“That’s perfect! Since you finalized the locations, when are you going to send out invitations?”
Invitations?
Oh shit.
The panic must have shown on my face, because my future mother-in-law just calmly patted my hand and said, “Your wedding is unconventional, and I doubt your guest list is going to bethatbig. Email invites with maybe a follow-up phone call to anyone who doesn’t respond should be perfectly fine.”
“You don’t think an email is tacky?”
“Absolutely not. Besides, printing and mailing invitations isn’t feasible with your short time frame. People who care about you will just be happy to be invited to share your special day with you. But you probably want to get your guest list finalized tonight so you can send those out tomorrow.”
“We should have time to talk about it on the drive home from the airport.”
“Good idea.” She glanced at her watch. “What time should I wake Ruthie up?”
“You don’t have to watch her today. The DJ is coming here.”
A conspiratorial smile ghosted her lips before she said, “I think Lainey has something planned for afterward.”
~~~~
As I stood trying on a pair of shorts and blouse in the dressing room of the South Haven’s only clothing boutique, Lainey’s voice called from outside the curtain, “Come out and show us!”
I was barefoot when I stepped out and stood awkwardly with my hands clasped in front of me as Jade, Kristy, and Lainey perused me from head to toe.
“Oh, I like it,” Jade murmured.
“Super cute,” Kristy agreed.
I shrugged. “I don’t know. It seems awfully expensive. I think I could find something similar online for a lot less.” I glanced at the sales clerk standing behind the counter, hoping she hadn’t heard me.
She didn’t react, so I thought I was safe.
“We’ll put it in the maybe pile,” Lainey declared. “Go try on the next one.”
Apparently, Alan had instructed the ladies to take me shopping for honeymoon clothes, and they were taking their job very seriously.
I felt like Julia Roberts inPretty Womanas I tried on jeans, dresses, rompers, shorts, blouses, shirts, bathing suits, and, yes, lingerie.
And I couldn’t have asked for a more supportive group to go with. I loved that they had no problem vetoing some outfits, but the majority of the clothes I tried on ended up in the “maybe” pile.
“Okay, let’s narrow our selection,” I suggested when I came out in the clothes I’d walked in wearing. I’d made some mental calculations and decided on the outfits that would give me the most bang for my buck.
Lainey made a pouty face. “Oh, I’m sorry. We already had everything rung up and bagged.”
“What?”I shrieked. “No! That’s way too much money!”
“Okay, I’m not supposed to tell you this, but Alan’s wedding gift to you is a new wardrobe. He wanted everything delivered to your new house so it’s all there when you move in.”
“He did what?”
She shrugged. “He said you made a comment about needing new clothes after having Ruthie.”
“I can’t believe he did that,” I murmured before a tear escaped my eye and ran down my cheek.
Lainey noticed and wrapped an arm around my shoulder. “Whoa! What’s wrong?”
“What am I supposed to get him that even comes close to this? I mean, he just bought me a minivan on Sunday!”
