something was going on between them. There had been a tension in the air, in Louise, since they'd first stepped foot in the kitchen. She had thought it was because the chef had been yelling, rather loudly, at some of his assistants. Now she wasn't so sure. It was more like something that Pava could sense, but couldn't quite understand. She thought the chef was rather confused too until they both heard two very quietly mumbled words from Tante.
“German arrogance...”
Pava watched, still confused, as a sort of dawning realization swept across the man's features. He pressed his lips together for a long moment then nodded once at his critic and spoke tersely, “I will correct the mixture.” His eyes took in Tante's shock and he nodded again. “I will always correct my own errors, but I refuse to pay for the mistakes of people who came before me.”
Nodding at her own internal thoughts as much as his words, Tante replied in a resigned tone of voice, “Of course not, nor should you. I do apologize for my tone.” She broke another perogi in two and showed him the filling. “It is wrong though.”
Sighing, Gunter noted the large amount of mushrooms visible. He smiled. “It would have been easier had you requested the more popular cheese, potato, and onion.”
Tante shuddered then admitted, “I despise onion.”
Bending slightly in the middle, Gunter tilted his head in acknowledgment. “I will remember.”
With a tiny smile that did not touch her eyes, Tante linked her arm with Pava's. “And I... I fear, will never forget.” With a deep breath she tugged her companion toward the kitchen door. “Walk with me, Pava. It is too hot in here.”
“Of course.” Without another word, Pava allowed herself to be led out of the kitchen.
###
“Good God what has she done?” Emily was only vaguely aware of Serena's reassuring arm around her waist as she looked at the reconfigured tent. “This is a disaster!”
“Let us wait and see...” Serena rubbed Emily's back gently. “Lara is a very nice person who obviously knows what she's doing. When the florists and decorators have their turn I'm sure it will be fine.”
Emily had to admit that Lara was completely in control of the work crew and even the boy seemed to be directing the men to the proper places at the proper times. It was also true that the space was still very bare, in deference to the workers. “I hope so...” She cringed when she heard Miranda's footsteps approaching from behind her. Her long-time boss's question caused Emily's heart to race, double time.
“How soon until the preparations are completed?”
“I believe they are nearly finished with the structure, Miranda.” Emily took the time to glance at Serena. “We only just arrived and have not yet gotten a status update.”
“Mmm...” Looking around, Miranda casually asked, “Have you seen Andrea anywhere about?”
“Not lately...” Emily's eyes widened. “Don't tell me she's ran off!”
Dangerous shadows passed across Miranda's eyes, “Andrea has many things on her mind these days. She went for a run on the beach earlier to clear her head. I merely wondered if she had returned yet.”
Emily let out a small noise, part fear and part disgust. Her opinion of Andy's behavior was apparent but before Miranda could tear a strip off the long-time assistant, Serena answered the question. “We have not seen her, Miranda.”
“Mmmm...” With a deep breath, Miranda nodded. “She'll be along momentarily then. She knows what time the rehearsal was to be.”
“Of course, Miranda,” Serena tilted her head in acknowledgment.
With that issue settled, they all turned to watch Lara put the finishing touches on the reconfigured tent.
###
“Okay.” Lara rubbed her hands together as she walked toward Miranda and the waiting people. “I believe everything is set.” She gestured to the front of the tent. “As you can see, the platform turned out very well, its still pretty bare, but the decorator has assured me that they can deal with that by tomorrow.” Finally taking a breath, Lara looked at her audience and frowned, “Where's Andy?”
“That,” Miranda glanced around then sniffed in feigned disinterest, “is a good question.” Andrea's continued absence was beginning to annoy her more than Miranda would admit to anyone, even herself. The nagging worry that her young fiancee would change her mind was making itself frighteningly clear.
“Ah,” Lara widened her eyes and met startled looks from several of the others in the group then nodded, “Okay then, I'm sure she'll be here soon.” Gesturing to one of the smaller tents off to the side of the entrance, Lara smiled. “Miranda, this will be your dressing area.” They all moved into the, currently empty, space to check it out.
Miranda was impressed with the layout of the dressing area and was mentally arranging the accoutrements she would need in preparation for the ceremony when Andrea appeared at the door.
“Sorry I'm late.” Andy moved to stand next to Miranda and by the grimace on Miranda's face, realized her mistake too late.
“You smell like a brewery.” Miranda's nostril's flared. “Getting a head start on tonight's festivities are you?”
“Not really. I did find a bar farther down the beach.” Andy shrugged. “I had a beer, and watched the water for a while, but one of the waiters spilled a drink. Some of it got on my shoes.” She grinned and kissed Miranda's cheek quickly. “I'll get cleaned up before dinner.”
“Mmm...” Turning back to Lara, Miranda nodded. “This space seems acceptable.”
“Great.” Lara gestured toward the door.
They all filed out of the room, except Andy held Miranda back for a moment. Ignoring her brewery perfume, Andy wrapped her arms around Miranda's waist. “I'm sorry I was late.”
