Chapter Eight

“How did the trip to bakery go?” Kevin asked.

Scott responded with a clipped, “Fine.”

“I would say it went ‘fine.’” Austin commented as he surveyed the wet cement.

“That explosion was a bit dramatic for such a mild adjective,” Liam offered.

“What happened? Did you two fight?” Adem asked Scott.

“I wouldn’t exactly call it a fight,” Liam observed. “Kristy just blew a gasket and bit a saleswoman’s head off.”

“Ah, the stress is getting to the bride,” Adem nodded his head knowingly. “Don’t feel too bad, Scott, Jessi threw a vase at my head in our discussion over the favors for the guests. She will get over it.”

Austin agreed. “Claudia did more than that. She called off the wedding at least three times. The third time it lasted three days. I don’t think I have ever been so devastated in my life.”

“What did you do?” Scott asked.

“What did I do to cause the cancellation or what did I do when she called it off? Which are you asking?” Austin asked.

“How did you handle it?” Scott clarified.

“I let her alone for a while.” Austin answered.

Kevin frowned. “That won’t work with Kristy.”

“How do you know that?” Scott asked. He was a bit irritated.

Kevin looked at him with raised eyebrows. “I used to date her, remember. You introduced us.”

“Don’t remind me,” Scott groaned.

“You mean that you introduced Kristy to Kevin before you were dating?” Adem’s eyes got large.

“I was dating someone else at the time and she needed an escort for the dance. What else was I supposed to do?” Scott grimaced. “But that is all in the past. Kristy and I are getting married and I need help now. We have decided that I should not leave her on her own.” He shot a glare at Kevin. “So, what am I supposed to do?”

“I guess that means that you are supposed to talk to her,” Liam pointed out sarcastically.

“About what?” Scott asked. “I can’t talk to her about wedding stuff because I have a feeling that if I do I will not have a head much longer. I can’t discuss ‘us’ because she might think I am getting jealous. I can try the weather, but I don’t think that is going to help. Any suggestions, guys?”

He looked around at the others. After a brief silence in which all of them shifted nervously, Adem spoke up. “Why don’t you ask her what is wrong and bug her until she tells you the truth.”

“That does not sound fun.” Scott comment slowly.

“You are the one marrying the girl.” Austin pointed out with a grin.

“That coming from Claudia’s husband is amusing,” commented Liam.

Austin playfully tackled Liam as Adem and Kevin both yelled, “Watch out for the cement.”

/\//\//\//\//\//\/

Dinner was a quiet affair. Requests for things to be passed and light conversation about the furniture delivery the next day were the only breaks in the silence. Everyone was on their best behavior and by the end of the meal, Dawn had had enough.

Elbowing Liam, she moved to Kristy’s side, took her elbow, and practically dragged her into the kitchen.

“What is your problem,” Kristy snapped. “I was going to head to bed early.”

“You have to talk to Scott; if not him, someone,” Dawn demanded.

“I don’t want to,” Kristy declared. “He will not listen and he won’t understand. I tried it once and it didn’t work.”

“Since when have you given up after one try?” Dawn asked.

“Since my fiancé did not even try to listen and he has been avoiding me since I told him about Kevin.” Kristy yelled as she threw herself on nearest stool.

Dawn looked at her seriously. “Do you want to marry Scott?”

“Yes, of course, I wouldn’t be planning this stupid wedding if I did not.”

“Then you want to have a marriage afterwards, right?” Dawn asked.

“Yes,” Kristy glared at her sarcastically.

“Then I suggest you start acting like it.”

Tears appeared in Kristy eyes and she asked, “What do you mean?”

“If you are going to be married to this guy and you are going to make your relationship work, you need to be willing to be persistent. You believe that Scott loves you, right?”

Kristy nodded.

“Then tell him how important this is to you and your relationship. I have a feeling he will listen.”

“I don’t,” Kristy said. “I am not sure anymore.”

“If he really loves you he will try to understand and support you,” Dawn declared. “And if he doesn’t, I suggest you call the wedding off because he is not worth it.”

“Okay,” Kristy said unwillingly. “I will deal with it tomorrow. Good night,” she said and left.

/\//\//\//\//\//\/

The furniture movers arrived early the next morning. There was a general rush to clear out the bedrooms they had been using. Everyone’s luggage was piled haphazardly in the third floor apartment. Then the real work began.

Claudia directed and everyone else hauled, pushed, and nudged it until it was to her satisfaction. Jessi had arranged the trucks to arrive in shifts so that if everything worked correctly no more than three would be at the house at a given time. Timone was in charge of making sure there was plenty of food and water for all the workers. The night before Austin and Liam had worked out the best way to avoid the new sidewalks in front.

Everything seemed to be going smoothly until mid afternoon when a couch got stuck in the doorjamb of a room. Not just any room, mind you, the one that everyone had to pass to get to the third floor and half of the second.

“I don’t think this is going to fit,” Scott informed Claudia from the opposite side of the lavender upholstered monster.

“We measured that doorway and it fits,” Claudia insisted from inside the room. “Now bring it in.”

“He is trying to tell you that we can’t get it to fit through the door,” Liam calmly informed her.

“We measured it. It has to fit.” Claudia frowned dramatically and yelled, “Jessi, we need the clipboard.”

Both guys winced at the sound, but the tactic worked. A distant cry answered from the lower regions that resembled a muffled ‘coming.’

“Make way, we are coming through,” Dawn announced as she and Kristy negotiated the last few steps of the stairs with an elegant armchair between them.

“You are not coming through because we cannot make way,” Scott informed them. “We are stuck and waiting for Jessi and the magic clipboard.”

“Great,” Kristy groaned and abruptly dropped her end of the chair with a sharp thud. Dawn released her end in surprise. Kristy immediately sat on the seat with the air of a conquering queen. “Somebody should run back to tell Austin and Adem before they start up with that huge chest of drawers,” she suggested.

Dawn sighed and collapsed on the floor. “Not me, I need a break,” she declared. “I have carried one piece too many today and my back is killing me.”

Grunts and murmurs wafted up to them from the hall below. “Too late now,” Kristy announced from her vantage point on the chair. “Here they come.”

With an impressive economy of words and motions the stocky men reached the top step. Sighing a communal sound of relief they settled the oak piece within a foot of the girl’s armchair. The moment it touched the floor, Kristy casually rested her heels on the edge. “Thank you, gentlemen,” she regally adjusted herself and closed her eyes.

“Don’t get too comfortable,” Dawn warned. “Here comes Jessi now.”

“What is going on?” Jessi asked as she surveyed the stalled line of furniture from the lavender sofa to the chest of drawers.

“This lavender monster doesn’t fit through the door and Claudia needs a clipboard,” Scott informed her.

“Not just any clipboard,” Claudia called from inside the room. “I need the one with all the room layouts.”

Jessi frowned. “I left that one with Kevin.” Looking around and spotting Kristy relaxing in the armchair, she said, “You can fetch it for me, Kristy.”

Kristy opened her mouth to protest, but Dawn pushed her feet off the dresser. “The sooner you get; the sooner we can get back to work,” she commented.

Obediently Kristy rose and headed down the stairs.

“Kevin is directing the moving of the pool table into the basement,” Jessi called after her. Then turning to the couch that was blocking the way, she declared, “We are going to have to do something in the mean time. We can work on moving that couch.”

“But it is stuck,” Scott protested.

“We will see about that,” Jessi announced and started giving orders.