Once Upon a Moonlight Night (The Bella Novella Collection Book 1)

by Janice Thompson

  She’s got pretty clear vision to see all the way from now until then,” Pop said.

  “Sounds like we’re going to be even busier than ever with this wedding.” Mama sighed. “With Rosa gone, we’ll be at a loss.”

  We all turned once again to look at Rosa and Laz, who didn’t seem the least bit concerned, judging from the mouthfuls of food they continued to consume.

  “Now don’t fret!” Rosa paused to take a drink. “We’re coming home on the 18th, as I said, so I will be here just in time to help with the wedding. No worries!”

  Relief flooded over me. “Really? Oh, that’s perfect.”

  “I plan to sleep for days after I get home.” Laz stretched and his extended belly and patted it with his palms, making a drum sound. “So don’t wake me to help with this wedding.”

  Rosa gave him a knowing look and he sighed. “Okay, okay. Wake me up. But don’t expect me to help. Much.”

  “But you promised to make the sauce—er, gravy—Laz,” I said. “No one can do it like you.”

  “True.” My uncle pushed his chair back and stood—slowly, his arthritis making the move difficult—and then leaned down to kiss Rosa on the cheek. Everyone at the table stopped eating long enough to watch the two of them. . .and sigh. Just a few years back, Rosa and Laz couldn’t stand each another. Now they were happily married and headed back to Italy for a second honeymoon. Who were we to stop them?

  Out of the corner of my eye, I caught a glimpse of my father, who was strangely silent. No doubt he struggled with the idea of Rosa and Laz leaving, and not just because of the food. My parents shared a home with my aunt and uncle, after all. They did everything together. With Rosa and Laz away, nothing would be the same for my Mama and Pop.

  I shifted my gaze to my hubby. D.J. seemed oblivious as he took a bite of the steaming manicotti. Oh well. At least we wouldn’t go hungry at the Neeley house. I’d acquired a few of Rosa’s cooking skills, after all. Not that I had much time to spend in the kitchen, not with the big Collins wedding coming up. Still, I wouldn’t waste time fretting over the future. I wasn’t a weather forecaster like Justine. I couldn’t see into tomorrow. Clear skies or cloudy, I couldn’t predict. So, instead, I would simply settle in and enjoy the blue skies that hovered over me at this very moment as I ate the food I loved, surrounded by the people I adored. Really, could life get any finer?

  CHAPTER TWO

  It’s a Lovely Day Tomorrow

  On cable TV they have a weather channel - 24 hours of weather. We had something like that where I grew up. We called it a window.

  Dan Spencer

  After hearing about Rosa and Laz’s travel plans, I could hardly focus on my work. I couldn’t put my finger on why the news bothered me so much, but it did. In spite of my passionate “They deserve a vacation” speech, having the family separated felt. . .wrong. Still, the show must go on, and all that, so I did what came naturally—buried myself in wedding preparations.

  The next couple of days were spent wrapping up the plan for the Collins wedding, just one month away. What a glorious day that would be. I could hardly wait!

  Wednesday—hump day—rolled around and I braced myself for the incoming cyclone that was Justine. Though tiny—the girl barely tipped the scale at a hundred pounds on her five-foot frame, I would guess—the blonde pixie whirled like a mini-tornado. This vivacious personality was suited for television, no doubt, but tended to wear me out.

  Still, I adored her, hyper or not. And by the time she arrived for our previously scheduled meeting at Club Wed, I had all of my proverbial ducks in a row. Er, stars in alignment. I felt secure in the fact that I could pull off this celestial extravaganza, even without my aunt and uncle around to help with the finer points.

  Justine arrived at the wedding facility looking like something out of a fashion magazine. The little diva was always dressed to kill, and today was no different. I’d never seen an ensemble like the one she wore. The blouse was white eyelet but the skirt—wow—was covered in tiny umbrellas. Not cheesy, but clever. Artistic. Cool.

  “Love the skirt,” I said, and then gave an admiring whistle. “Cool beans.”

  “Oh, my grandmother made it. Can you tell it’s homemade? Most of my clothes are.”

  “No way.” I gestured for her to turn around and she did. “It looks like something Gabi would dream up.”