Relaxing against Andrea's soft, sturdy, form, Miranda sighed. “I am the one who should apologize.” Resting her head on Andrea's shoulder, Miranda chuckled, “I have never been this tense before a wedding.”
“Mmm..” Andy kissed Miranda's forehead and smiled. “Maybe that means this is the real thing.”
“This is the real thing, Andrea.” Miranda's blue eyes glittered. “There are many things that signify that status.”
“Yeah,” Andy nodded. “There are.” She tilted her head toward the door, “C'mon.” She led the way down the corridor that crossed the larger space to the other dressing tent. They arrived just in time to hear Lara speaking.
“This will be Andy's dressing area.”
“Cool.” Andy released her hold on Miranda and grinned as she did a little pirouette to survey the room. “This will be perfect.”
“My thought was,” Lara gestured to the door, “that you can both prepare for the ceremony in your separate tents, then you walk down the small corridor to meet each other halfway at the door to the main tent and walk down the aisle together. It means there is a double entrance to the main tent, but that can't really be helped,” Lara had led them to the inner door that opened up into the larger tent as she spoke, and walked the space between where the chairs would be set up to the newly constructed platform. Even though it could have been level with the ground, the platform had been built on a small rise necessitating the construction of two shallow steps leading to the area. “With the slight elevation, everyone will be able to see you.”
The wedding party moved up the steps and Miranda turned to look back at the interior of the tent. Some of the group had remained inside, while the participants had shifted to take their places on the platform. “Very nice.”
Lara smiled and tilted her head in acknowledgment of the compliment. “Thank you.”
There were, however, only six of them present on the pseudo-stage and Andy frowned, “Miranda? Who will be officiating the ceremony?” She had asked before, but all Miranda would ever say was that it “had been taken care of”. Now Andy was amazed when Miranda gazed down at the people who had accompanied them and with a small tilt of her head, one of them was set in motion. She blinked then began to smile, as Nigel took his place on the dais. “You?”
Miranda also smiled. “I trust all the paperwork is in order.”
“Yes, Miranda.” Nigel nodded, “Your lawyer has assured me that, as of midnight tonight, until midnight tomorrow, I will have the legal authority to perform marriage ceremonies, in Massachusetts.” Any further comment he would have made was summarily stopped by Andy's lanky arms around him.
“That's great!” Andy laughed as she held on to the man. “This is perfect!” She released him and turned toward Miranda, “Thank you.”
“I could think of no one else more qualified to preside at our union.” Miranda smiled at her bride-to-be. “Can you?”
“Nope.” Andy moved closer to Miranda, leaning into the automatic embrace. Nigel was the one she always went to when she needed to bridge the gap between herself and Miranda. He'd been her first, if reluctant, friend at Runway and had been Miranda's friend and confidant for many years. “Nigel is totally perfect for the job.”
“Well... at least I'm good for something, eh Six?” Nigel winked at the young woman then cleared his throat. “Okay, so... you two will walk up the aisle. I'll say my bit, which will be eloquent and moving, and then I'll turn it over to you to exchange your vows.” He looked at Andy. “Miranda tells me you've written your own?”
“Oh, yeah...” A slight blush appeared on Andy's cheeks, “I'm, um...” she glanced at Miranda. “I'm working on them.”
“Really, Andrea.” Miranda was a bit confused at the delay. “The wedding is tomorrow and you haven't finished writing your vows?”
“You have?”
“Of course.” Miranda blinked. “They've been written for some time now.”
“Well... I've...” Andy shrugged and admitted, “I'm having a little trouble finding the words. You mean, so much to me. I'm not sure there are words that can convey... that.”
Miranda smiled and nodded. She brushed the backs of her fingers against Andy's cheek and spoke quietly. “You will find them.”
Taking a deep breath, Andy moved into the touch and nodded, “Thanks.”
Nigel moved on with the business at hand. “After you exchange the vows, you'll exchange the rings...” He leaned closer to Miranda. “You do have the rings, right?”
With a small amused grunt, Miranda grinned. “Yes, they are safely in the hotel vault. I will give them to you at the appropriate time before the ceremony.”
“Okay, that's about it, boring stuff, vows, rings... then I pronounce you married and you get to kiss the bride.” Rolling his eyes, Nigel clasped his hands in front of him. “Do you really need to practice that bit?”
Miranda broke the kiss and grinned as Andrea spoke.
“It can't hurt.”
“All right...” Nigel gestured them down from the platform. “You wanna just run through it again?”
“Sure.” Andy pulled Miranda to her for another kiss, until Nigel, loudly, cleared his throat.
“Why don't we try it from the top?” He spoke to them as if they were disobedient children, waving them toward the back of the tent. “Off you go to your dressing rooms.”
Miranda glared at him for a brief moment then led the way as she and Andrea walked hand in hand the length of the tent. They only parted ways to claim their respective areas.
