Taking Shots
Page 130

 Toni Aleo

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“Ah! Gosh! Y’all scared the living crap out of me!” Elli exclaimed with her hand over her heart, “What in the hell are y’all doing here?”
“Spa day!” Trice exclaimed with a flip of his hand towards the spa.
“We’re getting our nails, hair, eyebrows, everything done!” Piper gushed, basically bouncing on the heels on her feet.
“What? Really?” Elli asked.
“Yup,” Harper said, taking Elli’s arm in hers and walking towards the spa.
“Shea’s first gift.”
Elli looked over at Harper, “He did this?”
“Of course he did, silly. We don’t have the cash to,” Jodi laughed as everyone joined in.
“Wow, I’ll have to call him,” Elli said, completely stunned.
“Not now you won’t! Let’s go!” Harper said, pulling her towards the massive building.
That man and his surprises.
If this was the first of his gifts, a spa day with her closest friends at one of the most expensive spas in Nashville, no telling what else he had planned.
And Elli couldn’t wait to find out.
Shea parked his truck behind Grace’s van in the driveway of the Belmont Mansion and headed up the stairs to the front door of the mansion as he admired the beauty of the gazebo that stood off to the side. He was surprised Grace was able to get this place, considering how popular it was, but she did.
The mansion was beautiful with its light tan bricks, green shutters, and white trim. The windows that lined the front of the mansion were floor to ceiling and so clear, like they had just been cleaned, which they probably had if Grace had anything to do with it. Shea had to pass through two huge columns to get to the large, dark cherry colored door.
When he walked in, workers were setting up the millions of candles that Shea said had to be there. One of the main things in the Pride and Prejudice movie was the candles. They were the only thing lighting the ball room in the movie and Shea wanted Elli, along with the 300 guests who would be joining them, to feel like they walked into the movie. Shea walked through the main ballroom to find Grace directing what looked like the food people in the kitchen. Grace looked worn out, and it made him nervous.
Maybe this party was too much for her; maybe he should have hired someone else.
She would have killed him if he had, though.
Grace must have heard him come up because she turned, giving him a welcoming smile before turning back to the workers and yelling some more. Once the guys did whatever the hell she was asking for, she came over to Shea, wrapping her arms around his one.
“So what do you think so far?”
“Amazing, as always.”
He looked around the ballroom, taking in the way his sister had basically transformed the mansion into the Neitherfield ball room. It was impressive.
The windows were done with gold drapes, gold swirls were put on the walls, along with pictures of people from the 19th century. There were candelabras that hung in various places along the walls, and each one had tall white candles in them. Hundreds of floor brass candlestick holders stood with the tall white pillars in them. There were vintage couches and chairs throughout the whole ballroom, along with a very large, beautiful, wooden piano that sat in the corner.
Shea followed Grace into the dining room and smiled at the result his sister had given him. Each table had a large crystal vase in the middle of it, and each one was filled with large white candles, white feathers, and pretty gold wires that held crystals at the end of them. The place settings were gold with black napkins, and the tablecloths were white with gold swirls on them. Grace pointed up to the ceilings, so Shea looked up, taking in the beauty of the nine chandeliers that graced the ceilings.
“You wouldn’t believe the deposit I had to put down. Plus, we can’t have candles burning all night. They start leaving soot on the ceiling, so I got fake candles, but I don’t think you can tell.”
Shea shook his head. He couldn’t tell the difference, he thought they were real.
“You did great, Grace. It’s perfect. Just like the movie.”
“Good, I thought so. I’m happy with the result.”
“Me too,” he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulders, “Good job, sis.”
She smiled up at him, smacking his side.
“Thanks.”
They did another run through of the house, and Shea wanted to buy his sister the world. She had outdone herself once again. God, he loved her.
“So your suit is upstairs, along with your socks.”
“I told you I didn’t want the socks,” Shea complained, as Grace smiled.
“It completes the ambience,” she said sweetly.
“I’ll look like a dweeb.”
“A hot dweeb. Plus, Elli will love it!”
Shea shrugged his shoulders. Grace was probably right.
“So what’s up? I haven’t seen you at all this past week.” Grace said as they walked past the amazing staircase, that later Elli and Shea would come down.
“Elli got sick. I’ve been staying at her house.”
“Is she okay?” Grace asked, concern coming over her face.
“She’s fine now, it was scary though. She couldn’t walk, or eat. She just slept, a lot.”
“Oh no, that’s crazy. What happened?”
“She says it happens sometimes, they changed her meds and everything. She has seemed better the last two days.”
“Well, good. Gosh, that’s crazy. You should have called me, I would have come and helped.”