by Bria Marche
Friday morning arrived with a glorious, sun-filled blue sky. The light peeked through the blinds on the balcony doors as Sasha woke slowly. Curling back up under the blankets, she just needed five more minutes. Stretching with a full yawn, she rolled over to check the time. It’s seven thirty. I have to get up. There’s so much going on today. She slipped on her robe and opened the balcony doors, stepping out to admire the beautiful deck and backyard. She looked at the view and laughed out loud with memories. Ten months earlier, she’d bought this paint-peeled Victorian with overgrown bushes lining the perimeter and falling down arbors scattered about. The wiring and plumbing were shot, and bats lived in the attic. Everyone had thought she was crazy for falling in love with this worn-out mansion, but now? Now the Victorian was a gem, and Sasha was still in love, even more than she ever thought possible. She had Josh and J. J. Sasha looked down at her swollen belly and gave it a rub. “Good morning, sweet babies. Tomorrow, your daddy and I are getting married. How wonderful is that?” Sasha had two precious babies, sleeping safely inside of her, who would grow up in a loving home. She had Kismet and her magnificent Victorian. She couldn’t imagine life any better than it was at that moment. Tears of happiness pricked at her lids, blurring her vision as she stood in her favorite place and inhaled the clean morning air. The scent of fresh coffee wafted up the staircase and into her bedroom. Mom must be up. She wiped her eyes, put on her slippers, and went downstairs. Sasha poured water into a cup and placed it in the microwave, setting the timer for two minutes. She stirred a heaping spoonful of instant decaf into the boiling water. With the unopened box of donuts under her arm and a stack of napkins pinched between her lips, Sasha opened the sliders with her free hand, grinning from ear to ear. She found her parents on the deck with Kismet, enjoying their morning brew.
“Good morning, darling. Come, sit down,” Alina said. “Papa and I have things to discuss with you, sweetheart.”
“Okay, Mom.” Sasha kissed her parents good morning, set the donuts on the table, and relaxed in the patio chair. “Isn’t it a glorious day?” Nothing could ruin Sasha’s mood now that her life was sailing along perfectly.
Gerard began the conversation, “We’re so happy for you, dear. Josh is a wonderful man. You chose well. We’re proud of you and the wonderful woman you’ve become. We’d like to talk to you about the wedding gift we want to offer you and Josh.”
“Papa, just coming all this way is gift enough. I couldn’t be happier.”
“Well, you might be once I tell you what we’ve done. Your mother and I bought a small home in Marseilles. The chateau and vineyard with all that land is a lot to care for. Of course, we have field hands and help indoors, but our reasoning is twofold. One, we’re ready for a smaller home, and two is for selfish reasons. Now that you’ll be a mother soon and have a family, we’re going to need to see those grandchildren of ours on a regular basis. Sweetheart, we’ve put the chateau and all the property in your name. Here’s the deed.” Gerard pulled a tri-folded document out of his shirt pocket and handed it across the table to Sasha. “The chateau belongs to you as of right now. We’ll be able to see you more often, especially as we get older and don’t travel as much, and we’ll live in town, only fifteen minutes away.”
“Mom, Dad, I don’t know what to say. I’m overwhelmed by your generosity. What a wonderful gift this is, and we’ll absolutely take advantage of it as often as possible. Thank you. I love you both so much. Josh was floored when I told him you owned a chateau in France with a vineyard.” Sasha chuckled. “He’s going to pass out when I tell him it belongs to us now.” She kissed her parents and hugged them on her way inside. “I better get showered. The chairs and all the decorations are being delivered at eleven. Please eat the rest of these, or I will.”
***
“Hey, girl, I’m on my way to work right now. Vic and I are leaving at two o’clock. Is there anything you need us to pick up on our way over?”
“I don’t think so,” Sasha said. “Everything is catered tonight, so it’s just the rehearsal and a dinner we don’t have to prepare, thank God. Is Dan coming with you tonight?”
“Well, that’s one reason I called. Would you mind?”
“Of course not, he’s more than welcome. I wouldn’t have this gorgeous deck and pergola if it weren’t for him. Seriously, am I forgetting anything, Tina?”
