You Say It First--A Small-Town Wedding Romance

by Susan Mallery

  “What kind of weddings are you thinking?” Wynn asked.

  “Pretty much anything,” Pallas told her. “That’s what I want to do—give brides their dream weddings. Of any kind.”

  “Zombies are very big right now.” Silver grinned. “That would be a fun signature drink.”

  “You’re gross.” Violet’s voice was affectionate. “How about something with wine? We could do a fake wine country wedding. Pump up the Italian thing. Or weddings based on movies.”

  “The seasons are nice.” Wynn reached for a cookie. “A Dickens’ Christmas wedding or a beautiful fall wedding with changing leaves and lots of apples.”

  Pallas laughed as she wrote down their suggestions. “I have to say, that’s quite a range. From Zombies to a Dickens’ Christmas.”

  “You wanted to be out of the box,” Wynn reminded her.

  “I do.” She wanted to make her business unique. With a little help from her friends, that was going to happen.

  * * *

  FRESH FROM HER MEETING, an inspired Pallas stopped by Nick’s studio. She practically danced from her car to the open door. Inspiration and excitement made her light and happy.

  She took a second to let her eyes adjust from the bright sunlight outside. On the far side of the room, the hot glass oven hissed and roared as Mathias and Ronan pulled a long rod with molten glass from its depths. Mathias expertly spun the rod before blowing into the end of the tube. The glass grew into a circle, which transformed into an oblong shape as he spun it around several times.

  The complexities of what these men did were beyond her, she thought as she glanced to her left and spotted Nick. At the sight of him, she had to hold in a sigh of general happiness. Her heart fluttered, her girl parts went on alert and the whole day just got better.

  “You texted,” she said as she walked over to where he was sitting at a big workbench, painting papier-mâché flowers.

  “I did.”

  He put down the flower he was working on, stood and held open his arms. She stepped into his embrace. Everything about being held by him was right, she thought. Everything was good. The words—an expression of how she felt—hung on the tip of her tongue, but she didn’t say them. He didn’t want to know and she wasn’t ready to tell.

  “What’s up?” she asked, staring into his dark eyes.

  “Can’t a guy want to see his girl?”

  His girl. Was she? She wanted to be. Wanted what they had to last for as long as possible. Forever sounded good. “He can, but that’s not why you asked me to stop by.”

  “You’re right.”

  He led her toward a door.

  “Close your eyes.”

  She did as he requested. He took her hand and drew her forward a few steps. She sensed that she was stepping into the storage closet. A light clicked on.

  “Open your eyes.”

  In front of her was Nova’s dress—or at least some part of what it had been. Because instead of a traditional white gown, she saw swirls of color and a painted masterpiece.

  Nick had combined the colors of the gaming world such that they blended and twisted and intersected. No one color dominated and there was still plenty of ivory and the soft silk. Areas had a faint shimmer. Pallas thought of the flowers she and Nova had talked about and how the dress would move. Tears burned in her eyes.

  “It’s beautiful,” she whispered. “No, that’s not good enough. I honestly don’t know a word to describe this, Nick. It’s amazing.”

  “Thanks. There’s more.”

  He turned on a handheld black light, then turned off the overhead fixture. The dress morphed into something otherworldly, as if the circles and waves of color had moved.

  “How did you do that?”

  “Black light paint. It’s all blended together. We’d talked about black lights at the reception and I thought it would look cool.” He flipped on the overhead light again. “I like how it came out.”

  “It’s stunning. Nova is going to be...” Pallas thought about the reason for the postponement. She wasn’t sure what Nova was going to be. “What will you do?”

  “Wait a couple of days for the dress to dry, then send it to her. She and Joel will get married eventually. She’ll want to have the dress.”

  “When that happens, I hope they come here. I’d like to help them with their wedding.”

  “Me, too.”

  She didn’t bother pointing out that by then, Nick would be long gone. He already knew.

  * * *

  PALLAS HAD BARELY settled into her office that afternoon when Alan walked in.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked. “I thought you were in LA all week.”

  “I wanted to see you.” He sat beside her desk and took her hand in his. “I’m leaving. Not you. We’ll always be close. But Happily Inc. It’s time for me to settle down and I’m doing that in LA.”

  Pallas bit her lower lip. Alan had been a part of her life as long as Gerald. They’d been friends. Even after he’d started spending more time in Los Angeles, she’d always known she was going to see him at the weddings.

  “The new guy?” she asked, when what she really wanted to say was, “Don’t go!”

  “Yes. Despite my handsomeness, I’m not getting any younger. I’ve found someone I care about and we’re going to do our best to make it work.” He smiled. “I’m finally settling down.”

  “I’ve heard it happens to all of us eventually.”

  “It needs to happen to you.”

  “I’m working the program.”

  “Nick?”

  She smiled. “It’s either him or you, and apparently your heart is taken.”

  Alan laughed. “It is. Plus, as much as I adore you, I never got the whole boy-girl thing. It’s weird.”

  “Yes, it is.” She felt her smile fade. “Who am I going to get to calm my brides now?”

