How to Make a Wedding

by Cindy Kirk

  “We couldn’t have picked a better day for a picnic.”

  I looked on, all smiles, as Derrick unfolded a colorful quilt and spread it on the ground. Any day at Memorial Park was a good day, but spending an afternoon in this glorious weather with Derrick . . . blissful!

  Of course, I found myself more than a little distracted by the muscles rippling beneath his white T-shirt as he worked. For a moment I felt like a heroine in one of those romance novels Grandma Nellie read—all swoony. Maybe it had something to do with the heat.

  “There. Perfect.” He finished with the quilt and then gestured toward it as if waiting for my approval.

  “Yes.” Everything was perfect, all right. He gestured again for me to take a seat, and then he settled in next to me. Our hands brushed as I reached for the basket that held our lunch. For a moment I paused, loving the idea of being so close. He seemed to enjoy it, too, if I could gauge from the contented expression on his face.

  Derrick reached to brush a lock of hair off my face with his fingertip, and then he smiled. I froze in place, unable to remember what I needed to do next. Oh yes. Unpack the food.

  To our right a family with four young children laughed and talked as they ate at a picnic table. Well, most of them. One of the boys rushed our way, eyes wide. “You’re Derrick Richardson.”

  “I am.” Derrick gave him a welcoming smile.

  “I . . . I . . .” The boy seemed stuck. “I play too.”

  “Position?” Derrick looked genuinely interested.

  “Pitcher.” His eyes sparkled with pride. Seconds later his dad joined us, and I lost Derrick to a lengthy conversation about the Astros. Not that I minded at all. In fact, I rather enjoyed it.

  Afterward, when the boy and his father left us to ourselves, Derrick turned my way, an apologetic expression on his face. “Sorry about that.”

  I shook my head. “I’m not, Derrick. It shows me so much about who you are. You always take time for others. You don’t make people feel like they’re out of line for approaching you. I love that about you.”

  “Oh?” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “You love something about me, eh?”

  “Well, I, uh . . .” I felt my cheeks grow warm.

  “I’m kidding, Southpaw. But I’m glad to know you see more in me than just my so-called talent on the field. It’s good, for once, to just be me.” He gave me that signature wink of his. “With you.”

  A little giggle followed on my end. I couldn’t help myself. To avoid showing him my embarrassment, I turned my attention to the basket of food. Minutes later, I had our little picnic laid out before us. It looked pretty good, if I did say so myself.

  He gave me an admiring look. “I can’t believe you pulled this off, Mari. Are you a gourmet chef as well as a cookie baker?”

  “No.” I laughed as I opened the container of fruit salad. “But I know how to shop at the local deli, and I’m a whiz with paper plates and plastic forks.”

  “Then you’re the girl for me. I happen to be a pro with a paper plate myself.”

  His right eyebrow elevated, and I could tell he was teasing. Still, he’d lost me at “you’re the girl for me.” Did he really mean it?

  I got my answer fifteen minutes later, after we’d finished eating.

  “Want to go for a walk on the trails?”

  “Sure.”

  Derrick rose and extended his hand. I took it and stood up, then smiled when I realized he wasn’t letting go. In fact, he didn’t let go . . . at all. Instead, we walked at a leisurely pace under the canopy of walnut trees, hand in hand. Derrick stopped when we reached a pretty little pond. I saw why at once. The sunlight shimmered down on the water, creating the most exquisite colors.

  “Beautiful,” I said after a moment of quiet reflection.

  “Yes. Definitely beautiful.” Only he wasn’t looking at the water, was he? No, Derrick had turned to face me. The tips of his fingers brushed my cheek and a delicious shiver wriggled its way down my spine. I peered up into his face and saw the depth of emotion in his eyes. He slipped his other arm around my waist, and I instinctively leaned in to him, resting my head against his shoulder. In that moment, with the sound of the water rippling nearby and the glow of sunlight on our faces, I felt my heart burst into song.

  Okay, not burst into song exactly, but I certainly felt like singing, and all the more as Derrick cupped my chin with his palm. I tilted my head to gaze into his eyes and felt myself captivated by the sweetness as his lips met mine for the most delicious kiss ever.