Got a bunch of stuff to do this weekend... so I may not answer emails as fast as normal. :)
Closer and closer we're inching up to the big event... ;)
Like Love part 49
Andy, Serena and Lara navigated the last curve of their running route to begin the long straight stretch back to the hotel. They weren't shocked to see the construction crew and the huge tent that was to be the site of the wedding ceremony itself. What did shock Andy and Serena was the very visible presence of Emily and Miranda. They were obviously arguing with a man who towered over them. There were no words exchanged, but the instant Andy and Serena recognized their lovers, they both increased their speed to Olympic class. Lara followed behind, slightly slower, her eyes seeing what her companions had not paid attention to.
Andy skidded to a halt in front of Miranda. “Miranda, what are you doing out here?”
Serena was only a few seconds behind and breathlessly asked Emily, “Is there a problem?”
“Too right there's a problem!” Emily gestured to the tent. “It's too bloody small!”
The large man Emily had been arguing with had stepped back when Andy and Serena arrived. He spoke up again now, “Look, Lady, I only know that this is the size tent they sent. I'm the head of hotel maintenance. I signed off on the invoice myself. It's exactly what you ordered!”
With a cry of frustration, Emily threw herself at Serena and spoke against the woman's sweaty shoulder. “I have so cocked this up. I ordered two smaller tents as dressing rooms, and a tent to hold the exact number of guests...”
“This one looks big enough for the guests to me.” Andy wrapped her arm around Miranda's waist. “How many people will be left out?”
Miranda ran her tongue over her teeth and spoke quietly. “Seven.”
Laughing at that, Andy smiled, “Seven!? C'mon... we can find seating for seven more people...” Her smile faded as Miranda shook her head. “No?”
“They do not need seats, Andrea...” Miranda glanced at her distraught assistant and sighed, “It's us...”
“I'm sorry, what?” Andy tilted her head as if to hear better. “I don't...”
“Us... the wedding party...” Miranda gestured toward the tent, then she tapped a blueprint type drawing of the tent layout that had been spread onto the table next to her. “There is exactly enough room to accommodate the number of guests that will attend the ceremony.” Miranda's finger traced the length of the drawn tent and tapped the end of the schematic, “but then there is no room at the front for... us.”
“I was so thrilled,” Emily sniffled and moved away from Serena, also gesturing to the plans, “because the size of tent I needed for the guests would exactly fit into the space here, between the walkway and the pool area.”
“excuse me...”
Emily continued her explanation, “This would have been perfect. Miranda's dressing room would have been off to the side at the front, Andrea's at the back, so that she could walk down the aisle... and because the guests could have walked down the walkway from the hotel into the tent. Most of the female guests are going to be wearing heels, so they can't walk too far across the ground... I was barely able to fit the pianos in, but even if we took them out there still won't be room...”
“Excuse me...”
“...and now that we need a larger tent, I have to find another location and everything will have to be changed, moved... “ Emily dabbed at the tears running down her face, “...and I'm not sure we have time for that.”
“EXCUSE ME!” Lara smiled sweetly when all eyes, finally, turned toward her. “If I may, make a suggestion?” She too tapped the drawing on the table. “It's a tent. You can open this end.”
Emily made another sound of frustration, “Yes, of course, but look!” She pointed to the paper. “The pool is barely two inches from the edge of the tent. What good will it do to open the panels? Do you expect them to stand in the water for the ceremony?”
Lara raised her eyebrows and grinned at the brides. “There's a thought. It is the children's wading pool, only two feet deep...” Laughing at the expressions on everyone's faces, Lara shook her head. She reached up and quickly twisted her long, fairly sweaty white/blonde hair into a loose bun. Now in full architect mode, Lara explained, “No, I'm saying they should get married on the water.” She grabbed a pencil laying on the table and began to sketch, “You see, if that end is open, you can build a platform, out over the water, like a stage, for Miranda, Andy, and the wedding party to stand on.”
“A platform?”
“Yes,” Lara looked at the man and read his nametag, “Chris. A platform. I noticed the windows on the hotel's upper floors are plexiglass. What's the measurements on those? Four by... eight?”
“Yes, Ma'am, four by eight.”
Nodding at the dimensions, Lara asked the all important question. “You have extras of those, right? In storage?” Lara had never encountered a hotel worth its salt that would be caught without window replacements, especially one so close to an ocean.
“Yes, Ma'am.”
“Well then,” Lara smiled. “Let me work up a materials list for you and we'll get started building that platform...”
Chris smiled, “Yes, Ma'am.”
“Well, it seems as though things are under control here.” Miranda smiled at Lara, “Thank you for your assistance.”
“Of course...”
“Lara,” Andy dropped her arm away from Miranda. “Can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Uh...” Lara found her elbow in Andy's grip as the young bride led her slightly away from the others. “What.. um...”
“Emily has me walking down the aisle...”
“Yeah,” Lara smiled, “That is usually how it works...”
