“Yes, my Ellenor and Stephanie have both done extremely well in their careers. I’m just so proud,” she says fondly. “I have a wonderful legacy!” She glances in my direction. “And of course Madison, after all, she is the reason we are all here together.” I plaster a fake smile on my face; once again, I’m an afterthought.
“Madie, tell us all about this bakery thing you have going on,” Stephy asks.
“Oh yeah, we heard you’re now a baker or pastry chef, is it?” Ellie adds. “That was a huge surprise. Didn’t you break our Easy-Bake Oven when we were kids?” She giggles. Seriously, not that damn Easy-Bake Oven again. I’m pretty sure she brings that up at every family function. I decide it’s best to just avoid that discussion.
“No, I’m not a baker,” I reply calmly. “I’m a cookie designer, and my cookies will soon be featured at Bev’s Sweet Treats. I just started it as a hobby, but surprisingly it took off,” I say proudly.
“Oh yes, I have some right here,” Susan says excitedly as she gets up to get the cookies I brought for her brunch. “They’re not only beautiful but they’re also delicious.”
“Wow, those are really good,” Stephy says as she looks through the box. ”We have another friend that does cake decorating, right, Ellie? It looks really fun.” I catch a glimpse of Ellie as she looks at them; I can tell she’s impressed but clearly trying to hide it.
“Did you really make those?” she asks doubtfully.
“Of course, why do you ask that?” I say defensively. I can tell she wants to say something else, but she holds back for a few seconds.
“Those are almost too perfect to be homemade,” she responds. I watch her expression; it looks as if she is about to explode.
“Well, I can promise you they ARE homemade,” I say finally. “You’re more than welcome to come over and check out my disaster of a kitchen.”
“Madie, don’t get defensive,” she says, cracking a smile. “Madie has always had a tendency to overreact. She has never taken criticism very well.”
“Don’t you worry, Madie.” Ellie says patronizingly. “Your cookies are very cute.”
HA! There it is, she wanted to get a reaction out of me and she got it. I’m about to say something I may regret, but thankfully at that moment Susan invites us to all sit down for dinner. Cole and I hang back for a few minutes after everyone else heads to the dining room.
“How are you holding up?” he asks.
“I’m OK, but do you see what I’m talking about? Ellie was asking me if I made the cookies. Like I would lie or try to pass someone else’s cookies off as mine,” I whisper furiously. “I’m really not sure about all of this. I had hope that things were going to be different, but now I don’t know.”
“Hey now, she’s just jealous,” Cole says calmly. “It doesn’t mean she’s going to ruin the entire wedding. I think everything will be fine. Just try not to let them bother you.”
“I know you’re right,” I say stubbornly. “I hate when you’re right.”
“Stephy seems fine, is she always like that?” he asks.
“Yes. She would be OK on her own. She’s actually really into her own life and usually just follows Ellie’s lead when we are all together. If she does have an opinion about anything she has never said it out loud.”
“Are you two coming?” Susan interrupts our whispering. “Now is not the time for you to be making out.”
“Mom! Please!” yells Cole.
“What? I know what making out is, your father and I still make out all the time,” she says with a smile. “There’s nothing wrong with it if you do it at the proper time and place, not at a dinner party.” Cole starts making gagging noises.
OK. What just happened? I’m not sure how we got on this subject. I think I would rather be getting dental work without Novocain than having a discussion about making out with my future mother-in-law.
“Um, is dinner ready? I probably should get in there with my family.” I hurry to the dining room to escape one awkward situation in order to enter another.
Dinner is delicious, of course. All three of my family members compliment Susan throughout the meal. After we finish dinner, we hang around the table just talking. Finally, Ellie asks Cole all about his career. I’m surprised it took her this long because she has been sizing him up for most of the evening.
“So, how does one become a professional comedian?” Ellie asks. “I mean, other than going to comedy clubs or watching those horrible late night TV shows, I don’t know much about it.”
