You Say It First
Page 35

“The skin-colored background will ground the brighter tones,” he said. “The colors will stand out, but I’ll leave in enough white to give the illusion of a wedding gown.”
“It is a wedding gown,” Violet pointed out. “There’s no illusion.”
“Let it go,” Wynn told her. “It’s not traditional, but it’s stunning.”
“I agree,” Pallas added. “But only one vote counts.”
They looked at the screen. Nova wiped away tears.
“Nick, you’ve turned my dress into the most beautiful gown I’ve ever seen. I like all the options but the third one is my favorite. Can you really do that?”
He flipped back to the right page and they went over the details. Pallas studied the design and guessed it would take him hours to get the individual threads painted. If he was willing to do the work, then Nova would have the wedding gown of her dreams.
They wrapped up the meeting with a discussion of signature drink options and set a date for a virtual tasting. If Nova couldn’t get into town herself, they would have a second conference call where she could see the various options and everyone would taste them and offer thoughts. By four, they were finished.
“Good work, everyone,” Pallas said as they walked out of the conference room. She’d never planned so much of a wedding remotely before, but thought they had the main items handled.
“Ready for Saturday?” Violet asked.
Her happy mood faded, leaving her feeling slightly anxious.
“Yes.”
“That wasn’t a happy yes,” Nick said. “It’s the black-and-white wedding. There will be zebras. How can anything go wrong if there are zebras?”
Pallas winced. “Let’s not tempt fate.” She squared her shoulders and smiled at Violet. “I’m ready. It’s more the bride who’s the problem. She’s become a bit difficult.”
Violet sighed. “Better you than me. If I was working with a snippy bride, I’d be tempted to stab her with a hat pin. Of course then I wouldn’t get a very good online review. It’s probably for the best that it’s you and not me. Let me know if I can help with anything.” She wrinkled her nose. “Except for the zebras. That’s more my sister’s thing than mine.”
Silver joined them. “If it makes you feel any better, the signature drinks are fantastic, if I do say so myself. I’ll save you a batch.”
Pallas laughed. “Thank you. Should things go awry, I’ll comfort myself with the promise of liquor at the end of the day.”
* * *
SATURDAY MORNING PALLAS woke early to an unfamiliar sound. She still had fifteen minutes before her alarm went off but the noise was so strange, she got up to investigate. Halfway down the hall she came to a stop as her sleepy brain provided the most horrifying possibility. She raced to the living room, where she tore back the drapes and screamed.
“Rain?”
No. No! It couldn’t rain. It never rained. They were in the desert. She had an outdoor reception that very afternoon. And zebras. It couldn’t be raining.
An hour later she stood under the Juliet balcony at Weddings in a Box and stared at the puddles forming in the parking lot. Alan drove up and waved. He joined her, offering her a take-out coffee and a pink box.
“I brought donuts. The good ones, too. No plain cake donuts for us on wedding day.”
His voice was cheerful, his smile broad.
“How can you be so calm?” she demanded. “It’s raining.”
“No worries. The weather channel says the showers will pass in an hour or two, and then it will be sunny.”
“But it’s rain. We’re not supposed to get rain here. We don’t need rain. We get our water from an aquafer, like God intended. This is bad, Alan. It’s an omen.”
“You don’t believe in omens.”
“I’ve never had rain on the day of a wedding before. Not in the past eight years.” Happily Inc got rain in the winter. Or on weekdays. They averaged less than six inches a year, which was perfectly fine because they had a giant aquafer with millions and billions of gallons of water. They weren’t supposed to get rain. Not on black-and-white wedding day.
Alan guided her into the building. “It’s all right, Pallas. We’re going to drink our coffee and eat donuts, then plan out the day. By then, the rain will be gone. April showers bring May flowers.”
“It’s already May.”
“Yes it is, Miss Grumpy-Pants. You need some sugar and caffeine. Then everything will look better.”
“What if the rain is Gerald’s way of saying he’s mad at me for doing things differently with this wedding?”
Alan kissed her forehead. “Darling, that’s not possible. Gerald loved you. You could never make him angry or disappoint him. Of that I’m sure.”
The words were comforting. Pallas told herself to keep breathing and that all would be well. If not, she and Silver had a date for cocktails later.
By the time they’d eaten a couple of donuts, Pallas had to admit she was feeling a little more positive about the day. Having the rain stop helped, as did Nick showing up.
He grabbed the last donut and sat next to them at one of the reception area tables.
“Gotta love the rain,” he said as he smiled at Pallas. “It clears out the air. It’s going to be a beautiful afternoon and evening.”
She liked that he was an optimist. She didn’t believe him for a second, but she liked it. “I’m worried the rain is an omen.”
Alan sighed heavily. “Someone has taken a walk on Crazy Street this morning.”
“I haven’t. I’m just concerned. There are a lot of moving parts to this wedding and we never get rain.”
“There are always a lot of moving parts,” Nick pointed out, his tone gentle. “And rain is a sign of life. In many cultures and regions rain at a wedding is considered good luck.”
“Name one.”
“Hindu.”
She glared at him. “You know I have to go look that up, right?”
“Trust me. It’s okay. The wedding is going to be great. You’re good at your job. Trust me, trust yourself and relax.”
Great advice, she thought two hours later when Carol arrived with the zebras, who were unamused about being transported.
“I’m glad we’re doing this early,” Carol told her. “They’re going to need some time to settle down before people start arriving and taking pictures of them.”
The three zebras had been transported in a large horse trailer. Even from several feet away, Pallas could hear the sound of their restless hooves on the floor of the carrier.
“How did you get them inside?” she asked.
Carol grinned. “All my animals will work for food. They have a favorite treat they like. Millie, the giraffe, will practically roll over for a Marionberry leaf-eater treat. The zebras were bribed.”
She and Carol walked to the temporarily fenced-in area that had been installed. Pallas pointed out the huge tub of water in one corner.
“I’ll make sure that stays filled,” she said. “I have a special zebra watering person on duty.”
“You can release that worry,” Carol told her. “Zebras can go several days without drinking.”
“I thought that was camels.” Pallas held up a hand. “Never mind. We can explore mammals and their drinking habits later. I have a wedding to put on.” She glanced at her watch and then at the parking lot beside Weddings in a Box. Right on time Cade pulled up in his truck.