“But...” Andy's eyes shimmered with unshed tears, “I don't have anyone to walk me down the aisle... Daddy...” The word caught in her throat. She wrapped her arms around her middle to keep her breaking heart together. “I want to walk to Miranda... but...” Comforting arms covered hers and Miranda's soft voice caressed her ear.
“Andrea, as beautiful as I think you would be walking down the aisle toward me, this is an easy obstacle to manage.” Miranda squeezed her fiancee briefly and assured her. “We will walk down the aisle, together.”
Lara reassured her friend, “Let me work on it... I may have an idea...” She grinned as she pulled out her phone and sent a quick text. “Don't worry. I'll work it out and go over everything with you later at the rehearsal.”
Andy smiled, “Thanks, Lara.”
Miranda agreed, “Yes, thank you... Lara.”
Nodding at the couple, Lara winked, “My pleasure.” Her attention turned to the small group approaching, “Ah... good.” Lara grinned at her son and his friends. “Alan. I need your help with a materials list...”
“Yeah?” The boy shrugged, “Okay...”
All the Priestlys' jaws dropped, but Alyssa just grinned and spoke to her friend, “Cass, remember when I was amazed about you tuning the piano, and I said I couldn't do anything nearly as good as that...” She waited for Cassidy to nod then shrugged, “Alan can. He's great at all this construction stuff. He's been going with Dad to construction sites for years... and in the last few he's actually been helping, during the summer.”
“Really?” Caroline sounded amazed. “Like a real job?”
“Well...” Alan rubbed the back of his neck, “More like internship... he keeps saying he's 'grooming' me to take over for him...”
“My husband is very good at his chosen profession. Alan has learned from the best.” Lara smiled at her son. “Okay, we had better get moving if we want this thing done in time.”
Alyssa snorted and gestured for her friends to leave. “We may as well go. When Dad and Alan start talking about the job...they get all caught up in it...” She whispered to Cassidy, “Mom does too.”
Lara wrapped her arm around, Alyssa's shoulders and laughed. “If you had shown even the slightest interest in the work, you could have been right there with them.” She kissed her daughter's temple and shooed them away. “G'wan now, we have work to do.”
Alyssa snorted, “Yeah, okay. I'll bring you some coffee and breakfast sandwiches in a few.”
“Excellent.” Lara was already absorbed in the schematics, pointing to different things and discussing them with Alan who was just as engrossed.
Shaking her head, 'Lyssa turned to her friends and sighed, “Aannnd... there they go..”
Cassidy and Caroline both grinned. They didn't have a brother, but they could totally relate to a work-absorbed mom.
“Speaking of breakfast,” Miranda gestured toward the hotel, “I'm told this establishment has an excellent buffet.”
They all agreed that that sounded very good and headed that way. Andy quickly texted the rest of their family and friends, letting everyone know that they were welcome to join them for breakfast. Finished sending out the messages, Andy leaned into Miranda as they walked. She could feel the tension in her fiancee and whispered quietly, “It will work out. Lara is good at what she does.”
“Of course it will...” Miranda nodded, almost to herself, “Of course.”
Andy sighed, “Girls...” She waited for the twins, and Alyssa to look at her. “You guys go on to breakfast... I need to talk to Miranda for a minute.”
“Sure, Ma.” Cassidy grabbed Alyssa's hand and walked away quickly, Caroline keeping pace with them.
Pulling Miranda into a quite alcove, Andy took the older woman's trembling hands and smiled, “I am going to marry you, Miranda. We've done all the paperwork, we've made all the arrangements... and I don't care if I do have to stand in two feet of water to do it... I am going to marry you, tomorrow. No matter what...”
With a deep breath, Miranda nodded, “You know what else?”
“What's that?” Andy studied Miranda's face closely, glad to see the tension leaving the older woman.
Brushing Andrea's cheek with the backs of her fingers, Miranda smiled, “I'm going to marry you too. No matter what.” They began walking toward the restaurant and Miranda chuckled, “How much of a scandal would it be if we did wear Wellies while standing in the water during the ceremony?”
Andy laughed, “If you wear them... rubber boots will be all the rage.”
Miranda sniffed haughtily, but her eyes reflected a mixture of playfulness, amusement and love. “Naturally.”
###
Dorothy pushed the remains of her third plate away from her and sighed, “That was great.”
Andy laughed as she took another bite of her first, and probably only, plate of food. She had taken the time, as Serena had, to shower quickly before joining the rest of the wedding party at the restaurant. Her hair was still slightly damp, but not enough to drip on the nice clean, dry, running outfit she'd changed into. “Yeah, it's delicious.” She chewed and swallowed a bite of her made-to-order omelet.
“You aren't eating much...” Dorothy fretted. “You're going to waste away...”
Laughing at that, Andy shook her head. “No, Ma... I'm fine.”
“Andrea's diet is quite healthy,” Miranda smiled at her fiancee, “so long as I can keep her away from things like, pizza and Cheese Doodles.”
“Mmm... Speaking of which...” Andy searched the crowd to find Lily. “Lily, is everything set for the party tonight?”