  “You’re the most wonderful girl I know, Mari Hays.” He whispered soft in my ear.

  If any other man had spoken those words, I might not have believed him. But hearing them from Derrick—seeing the sincerity in his eyes—I found myself completely and totally convinced.

  And if his words didn’t do the trick, the kiss that followed certainly did.

  The first two weeks of May buzzed by. A sense of anticipation filled everyone in our home as the big day approached, and that excitement spilled over onto the wedding party. I’d never seen the bridesmaids so worked up.

  Well, most of them. Our maid of honor—if one was willing to still call her that—had completely checked out from the moment she got the news that Derrick and I were dating. Not that she’d ever checked in, of course. She’d skated along the fringes of this wedding from the get-go, so most of us were used to it by now. We forged ahead without her help, each of us looking forward to the big day.

  I found myself celebrating more than just the wedding. With each passing day, my budding relationship with Derrick gave me more to smile about. That wonderful first date at the park had bonded us and propelled us into a “Hey, what do you want to do today?” relationship. And much to the shock of my friends and family, I’d even fallen in love with baseball. Go figure. Perhaps it had a little something to do with the handsome right fielder, who discreetly gave me a special Cub Scout salute every time a new inning started.

  As the wedding day approached, I did my best to make every moment with my sister count. More than once Crystal dissolved into tears over seemingly small, insignificant things. Like a greeting card in the mail. Or an unexpected wedding gift from a relative. She blubbered with each bit of news, good or bad. I’d never seen her so emotional. Probably pre-wedding jitters, just like my grandmother had predicted.

  On the day before the wedding, I took the day off from work to devote myself completely to my sister. I chauffeured her to a day spa on Friday morning, where we’d arranged to meet the other bridesmaids.

  We had planned to get a mani/pedi all together, and then the bride to be would enjoy a massage—a special treat on this very special day. I knew it would cost a pretty penny—we’d chosen the most popular spa in town—but with all the bridesmaids chipping in, we’d cover it, no problem. Besides, Crystal was worth it. She deserved the very best.

  During the mani/pedi time, Cassie had us laughing nearly every minute as she told story after story about her ninth-grade boyfriend, a guy named Caleb who was socially awkward.

  Thinking about Caleb reminded me of Tyler. In all the wedding excitement I’d almost forgotten that we’d be walking the aisle together. Interesting. Suddenly I didn’t mind anymore. In fact, I looked forward to it. I no longer saw Tyler as someone I had to spend time with; I saw him as one of the guys. The wedding had morphed all of us into one big happy family.

  Well, most of us. Sienna spent most of the time at the salon texting—once her fingernails were dry. Instead of being angry, I felt a little sorry for her. What kind of person completely ignored those she was with to communicate with someone she wasn’t with? On a day this important, she needed to be focused on my sister.

  Not that Crystal seemed bothered. As she headed in for her hot stone massage, she gave us all a relaxed smile and thanked us for treating her to such a special day. Once she disappeared, the rest of us gathered to settle up her account. Forty-five dollars for the mani/pedi, plus a five-dollar tip. Seventy-five
dollars for the hot stone massage, plus a ten-dollar tip. I quickly divided the total—one hundred and thirty-five dollars—by five, since there were five bridesmaids. It looked like we would each be chipping in twenty-seven dollars. Brianna, Cassie, and Gillian handed over cash. In fact, Cassie threw in a couple of extra dollars.

  But when it came time to fetch the funds from Sienna, she seemed confused at best. “Huh?” She gave me a blank stare. “What are you talking about, Mari?”

  “Today’s outing was a gift for Crystal,” I reminded her. “We all decided, remember?”

  She shrugged. “I’m pretty sure I would’ve remembered that. I’m not forking over any more money. I’ve already paid for that ugly bridesmaid dress, and it’s cost me a fortune for my shoes and jewelry for this stupid wedding.”

  “Stupid wedding?” I stopped cold at those words. “Stupid wedding?” The other three bridesmaids stood beside me, fortifying me and giving me courage to speak my mind. “Are. You. Serious?”

