The flower shipments had all been arranged to fly in – rather than refrigerated trucks – to ensure that the flowers would be as fresh as possible. After the order was completed, and a bottle of wine had been drunk, Elly had started ordering the endless stream of accessories that would bedeck the wedding: granite and ceramic urns, natural wooden branches, beaded linens (dropped off at the caterer’s early this morning, who gave Elly a exhausted look filled with empathy), ivory taper candles, monogram stencils and gold filigree napkin rings.
Then there were the glass vases. Bud vases, cylinder vases, flute vases, and pedestal vases, tapered vases and Pilsner vases, all to be filled with lush arrangements. When Elly walked out of the glass wholesaler, pressing her temples in an effort to quell the pounding headache caused by spending three thousand dollars on glassware, the owner – a large and smelly German man – picked her up in a boisterous hug, mumbling something about his children’s Christmas. In addition to Elly’s two delivery vans, Anthony’s SUV and Keith’s sandwich delivery truck, Elly had rented three vans for the delivery and had hired five laborers Keith had recommended to help them set up the wedding. That put the total at nine people – herself, Kim, Anthony, Snarky Teenager and the five hired hands. If she considered it honestly, she could see that this was a somewhat shabby team for task assigned. There was no other way to say it: she was screwed.
Back in the studio, Elly wiped a line of sweat off her forehead, and laughed goofily as she looked down beside her. She had long ago forsaken the use of her bra. How long until everything came off? She chuckled to herself. I’m delirious tired. It’s time for bed. It was almost two in the morning, and Elly was still counting out crystals for the wedding, making sure they were all there and accounted for. What was she doing??
1237, 1248…
The dim lights in the back studio made the floor shimmer with their reflection, and Elly felt a little bit like she was high, like she was sitting on a sea of diamonds. She had been at it now for three hours, singing along to The Carpenters, and enjoying the solitude of a quiet night. Elly sighed as she hung up a couple more crystals, and then yelped as the plastic shelf they were sitting on came crashing down around her, buckling under their weight. Crystals fell from the shelf, showering Elly like heavy raindrops. One nicked her cheek on the way down, and Elly felt a small trickle on blood run down her face. She groaned and looked down at the scattered crystals. This wedding was going to be the death of her. Literally.
After her face had been washed and a bandage put on her cheek, she leaned back against the studio cooler and let her thoughts rest pleasantly on Isaac’s face. Those brown eyes, so deep, like chocolate wax. Sporadically through the night, Elly had forced herself to think of Isaac’s features, not only as a way of passing the time, but also as a way or reassurance. He was a glorious, wild thing, and the way he had come to her defense with Lucia had made her want to meld herself to him permanently. His crooked smile splashed across her mind as Elly plodded back into the sweltering room of shimmer.
1486, 1487…
Elly was close to finishing counting the crystals when she heard a knock at the shop door. Cadbury let out a low growl. She quickly stood and pulled on her pants. Who would be knocking at 2 am? Through the glass window, she could see the shape of a man holding a bag. Isaac. She breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door. Keith’s blue eyes gazed up at her from under an old frumpy Ascot cap.
Elly was surprised. “Keith? What are you doing up? It’s 2 am!”
Keith stepped inside and took off his cap and coat. “I saw your light on and figured you were working on that big wedding you have coming up. I thought you could use some hearty substance to work through it.”
Elly looked hungrily at the bag. “Do I smell a roast beef and cheddar on wheat in there?”
Keith grinned. “Your nose is incredible. I like a woman who knows her scents.”
Elly couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw Keith’s eyes run appreciatively over her tank top and pajama pants. “Uh, would you like to come sit in the back with me? I’m sorting Swarovski crystals into table settings.”
“I have no idea what any of that meant, but sure.” Elly laughed, and Keith followed her to the back.
The entire floor of the storage area was covered with the multi-faceted crystals, and when the door swung open tiny twinkles of light spun and danced over the walls.
“Wow,” Keith breathed. “This is…” he paused, searching for the right words. “Really girly.”
Elly pushed some crystals over with her foot so Keith could sit down, sending scatters of light over his face. “Yeah, it was really magical for about the first five minutes, then I just felt like I was going crazy. It makes it hard to count when the light is shimmering around like some sort of pixie rave.”
Keith chuckled and plopped down and pulled out a large dill pickle as Cadbury plopped into his lap heavily. “Oof. I forgot how much he weighs.” He shifted under Cadbury. “So how’s it going?”