“Yep...”
“Are you going to tell me where we're going now?” Andy had been trying to get the details of her bachelorette party out of Lily for a week now and the woman steadfastly refused to divulge any information on the subject.
“Nope. You'll just have to wait and see.”
The way Lily grinned and shoulder-bumped Doug was not reassuring to Andy at all.
Emily spoke up, “Everything is set for your party as well, Miranda. After the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, we can all go our separate ways.”
“My, um... room is ready.” Andy raised her eyebrows at Miranda's shocked look. “We discussed this... and agreed. We are going to spend the night before the wedding, apart.”
“Tradition,” Miranda murmured. She took a deep breath and nodded once, “Easier said than done though.”
Andy couldn't take her eyes off of Miranda and agreed softly, “You bet it is.”
###
After the meal was over most of the wedding party moved to one of the many sitting areas in the lobby. They spoke quietly among themselves, most rehashing things they'd discussed last night. The girls were all busy texting their friends when another group of young people, dressed in swimwear and carrying surfboards, walked past them.
Miranda watched her children's eyes follow the group of surfers out the door and asked, “Do you wish to go surfing?”
Caroline and Cassidy both scoffed in unison, “Hell no.”
“Language!” Miranda was appalled at the girls' response and glanced quickly at Tante.
Cassidy laughed, “Sorry, Mom. It's just that we checked the water temperature yesterday and it's way too cold! I'd want a full body suit to even think about going out.” She glanced at the doorway where the others had gone. “Dressed like they were, they'll be shivering back through the door pretty soon.”
“You surf?” Alyssa shook her head then made a sound that mixed disgust with grudging admiration, “Of course you do...”
“We like to surf, but only do it occasionally.” Cassidy shrugged, “When we're on vacation or at one of the beach houses.”
“We started on boogie boards a few years ago and upgraded to surfing pretty quickly after that.” Caroline smiled at the memory, “That was a really fun Spring Break.”
Andy glanced at her mother. The casual mention of beach houses had, as she suspected, caused a bit of consternation to cross her mother's face. It was something the woman was going to have to deal with though and Andy was proud of her Ma for letting the reference slide. She grinned, remembering the Spring Break Caroline was talking about from her own perspective. She'd still been the bumbling assistant back then. Chad's voice pulled her from her musings.
“Didn't you go somewhere warm and surfy one year, Sis?” He saw Andy's confused look and elaborated, “One year... when you were going to Northwestern?” He ignored his sister's widening eyes and frantic glances at their mother. The almost imperceptible shake of her head was lost as he continued. “Yeah... I remember I was so jealous. You went to like... the Bahamas.. or... No! It was Rio.. right?”
“It was Cancun.” Dorothy chuckled at Andy's jaw dropping. “Really, Andy, you don't think a mom knows where her children are??”
Miranda chuckled and turned her attention to her children. “You see?”
Andy was still gobsmacked. “How did you...”
Dorothy laughed, “Oh, Andy... when you decided to stay at school and “study” during that Spring Break your father was so impressed. He thought it meant you were really buckling down in your studies.” She shook her head, “You'd just turned twenty-one... and when we'd visited for your birthday I noticed the flyer in your room. When you told us you weren't coming home, I had assumed that you'd managed to get the required number of your friends to sign up and gotten the free trip.”
Dropping her shoulders in defeat, Andy smiled weakly, “Yeah, I did.” Grimacing, not really wanting to know the answer, she asked softly, “And... Daddy?”
“Blissfully unaware.” Dorothy held up her hand reassuringly, “Your status as a bookworm is still intact with him.”
“Yeah...” Andy swallowed hard. Only Miranda, sitting right next to her, heard Andy's next quiet comment, “I wish that was enough...”
“Andrea,” Miranda stood and offered her hand to her fiancee, “walk with me.”
They all watched as the soon-to-be married couple walked, hand-in-hand, out the door.
###
Miranda and Andy had only been gone for a moment before Caroline and Cassidy stood.
“We're gonna go check on the pianos.” Cassidy smiled at Alyssa when the tall girl also stood.
“I should probably go check on mom and Alan too.” She laughed. “They barely acknowledged their breakfast earlier. I need to make sure they have water to drink. It's warm today.”
The girls left quickly and then Blair spoke up as she drew her buzzing phone from her pocket.
“Thank you all for a lovely breakfast,” she said as she studied the small screen on the device in her hand, “but I must take care of a few things back at the office.” She leaned over, placing a quick kiss on Jo's lips before she stood. “I will see you at the rehearsal.”
Jo smiled and nodded as she watched Blair walk away.
Louise watched the young executive leave and with a tinge of admiration in her tone spoke to the half of the couple left behind. “You're wife works quite a lot...”
“Yes, ma'am.” Jo shrugged, “Keeping her father's faith in her is very important to Blair. She's very loyal to her family.”
“You don't have much use for the man though?” Louise easily read the younger woman's tone of voice.