“At first, we were not thrilled with his choice,” Susan says, taking a sip of her wine. “But he’s happy and that’s what matters. He loves to make people laugh, and he is good at it,” she says fondly.
“Ah yes, we know all about that,” Grandmother says. “Our Madison was a good student, but she decided to leave her studies to pursue cosmetology. She is very talented of course.” It always amazes me how she adds that in every time she mentions my career choice. It’s as if it’s her disclaimer for admitting her disappointment.
“Do you see how perfect we are for each other, Mads?” Cole says, putting his arm around me. “We are both the black sheep of our families!” he exclaims.
At that moment, all of the awkwardness kind of fades away. Leave it to Cole to lighten the mood. He leans over and kisses me on the cheek, and I feel better instantly.
Susan and Grandmother go on and on about how neither of us are black sheep and the rest of the night goes smoothly. Ellie and Stephy give me a quick hug good-bye and tell me they’ll be dress shopping and will send pictures. After they leave, I help Susan clean up in the kitchen.
“Thank you for everything tonight,” I tell her.
“Of course, dear. It was a lovely evening,” Susan says as she puts dishes away.
“Yes, it was nice,” I say unconvincingly.
“Now, you just sit down so I can talk to you,” she demands. Oh no! I pray this is not the make out conversation again.
“I want to tell you a story,” she says immediately. I’m really not sure where she’s going, but I reluctantly sit down on a barstool.
“I got engaged before my sister Emily. She’s two years older than me, and she clearly wasn’t happy for me. She pretended to be, but she really wasn’t and everyone knew it. I know this was true because here I was, her little sister getting married first and that really bothered her. None of our other family members wanted to choose sides, so they just ignored the situation. Of course, it got better over time; Emily did in fact get married a few years later. The part I remember the most was how she made me feel throughout my engagement. At that time, I was convinced she was out to sabotage my wedding and my life. I thought every comment and every move she made was to destroy my special day. After months of being convinced of this, my wedding day was indeed perfect and yours will be too.” She stops abruptly and gives me a big hug.
I can tell that she thinks I’m overreacting to my cousins. If only she knew our history. I consider telling her everything, but I made a promise to myself to move on from the past. I decide to give her a short and sweet response.
“The three of us haven’t always been close, but I’m really hoping that our wedding will change that,” I say with a big smile. Now I just need to make myself believe it.
After a little bit more lecturing from Susan, Cole somehow manages to calm my nerves again and reminds me that his mother means well. And I really, really hate when he’s right. I hate to have to pry myself away from him, but I need to go home.
Sienna is packing boxes when I arrive home. She’s extremely methodical (and annoying) with her packing. I would prefer to just throw things in boxes, then neatly unpack and organize my new place.
“So, tell me how the big dinner party went?” she asks eagerly. “Did Susan and Grandmother Grace become besties?”
I shift some things to the side and fall down dramatically on the couch. I barely take a breath as I tell her all about the night from beginning to end. She laugh
s as I cringe over the make out conversation.
“Madie, are you sure you’re really OK with your cousins being in the wedding?” I’m quiet for a few minutes as I contemplate my decision. “Yes, I am, I think,” I say finally. “I need to do this for my family and for me. I need to get over it and move on.”
“So, while we’re on the subject, please, please, please decide on these centerpieces,” she begs. Just then, she produces several pictures of ideas we had previously discussed. She pulled them out so fast; I have no idea where they came from.
“Fine. Let’s get this over with,” I say as I quickly grab them out of her hand. “I have enough stress without your OCD.” We both start laughing as I look through the pictures, and she returns to her annoying method of packing.
The next morning I wake up to my cell phone ringing. I glance at the time and see that it’s not even seven o’clock. When I find my phone, I see I have two missed calls from Ellie. This is really not how I wanted to start my day. I listen to the voice mails a few times before I fully wake up. I wonder if I’m dreaming or hallucinating because I think she says something about needing to contact Sienna and Abby to discuss my shower and dresses. Just then the phone rings, she’s calling again. I answer on the first ring.