“I sure as hell hope you aren’t. It’s almost too late if you are. Okay, let’s go over everything out loud. You have the caterers, tables and chairs, decorations, photographer, minister, vows memorized, cake, musicians, shuttle, guests, tuxes, dresses, and rings. I think you have everything checked off, babe.”
The loudest screech Tina had ever heard likely blew out her left eardrum.
“Son of a bitch—I forgot to buy Josh’s ring. What is wrong with me? I can’t believe it. I’ve got to go. Call Mia and Karen and tell them to get their asses over here by nine o’clock. I have to get dressed. Shit, I don’t even know what size ring Josh wears.”
Tina heard Sasha’s wailing through the phone lines. “Okay, I’ve got this, hon. I’m going to call Jake and ask him. If he tells Josh anything about this, I’ll kill him tonight. I’ll call Mia and Karen right now. Get some clothes on, and take a breath.”
***
Sasha stomped down the stairs and made another cup of decaf, hoping it would settle her nerves. She was nearly to the point of hyperventilating from sobbing so hard. Back up the stairs with her coffee in hand, she flung open the closet door, looking for something to wear to the jewelry store. Both babies, sensing her anxiety, began kicking her in the ribs. “I know,” she sobbed. “I’d kick me too for being so brain-dead. I’m sorry you have such an absentminded mommy. I’ll fix this, and nobody will be the wiser, I promise.”
The knocker banged against the door. Alina came in from the deck and answered it. “Hello, girls, I didn’t know you were coming over. I’ll make more coffee. Please, come in.”
“Hi, Alina. I think Sasha wanted us to help her with a quick errand,” Karen said. “We’ll have coffee when we get back, but thanks anyway.”
Alina looked bewildered as Sasha bounded down the staircase, clinging tightly to her belly. “What? I don’t want to give the kids shaken-baby syndrome before they’re even born. We’ll be back before the chair people come. Call me if they show up early.”
The girls ran to Karen’s car and jumped in. Sasha called shotgun before she even got off the porch.
“Oh, for crap’s sake,” Mia moaned as she climbed into the backseat.
Karen peeled out of the driveway and headed into town. “Where the hell are we going, and what size ring does Josh wear?”
“Oh yeah, I have to call Tina and ask her.”
“How would Tina know?” Karen squealed around the corner on two wheels, gunned it for three more blocks, and skidded to a stop in front of Vincent’s Jewelers on Appleton Avenue.
“She was supposed to find out from Jake. Shittttt… they don’t open until ten. I’m going to break out in zits any second now and look like crap for the wedding pictures,” Sasha sobbed.
“Calm down, honey, before you go into premature labor. Do you even know what Josh likes?” Mia asked, chewing on her cuticles.
“No, and at this point, I don’t give a shit. I just have to save face. I’ll buy him a nice gold band. Isn’t that what all guys wear? They’re so boring, I swear. Thank God I was born a woman. Somebody call Tina. If I don’t sit on my hands, I’ll gnaw off this beautiful manicure I got for the wedding.”
Karen rang up Tina’s number and put her on speakerphone. “What’s Josh’s ring size?”
“I don’t know. Jake had no idea… friggin’ idiot! They’re twins, though, and Jake said his ring size was a ten. I guess you should go with that. You can blame it on Josh if it’s too tight. Say he ate too much salt and he’s retaining water. Guys believe anything. If it’s too loose, say he’s been nervous because of the wedding and lost weight. It’s easy to blame men since the
y’re usually guilty of something anyway.”
“Hey, Tina, your man-hater persona is peeking out a little. Just saying.”
“Oops, sorry. Thanks for the reminder, Mia. Okay, I’ve got to get back to work. Mrs. Brown’s head has been dangling in the shampoo bowl for five minutes now.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
“So, what should we do until ten o’clock?” Sasha’s eyes were red and puffy already.
“First, you have to chill out. We’ll get this done, and nobody other than Jake and us will ever know you forgot something this important. Let’s walk over to Amelia’s and have a coffee. We can look at rings on Vincent’s website to get some ideas. That will make your decision a whole lot faster if you pick something out in advance.”