“To me...” Jo looked around the sitting area to make double sure the children, and Blair, were gone. “He's a bastard-coated bastard, with bastard filling.” She sighed and shrugged, “But he's her father.”
Dorothy asked quietly, “She kept her name, when you two... married?”
“Mmm.. yeah.” Jo smiled at Andy's mother, “We hyphenated our names... I'm Joanne Polniaczek-Warner, and she is Blair Warner-Polniaczek. Although often when Blair RSVP's events she will just list us as Blair and Joanne Warner.”
“And you're okay with that?” Dorothy wasn't sure what the protocol was for name retention in lesbian weddings.
Jo shrugged, “Sure.”
“Do you know what Andy has decided about that issue? She hasn't discussed it with me.” Dorothy was a bit saddened by that. “She hasn't discussed much of anything with me.”
“Me either,” Jo shrugged again but shifted it into a stretch, “Not much to discuss really, not that it any of my business...” The implication that it wasn't any of Dorothy's business either, mother or not, was definitely present in Jo's tone. “Most of the planning is being done between them, and that Emily gal...” With a smile, Jo held out her hands, helplessly, “I just show up and do what I'm told.”
Everyone laughed at that since they were all pretty much in that exact same position.
Natalie had been sitting back watching the interplay and after the laughter died down she asked her aunt, “Tante, would you like to go back to your room for a while?”
“Why would I want to do that?” Tante's eyes glittered as she looked around. “This is a lovely place, and it's far too nice a day to be cooped up inside a hotel room, even one as nice as they gave me.”
Pava, who had been murmuring quietly to Mary, spoke up decisively. “I agree!” She stood and offered her hand to Louise, much like Miranda had done with Andy. “Would you like to take a walk with me? We can take a short walk through the grounds and then check on that chef fellow... He said he was going to have the samples of our recipes ready in a little while. ”
Louise smiled and took the hand, nodding as she rose from her seat. “That sounds lovely.”
Pava looked at Mary, “Are you joining us?”
With a small shake of her head, Mary stood. “No. It's going to be a long afternoon. I think I'll go back to the room and rest for a while, while I can.”
“Okay.” Pava watched Mary walk off fairly slowly in the opposite direction she and Louise were heading. Exhaling softly, she turned her attention back to Louise and offered her elbow to the shorter woman. “Shall we?”
Jo broke the silence that reigned after the older women's departure by shifting into the empty space next to Lily, “So, tell me about this bachelorette party you're planning.”
Lily smiled at the detective and began to regale the remaining people about her plans for Andy's last night of “freedom.”
###
Miranda broke the silence between them as they walked along the sandy beach, shoes in hand. “Are you... okay?”
“I'm fine.”
Licking her lips, Miranda stopped, pulling Andrea to a stop as well. She met Andrea's troubled brown eyes with her own concerned blue ones. “Truth, Andrea.”
Andy lowered her gaze to the sand at her feet. “It hurts, Miranda. Daddy...” A sob escaped her as Miranda's arms gathered her close. Burying her face in the crook of Miranda's neck, Andy inhaled the comforting scent. “... he hates me.”
“He doesn't.” Miranda held Andrea as tightly as she could and continued murmuring words of encouragement to her love. “The problem is because he loves you so much.”
“It doesn't feel like he does.”
“You're his daughter, his baby.” Miranda pulled away slightly to look into Andrea's eyes. “Imagine, if you saw Caroline or Cassidy doing something you thought was a mistake, something you thought would hurt them...”
“I would try to stop them...” Tears trailed down Andy's cheeks. “But I wouldn't stop talking to them. I wouldn't avoid attending events important to them... I wouldn't stop supporting them or loving them!”
“Andrea!” Miranda was at a loss as to how to comfort her distraught fiancee. “Andrea, please, calm down...”
Looking up and down the deserted beach they'd been walking on, Andy shook her head and pulled completely away from Miranda. “I need to run.” She searched Miranda's horrified face and shook her head. “Running helps me, clear my head. I'll be back before the rehearsal...” Sitting on a convenient piece of driftwood, Andy wiped the sand off her feet and put her socks and running shoes back on.
“Be careful.” Miranda leaned down for a quick kiss. “Come back to me.”
Andy smiled, “Always.”
Miranda nodded and stepped back then watched as the love of her life began to jog away from her. After a short distance, Andrea began to run.
###
Pava had already approved the chef's efforts in recreating their family favorites. Louise had also put her stamp of approval on all but one of the Princhek family dishes. Now Pava just waited for her companion to pass judgment on the final special recipe.
“Interesting.” Tante took another bite of the perogi, evaluating the flavor. “Not exactly like mine but as close as anyone has ever gotten I suppose.”
Gunter was appalled. “They are perfect, exactly as the recipe demands!”
“The filling is wrong,” Tante calmly informed him. “There are too many mushrooms in it. I suppose I should count myself lucky you didn't add spinach to the mix.”
