Friday Night Brides

by Samantha Chase

“Maybe…”

  “Okay, time to start getting our brides ready!” Judith called out and all around, people started scurrying to get ready.

  “I guess we’re going to have to wait,” Hailey sighed.

  ****

  Judith looked at the four faces in front of her and felt tears begin to sting her eyes. The first time they had sat like this, they were five years old. And now, twenty years later, they were grown women—amazing grown women. She looked at them and felt a sense of pride and thankfulness that she had been able to have the privilege of watching them grow into the women they were now.

  “Um…Mom? You’re starting to freak us out. What’s going on?”

  With a sigh, Judith composed herself and carefully folded her arms on her desk as she looked up at them and smiled. “Have I told you girls how proud I am of you?”

  The four of them looked at one another before returning their attention to Judith, but rather than speak, they simply smiled.

  “I was just sitting here and thinking of how long we’ve all known one another and I can honestly say that I feel blessed. I look at you and see not just my daughter, but I see four daughters. I love you all so much.”

  “Mom…” Hailey began, her lips starting to tremble.

  “Oh, hush. I’m getting to it,” Judith said lightly and then sighed. “Okay, here’s the thing—I’m making some changes to Enchanted and I’d like for all of you to be a part of it.”

  “What?” they all asked.

  She nodded. “Things are growing—I didn’t think it was possible. I thought for a while there that we were going to slow down. With things like Pinterest and people being able to do so much of their wedding planning themselves on the internet, I really thought we were going to have to downsize. But that hasn’t been the case.”

  “That’s great!” Ella said.

  “But what does this have to do with us?” Hailey asked.

  “I have a proposal for each of you,” Judith began. “The things I want to do for the business are going to be too much for me to take on alone. I’m not getting any younger and I know my limitations. I also know the four of you very well—I know your strengths, weaknesses and…more about you than you probably realize.”

  They all began to shift in their seats nervously.

  “We’ve purchased property and we’re going to begin construction on a larger facility.” She looked at Hailey. “Your father and I talked about it and—believe it or not—it was his idea. We’re going to be more of a full-service wedding planning center now.”

  “Mom! That’s amazing! I can’t believe you haven’t mentioned this before.”

  Judith looked mildly embarrassed. “Well, I really wasn’t sure it was something I wanted to do, mainly because I thought it was all going to be on me. But…after careful consideration, your father and I worked up this plan.”

  “I can’t believe Dad would even show an interest in this,” Hailey said. “He always seems annoyed when you talk about work.”

  “That’s because I’ve been trying to be like Superwoman for far too long.”

  “So how can we help?” Angie asked.

  “So here’s what I’m thinking. Becca,” she said firmly, pulling a sheet of paper out of the folder that was sitting on her desk. “You’re not happy being in that office where you’re working.” It wasn’t a question. “You know it and I know it. Your parents pushed you into getting your business degree when, really, it wasn’t your thing. I don’t think it was necessarily bad for you, but it’s not your passion.” She paused for a moment. “The new location is going to have a coffee shop in it. It’s by no means going to have the kind of traffic you’d get if it were in a mall, but I’m thinking that along with being there for walk-in clients and appointments, it would also provide all of the refreshments for our shows.”

  Becca’s eyes went a little wide with disbelief. “And…you want me to work it?”

  “No,” Judith said seriously, “I want you to run it. Own it. Make it yours. It’s my gift to you.” She handed Becca the sheet of paper she had pulled out.

  Becca scanned it and gasped. “But…this…this says I’ll be a five-percent owner of Enchanted. On top of owning the coffee shop.” She looked up at Judith. “I don’t understand.”

  “You will,” she replied cryptically and then turned to focus on Ella. “Ella, I want to start off by telling you that your dress came in.”

  “Wait…what? I…I thought we canceled the order.”

  Judith blushed slightly. “Well, I know that’s what you told me to do, but I didn’t think it was going to be necessary. So it’s here in my closet and ready for you to try on for fittings.”

  “But…” Ella looked nervously at her friends before looking back at Judith. “We canceled all of the wedding stuff—the hall, the caterers—everything. We’re not even sure when we’re getting married!”

  Then Judith gave her a patient smile. “Sweet girl, you should never underestimate the power of love, or of a wedding planner who knows what she’s doing.” She pulled out another sheet of paper. “Nothing got canceled.” She held up a hand when Ella went to argue. “During the entire time you and Dylan were broken up, I was in constant contact with both sets of parents. We were all working together to scale down to the wedding you originally wanted and, if you and Dylan are still interested, everything is set—according to your original plan.” She handed Ella the sheet of paper.

  “Oh my,” she said in awe. “This…this is everything Dylan and I first started with.” She looked up as tears rolled down her cheeks. “How…how did you do this? How did you get everyone to agree?”

  “It wasn’t easy,” Judith chuckled. “It took several meetings to get everyone to realize how much stress and pressure they were putting on you and how they played a large part in the two of you breaking up.”

  Ella’s brows furrowed. “But that wasn’t the only…”

  Judith grinned. “But they didn’t realize that, did they?”

  “Mrs. J, you are an evil genius!” Angie said and reached out to high five her.