  “Gabi Delgado’s amazing, by the way. Thank you for recommending her to make my wedding dress. Best decision ever.” Justine’s expression grew dreamy, in a Disney Princess-y sort of way. “The gown she’s designed is covered in Austrian crystals that sparkle like the stars in the sky. I’ve honestly never seen anything like the things she comes up with. Exquisite. Way too pretty for a magazine, even. You know?”

  “Yep. And I’m always happy to recommend her. I’m happy to recommend all of my vendors. They made the cut because they’re amazing.” Still, something puzzled me about this conversation. “Justine, if your grandmother can sew, why isn’t she making your wedding dress?”

  The bride-to-be’s eyes widened at this question. “Ooh, she was terrified when I suggested it. And I want her to be relaxed, to enjoy the experience of watching her only granddaughter get married. You know? My family’s waited a long time to see me walk the aisle and I want them to love every minute. Can’t imagine asking them to work my wedding.” Justine laughed, but I didn’t join in. I couldn’t imagine not asking my family members to help with a wedding. Then again, we were in the wedding business.

  I led the way to my office and gestured for Justine to have a seat. She chose to stand. The anxious bride paced my office, hands wringing and her eyes sparkling. “Bella, I can’t tell you how excited we are about our big day. It’s going to be perfect. Absolutely, totally perfect.” She whipped out a stack of papers from her large handbag and plopped them on my desk. “We’ve come up with a final plan. I hope you’re able to accommodate us, though I suspect it’s going to be a challenge.”

  “O-oh?”

  “Maybe. But I can promise you this, Bella. . .it’s going to be the best wedding ever! People will be talking about it for years to come.”

  “I’m sure it will be amazing, since you came up with all of it.” I took a seat in my chair and gestured once again for her to grab the empty chair opposite my desk. This starry-eyed gal had a lot to say and I’d better listen closely.

  She sat and pointed to the paper on top. “I’ve written down everything. Every. Single. Detail. I’ve left nothing out.”

  “I can see that. Impressive.”

  Her finger traveled down the paper, landing on the word celestial. “So, naturally we’re thinking stars. It will be a starry, starry night.”

  “Well, we can’t really control that part, can we?” A nervous laugh wriggled up. “Hopefully it will be a starry night, as you’ve predicted, but one never knows.”

  “Oh, I’m sure it will be. Trust me, I’ve spent hours researching. But I’m talking about decorations. We need stars hanging in the gazebo.”

  “Gazebo? Wait. You’re planning an outdoor ceremony? In December?” How could this little fact have escaped me? Surely I would’ve remembered an outdoor Christmas wedding.

  Justine’s nose wrinkled. “Well, of course. I can’t imagine getting married indoors. In a stuffy room? With the open skies beckoning, the stars twinkling, the moon beaming, the heavens crying out for attention? What else did you think I meant when I said a celestial celebration?”

  “Well, I, um. . .”

  The bride-to-be’s eyes sparkled as she clutched her hands together at her chest. “We chose the 19th of December not just because of the display of stars, but because the weather is supposed to be absolutely perfect that day. Unseasonably warm. In the mid-sixties. And yes, the skies are supposed to be clear and stars bright. Not a cloud in the sky, so we’ll see every last one of them, twinkling away, just for us.”

  “You can really project that far ahead?” I asked.

  “Project is the right wor
d.” A little grin tipped up the edges of her lips. “I hate to brag, but my weather predictions are usually spot-on. Remember yesterday when the meteorologist from Channel Two said it was going to rain all day?”

  I didn’t, but Justine didn’t give me time to respond, anyway.

  “He was wrong. I called it. Twenty percent chance, but hovering clouds lifted at noon and we had the most beautiful day ever.”

  Clouds weren’t the only thing hovering right about now. Rosa hovered in the open doorway, dust cloth in hand. Wrinkles formed around the edges of her lips as she stepped inside my office and started dusting the bookshelves. I looked her way. “Did you need me, Rosa?”

  “Well. . .” She stopped dusting and glanced at Justine. “I don’t mean to pry, but I overheard what you ladies were discussing. Not trying to be nosy, of course, but I think you should have a backup plan, just in case. You know? The outdoor wedding idea sounds wonderful, but what if your predictions are wrong?”

  Justine’s cheeks turned red. “Well, I never claimed to get it right all of the time, but hopefully things will swing my way this time.”

