Red sighed, exasperated. “The wedding stuff shouldn’t be that complicated. It’s going to be small, right?”
Nicole looked around as if there were someone behind her who might be able to better answer the question. “I can’t tell you what it’s going to be until I take some time to actually figure out who we should invite and where I want to have the ceremony and reception.”
“Listen, I need you to be present with me,” he said. “If you can’t do that, then maybe we need to find someone who can.”
She stared at him and he stared back at her. It felt as though they had come to an impasse. “Can I just take some time off here and there so I can start planning our wedding? It’s only two months away and I haven’t done a thing.”
He crossed his arms. “How much time do you need?”
“I don’t know exactly.”
“Well, we need to figure this out, Nicole.”
“I feel like you really don’t give a shit about our wedding,” she said.
“Of course I care. But I told you that I’m entrusting that process to you, so I can concentrate on getting my business on track. That’s the thing that pays for the wedding, you know.”
“I know. Of course I know.”
He sighed. “I’m not sure why you’re upset with me. I told you we can do it how you want, spare no expense. You said you wanted traditional, but small—about fifty people. Great. And now it’s like you need more, more, more from me.”
“I need some time to actually start getting it all arranged.”
“Fine. Let’s find you a replacement so you can focus on the wedding planning.”
She thought about it. “So I’m fired?”
“No,” he laughed. “I’m not firing my partner and my wife.”
“Then what?”
“You’re taking a temporary leave, a sabbatical. Once the wedding and honeymoon are over, you come back into whatever role you want to come back to.”
She looked at the floor. “Why do I feel as though I let you down?”
“Come here,” he said, bringing her close and hugging her. “You’re not letting me down. I love you more than life itself and you could never disappoint me. I’m sorry if I’ve been distant about the wedding. I’ll do better.”
She laughed as he smooched her cheek. “I’m being wedding obsessed, which I know is annoying. I’ll tone it down. And now that I’m going to have plenty of time to get ready for it, I already feel calmer.”
“Good,” he smiled. “So it’s settled then.”
“Yes.”
They walked out of the conference room together and Nicole wondered if things could ever really be settled in this fast-paced world they lived in. But she knew they were both trying, which was all she could ask.
***
Marcie Tilly was a firecracker of a woman, and Nicole had to admit that she liked her right away. She was a big, blustery woman with a booming laugh that could shake the room when she unleashed it, which was often.
“Oh my goodness, I just love this house,” she shrieked as she came inside with her huge purse and her binders and bags and assorted wedding planner gear. It even seemed like she had one of those Paula Dean Southern twangs to her accent—except Nicole was fairly certain that Marcie had grown up in Syracuse.
“Thanks, Marcie,” she said, laughing.
“So where’s the man?” Marcie replied, looking around. “He is one hot tamale, honey. I am so proud of you for snagging a prime piece of meat like that.”
Nicole laughed into her hand, feeling both embarrassed and also relieved that it wasn’t going to be some stuffy, boring consultation. Knowing her mother, she would have expected Marcie to be uptight and rule conscious to the extreme. In fact, Marcie seemed not to care much what Nicole thought of her.
She seemed to be interested in having a laugh and planning a kick ass wedding, which was what Nicole truly wanted.
They went to the living room and sat down together, and Marcie proceeded to ask Nicole a series of sharp, intelligent questions about what kind of wedding she wanted. It was a relief, Nicole thought, to not have to come up with the questions and the answers all on her own.
When she got tense, Marcie sensed it and lightened the mood with a silly joke.
And Nicole got tense when they started discussing the guest list.
“So,” Marcie said, chuckling. “How many people do we want at this fiesta?”
“I was thinking fifty.”
The wedding planner’s eyes widened. “Fifty.”
“Is that bad?”
Marcie shrieked laughter. “Bad? Honey, nothing’s bad or wrong when it comes to weddings. I’ve seen people go to the alter dressed as cartoon characters. These days, it definitely isn’t one size fits all.”
“Oh,” Nicole said, relieved. “It’s just—you looked surprised.”
“The thing is this,” Marcie said. “I know from talking to your mom that you have a big family. And lots of family friends.”
Nicole took a deep breath. “Mom talked to you about my guest list?”
Marcie laughed. “Honey, does your mother ever not talk when she has an opinion?”