Pava remained quiet, but watched the interaction between her new friend and the chef with fascination. Something was going on between them. There had been a tension in the air, in Louise, since they'd first stepped foot in the kitchen. She had thought it was because the chef had been yelling, rather loudly, at some of his assistants. Now she wasn't so sure. It was more like something that Pava could sense, but couldn't quite understand. She thought the chef was rather confused too until they both heard two very quietly mumbled words from Tante.
“German arrogance...”
Pava watched, still confused, as a sort of dawning realization swept across the man's features. He pressed his lips together for a long moment then nodded once at his critic and spoke tersely, “I will correct the mixture.” His eyes took in Tante's shock and he nodded again. “I will always correct my own errors, but I refuse to pay for the mistakes of people who came before me.”
Nodding at her own internal thoughts as much as his words, Tante replied in a resigned tone of voice, “Of course not, nor should you. I do apologize for my tone.” She broke another perogi in two and showed him the filling. “It is wrong though.”
Sighing, Gunter noted the large amount of mushrooms visible. He smiled. “It would have been easier had you requested the more popular cheese, potato, and onion.”
Tante shuddered then admitted, “I despise onion.”
Bending slightly in the middle, Gunter tilted his head in acknowledgment. “I will remember.”
With a tiny smile that did not touch her eyes, Tante linked her arm with Pava's. “And I... I fear, will never forget.” With a deep breath she tugged her companion toward the kitchen door. “Walk with me, Pava. It is too hot in here.”
“Of course.” Without another word, Pava allowed herself to be led out of the kitchen.
###
“Good God what has she done?” Emily was only vaguely aware of Serena's reassuring arm around her waist as she looked at the reconfigured tent. “This is a disaster!”
“Let us wait and see...” Serena rubbed Emily's back gently. “Lara is a very nice person who obviously knows what she's doing. When the florists and decorators have their turn I'm sure it will be fine.”
Emily had to admit that Lara was completely in control of the work crew and even the boy seemed to be directing the men to the proper places at the proper times. It was also true that the space was still very bare, in deference to the workers. “I hope so...” She cringed when she heard Miranda's footsteps approaching from behind her. Her long-time boss's question caused Emily's heart to race, double time.
“How soon until the preparations are completed?”
“I believe they are nearly finished with the structure, Miranda.” Emily took the time to glance at Serena. “We only just arrived and have not yet gotten a status update.”
“Mmm...” Looking around, Miranda casually asked, “Have you seen Andrea anywhere about?”
“Not lately...” Emily's eyes widened. “Don't tell me she's ran off!”
Dangerous shadows passed across Miranda's eyes, “Andrea has many things on her mind these days. She went for a run on the beach earlier to clear her head. I merely wondered if she had returned yet.”
Emily let out a small noise, part fear and part disgust. Her opinion of Andy's behavior was apparent but before Miranda could tear a strip off the long-time assistant, Serena answered the question. “We have not seen her, Miranda.”
“Mmmm...” With a deep breath, Miranda nodded. “She'll be along momentarily then. She knows what time the rehearsal was to be.”
“Of course, Miranda,” Serena tilted her head in acknowledgment.
With that issue settled, they all turned to watch Lara put the finishing touches on the reconfigured tent.
###
“Okay.” Lara rubbed her hands together as she walked toward Miranda and the waiting people. “I believe everything is set.” She gestured to the front of the tent. “As you can see, the platform turned out very well, its still pretty bare, but the decorator has assured me that they can deal with that by tomorrow.” Finally taking a breath, Lara looked at her audience and frowned, “Where's Andy?”
“That,” Miranda glanced around then sniffed in feigned disinterest, “is a good question.” Andrea's continued absence was beginning to annoy her more than Miranda would admit to anyone, even herself. The nagging worry that her young fiancee would change her mind was making itself frighteningly clear.
“Ah,” Lara widened her eyes and met startled looks from several of the others in the group then nodded, “Okay then, I'm sure she'll be here soon.” Gesturing to one of the smaller tents off to the side of the entrance, Lara smiled. “Miranda, this will be your dressing area.” They all moved into the, currently empty, space to check it out.
Miranda was impressed with the layout of the dressing area and was mentally arranging the accoutrements she would need in preparation for the ceremony when Andrea appeared at the door.
“Sorry I'm late.” Andy moved to stand next to Miranda and by the grimace on Miranda's face, realized her mistake too late.
“You smell like a brewery.” Miranda's nostril's flared. “Getting a head start on tonight's festivities are you?”
“Not really. I did find a bar farther down the beach.” Andy shrugged. “I had a beer, and watched the water for a while, but one of the waiters spilled a drink. Some of it got on my shoes.” She grinned and kissed Miranda's cheek quickly. “I'll get cleaned up before dinner.”
“Mmm...” Turning back to Lara, Miranda nodded. “This space seems acceptable.”
“Great.” Lara gestured toward the door.