  “I hope so, honey.” Rosa gave her a warm smile. “But even if the skies are cloudy, it’ll be bright and sunny in your heart on your wedding day.” She then lit into a lengthy story about the day she married Uncle Laz, but I could tell she’d lost Justine after only a few minutes.

  I cleared my throat and Rosa took the hint. “Well, I’d better skedaddle, ladies. Lots of tidying up to do before my big trip. I’m going to Italy, you know.” She scurried out of the door and into the hallway.

  I turned back to Justine. “Sorry about that. Where were we?”

  “Oh, I was telling you about the outdoor ceremony. A friend of Harold’s works at the planetarium in Houston. He’s going to loan us a telescope for the gazebo.”

  “Wow, that’s awesome. Do I need to contact him or are you guys taking care of that?”

  “We’ll handle it. Anyway, people can star gaze, as I said, but those won’t be the only stars they see. The idea is to have stars everywhere. Like, literally everywhere. Lots of glittering stars hanging from the trees. Snowflakes hanging from trees, too. Twinkling Christmas lights everywhere. The entire Club Wed facility could be lit up, including all of the trees on the property. It'll be a Christmas Wonderland.” She paused and then snapped her fingers. “Oh, I’ve got it! Maybe we could even bring in some snow. What do you think of that idea?”

  “It’d be a first for Club Wed.” I offered a strained smile and wrote down the words: “Bring in snow. Hmm.” Still, I couldn’t help but wonder: Wouldn’t it melt if the temps were in the sixties?

  Justine rose and paced the room, the animation level in her voice rising. “And just you wait. The station will want to film the whole thing, so Club Wed will end up on the evening news.” She glanced my way and offered a little shrug. “Not that you guys need more business, of course. Anyone who’s anyone is getting married at Club Wed these days.”

  “Since you brought that up, I should tell you that we’ve opened a new facility in Splendora and things are going well there, too. Maybe we could focus our attention on sending prospective brides to that facility?”

  “Splendora?” Justine laughed. “Of all the towns you could have chosen, why Splendora?”

  “Kind of a funny story, actually. We have friends there. Lots and lots of friends. So, I’m looking at asking some of them to get involved in the process. The last time we talked you mentioned needing singers for the reception?”

  “Yes. You know someone?”

  “Several someones. I’d like to recommend some ladies from Splendora who will do a fine job.”

  I’d just started to tell her about Twila, Bonnie Sue and Jolene—my three quirky golden-years friends—when a knock at the door interrupted us. I glanced over as my sister-in-law, Scarlet, stuck her head inside.

  “Sorry I’m late.” She released an exaggerated sigh. “You wouldn’t believe the day I’ve had.”

  I cut her off with the words, “No problem” before she could dive into an explanation. No doubt we’d be here all day, otherwise.

  She took a couple of steps into the office and plopped down into the chair Justine had just been sitting in. “What did I miss? Please don’t tell me you’ve designed the cake without me.”

  “Heavens, no.” Justine giggled and her cheeks turned pink. “Get it? Heavens?”

  Scarlet squinted her eyes, clearly not understanding Justine’s little play on words.

  “We haven’t talked about the cake yet,” I assured her. My gaze shifted to her Let Them Eat Cake apron, which was covered in chocolate frosting. And some sort of green sugary blobs.

  “Ooh, you smell yummy. Sugar!” Justine’s eyes widened as she glanced Scarlet’s way.

  “Oh, good grief. Can’t believe I forgot to take this off.” Scarlet scrambled to pull off the apron, revealing a dark blouse underneath. It, too, had the markings of some sort of sugary substance. Powdered sugar, perhaps? Yep. As Scarlet settled into the chair, a plume of white powder puffed around her. Reminded me of Charlie Brown’s friend, Pig Pen. Only, not.

  “Some pro I am.” Scarlet laughed as she folded her apron. “I hope you’ll forgive me, Justine. I’m in the middle of a baking extravaganza. Making a couple of birthday cakes for Bella’s twins.”

  Justine looked my way. “Bella? The twins are already a year old? I thought they were younger.”

  “Not until next month,” I explained. “But my aunt and uncle are leaving the country on holiday and we had to rush the party to this weekend. We’re racing toward the goal and Scarlet’s been kind enough to help. We wouldn’t get our cakes from anyone else.”

