The top was down on her Mustang as Jessica drove
downtown in sunny Tequila Heights. It was Thursday, June 26---eight days before her and Sebastian's wedding. And
today she was on her way to Meg's Bridal Shoppe, on the corner of Main and Fifth Street. Today she was going to go try
on her wedding gown and pick it up and take it back to the mansion.
Preperations had been going on for several weeks, ever since school let out
for the summer. Daniel had been patiently taking care of the garden where the wedding reception was to be held.
Special care was given to the hundreds of flowers in bloom. In fact, he had made sure that plenty of roses were growing
especially for the boquets and decorations.
Not only had the garden been prepped, but so had the entire house.
The hardwood floors running down the halls had been sanded down and re-finished in preperation for houseguests staying for
the wedding. Bedding had been washed, everything dusted, and draperies dry-cleaned. Even the big ballrom had been
dusted out and re-painted in case the reception would have to be held inside due to inclement weather.
Smiling, Jessica was soon pulling into a parking spot in front of the bridal
shop. Turning off the car, she got out and shut the door, squinting into the big glass windows in front of her, which
held beautiful, hand-made wedding gowns and other formal wear. Quickly, Jessica stepped up onto the sidewalk and through
the door into the building.
A light, tinkling bell ran above her head as she opened and shut the
door. The coolness of the air in there felt good on her hot skin. "I'll be out in just one minute!" Jessica heard
a lilting voice call out from behind a curtained doorway to her right.
"No hurry, Meg, it's just me!" Jessica replied, taking a seat in a big, wingbacked
chair in front of the platform in mirrors towards the back of the store. Leaning back, she admired the beautiful satin
and silk gowns that hung on racks along the walls. She could tell that the gowns were well made and extremely exquisite.
"It's been a busy morning," she heard the voice say again, coming closer
to her. Standing up, Jessica turned around.
In front of her stood a short, middle-aged woman with bright
auburn hair. The hair was pulled back into a bun on the back of the woman's head, revealing the fair skin that was her
face. Bright blue eyes looked at Jessica, a smile in them. And a smile was on the woman's face, even though she
looked hot and tired.
Grinning, Jessica went over and gave the woman a hug. "You LOOK like
you've been busy, Meg."
Laughing, Meg hugged Jessica back and then stepped back from her. "And
you, dear, look like you have been just as busy," she replied in a slight Irish accent, a knowing smile coming across her
lips.
Blushing, Jessica smiled again. "I have been. Planning
a wedding is a lot of work. I'm ready for it, though, I think. Just some last minute details left."
"Well, you will have one less thing to worry about here in a minute,"
Meg said. She motioned towards a dressing room. "Your dress is in there. Just go ahead and change into your
strapless, petticoat, and let me know when you're ready so I can help you get into your dress, okay?"
Nodding, Jessica obliged her. Picking up the bag she had placed
by the chair, she went into the dressing room. In a matter of a few minutes, she had changed into her strapless bra
and petticoat. Opening the door a crack, she called out, "I'm ready, Meg!"
Meg, who had been resting in a chair by the mirrors, came over and
into the room, which was very large. She went over to the wall where a white dress bag hung on a hook. Unzipping
the bag, she unhooked the little white hanger straps from the hanger and pulled the dress out. Then, turning to Jessica,
she held the dress out and open so that Jessica could step right into it.
After Jessica had stepped into it and turned around, Meg pulled up
the dress. Pulling out a crochet hook, she began to button the buttons that held the dress up, while Jessica held the
dress to her chest to keep it from slipping down before it was buttoned.
In a few minutes, the dress was buttoned up and Meg opened the
door to the changing room. While Meg carried the train, Jessica walked towards the platform by the mirrors and stood
up onto it. Lifting the train and the spreading it out behind Jessica, Meg then walked over to stand beside the bride-to-be.
Grinning, she asked, "So....How does it fit, dear?"
Jessica gasped softly. "Oh, Meg," she barely whispered,
"it's so beautiful!"
"No, my dear," replied Meg, putting her arm around Jessica's
shoulders, "you are."
******
Later in the evening, Jessica was at the mansion with Sebastian, sitting
on his bed while he dressed. She watched as he pulled a yellow polo shirt out of his closet and slipped it over his
muscular torso. She thought of how nice he was going to look as they were going to meet their wedding planner to finish
some last-minute details of their wedding, which was only a week from tomorrow.
Sighing, Jessica stood up and went over to Sebastian, who was now brushing
out his pitch black hair before pulling it back into a ponytail. "So, what do you think?" she asked him, wrapping her
arms around his waist from behind and burying her face into his strong back.
"Think about what?" he asked back, his voice muffled by the ponytail holder
he held in his lips.
"I dunno," she mumbled into his back. Inhaling deeply, she could
smell his cologne through his shirt---it was a sharp, clean, masculine smell. Smiling, she then turned her head and
placed her cheek on his back. "I guess I'm just thinking that everything has gone too smoothly so far."
Sebastian set his brush down and pulled the ponytail holder from his
lips, bringing it back and twisting it around his hair. Turning around, he wrapped his arms around his fiance and gave
her a big hug. "I suppose there usually IS some sort of chaos with most things you or any of the other girls do," he
said, letting her go from his arms and smiling, "but there's only a week left. I doubt anything will happen now."
"I suppose that you're right," Jessica replied, smiling back at him.
"Besides some miscommunication, what COULD go wrong?"
******
