“Apricot!” he yelled back. They jumped and screeched some more. Anthony threw his arms around Elly. “We can do this, right?”
“Heck, yes, of course we can! We are awesome! I wonder who it is.”
Anthony stepped back. “I hope it’s Lisel Jones. She’s all kinds of crazy. Oh my gawd, I love when she throws chairs at people.”
Elly nodded. “I hope we get a soap star. They are so glamorous.” Elly sighed happily. “Or maybe we’ll get a sports star! The Olympics are on soon! Did you know that it was always my dream to be in the Olympics? A figure skater.”
Anthony gave her a sad look. “Darling, I don’t see that being in the cards for you. I think that ship has sailed.”
Elly danced in a small circle. “I can’t believe this is happening! That BlissBride chose our little store! That Posies might be on TV!”
Anthony sat down at the consultation table. “Honestly, I’m not surprised; your designs have no competition in this city and you have such a good way with your brides. It’s a no-brainer in my opinion. What was she like, the lady on the phone?”
“She had the weirdest name … it was like Jima or something, and she was kind of, I don’t know, mean and British.”
“You poor thing. Want me to treat you to an apple indso from Ada’s?”
Elly turned her head. “Hold on—I mean yes, but—what is that noise?” There was a tiny voice echoing through the store. Elly could hear random sharp beeps. “What is that? Is that an alarm somewhere?” She paused. “Oh, no.” She picked up the phone, which was halfway off the receiver. Fearing the worst, she tentatively lifted it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Yes, hello, dear. You didn’t quite hang up the phone,” said Gemma Reynolds.
Elly felt her throat close up. “I’m so sorry,” she whispered. “Did you hear everything?”
“How could I not listen to such stimulating conversation? Of course I heard,” replied Gemma. “It’s not Lisel Jones. But that’s not a bad guess. And you spell my name G-E-M-M-A. It’s really not that hard to say.” She paused. “Good luck on Tuesday.” And then she hung up the phone.
Anthony and Elly sat in silence. “Are they still coming?” he asked.
She gave a silent nod and buried her head in her hands.
He cleared his throat. “Do you need a hug?”
Later that evening, circling her glass of sangria under the stars, Elly found herself going over that hideous moment on the phone again. And again. She had invited Kim over, and now they were sitting together at a small Mexican restaurant in downtown Kirkwood. Large hanging lightbulbs buzzed in the warm night as they laughed and talked. Kim languidly leaned back against her chair, her long hands spread on the cranberry tablecloth, her toffee-colored hair falling over her shoulders in a long braid. “This is too much. It has been way too long since I’ve had a night out. Thanks for getting me out of the house. Hadley is teething, and while I love my little boy, I need a break. Sean’s on call, so if I have to run suddenly, I’m sorry in advance.”
Elly shook her head. “Ah, the life of a urologist’s wife, so terrible.”
“Hey! It’s been intense lately. The hospital is expanding so Sean’s stressed, Hadley’s teeth are coming in, and some days I am so enraptured with love for this baby that I cry, and then other days I am so lonely and I just want to kill everyone, so yeah—good times at the Creeden house.”
Elly smiled. “I think that sounds pretty normal for a new mom. I’ll take Hadley off your hands sometime soon. We can go to the zoo. Would that help?” Elly patted Kim’s hand. “You are a great mom. I know you don’t think so, but you are, absolutely. I’m so glad you came tonight. Who else am I going to talk to about BlissBride? Keith?” The thought of Keith talking in depth about divas and garters and diamond-encrusted wedding cakes made Elly laugh. Kim’s sea-glass eyes glittered in the rosy dusk light. “Really, Elly?”
Elly gave a sigh. “Okay, I did tell him. But you are much more fun to talk to about this.”
“I still can’t believe they called you! This is huge!”
“Kim, I could not have been taken more off-guard. Seriously. You’ve seen the show—they usually do weddings in only New York or LA—I don’t think I’ve ever seen a show set in any other city!”
“That’s where most of them live. The movie stars live in LA, and the music and Broadway stars live in New York.”
Elly twisted her hair around her pinky. “Why would anyone choose to live in LA?”
Kim shrugged. “I like California, I love visiting there. Sean had an interview there recently. I could see myself living there, growing heirloom tomatoes, and playing in the sand with Hadley.”