  “Yes, I’m serious. And this ridiculous bachelorette party tonight is going to bankrupt me. Do you have any idea how much I had to pay to get the private party room at Valentino’s? It’s crazy.”

  Valentino’s? The most exclusive club in Houston? What was she thinking? “So, let’s go someplace else,” I said. “It doesn’t have to be that fancy.”

  “And have people say I didn’t give my friend the best bachelorette party ever? No way. I know what people think already, trust me.” Sienna’s eyes narrowed. “Besides, I’ve already ordered the bachelorette package—cake, drinks, everything.”

  “There aren’t really a lot of drinkers in our group anyway, Sienna, so maybe we should just go someplace else?” Cassie cleared her throat.

  “Nothing I do is right, is it?” Sienna slung her purse over her shoulder, and I could read the anger in her eyes.

  “I . . . I didn’t say that.” For a moment I almost felt sorry for her. She’d gone to a lot of trouble to get a private room at Valentino’s, after all.

  “I just want to get this whole stupid thing over with.” For a moment, pain flashed in Sienna’s eyes.

  “The wedding?” I asked.

  “The rehearsal. The rehearsal dinner. The bachelorette party. And the wedding. I can’t believe I have to walk down the aisle with Derrick Richardson. He’s so full of himself.”

  “Derrick? Arrogant?”

  “Yes.” Sienna rolled her eyes. “I’ve never met anyone so stuck up. He hardly gives me the time of day.”

  “So because he doesn’t fawn over you like the other guys do, you think he’s arrogant?” Cassie’s voice trembled, a sure sign she was angry. “Maybe you need to look in a mirror, Sienna. There’s only one arrogant person here, and it’s not the best man.”

  “I’m going to be the bigger person and pretend I didn’t hear that ugly remark.” Sienna reached into her purse and came out with a tube of lipstick. She smeared it across her lips and smacked them. Loudly.

  I fought the temptation to say more. Instead, I paid the balance of the bill myself, and Cassie, Gillian, Brianna, and I opted to walk next door to the frozen yogurt shop to cool down. Sienna obviously didn’t care to be with us, anyway.

  Gillian remained quiet until we all took a seat at a table. Then she looked at us with a troubled expression. “Did you know that Sienna paid for a private room at Valentino’s?”

  I shook my head. “No. I mean, I knew she had someplace special in mind, but every time I asked her about plans for the bachelorette party, she said she wanted it to be a surprise.”

  “But . . . Valentino’s?” Brianna looked concerned. “That place is over-the-top expensive. And the cover charge is ridiculous.”

  “Right.” I paused to think through my response. “But I guess it debunks the theory that Sienna has completely fallen down on the job.”

  “Still . . . Valentino’s?” Cassie pinched her eyes shut and shook her head. “I can’t imagine even walking in there. Definitely not my sort of place.”

  “Mine either,” I said. “But it won’t kill us to go. We can eat cake and drink diet soda.”

  “I guess.” Gillian gave me an impish smile. “Just one more thing I can knock off my bucket list. A night at Houston’s most exclusive club.”

  “Yippee skippy.” Brianna laughed. “Can’t wait to tell my grandchildren about that.”

  When we walked back to the spa, we found Sienna on her phone—of course—talking in an over-the-top voice to someone on the other end about “this ridiculous wedding.”

  When she saw us, she stopped talking long enough to glare.

  My sister emerged from the massage room just about the time I thought Cassie was going to knock Sienna’s lights out. The cranky maid of honor ended her call and shoved her phone into her purse, then plastered on the fakest smile I’d ever seen.

  Crystal had a blissful look on her face. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw the five of us standing together. “Ooh, what a perfect picture. Do you mind?” She fished around in her purse and came out with her phone, then took a photo. “Thank you. I always want to remember the five ladies who gave me such a beautiful gift the day before my wedding.”

  Another fake smile followed from Sienna.