  “You know it!” Judith agreed and then pulled out another sheet of paper. “Okay, take that home, talk to Dylan and then I made an appointment for the two of you to meet me here after lunch tomorrow to discuss any questions you have.”

  “I don’t even know what to say,” Ella said, wiping away the tears. “I can’t believe you were able to do this.”

  “I want you to be happy, Ella,” Judith said. “And that brings me to item number two.” She cleared her throat. “We’ve talked a lot over the years about what it is you want out of life and your answer has always been ‘to be Dylan’s wife and a mom.’ And I love that. However, I think you have something unique to offer Enchanted.”

  “You do?” Ella asked.

  Judith nodded. “I do. You see, you’ve been fascinating to watch during the last year or so with your own wedding planning. You’ve experienced a lot and I also know you can relate to what most brides are going through.”

  “I never thought getting married could be so stressful,” Ella said with a small laugh. “All I kept thinking was ‘party,’ but the reality is so much more.”

  “Exactly,” Judith agreed. “My assistant Sharon really wants to start cutting back her hours at the end of the season. She’s been my right hand for years and she had a knack for knowing how to talk to the brides who come in here—helping them stay calm and offering a friendly ear when needed. You have those same traits, Ella.”

  “You…you want me to be your assistant?”

  “Yes,” she confirmed. “I want you to work with Sharon in learning a little more of the business so that when she’s ready to leave, you can take over. Plus, once you’re married and starting your family, your hours will be flexible.”

  “Oh my goodness,” Ella said giddily. “That…that sounds wonderful!”

  “But there’s one more thing,” Judith added.

  “Oh?”

  “At the new location,
I want to incorporate a nursery. A lot of families come in with the bride and sometimes they have no one to watch their children. I would like to offer a service where they can bring their children and know they have someplace where they can play and be loved on. I think you would be the perfect person to head that up. What do you think?”

  “It’s like an answer to a prayer!” Ella gushed. “I mean…I love working at the daycare center and snuggling babies, but…to have something like this of my own? I…I don’t know what to say?”

  Judith handed her a sheet of paper. “On there is a contract similar to what I just gave Becca, but yours also lists some courses you are going to have to take in order to have the nursery or child-care space be the best it can be.”

  Ella scanned the sheet of paper quickly. “And you’re offering me five-percent in Enchanted too?”

  “Of course,” Judith beamed.

  Jumping up, Ella ran around the desk and hugged her. “I need to go and call Dylan! Is…is that all right?”

  “Take your time,” Judith said and watched as Ella hurried from the room. She sighed with satisfaction. “Okay, who’s next?” she teased.

  Angie and Hailey grinned at each other.

  “Angie…”

  “Yes?” Angie hissed happily.

  “You, my dear girl, were a little bit of a challenge for me.”

  “Me? Why?”

  “Because I wasn’t sure if you were going to be staying,” Judith said bluntly. At Angie’s shocked expression, she continued. “That’s why what I’m offering to you is something we can work with and can even be handled remotely if you’re interested.”

  “I’m listening…”

  “During the construction phase of the business, I’m going to be consumed with that. And even once it’s done, there are going to be tons of things I’m going to need to focus on. You are an organizational wizard with a knack for party planning.”

  Angie grinned and blushed accordingly. “So true.”

  “I would like you to take over the shows.”

  “What? You can’t be serious?” Angie cried with disbelief. “That’s your thing! You’re so good at it!”

  “Well thank you,” Judith said pleasantly. “But you know what? It’s a lot of work and it’s exhausting and I think it’s time for some new and creative ideas to come in—especially now that we’re branching out. With your position you can handle all of the logistics and plans and—if need be—hire an assistant to be there on-site for the shows. You know, just in case you’re not living locally.”

  “Wow…Mrs. J, I don’t know what to say to all of that.”

  Judith pulled yet another sheet of paper from her folder but didn’t hand it over just yet. “You’ll be in charge of organizing vendors and scouting out locations and coming up with new ways to get potential brides and grooms in for the shows and events. Besides your salary, you’ll get a percentage of the business.”

  “But…that hardly seems fair, especially if I’m not even living here.”

  The girls all gasped.

  “So are you seriously thinking of moving up to New York?” Becca asked excitedly. “Are you going after Sean?”

  Slowly, Angie nodded and then looked up at them all. “I miss him. And after really sitting and thinking about it—after I was finally able to stop throwing up—I realized I’m nothing like my parents. They were barely out of high school when they got pregnant with my sister and they never had a chance to figure out what they wanted to do with their lives. I’m old enough now where I’ve experienced so much and know exactly what I want and don’t want. And when I calmed down and saw how this situation is nothing like theirs, I was able to see how much I really love Sean.”

  They all stood and hugged her. That’s how Ella found them when she came back into the room. “Oh my gosh! What did I miss?” She immediately hopped into the hug with them.

  “Angie’s going after Sean,” Becca said.

  “That’s amazing! Yeah! I’m so proud of you!” Ella said happily.

  When they broke apart and took their seats again, Angie was wiping her own tears away. “It’s stuff like this that I’m going to miss,” she admitted. “I don’t know how to get by without you guys by my side. It’s going to be the hardest thing I’ve ever done.”

