Chapter Seven

Kristy found Scott lifting cement bags out to the truck with the rest of the guys. She walked up to him. “I have to talk to you.”

“Can’t it wait?” Scott grunted as he raised the heavy sack off the truck bed. “I am in the middle of something.”

“No,” Kristy said as she spotted Kevin heading back toward them for another load. “We need to talk now.”

Looking puzzled, Scott turned and spotting Kevin said, “Kristy needs me for something, could you take this one?” Kevin nodded and took it without looking at Kristy or saying a word.

Kristy was not sure what to think.

“So, what is the problem?” Scott asked as he wiped his hands on his jeans.

“Claudia needs me to put together a guest list so we can get the invitations out for the wedding.”

“She needs it now?” Raising his eyebrows in surprise, he watched her face. “Is everything all right?”

“Claudia asked me to ask you last night, but I couldn’t find you and…well, when I did find you I had forgotten the whole thing and then she asked me for it this morning and when I didn’t have it she blew up.”

“Oh,” Scott nodded. “Austin said she has been moody lately: one minute cold and then one minute hot. I wouldn’t worry about it.”

“I’m not.” Kristy protested. “I just want to know who you want to invite.”

He thought briefly. “My family, of course…we already decided we wanted a small wedding, right?” He glanced at her for confirmation. She nodded. “Then that sounds about right. I gave you my groomsmen, right?” This time Kristy shook her head. He hadn’t. “Okay, that one’s easy, Austin, Liam, Kevin, and Adem. Austin is my best man. I already asked all of them and their fine with it. Is there anything else?” He raised his eyebrows again. “The guys need my help.”

“Nope,” Kristy reluctantly admitted. “That is all.”

“Great,” Scott leaned over and hugged her before turning back to the truck. “We will talk later,” he promised.

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

“I have the list, finally,” Kristy announced as she burst into the kitchen waving some sheets of paper the next morning. She held them out to Claudia. “And I am sorry I got you so upset. I am really not trying to be a pain. I just don’t like doing this stuff.”

Claudia nodded and took the three pages of name and addresses that Kristy offered. “These are mostly family,” she commented. “Aren’t you inviting any friends?”

“You and Austin, Dawn and Liam and that is about it.” Kristy agreed.

“All right,” Claudia said and headed toward the study where she was storing the notes that she had been making. “I will send these to the printer today and make it a rush order.”

“Whew am I glad that is over with,” Kristy sank into an empty chair at the table.

“Now you have to get a photographer,” Jessi pointed out, “and you need to plan the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon. Or is Scott doing that?”

“Scott is handling the honeymoon.” Kristy firmly pronounced. “We don’t need a photographer, do we?”

“Don’t you want pictures of your wedding?” Dawn asked.

“Some people have their friends do it.” Kristy brightened as she said it. Turning to Dawn she said, “I elect you.”

Dawn looked incredulous. “I am not sure you want me to do it. I have issues with focusing and I had two rolls that were ruined by a hair in the lens. All the prints had this huge comma in different parts of the photo. I am not your woman.”

“Well, then who?” Kristy crossed her arms. “I am not wasting time on this, either someone in here does it, or it won’t happen.”

“Maybe one of the guys would be willing,” Claudia suggested as she reentered the room laden with the sample binder and Kristy’s guest list. “Can I use your phone, Jessi? It would be faster than driving to this place and I can find out if they can rush the order for me.”

“Sure,” Jessi led the way into the front hall. Kristy and Dawn heard her voice as she found Claudia the phone book.

“The reception planning should be easy,” Dawn offered. “All you need is music, a cake, and a caterer. You already have the place and I wonder if Timone would be willing to cater for you. I think I remember Jessi saying something about him having his own business.”

“He does,” Jessi agreed. She had returned just in time to hear Dawn’s last sentence. “You will have to ask him. I don’t know how far ahead he is booked. Now about a photographer, Adem and I know a guy who does it as a hobby who might be willing to photograph your wedding. He isn’t a professional, but he is good.”

“Great,” Kristy exclaimed. “Hire him.”

“I will see if I can find his phone number,” Jessi agreed.

“So we are finished.” Kristy jumped up.

“Wait a minute,” Dawn interrupted. “What about the cake?”

“Won’t the caterer take care of it?”

“No,” Dawn grinned mischievously. “We are going to have to go cake shopping.”

“You can actually do that,” Kristy squealed.

“Yes,” Jessi said.

“You are telling me people go cake shopping?” Kristy gasped.

“Yes,” Dawn stressed. “Now we just need the phone book after Claudia is done and we might be able to start this afternoon after the rug people leave.”

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

“Rum cake, plum cake, raisin cake, date cake, black cake, white cake, orange cake…”

“Who decided to bring the guys along?” Claudia asked over Liam’s recitation of the many options offered by the bakery that they were in.

“…apple cake, spiced cake…”

“I believe it was Kristy’s,” Dawn offered.