  “That was so relaxing.” Crystal hadn’t noticed the deception. “It was the perfect way to take a little breather before the rehearsal dinner tonight. I can’t thank you enough.” She reached to give each of us a warm hug. When she got to Sienna, I wanted to say something. Ooh, did I ever want to say something. From the look on Cassie’s face, I could tell she did too.

  But we didn’t. We just smiled and watched as the bride hugged her maid of honor and proclaimed this day the best ever. If we kept the peace, it would be the best day ever. I made up my mind right then and there to do whatever it took to keep that radiant smile on the bride’s face. Even if it killed me.

  Later that evening we attended the wedding rehearsal at the church, followed by a relaxing BBQ at our house, hosted by my parents. My father was in rare form, joking with everyone as he filled their plates with meat straight off the grill. I could tell Mama was a little stressed at first, what with the Havenhursts being in our home for the first time and all, but everyone seemed to have a great time.

  When the rehearsal dinner ended, I headed out with the bridesmaids to the bachelorette party at Valentino’s. We ended up having a great time, eating cake, sipping on diet sodas, and listening to the band. Sienna pulled Crystal out onto the dance floor and we all giggled as they did a silly dance. For the first time in ages, the wayward maid of honor looked comfortable in her role.

  After a few more goofy dance moves, they returned to the table, where Sienna made a toast to the bride to be. I found the whole thing rather endearing. Maybe I’d been wrong about her. She’d waited till the eleventh hour to come through for my sister, but Crystal seemed deliriously happy, and that was all that mattered to me.

  By eleven o’clock we had all fizzled out. Crystal and I said our good-byes to the other girls and headed home. I dozed off just minutes after my head hit the pillow.

  The following morning I awoke, raring to go. Just before my feet hit the floor, however, I paused to pray. This was the most important day in my sister’s life and I wanted to start it off right. A few minutes later I found Crystal in the kitchen, at the table with Mama and Grandma Nellie. All three of them were drinking coffee. I poured a cup and joined them.

  “I can’t believe it.” Crystal’s voice trembled as she looked from person to person.

  “What, honey?” Mama asked.

  “This is going to be the last time we all sit here together at the breakfast table. It’s just . . . bittersweet.” A few tears trickled down her cheeks.

  Mama and Grandma both started crying at this point. Oh boy. What a mess. Seconds later, tears stung my eyes, but I brushed them away before my sister could see them.

  We sat until we’d each finished a second cup, laughing and talking over old times. Dad joined us moments
later, still dressed in his boxers and undershirt. No doubt Crystal wouldn’t miss this part of our morning routine.

  By the time the clock chimed nine, however, we realized the party had to come to an end. Though the wedding wasn’t scheduled to begin until two, the bridesmaids would meet at the church at eleven to begin the process of fixing hair and putting on makeup. I could hardly wait.

  After showering and dressing in capris and a button-down shirt, Crystal made a phone call to her wedding coordinator to check on the progress in the sanctuary and at the country club. From what I could gather, Mrs. Frazier seemed a bit discombobulated but still confident the day would come off without a hitch.

  I helped my sister pack her car with everything we would need—my dress and her gown, shoes, hair clips, jewelry, and the biggest makeup bag in the history of weddings. With Crystal’s nerves a jumbled mess, I offered to drive. She nodded and climbed into the passenger seat.

  Her cell phone rang just as we pulled into the church’s parking lot.

  “It’s Sienna.”

  “Ah.” I didn’t want to speculate, so I kept my mouth shut.

  A couple of minutes later, however, I didn’t have to speculate.

  Crystal ended the call and shoved the phone into her purse. “I don’t believe it.”

  “What?”

  “She’s getting her hair done.”

  “But I thought we were doing that here. Helping each other, I mean.”

  “Right?” My sister shook her head. “She said she didn’t trust the girls to get her hair right, so she’s paying top dollar to have it done at The Strand.”

  “The Strand?” I couldn’t help but gasp. Who could afford to have their hair done at The Strand? Maybe folks like Mrs. Havenhurst, but not girls like Sienna, who worked at the tanning salon for minimal pay.

  “Apparently Sienna’s had the appointment all along. She never planned to be with me on my wedding day. She said she’s been saving for weeks. Can you believe that?”