“You’re the princess-dress bride, Mom.”
Cindy waved that away. “I’m too old.”
“You’re not. You look great. We’re both tall. You could totally carry it off. You’re going to be a beautiful bride, whatever you decide. Have you scheduled your appointment with the bridal shop?”
“Not yet.”
“You keep putting it off. You have to start making decisions, or the wedding is never going to happen.” And the longer it took for her mom to finalize things, the longer Shannon would have to wait to tell her about the engagement. Even as she sat there, she felt the weight of the chain around her neck.
Cindy looked longingly at the pictures. “It is lovely, but so much money.”
“Luis isn’t hurting, Mom. He does well, and he wants you to be happy. You have to pick one thing. The dress or the venue.”
Cindy squirmed in her seat. “You’re right. I just...” She stood and pulled her phone out of her trouser pocket. “I’m calling.”
She glanced at the paper, then dialed the number. “Hello, hi. My name is Cindy Van Horn, and I’m interested in looking at your bungalow for a wedding.” There was a pause. “About forty or fifty people. We haven’t picked a date yet. Uh-huh.” She listened for a few seconds. “Oh, that’s very soon. Yes, of course I want to see it. I’m going to bring my daughter with me.” Another pause. “Good point. Absolutely.” She read off her phone number. “Tomorrow. We’ll be there.”
She ended the call and stared at Shannon. “They had a cancellation, and we can get in tomorrow.”
Shannon stood and hugged her. “Mom, that’s great. We’ll go see it.”
“I thought there’d be more time. It’s a huge decision.” Sheclutched her daughter’s hand. “You have to come with me. And Javiar. Luis won’t want to bother, but he needs representation. Plus Javiar has such good taste.”
“He does. Let me text him right now. This is good, Mom. A first step. You don’t have to rent it if you don’t love it, but at least you’re making progress.”
Cindy looked more than a little stunned. “You’re right.” She pressed a hand to her belly. “I’m so nervous all of a sudden. I’ve never looked at a wedding venue before.”
“You’ve never been engaged before. This is going to be so fun.” And hey, if Shannon got a few ideas for herself along the way, that would be good, too.
Her mother nodded. “The lady warned me that someone else would be there looking at the larger location, but we’ll be the only ones viewing the bungalow.”
“Perfect. I can’t wait to see it. Tomorrow is going to be fun. You’ll see. And once you’ve decided if you love it or not, we can move on to dresses.”
5
Victoria stood by the low fence and stared at the ocean. The morning was perfect—cool and clear with a light breeze. She could smell the salt and hear the waves. She’d never been one of those people who seemed to have a religious experience every time they saw the water, but she did enjoy the view. Given that she could take in a deep breath with only mild discomfort, she was enjoying the freshness of the air. Her all-over aches were also fading, her black eyes had morphed to an intriguingly sickly green, and she found it easier to use her crutches. All wins.
Even better, the venue her mom had picked for her dad’s birthday party was amazing. The main building was big and open, with lots of seating and views from every window. Milton enjoyed a big party and would get a kick out of being celebrated simply for being alive.
Ava stood next to her, making notes on a large pad of paper. Later her mother would put them all into a spreadsheet that she would load on both her phone and her tablet. Checklists would be generated, to-do lists passed out. The army of caterers, servers, musicians and general help required to make the evening go smoothly would be told their duties, and one of the party planners her mother worked with would monitor every second of the evening.
Victoria didn’t understand how her mother had come by her skill set, but she respected the characteristic. Given that she was adopted she had, of course, not inherited anything from either Ava or Milton. And whoever her parents had been, neither of them had anything close to the organization gene.
Her mother glanced at the thirtysomething event coordinator aka salesperson who was showing them around.
“Tell me about the other venue on the property.”
“It’s a small bungalow with a private garden. You won’t be able to see it or hear it from the main building. The guests don’t mingle.”
Ava looked at Victoria who held in a smile. Here it comes, she thought, prepared to enjoy the fireworks. Although that description wasn’t fair. Ava didn’t blow up or even get loud. She had a quiet kind of power and determination that went on for days.
“That doesn’t work for us,” her mother began. “I’ll want to be the only party on the premises.”
The saleswoman offered an understanding smile. “I promise the two parties will never—”
“We’ll rent the entire property,” Ava told her. “Include the cost in the bid. I’ll be bringing in my own people for everything, including food and entertainment.”
“But we provide—”