  “It’s Elsa and Anna.” Scarlet paused and giggled. “That’s the theme of the party, not the names of the kids. Elsa and Anna are characters from—”

  “Frozen! My favorite movie!” Justine dove into a lengthy explanation about why Frozen was the perfect movie for a meteorologist.

  Scarlet chimed in with her thoughts and before long the two ladies had obviously forgotten I was still in the room. I managed to catch Scarlet’s eye and she quieted down in a hurry. “Sorry. I just get so excited.”

  “I’m glad you do!” Justine giggled. “I hope you’re just as excited about my cake.”

  “Are you kidding? This is going to be the best ever.” Scarlet reached across my desk and grabbed a notepad and pen. “Let’s get busy designing, girl.”

  “Mm-hmm.” Justine’s eyes sparkled and she took a seat in the chair next to Scarlet. “I’m so glad Bella recommended you.”

  “Thanks. Happy to be of service.” Scarlet twirled the pen around in her fingers. “So, what are you thinking, cake-wise? I’ve had you on the calendar for months but it’s time to hyper-focus on design, so be specific.”

  “Ooh, I want it to be tiered, of course.”

  “Right. But, fondant or buttercream?”

  “She makes a yummy cream cheese frosting,” I threw in. “Best in town.”

  “Don’t tell Rosa that.” Scarlet glanced toward the door, as if expecting my aunt to sneak back in unannounced.

  “Mmm. Love cream cheese.” Justine licked her lips. “And white cakes with some sort of heavenly filling that’s cloud-like. Marshmallow, maybe? Too sticky? Too sweet?”

  “Maybe. Probably Italian buttercream. It’s light as a feather.” Scarlet wrinkled her nose and mouthed the words “Heavenly filling” as she wrote them down.

  “Lots of layers would be great,” Justine added. “Like, really, really tall. Super-tall. Sort of a ‘reaching to the heavens’ look? And sparkly. Like snow. Only, not really. Maybe sugar crystals? Something heavenly. And speaking of the heavens…”

  “Yes?” Scarlet looked up from her scribbling.

  “I was thinking shimmering stars.” Justine gestured with her hand in a sweeping motion. “All over the cake. Maybe even sticking out of the cake on wires. Like they’re floating above it. Can you do that? Float stars, I mean
?”

  “Of course! I love a good challenge.” Scarlet sat up straight in her chair. “Fondant stars? Gum paste? Isomalt?”

  “Whatever you think. You’re the baker. Ooh, and speaking of stars, can you do some gorgeous sugar cookies that look like stars? Really detailed, I mean.”

  “Yep. Royal icing. Lots of sanding sugar.” Scarlet scribbled faster and faster. “Star cookies. Got it.”

  “And maybe some crescent moon shaped ones, too. And snowflakes. Can you do snowflake cookies? Cover them in something shimmery?”

  “Yep. Love it.” Scarlet continued to scribble.

  I sat back in my chair and let the ladies do their thing. Soon enough they’d involve me again. The conversation eventually shifted to the foods we would be providing for the wedding. Star shaped pasta, covered in Rosa’s yummy Alfredo sauce, garlic crescent rolls, melon and sandwiches, cut to look like stars, and so on. My thoughts reeled back to Aunt Rosa and I prayed she would arrive back from her trip feeling strong enough to help with the wedding foods. Heaven help us if she didn’t. My poor brother Nick would have his work cut out for him.

  Just as we wrapped up the conversation about the foods, Justine looked my way. “Now, Bella, I don’t want to scare you, but it’s liable to be chaotic at the wedding. We’ve got a ton of people coming from the network. Lots of reporters and even the mayor of Houston. A couple of players from the Astros and even a big-wig from the astronomy department at Rice University. He’s Harold’s best friend. All in all it’ll be quite an eclectic bunch.”

  “Sounds like it.” We would have to put our best foot forward. Then again, we’d managed to impress plenty of well-known Hollywood-types in the past; surely we could do it again.

  “Science people, artsy folks and family, all merged into one room.” Justine’s eyes took on a far-away look. “I guess that’s what my new normal is going to look like, now that I’m marrying a science guy.”

  “You’re sciency too, though,” I said.