“Great idea. Okay, I’ll look, and somebody can write down the ones I like.” Sasha took a deep breath and shook her head as though trying to rattle her brain back into place.
Karen pulled a pen and paper out of her purse, ready to jot down Sasha’s choices, while Mia stood in line at the counter, waiting to place her order for two large Columbian roasts and a large decaf, all with cream.
They sat in the town square at a round cement table shaded by a large oak tree. Karen and Mia looked over Sasha’s shoulder as she sat huddled between them. Sasha picked out seven rings she liked the most. Karen wrote down the item numbers of each one.
“This is going to help a lot,” Karen said confidently as she drank her coffee and checked the time. “Mr. Vincent can pull all those rings out of the cases to show you. All you have to do is pick out the one you like the best. We’ll be in and out of there in twenty minutes.”
“What time is it?” Sasha asked, holding the coffee cup in her right hand and sitting on her left.
Mia checked the Original XL Victorinox watch she wore on her left arm. Saving all her change for two years, she’d finally had enough money squirreled away to buy it guilt free. “It’s quarter to ten.”
“There he is!” Sasha squealed as she jumped up from the bench.
Mr. Vincent parked his pearl-white Cadillac in front of the store and strolled casually to the door. He wore a white, starched shirt and brown dress pants held up by blue-and-yellow-striped suspenders. His oversized belly protruded from between the suspenders. He unlocked the door and went in, unaware that Sasha was on his heels like a dog on a bone. Turning to close the door, the old man nearly had a heart attack to see Sasha standing behind him with her foot over the threshold. Jumping, he let out an involuntary yelp as he backed away.
“Mr. Vincent, it’s urgent that I come in immediately,” Sasha pleaded. Mia and Karen stood anxiously behind her in the doorway with their heads cocked to the left.
“Excuse me? The store doesn’t open for fifteen minutes, ma’am. Please back away.”
“For crap’s sake, I’ll pay you to open the store now. I’m getting married tomorrow, and I forgot to buy a ring for my fiancé. There, now another person knows what a flake I am, but I’m pregnant, so I get a pass. I’m begging you, Mr. Vincent, please. I’m in a hurry. I have other things going on this morning. I already have some rings picked out, so we won’t take up much of your time.”
Karen held Mia’s left hand and Sasha’s right so they wouldn’t shred their cuticles or manicures.
Mr. Vincent gave the three of them a long, dubious look. Noticing Sasha’s puffy red eyes, he reluctantly agreed. “All right then, come on in.” He reset the alarm and stashed his briefcase in the back office. “Now, what have you got?” he asked, reaching for the piece of paper with the numbers of the items they’d picked out. “Uh-huh, okay. We have four of those rings in stock. What size do you need?” Mr. Vincent went behind the counter and pulled out several velvet display cases holding men’s wedding rings.
“I’m going with a ten to be safe. We can have it sized later if we need to, right?”
“Yes, we can do that. Out of the four rings in stock, only one is a size ten. Would you like to see it?”
“Yes, please.” Sasha leaned against the counter with her elbows resting on the glass top as Mr. Vincent removed the size-ten ring from its slot. He handed it to her to study closely. Mia and Karen leaned in as well, each one giving her personal opinion.
“Can you tell me something about this ring?” Sasha asked.
“Yes, of course. This is a two-toned, fourteen-karat-gold men’s wedding band. The white gold center is outlined by yellow gold, and it holds three emerald-cut diamonds with a combined 1.45 total carat weight. It’s a fine example, don’t you agree?”
“Yes, it’s lovely. Do you guys think Josh will like it?” Sasha asked. “It has three diamonds. That has to be kismet, right? One stone represents J. J. and the other two are the twins.”
“I think he’ll love it, and the sentiment is very sweet. It’s just right,” Mia agreed.
“Okay, I’ll take it,” she said triumphantly, exhaling loudly, indicating her decision was final.
“Don’t you want to know the price?” Mr. Vincent asked, rubbing his balding head quizzically.
“Sure, but I’m taking it anyway, so don’t try to change my mind. I have a Platinum Visa. My money is good.” She removed the black-and-gold card from her wallet and handed it to him across the glass counter.