They all filed out of the room, except Andy held Miranda back for a moment. Ignoring her brewery perfume, Andy wrapped her arms around Miranda's waist. “I'm sorry I was late.”
Relaxing against Andrea's soft, sturdy, form, Miranda sighed. “I am the one who should apologize.” Resting her head on Andrea's shoulder, Miranda chuckled, “I have never been this tense before a wedding.”
“Mmm..” Andy kissed Miranda's forehead and smiled. “Maybe that means this is the real thing.”
“This is the real thing, Andrea.” Miranda's blue eyes glittered. “There are many things that signify that status.”
“Yeah,” Andy nodded. “There are.” She tilted her head toward the door, “C'mon.” She led the way down the corridor that crossed the larger space to the other dressing tent. They arrived just in time to hear Lara speaking.
“This will be Andy's dressing area.”
“Cool.” Andy released her hold on Miranda and grinned as she did a little pirouette to survey the room. “This will be perfect.”
“My thought was,” Lara gestured to the door, “that you can both prepare for the ceremony in your separate tents, then you walk down the small corridor to meet each other halfway at the door to the main tent and walk down the aisle together. It means there is a double entrance to the main tent, but that can't really be helped,” Lara had led them to the inner door that opened up into the larger tent as she spoke, and walked the space between where the chairs would be set up to the newly constructed platform. Even though it could have been level with the ground, the platform had been built on a small rise necessitating the construction of two shallow steps leading to the area. “With the slight elevation, everyone will be able to see you.”
The wedding party moved up the steps and Miranda turned to look back at the interior of the tent. Some of the group had remained inside, while the participants had shifted to take their places on the platform. “Very nice.”
Lara smiled and tilted her head in acknowledgment of the compliment. “Thank you.”
There were, however, only six of them present on the pseudo-stage and Andy frowned, “Miranda? Who will be officiating the ceremony?” She had asked before, but all Miranda would ever say was that it “had been taken care of”. Now Andy was amazed when Miranda gazed down at the people who had accompanied them and with a small tilt of her head, one of them was set in motion. She blinked then began to smile, as Nigel took his place on the dais. “You?”
Miranda also smiled. “I trust all the paperwork is in order.”
“Yes, Miranda.” Nigel nodded, “Your lawyer has assured me that, as of midnight tonight, until midnight tomorrow, I will have the legal authority to perform marriage ceremonies, in Massachusetts.” Any further comment he would have made was summarily stopped by Andy's lanky arms around him.
“That's great!” Andy laughed as she held on to the man. “This is perfect!” She released him and turned toward Miranda, “Thank you.”
“I could think of no one else more qualified to preside at our union.” Miranda smiled at her bride-to-be. “Can you?”
“Nope.” Andy moved closer to Miranda, leaning into the automatic embrace. Nigel was the one she always went to when she needed to bridge the gap between herself and Miranda. He'd been her first, if reluctant, friend at Runway and had been Miranda's friend and confidant for many years. “Nigel is totally perfect for the job.”
“Well... at least I'm good for something, eh Six?” Nigel winked at the young woman then cleared his throat. “Okay, so... you two will walk up the aisle. I'll say my bit, which will be eloquent and moving, and then I'll turn it over to you to exchange your vows.” He looked at Andy. “Miranda tells me you've written your own?”
“Oh, yeah...” A slight blush appeared on Andy's cheeks, “I'm, um...” she glanced at Miranda. “I'm working on them.”
“Really, Andrea.” Miranda was a bit confused at the delay. “The wedding is tomorrow and you haven't finished writing your vows?”
“You have?”
“Of course.” Miranda blinked. “They've been written for some time now.”
“Well... I've...” Andy shrugged and admitted, “I'm having a little trouble finding the words. You mean, so much to me. I'm not sure there are words that can convey... that.”
Miranda smiled and nodded. She brushed the backs of her fingers against Andy's cheek and spoke quietly. “You will find them.”
Taking a deep breath, Andy moved into the touch and nodded, “Thanks.”
Nigel moved on with the business at hand. “After you exchange the vows, you'll exchange the rings...” He leaned closer to Miranda. “You do have the rings, right?”
With a small amused grunt, Miranda grinned. “Yes, they are safely in the hotel vault. I will give them to you at the appropriate time before the ceremony.”
“Okay, that's about it, boring stuff, vows, rings... then I pronounce you married and you get to kiss the bride.” Rolling his eyes, Nigel clasped his hands in front of him. “Do you really need to practice that bit?”
Miranda broke the kiss and grinned as Andrea spoke.
“It can't hurt.”
“All right...” Nigel gestured them down from the platform. “You wanna just run through it again?”
“Sure.” Andy pulled Miranda to her for another kiss, until Nigel, loudly, cleared his throat.
“Why don't we try it from the top?” He spoke to them as if they were disobedient children, waving them toward the back of the tent. “Off you go to your dressing rooms.”
Miranda glared at him for a brief moment then led the way as she and Andrea walked hand in hand the length of the tent. They only parted ways to claim their respective areas.