“…fruit cake, upside down pineapple cake…”

“I am quickly regretting the decision.” Kristy reached over and grabbed the flyer from Liam’s hands.

“Hey,” he protested, but Dawn restrained him.

“I thought so.” Kristy threw the paper back at him. “There is no upside down pineapple cake on that list. Not to mention the absence of apple cake and any fruit cake in any form.”

“I was just making sure you knew your options.”

“I don’t want options, I want one answer.” She huffed and leaned back with a sigh. “Where is that sales woman?”

“Personally I liked the lemon cake we tasted at our first stop,” Austin offered.

“Hated it,” Kristy said.

“What about the white cake at the last place?” Claudia offered.

“Too heavy,” Kristy said.

“It sounds like you are being a bit overly picky,” Dawn said as she perused the discarded flyer. “You have not even considered the icing and decorations.”

“Ack,” Kristy yelled just as the saleswoman appeared. The moment Kristy spotted her, she said. “I know exactly what I want. I want that.” She pointed to a large three tiered cake covered in white icing and green rosettes. “I want it for August 15th and with an orange cake. Can you do that?”

Looking a bit stunned, the woman nodded and mumbled, “I will fetch the sales order, just a moment please,” and slipped out looking a bit afraid.

“There,” Kristy said. “Are you all happy?” Without waiting for an answer, she stomped out.

After a moment of silence, Dawn turned to Scott who was sitting next to Kristy’s now empty place. “Now do you see what I mean?”

He nodded and then rose to follow Kristy out the door.

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

Kristy was leaning against the van outside the bakery. A dark look was on her face and every inch of her body declared she did not want to be bothered. As usual, Scott ignored it.

“What happened in there?” he asked.

Kristy looked up with a glower. “I chose a cake.”

“I know you chose a cake,” He agreed. “But, I was asking about the yelling and the minor explosion.”

Kristy resumed glaring at the pavement and offered no answer.

“Come on,” Scott said. “I can’t help, if you don’t tell me what is wrong.”

Reluctantly, Kristy muttered, “I lost my temper.”

“What?” Scott leaned closer. “I didn’t hear you.”

“I lost my temper, okay!” She glared at him. “I am sick to death of this whole thing. I want to elope and make all of it go away.”

Scott thoughtfully watched her. “I would, but we have already spent a great deal of time and money on this wedding and everyone is looking forward to it.”

“You are telling me we are doing this for them?” Kristy asked.

“No,” Scott ran a hand over his hair. “We are doing this for us, but it effects others. I know I would like to have the wedding day be special and have memories of all the events we will share with our family and friends. Don’t you?”

Kristy was silent for a moment. “I guess so, but I hate all this planning and deciding.”

“From what Dawn says, this was the last big item.” Scott gestured toward the storefront just as the rest of them were exiting.

“If she did,” Kristy said as the others approached, “I am going to hold her to it.”

“To what?” Dawn asked.

“That choosing the cake was the last thing on the list.”

“No,” Dawn corrected, “I said the last BIG thing on the list.”

“AAAAGH!!” Kristy yelled without conviction. “I am going to get you when you get married. I will make you plan a huge wedding with a huge reception.”

“We will see,” Dawn said as everybody started climbing into the van. “You are assuming I am going to ask for help.”

“Like you have a choice,” Kristy responded and then closed the door with a slam.

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

When they got back to the house, Kevin and Adem were just putting the finishing touches on the new sidewalk and Jessi was talking to Brandon about how she wanted the flowerbeds to look. The group trouped up the drive from the car. Adem looked up long enough to say, “Don’t step on the pavement” and then returned his attention to the corner he was smoothing.

Jessi was describing her vision for the bed left of the front entrance when Dawn, who was leading, reached her. “Three bushes in descending heights standing here.” She waved her hand and Brandon nodded and wrote something down on his pad. Turning to the new arrivals, Jessi asked, “So how did it go?”

“As predicted,” Dawn said smugly.

“I got a cake,” Kristy muttered and continued on into the house.

Jessi raised her eyebrows. “The storm front has not passed yet, though,” She pointed out. “So, not everything has gone as predicted.”

“Scott did not completely diffuse the problem,” Claudia explained. The guys had not gotten past Adem and Kevin. All of them were now talking about something intently. As Dawn and Claudia watched, they were sure it was not the situation they were discussing.

“He only delayed another blow up.” Dawn shook her head and then shrugged. “At least he knows there is something wrong. That is the most we can do.”

“Give him time,” Jessi suggested. Then turning to Brandon, she said, “I think you have the idea, so when do you start?”

“Right after we do the driveway on Thursday.”

“Oh good,” Claudia exclaimed. “I am getting really tired of all the bumps.”

“Sounds good,” Jessi agreed. “Now I need to make sure Timone has started dinner and call the furniture place. They are probably going to be delivering tomorrow and I need to figure a way around that sidewalk that they have just done.” Turning, she went into the house leaving the girls to watch the guys talk.