“Very good, ma’am, but for your own information, the ring is $4728 plus tax, of course. I’ll ring it up.”
Karen and Mia giggled under their breath at Sasha displaying the money-is-no-object side of her personality that occasionally slipped out. Mr. Vincent was still shaking his head as he carefully placed the ring in a beautiful silver ring box, included a jewelry-cleaning cloth, and handed it to Sasha with her receipt and the credit card.
Mia checked the time again. “We have to go. Aren’t the chairs and decorations being delivered at eleven?”
***
Normally, Tina kept her cell phone locked in the desk in the back room, which also served as the office for Hair Brained. Today was different. She was expecting a call that no dye job or perm was going to cause her to miss. Dan had told her he would call after lunch, and according to her watch, it was nearly noon. Excitement flowed through Tina’s veins. She had never seen Dan actually spiffed up in anything beyond a clean pair of jeans. Tonight she would see a different side of this man, the man who was stealing her heart one coffee date at a time.
The rehearsal was set to begin in the wedding garden at four o’clock sharp. Appetizers, mocktails, and sparkling water with lemon would be served right after the rehearsal while friends and family mingled, getting to know each other better. Dinner was scheduled for six o’clock on the deck. In all, there would be thirty people attending the rehearsal and dinner that night.
Tina and Vic walked together to Amelia’s for a quick cheeseburger at lunchtime. Neither wanted to drink or ruin their appetite for later. The gravel under their feet crunched as they cut through the neighboring parking lot to Amelia’s front door.
“So, how’s it going with Dan? Is he picking you up or meeting you at the Victorian later?” Vic had already plowed through her cheeseburger and popped a few fries in her mouth as Tina responded.
“I’m really enjoying this. Who would have thought, right? It’s about time I got with the program and let go of the past. Seriously, I can’t think of anything bad to say about Dan other than the ice-down-my-bra incident, but I think I have to take some blame for that one, too. We’ve had a few misunderstandings and miscommunications, which you’re well aware of.” She smiled at Vic, knowing they were sharing the same memories. “Anyway, he’s picking me up. He actually owns a car, not just a work van. I don’t know what he drives, but at least we aren’t showing up in a construction vehicle with traces of plaster dust on the seats.”
“Points for Dan.” Vic chuckled. “You do realize he’s hotter than shit, right?”
“Oh yeah, how lucky can I get? I’m anxious to see how he cleans up later. From one to ten, how dressy are you going to be tonight?”
“I’m think
ing 6.7,” Vic said, swirling a French fry in the lake of ketchup on her plate. “Whatever I decide on will be short and pink.”
“Of course it will. Do you even own a dress that isn’t pink?”
“Come to think of it…” Vic laughed.
“My point exactly. Okay, I’ll go with 6.7, too. That ought to be enough to make Dan pant like a dog. Wait till he sees me tomorrow. Those dresses are at least an 8.4,” she said, laughing. Tina’s phone rang in her pocket, startling her to the point of dropping the fry that was almost in her mouth. “Damn it.” A resourceful pigeon, waiting nearby for his golden opportunity, snarfed the French fry up in a millisecond. “It’s Dan. I’ll meet you back at the salon.” She got up, already blushing, and answered, waiting to hear his smooth-as-melted-butter voice over the phone lines. “Hello, Dan.”
“Hey, Tina, I’ve been thinking about you all day. I’m anxious for three thirty to get here.”
“Really?” she asked coquettishly, feeling exactly the same way. She fist pumped all the way back to Hair Brained, excited for three thirty to arrive, too.
“Absolutely. Not only am I excited to see you dressed up and looking beautiful, but each day that goes by is one day closer to me moving to Tarrytown. In four days, I’ll be living in Josh’s house—or, should I say, my house. I’m pretty stoked about that. Anyway, I’ve got to finish up this project so I can get out of here and clean up for later. I’ll see you soon. Bye.”
Vic caught up with Tina just as she crossed the threshold into Hair Brained. “I saw that. The fist pump, I mean. You’ve really got a thing for him, chica. Good on you, and it’s about time.”