  “New York isn’t that far away,” Hailey said. “Yes, it’s going to make our Saturday lunches hard, but the end result is so worth it!”

  “I was planning on telling you guys all about it at lunch tomorrow.”

  Judith sat back in awe. The friendship so fully on display in front of her was enviable. She said a prayer of thanks that her daughter had been blessed with three amazing friends.

  Clearing her throat to get their attention, she handed Angie her sheet of paper. “This details the basics for you—with the option of it happening whether you live here or New York. But I don’t want you to feel rushed to get started. I want you settled with Sean before you start doing anything for Enchanted.”

  “Well…that might take some time. You see…”

  “I know all about the baby, Angie,” Judith said.

  “How?” Then she turned and looked at Hailey. “You blabbed?”

  “Well…”

  “Oh, stop,” Judith interrupted. “Hailey tells me everything and what she doesn’t I can easily see for myself. Although in this instance she did not tell me. I knew when you were so green last weekend. It wasn’t hard to figure out. You simply confirmed it.”

  “Sneaky, Mom. Very sneaky.”

  Judith bowed her head, taking it as a compliment. “Anyway, we’ll talk more about it after you talk to Sean.”

  “Thank you.”

  “That just leaves you, my darling daughter.”

  Hailey sat up a little straighter in her seat and took a steadying breath. “I’m ready. Lay it on me.”

  “I know we’ve talked about it a lot over the years, and you’ve never really seemed too keen on the idea of working with me full-time.”

  Hailey deflated slightly.

  “It’s okay. I completely understand why. You looked at the business and saw that everything was good and didn’t think there was any room for changes or improvements.” She pulled one last sheet of paper out. “As you can tell, you were wrong. There is plenty of room for it. Now, I may have found the property and have the initial plans in place for what I’d like, but from here on in, I want your input on all of it.” She paused as she felt tears of her own building back up. “This is my legacy to you, Hailey. But I want it to be something you want and that you feel is yours.”

  “Mom,” Hailey began hesitantly, “I was never against working with you.”

  “It’s okay, sweetheart. I know it wasn’t a large factor, but it was there. That’s why it’s so important to me that you put your stamp on this project and really make it your own. We have a meeting with the architect on Monday that you are going to sit in on and the way I see it, Enchanted is going to almost be a brand-new entity when we open in our new location, full of fresh ideas and an exciting outlook.”

  Without another word, she handed the paper to Hailey.

  “Mom!” she cried. “This says that you’re giving me forty-percent of the business! That means…”

  “That means you are officially the head of Enchanted,” Judith finished for her. “That is, if you want it.”

  Hailey got up and went around the desk as Judith stood and hugged her. “I can’t believe you did all of this!” Together they hugged and cried. “I’m completely overwhelmed!”

  “Well, that’s to be expected,” Judith replied. “But I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to be here to help you out for a while. And then…”

  “Then what?”

  “Your father and I are going on one of those cruise-around-the world vacations. We’re going to be gone for a little over three months and focus on our marriage again. It’s been way too long since we did that.” She paused and smiled at them. “Never take your marriage for granted, girls. Tru
st me on this one.”

  They spent the next hour talking about their plans and ideas for Enchanted and as Judith did her best to field questions and simply sit back and listen, she knew she had made the right decision. These girls were going to take the business that was her dream and turn it into so much more.

  When she looked at her watch and saw it was after midnight, she stood. “Rome wasn’t built in a day, ladies, and this business isn’t going to be either. It’s late and I don’t know about you, but I would love to get some sleep.” She walked around the desk and hugged and kissed each one of them. “Now go home and we’ll talk some more next week.”

  ****

  “So what’s your plan with Sean?” Hailey asked the next day at lunch. “Are you going to just call him and talk it out?”

  Angie shook her head. “I’m flying up on Monday and kind of surprising him. Or ambushing him. We’ll see how he responds,” she said with a nervous chuckle.

  “Wow! Look at you being all spontaneous,” Becca said. “He’s going to be surprised—and in a good way,” she quickly added.

  “I hope so.”

  “Have you talked to him since last week?” Hailey asked.

  “No. When I told him I didn’t want to see him anymore, I also told him I needed my space and that I’d call him when I was ready to talk.” She sighed. “I guess he’s respecting my wishes.”

  “Gotta appreciate a guy who does that,” Becca said.

  “Hell no you don’t,” Ella snapped. “I mean, yes, it’s all fine and well in certain situations but in big, life-changing ones? I don’t agree. I wish Dylan had pushed back at me when we broke up. It made me feel like I didn’t matter to him—like I didn’t mean enough for him to fight for!”

  “Okay, okay, shh…” Angie said soothingly, rubbing Ella’s arm. “Calm down.”

  “Oh stop,” Ella said, pulling her arm away. “Don’t patronize me. I’m trying to be helpful here.”

  “And you are and I agree—there’s a time and a place. But really, this time it was a good thing. I needed this time without Sean so that he couldn’t influence my decision. I know now that this is what I want because I came to that conclusion all on my own while sitting by myself. That was very important to me.”