“Hello.”
“Good morning, Madie, it’s me. Sorry to wake you. I know you probably sleep late, but I was just way too excited to wait to talk to you.” She’s talking so fast; I don’t even get a chance to say anything.
“I really need to talk to Sienna. I have all these ideas for the shower. Also, how about we go to Vegas for your bachelorette party? I found the perfect dress for all of us. I really think we should match.”
“Whoa, whoa!” I interrupt. “Ellie, I really appreciate your excitement. Maybe I can have Sienna call you back later? I just woke up.”
“Madie, the clock is ticking. I know you well enough to know that you’re probably procrastinating,” she says firmly. Great, not only do I have Sienna on my back, now Ellie too. I sigh.
“Actually, I decided on centerpieces last night,” I say proudly. “As far as the dresses, I told you that you can pick out your own as long as it’s in the color scheme.”
“About that, I really think we all need to match,” she interrupts. “Just have Sienna call me, and we will get this taken care of.” Once again, she did not hear a word I said. Rather than try to argue with her, I agree and quickly get off the phone.
I go to the kitchen to make some oatmeal. I start to stress thinking about our conversation. Sienna, Abby, and I were already planning a spa weekend in lieu of an official “bachelorette party.” My wild party days are long over, and the idea of a weekend with my cousins makes me want to poke my eyes out. The question now would be how to get out of this. I could make up some elaborate story, or I could take the easy way out and let Sienna handle it. At that moment, I decide take the easy way out and get my day started.
As I drive to work, I start to daydream about my wedding. I can visualize every aspect of my perfect day, and then I picture Ellie there, standing near me and my heart starts to race. I start to wonder if I need professional help. Sienna went through a time when she was convinced that she needed therapy. Although, if she doesn’t get over herself and admit she wants to be with Ace, I may have to commit her myself. Which reminds me . . . I pick up my phone and call her.
“Hello,” Sienna answers on the second ring.
“Hey, do you have plans tonight?” I ask immediately.
“No, why?” she asks cautiously.
“Let’s go out! How about Venice? Do you think we can get in?”
Venice is a fabulous local restaurant with a band, dance floor, and amazing food. Sienna has a love/hate relationship with it. She had her last anniversary date there with her ex, but it’s also the place she met Ace for the first time. Ace’s family is also pretty connected there. Hopefully, if I can get her out, I can really encourage her to move on with her life. And selfishly, I would rather focus on her life right now than deal with my own family issues.
“OK. But Venice, really?” she groans.
“What’s that supposed to mean? Come on, it will be fun,” I beg.
“Fine. I will check to see if we can get a table.”
I can tell she’s not super excited about this, so I decide to address what we are both thinking about.
“Do you think Ace will be there? I haven’t seen him in a while.”
Sienna is quiet for a few seconds.
“Is that what this is about? Me and Ace?” she says finally.
I can tell when she’s irritated with me because it happens a lot. Especially when I try to stick my nose into her relationships. This isn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. As her best friend, I think it’s my right.
“Seriously, don’t freak out on me. I just asked you a question,” I reply. “You haven’t mentioned much about him lately.”
“Ace is fine. We spoke a few days ago; he’s still in London for work. I just told you that,” she says nonchalantly. “He should be back in another week or so. Does that answer all of your questions?”
“Yes, but really, you don’t have to get so defensive. Anyway, you will get us reservations for tonight?” I say, changing the subject. “Bring Craig, too; let’s make it a party.” I will get Craig on my side, and we will bring this happy couple together once and for all. I feel like I should let out a sinister laugh as though I’m plotting to take over the world.
“Oh, and one more thing, I just got a call from Ellie.” I tell Sienna about our conversation. I probably should have waited until later because she was already irritated with me about all of the Ace questions.
