Page 15 (1/2)
"About what?" Alix was getting lost "You mean the brides It see, and it was her e affair that cost the earth And her daddy He wanted to show off his little girl" Tammie Lee paused for another breath "The funny part is that while her parents were arranging an extravagant event, Savannah and Charlie, her fiancé, flew to Vegas and got iggles "I’d love to have been a fly on the hen ot that phone call"
Tammie Lee wrapped her arm around Alix’s "Her daddy was fit to be tied Her mama didn’t knohat to do Eventually they went ahead with the big reception, and I have to say it was absolutely lovely Savannah and Charlie were there greeting their guests as husband and wife, and they were so happy Oh, I get goose bu the way they looked at each other They were so as," Alix " And she couldn’t bla, either
"Fortunately, no one was angry with Savannah for very long," Tahshod over her Of course, it helped that Savannah had her first child exactly nine "
"And they’re still happy and everything?" Alix asked
"Oh, yes Savannah’s had three children in the last five years and no one even re"
Alix nodded slowly Much as she appreciated Jacqueline’s help, Jacqueline and Susan Turner had done exactly the saer ht The wedding invitations were a good example The order had been placed before Alix and Jordan had approved Jacqueline and Susan’s decision Granted, that e, but Alix would’ve appreciated seeing their final choice
Alix grinned at her friend "Are you in the ers we had the first ti?"
"You bet," Tammie Lee said enthusiastically and they drove to a fast-food restaurant Sitting across froer, Alix suddenly understood the point Ta toto Jacqueline and Susan Turner?" she asked anxiously
"Well," Tammie Lee drawled "That’s up to you Do you feel they’ve taken over your wedding? Like Savannah’s h I don’t like it, I haven’t stopped it, either" Being on good ter could dae their future relationship And Jacqueline and Reese had done so much for her already, how could she colittery invitations and unwieldy guest lists filled with strangers
"Oh, Alix, I probably shouldn’t have said a word… But I was thinking about Savannah and Charlie and how happy they were after they got back froets ahead ofpart of this and she really believes she’s doing a good thing She just can’t resist taking control It’s the way she is"
"I know"
"She and Reese love you like a daughter"
"I think the world of them, too" Love wasn’t a word that came easily to her, but Alix did love the Donovans They’d done more for her than her own parents even kne to do
Tammie Lee took a delicate sip of her Diet Coke before she spoke again "As I said, Jacqueline can get a bit carried away and while her intentions ht choices for you"
"What now?" Alix asked wearily "What did she do?"
Taht want to check on your flower order," she said in a low voice
Alix nodded She’d chosen white daisies for her wedding bouquet Daisies appealed to her in their utter simplicity and unpretentiousness But when she’d ed visibly and stated that roses were more traditional The bridesmaids’ flowers had been discussed, too, and Jacqueline had overruled Alix’s preference there, as well Alix had tried to insist, but apparently Jacqueline hadn’t been able to accept her decision, after all
"Thanks for the heads-up," Alix said As soon as she could, she’d go to Susannah’s Garden and change the flower order back to white daisies
An hour later, Alixnear the ferry dock when she joined hi, neither of thes like dinners out A movie was a rare treat these days Since the ferry was relatively cheap, they’d decided to ride it to Bremerton, where they’d explore the newly renovated waterfront
"Hi," Jordan said, greeting her with a fervent hug They attracted a bit of attention Alix was used to that Jordan was clean-cut in crisp jeans and a shirt with a button-down collar and a light jacket She hadn’t altered her own dress style and wore mostly jeans, black leather and of course her combat boots The two of them looked about as different as it was possible for any two people to look It never bothered her and apparently her fashion choices hadn’t distressed him, either
They walked onto the ferry for the early-afternoon trip, an to rain Jordan purchased the out at Seattle, rapidly disappearing into the foggy distance
"How’d the fitting go?" Jordan asked He put his coffee on the table in front of theuess" Alix noticed a seagull flying outside the ferryShe longed to tell Jordan how beautiful the dress was and how pretty she felt wearing it, but she didn’t The thought of talking about this in bride she wasn’t Instead, she drew his attention to the seagull that was keeping pace with the ferry
"Would you like to startyour stuff over to my place?" Jordan asked a moment later They’d decided his tiny apartment would be their first home
The question surprised her "It’s a little early, don’t you think?" The wedding was ale all that Besides, everything she owned could be transported in a single load Well, maybe two
Jordan stared down at their clasped hands "I can hardly wait to be married to you"
"Me, neither" Happiness like this was foreign to Alix and sometimes it made her unco She’d learned that thewould take it away from her She still believed that It was a bad habit she orking hard to break, this attitude of waiting for the negative, expecting it
Jordan slid his arainst him "You know, if we saved ten percent from each of our paychecks, within a couple of years we’d have enough to make a down payment on a house"