  “You’ll find someone. It’s really not that hard. Just tell them they’re beautiful and that whoever is bothering them is a bitch and voilà. Happy bride.”

  “I think there’s a little more to it than that.” She squeezed his hand. “I’m going to miss you so much.”

  “I’ll miss you. Gerald rescued us both and we’ll always remember him. But now it’s time for us to follow our dreams.”

  She stood. He did the same and hugged her.

  So much was changing, she thought when Alan was gone. Less than a year ago she’d been determined to finish her degree and work at the bank. Then Gerald had died and left her the business and she’d come to realize that she didn’t want to work with her mother and... And Nick had shown up. Just like that, her world shifted. Now everything was different.

  Too restless to concentrate on anything, she went for a walk. It was getting hotter—a truth of the desert as summer approached. She crossed the street and headed for the river. Maybe a snow cone would help her focus. As she approached the boardwalk, she saw a familiar figure sitting on a bench. Her grandfather looked up and saw her. He smiled before waving her over.

  “How’s my favorite granddaughter?” he asked as she settled next to him.

  “You know that’s not true. You love us all equally.”

  “Yes, I do, but I’m careful to tell each of you you’re my favorite. It makes you feel special.”

  She laughed, even as she was sure he was telling the truth.

  “How are things with you?” her grandfather asked.

  “Good. Great. I’ve been working hard and learning stuff.”

  “It’s good to learn stuff. It keeps us young. You don’t need that now but one day you will.”

  “I’ll keep that in mind.” She hesitated before blurting, “Why does Mom hate me?”

  She hadn’t meant to ask the question, but now that it wa
s out there, she didn’t call it back.

  Grandpa Frank put his arm around her. “She doesn’t hate you, Pallas. She loves you—in her way.”

  Pallas wrinkled her nose. “It’s not a very friendly way.”

  “I know.”

  “Why don’t I remember much about my dad? Cade does. Is it me or wasn’t he around much?”

  Her grandfather hesitated just long enough for her to realize there was something. She shifted so she could face him. “Grandpa Frank? What is it? Tell me.”

  “Your father was an ambitious man. He hadn’t come from much and he was determined to get ahead. He saw Libby as a way to do that.”

  Pallas’s breath caught as she considered the implications in that carefully worded sentence. “He didn’t love her?”

  “I didn’t say that. I’m sure he cared. Some. But he was more interested in the bank. Libby tried a million ways to get his attention, but it was difficult.” He shook his head. “He was the reason you all moved into the house. It was his idea, not your mother’s. When you and Cade were born, he saw Cade as a way to secure his position.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Cade’s a boy. Boys inherit.”

  “But you don’t care about that. How could you? You had seven daughters.”

  He laughed. “Don’t I know it. But your father never got that. He never saw Cade wasn’t interested in the bank at all. Your father decided he would change his mind as he got older. Libby played along. Then your father died.”

  Pallas wasn’t sure what to do with the information. On the one hand, she felt bad for her mother. On the other, she was grateful to finally find out why her father had always seemed so absent in her life.

  “Do you think the reason Mom is always making me earn stuff is so I don’t get hurt like she did?” she asked.

  “You’ll have to take that up with her.”

  “Oh, like that will ever happen.” Still it was nice to have some answers, even though they led to more questions.

  “How come you never remarried, Grandpa?” she asked.

  He winked at her. “I’m a healthy, rich man of a certain age. I loved your grandmother very much and I never looked at another woman while she was alive. But now I’m single and I’m enjoying every minute of it.”

  Pallas winced as she tried not to get a visual. “You could have just said you didn’t want to.”

  “I’m a big believer in the truth.”

  “Maybe you should be a big believer in self-editing.”

  He laughed. “Come on. I’ll buy you an ice cream.”

  “Can I have a snow cone instead?”

  “Of course. You can have anything you want.”

  They walked along the river toward the stand. Pallas thought about all she’d learned today. Some of the information changed everything and some of it... Well, she didn’t know what she was going to do about her mother’s past. Not that there was anything to do. But things made more sense now. And maybe in the knowing, there was a chance for something more than they’d had.

  * * *

  NICK STARED AT the FedEx envelope on his desk. He knew what was inside—the return address in Dubai made that clear. After nearly three months of waiting, a decision had been made. He turned the package over in his hands and realized he didn’t want to know. Didn’t want his life to change. He wasn’t ready to leave Happily Inc.

  No. He wasn’t ready to leave Pallas.

  He pulled the tab and ripped open the envelope, then pulled out the letter inside. After scanning the first paragraph, he read it again, then a third time. The words were incredibly clear.

  Mr. Nicholas Mitchell, we regret to inform you the committee has decided to go in another direction for our hotel installation. I personally wanted your piece, but I was outvoted.

  There was more, but none of it mattered. He hadn’t gotten the job. What the hell?

  He stood up, then sat back down. He shoved the letter into a drawer, pulled it out, thought about ripping it in two, then put it away again.

  He hadn’t gotten the job. How was that possible? Didn’t they realize who he was?