Sienna, being the awesome friend she is, promises she will get in touch with her but quickly gets off the phone. She is probably trying to avoid any more pep talks from me.
After I hang up, I think about our conversation. Sienna knows that I have no intention of giving up on this subject. I need to talk to Abby, and I think that maybe it’s time that I had a conversation with Mr. Ace Eckelund. I leave Abby a message about our plans for the night, and I’m hoping that she has spoken to Ace. I haven’t had a chance to talk to her since she brought baby Ace over during my cookie madness. It may seem like I’m always meddling in Sienna’s life, but that’s what true friends are for, right?
A few hours later, I get a text from Sienna, and once again she has worked her magic and we are in for dinner at 8 p.m.
~*~
Surprisingly, I arrive a few minutes early, which hardly ever happens. I admit I’m late sometimes. Well, OK, all the time, but tonight I have an important agenda. Abby walks in right behind me.
“Hi!” I exclaim, giving her a big hug. “You look great and well rested. How’s mommy land?”
Abby smiles and I can almost see the joy pouring out of her. “It’s good, better now.” she adds. “Those first few months were rough, but we’re finally getting into a routine.” She starts to tell me about all of the cute things baby Ace is doing, and I know I better cut her off before Sienna gets here. We can talk baby all night long later.
“OK, before Sienna gets here, have you talked to Ace and what’s happening?” I ask urgently.
“I did finally,” she says with a deep sigh. “I can tell he’s discouraged. He says that he feels like every step forward leads to a few steps back. We definitely have to do something.”
“Well,” I say excitedly, “I have an idea.” A huge smile spreads across my face.
“WHAT?” Abby screams.
“Shhh!” I say, shoving my hand over her mouth. Everyone in the lobby at Venice is now staring at us.
“OH CRAP!” she says in a loud whisper. “Didn’t mean to scream but hurry and tell me,” she says, looking at her watch. “Sienna will be here any minute.”
“I have been thinking since I now have two new members of my bridal party, we will need a few more groomsmen. I talked to Cole, and we have decided to ask Ace to be in the wedding party. C
ole thinks Ace is a great guy, too. So, what do you think?”
I can almost see the wheels turning in Abby’s brain.
“I love this idea,” she says calmly. “When—”
“What are you two whispering about?” interrupts Sienna. Both Abby and I jump straight in the air. I turn to see Sienna staring at me. Craig is right behind her, talking very animatedly on his phone.
“Whatever you want. That’s fabulous.” I hear him say. He leans in and gives Abby and I air kisses.
“Oh, we were just chatting about all of the adorable things baby Ace is up to,” I reply unconvincingly.
“Yes. That’s right,” adds Abby. Yeah, she’s the worst liar and Sienna knows it.
Sienna stares at both of us, and I know she suspects something. Luckily, Craig gets off the phone and interrupts our conversation.
“Abby, you are looking fine,” he says as he twirls her around. “Way better than the last time I saw you.” Yes, no matter what, you can always count on Craig to be completely honest.
“Craig!” exclaims Sienna. “Why do you always have to be so rude? Seriously, one of these days you are going to say something to the wrong person and it better not be a client.”
“Wait a second. You know how professionally fake I am,” Craig replies with a laugh. “I would never tell a client what I really think. Believe me, most of the time I wish I could.”
We all laugh, and a few seconds later, the hostess announces that our table is available. I catch Abby’s eye, and we both exhale in relief that Craig’s lack of inner monologue distracted Sienna from catching us whispering about her.
During dinner, we talk mostly about baby Ace and Sheer Happiness Events. Sienna and Craig tell a story about a bridal shower that was crashed by a jealous ex-wife. Apparently, it was a huge disaster. I can see how upset Sienna is about it; she can’t stand it when things don’t go perfectly. The subject then turns to my wedding. I tell everyone about my early morning phone call from Ellie and remind Sienna to call her.
Wedding Haters (Event to Remember Series-Book 2) Page 4
