The chicken nuggets and Saltines didn’t turn out to be necessary. Instead, Bianca offered to make a big meal for the invitees.
“But you’re pregnant!” Martina exclaimed when Bianca made the offer.
“I’ve noticed.”
“I just meant ... are you up to it? You’re huge.”
“I won’t take offense, even though you said that as though I’m a carnival freakshow exhibit,” Bianca said.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”
Bianca proceeded as though Martina hadn’t spoken. “I’ve got less than a week until my due date. I need something to keep my mind off counting the days until the baby comes. Besides, I’m not running a marathon. I’m just making some pasta.”
“Okay. Thank you. Oh, but ...”
“Yes?”
“The kitchen at Cooper House is in the middle of renovations, so you’re going to have to do as much as you can at home.”
Bianca was silent for a moment. Then: “The way things are going, that figures.”
“There’s a functioning oven and stove. And there’s running water. It’s just kind of a mess because the countertops and the cabinetry are being redone. Oh, God. Is this a bad idea? Should we just cancel?” Martina was starting to panic.
“No, we shouldn’t cancel. If there’s running water and a stove and an oven, we’ll be fine. Oh, wait. Is there a refrigerator?”
“Yes! A big one.”
“Fine. We can do this.”
“Okay. I’ll let Chris know.”
Martina also had to alert the baker, who had been told to bring the cake to Neptune. With that done, she and Benny started calling the guests to let them know the change of venue.
They were able to reach most of the guests on their cell phones as they drove. But a few people weren’t reachable, maybe because their cell phones were out of battery power, or maybe because they were on the road in a part of the state that didn’t get good cell service. Martina called Neptune and asked them to put a sign on the door telling shower guests to go to Cooper House instead and giving them the address and driving directions.
“Ooh. You’re having it at Cooper House?” The same woman Martina had talked to earlier now sounded both intrigued and impressed. “How did you swing that?”
“Oh. Christopher Mills is my ... ah … friend.” She couldn’t quite bring herself to say the word boyfriend.
“God, I wish I could see that place,” she said. “I don’t suppose you could add another person to the guest list?”
“Oh. I ...”
“Just kidding. I have to be here to help clean up this mess. God, life is fun, isn’t it?”
Martina, Benny, and Bianca got to Cooper House early to organize things before the event. They toted wrapped gifts, plastic shopping bags full of decorations, and ingredients for Bianca’s meal, reasoning they could get more of whatever they needed once they realized what it was.
When they arrived, Chris met them at the door. He ushered them into the living room—the room that would have been called the parlor when the house was built—where a small team of people was busy cleaning, setting up flower arrangements, and rearranging furniture to accommodate a buffet-style meal setup.
“I thought about the ballroom idea, but Cynthia”—he gestured toward the woman who appeared to be in charge of the work being done—“thought we’d be better off doing it in here.”
“More intimate,” Cynthia said over her shoulder as she straightened the linen on a large table that had been set up on one side of the room. “Plus, with the rain, it’ll be nice to have the fireplace.”
At one end of the room, a fire was burning cheerfully in the hearth. Cynthia was right. It was nice.
“You did all this?” Martina asked Chris. “Just in the time since I called you?”
“I didn’t do it. Cynthia did.”
“But ... how did you ...”
“Alexis had a few parties here,” Chris said, as though he was embarrassed to be bringing up his ex’s name. “Cynthia planned them. It just happened that she was available today, so ...” He gestured expansively toward the room and all that was happening in it.
“That’s amazing.” Impulsively, Martina threw her arms around Cynthia, who laughed in surprise.
“What about me?” Chris asked.
“You, I’ve got more than a hug for.” Her voice was seductive.
“Oh, boy,” Benny said. “You two want us to leave so you can have the room?”
“Shut up,” Martina said.
Bianca had an easier time cooking in the half-dismantled kitchen than they had expected. Because all of the major appliances were in place and working, all she needed was a decent work space. Chris, Benny, and Martina hauled a table from the formal dining room into the kitchen, and that became Bianca’s command central.
Benny, working as sous-chef, chopped tomatoes for sauce while Bianca browned Italian sausage and chunks of beef.
“What can I do?” Martina asked them.
“You can call Patrick and ask him how things are going with Sofia,” Bianca suggested. “Tell him we’re running on schedule but that he should not—I repeat, he should not—get her here early. If she sees this kitchen, she’s going to blow a gasket.”
“Right. I’ve got it.” Martina went into the next room to talk on the phone because she didn’t want Sofia to overhear any of the chaos if she should somehow be the one to answer the phone.
Fortunately, Patrick picked up.
“How’s it going? Are you keeping her distracted?” Martina asked.
“Mostly. But she keeps wanting to call you to check in. So far I’ve managed to put her off, but I don’t know how much longer I can keep her away from a phone. I’ve managed to lose hers between the car’s seat cushions, but she’s bound to find it soon.”
“Well, if she calls, I’ll have a story ready.”
“Good. And, Martina?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you. For everything. I know you’re going through hell to make sure this shower happens, and I ... Well. It just means a lot to me.” The sincerity in Patrick’s voice made Martina smile. She was going to see that Sofia married him even if she had to force her down the aisle at knifepoint.
Hopefully, it wouldn’t come to that.
“She’s lucky to have you, Patrick. Really. We all are.” She was starting to get choked up, and they couldn’t have that on top of everything else, so Martina ended the call before she started getting all sentimental in a way that would require tissues and a retouching of her eye makeup.
Sofia really was lucky to have Patrick—so lucky. And Martina was wondering if maybe she was luckier to have Chris than she’d realized. Yes, they’d had some issues about his money and the relative power imbalance it created. But look what he’d done for her—for her sisters. Look at the trouble he’d gone through to solve their problem and make sure the day went well. He hadn’t had to do any of it, and yet he hadn’t hesitated. She planned to thank him properly later, when they were alone. Until then, she simply marveled at his easy generosity.
She went back into the kitchen and reported to her sisters that all was well with Sofia for the moment. But Sofia was getting restless and wanted to check in.
“Well, we’d better make sure that when she does, we’ve only got positive things to tell her,” Bianca said. “Here, Martina. Start making the salad.”