  As soon as he thought the question, he started to laugh. Well, damn. He’d just been put in his place. He’d been so sure he would get the commission he hadn’t considered he might not.

  Both his brothers were out, so he had the studio to himself. He walked the length of it, thought about channeling his father and smashing a few pieces, but stopped himself before he could do something stupid and self-destructive.

  He hadn’t gotten the job. They’d turned down his idea. Did he care? Did it mean anything? Art was subjective, right? It was just...

  He’d had everything on hold. He’d been waiting to decide, so he hadn’t committed to a project or direction. He’d been drifting, expecting the answer to come from somewhere else and it had. Just not the way he expected. What was he going to do now?

  There were dozens of choices. He could go back to Fool’s Gold. He could stay here. He could move somewhere else. But the bigger question was what was he going to do with his work? Wood? Glass? Not metal—he and Mathias had yet to create anything that wasn’t trash. What about—

  What about Pallas? He returned to his chair and sat. Now he didn’t have to leave her. Now he could be with her. They could... Well, they could... He looked around as if the answer was hidden in a corner. They could stay together. Eventually they could...

  No. Passion consumed. He couldn’t do eventually or forever or any of those things. He didn’t want to end up like his parents. He didn’t want to destroy what they had or each other. He wanted to be with her, and now he could, only he couldn’t because it was dangerous. He wasn’t willing to take a chance. She wasn’t the problem—he was. He couldn’t trust himself. But if he didn’t make a move, he would lose her forever.

  Not knowing what else to do, he drove over to Weddings in a Box and went to work on his panels. At least there he knew what he was doing. He had the feel of the wood. The repairs kept his hands busy as his mind raced like a hamster on a wheel. Eventually it would quiet and he would know.

  He used sandpaper to smooth the edges of the long splits running vertically through the panel. He filled the larger ones with tiny slivers of wood cut to fit in perfectly. Each one took all his attention. When the questions became too complicated, he went for something easy, like cleaning the relief, inch by inch. The hours crept by. He counted them by the movement of the sun on the stone floor. When it was nearly dark and his hands ached from the work, he thought maybe it was time to give it a rest. He was no closer to an answer than he had been but—

  Pallas burst into the room. She raced toward him.

  “Nova called. Tim rallied. He’s not dead. He’s feeling better! The wedding’s back on!”

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  PALLAS COULDN’T CATCH her breath. She was shaking and trying not to scream and jump up and down.

  “When I saw Nova’s number on my phone, I almost didn’t answer,” she said as she and Nick sat in her office. “I was so scared. I didn’t want to hear that Tim had died. Then I told myself that made me slime. I mean, come on. I only have to hear it. She has to live it. But it wasn’t bad news.” She bounced in her seat. “This is the best. He’s been getting stronger for a couple of weeks now. I guess there was some experimental medication and at first they thought it had failed, but now it seems to be working, so we have got to pull this together.”

  She looked at Nick. “You haven’t said anything.”

  “It’s great news. You’re right. We have to make this work. Who should we call first?”

  The words were right but there was something strange about him. Not quiet, exactly. Resigned? Was that it? “Are you mad?”

  “No. Of course not. It’s great news. I’m happy for them.”
/>
  All the right words, but there was something. Regardless, she couldn’t deal with that right now. “We have a million things to do. I want to order a zip line.”

  Nick’s brows rose. “Excuse me?”

  “Zip line. Yes, that’s what I said. Why not? Nova’s so happy—she said to just go for it. To order anything I thought would make the day special.” Pallas sighed remembering the happy call. “She was so excited and relieved. This is the best. I think there should be a zip line to add a little spice. I think we can run it from the Juliet balcony to the ground. It won’t be that fast or far, but it will make a statement.”

  She glanced down at her notes. “I have to call everyone. I don’t know if Atsuko ever got going on her costume. I hope so. Oh, you haven’t mailed the dress to Nova yet, have you? Not that she couldn’t bring it back with her. Of course she could. But it would be easier if it never left in the first place.” She started scribbling names. “Okay, Atsuko, Silver, Violet, Wynn. Natalie, because she said she finished the masks. I should probably call Carol, too. She’s always said she’s more than happy to help if I’m in a bind. Oh, and Alan. He’ll want to be here.”

  She looked up. “Did I tell you he’s moving to LA? Permanently? He’s met someone, which is just so great.”

  She drew in a breath. “I know I’m talking too much but I’m excited. This is the best. Tim’s okay and there’s going to be an alien wedding.” She started to laugh. “And how often does a girl get to say a sentence like that?”

  Nick remained silent. He wasn’t excited or pleased or anything she would have expected. Finally she couldn’t stand it anymore. She placed her hands on the desk. “What?”

  He looked away, then back at her. “I’ll help with the wedding.”

  What? Of course he would help. He’d been a part of this from the beginning. He was—

  She realized what was missing from his expression. The humor and affection she’d started taking for granted. The connection they had together. He hadn’t looked happy to see her when she’d run in to tell him the news. He hadn’t pulled her close or kissed her. He hadn’t done anything.