Anne at Work
Pulling together a wedding could be like going out to sea. You planned for it as best you could and then hoped for good weather. When you started, the sea could look calm, but there was always a chance that a typhoon would hit. Pirates might find you. Anything could lurk beneath the waters. Sometimes people didn’t bring the right clothes for stormy weather or thought they’d packed enough food and then ran out. Or brought along someone who should’ve been pushed off the dock before they set sail.
Such was the case with the wedding Anne was coordinating this particular weekend. Teddy, the bride’s nephew, should have been, if not pushed off the dock, at least left on it. Teddy was four and a bundle of energy. He had the attention span of a gnat and was as spoiled as a child could get. This did not make him a good candidate for ring bearer.
But Teddy was the only child, the only grandchild, the only nephew, the only…everything, and the bride was on board with having him in the wedding party, along with his mother, who seemed completely incapable of controlling him. At the rehearsal he ran up the aisle with the ring pillow, the ribbons with the rings swinging wildly. Positioned on one of the carpeted steps leading up to the podium, he soon became bored with the adult conversation and began to hop up and down the stairs. When he wasn’t doing that, he was trying to look under the bridesmaids’ skirts or making faces at Anne, who was getting things ready for the big day. He finally wore himself out and collapsed on the lowest stair for an impromptu nap, allowing the minister to finish walking the bride and groom through their vows.
“Maybe we can drug him,” muttered his grandfather.
Anne suspected it would take more than drugs to tame Teddy.
The afternoon of the wedding it looked as if someone had, indeed, drugged Teddy…with speed. Or too much sugar. He bounced around the foyer like a kangaroo looking forward to an extra helping of Marmite until his exasperated grandfather finally took him by the arm and growled at him to stand still.
“You walk down the aisle like a gentleman,” Grandpa cautioned just before Teddy’s big moment.
The dose of sternness seemed to work. Or maybe it was stage fright. Whatever the case, Teddy did an admirable job of getting the rings down the aisle.
All right, Anne thought, taking in the scene. So far everything was going according to plan.
The bridesmaids did their stately walk, sophisticated in navy blue dresses accented with red shoes. Then it was time for the father to walk his daughter down the aisle. Anne gave them the cue and sent them on their way, daughter smiling and father teary-eyed.
Anne felt misty-eyed herself, watching them go. There was something about this moment in the wedding ceremony that always got to her. It was such a sweet tradition, the man who had raised the young woman, who’d been there to hear her nighttime prayers and sample her first baking efforts, who had fretted every time she was late coming home from a date, who had, in short, taken care of her and guarded her, now publicly declaring that he was willing to share her love with a new man, to let her start a new chapter in her life.
Anne stayed long enough to see the father kiss his daughter and join her hands with the hands of her groom. Then she went to the fancy old historical home in Seattle where the couple was having their reception to make sure all was in readiness.
She knew it would be. Everything had made it there safely. The cake was standing in place, a lacy tower of elegance, surrounded by tiered plates of cookies shaped like tuxedo-clad hearts; the tables were all set, draped in navy tablecloths and topped with green vases filled with gerbera daisies and ferns, while a giant swan sculpted in ice presided over the buffet table. The caterer was busy setting out the food—appetizer trays with everything from brûléed goat cheese to asparagus wrapped in prosciutto, Caesar salad and pasta salad, crab legs, crusty rolls, teriyaki chicken and rice pilaf. Soon the elegant room would be filled with a new Mr. and Mrs. and all their friends, ready to help them celebrate.
Soon happened in twenty minutes, with families starting to trickle in. Then came some of the younger couples, the women all lovely in heels and party dresses, their guys equally dressed up, their suits a traditional contrast to their piercings, gauges and tats. Two couples were talking and snickering, a sure clue that Teddy had put on a show at the wedding.
Next came the bride’s parents. “Everything looks beautiful,” Greta, the mother of the bride, said to Anne.
Anne murmured her thanks and asked Greta how the ceremony had gone.
“It was lovely,” Greta said, tears in her eyes.
“It would’ve been better if Teddy hadn’t been in it,” her husband muttered.
Greta shrugged. “Little boys.”
Her husband shook his head.
“Teddy went under one of the pews with the rings and my son had to get him out,” Greta explained. “It’ll make a funny wedding story someday.”
“Yes, and it’ll make a funny story when I tie him up and stick him in a corner,” her husband said darkly.
“Now, Theodore,” his wife scolded.
Obviously, Theodore wasn’t happy with his namesake.
“These things do happen,” Anne said. Especially when the Teddys of the world weren’t left on the dock.
“Well, that better be all that happens,” said the bride’s father.
But it wasn’t. Teddy was on a roll. As the guests milled about or found seats at the tables, he darted in and out of the crowd, chasing a little girl with red ringlets. In the process he managed to run into a tall, willowy woman whose height was accentuated by six-inch heels, knocking her off balance. She grabbed for the nearest person, who happened to be another woman in equally high heels, and that woman, too, lost her balance. Down they both went, taking a bowl of Caesar salad with them and sending a tray of teriyaki chicken flying.
This was the final straw for Grandpa, who took off after Teddy. In an effort to escape, the child dived under the elegantly clothed table with the cake and cookies on it. Several people gasped, “Oh, no,” and one of the groomsmen jumped to save the cake, which, thanks to the movement of the tablecloth, was in danger of sliding off the edge. He caught it in time, setting it back in place, and everyone heaved a sigh of relief…until the redheaded girl decided to join the mischief-maker under the table, taking the tablecloth with her, bringing down the cake and sending cookies flying just as Grandpa reached under the table and grabbed Teddy.
There was much howling as Grandpa took the young man to another room for a stern talking-to and the bride saw what had become of her cake.
“Not to worry,” Anne told her. “We’ll fix this.”
“But my cake,” the bride protested.
“I can’t duplicate the cake, but I can make sure you have something.”
And while the caterers cleaned up the mess and Teddy probably got tied up and stuck in a corner, Anne raced to the neighboring chain grocery stores, buying the prettiest layer cake she could find as well as all manner of cupcakes. Forty minutes later, a slightly less elaborate cake sat on the table, surrounded by tiered plates with a selection of cupcakes. Some strategically repositioned candles and flowers added elegance. The rest of the reception went off without a hitch, and after drinking champagne and dancing with her new husband and her doting father, the bride was smiling once more.
“You saved the day,” Greta said to Anne later that evening.
Anne smiled modestly and shook her head. “Even when things don’t go the way you plan, a wedding is always a happy event.”
Laney’s wedding would go perfectly, though. She was going to make sure of that. Thank God they didn’t have a Teddy to mess everything up.
They still had a lot to do to see that everything went smoothly on Laney’s big day, so Anne called her daughter on Monday when she had a few minutes between clients. The call went straight to voice mail and Anne sighed. It was after lunch. Laney would be off work now, and since the sun was out, she was probably running around Green Lake. Anne settled for a text. We need 2 talk. Call me.
She’d just finished conferring with her favorite caterer about food for an upcoming wedding—pulled-pork sliders, savory cupcakes, sushi and a dessert buffet—when Laney checked in. “What’s up, Mom?”
Was it Anne’s imagination or did her daughter sound wary? Maybe Anne’s text had seemed a little…imperious. “Oh, nothing,” she said airily. “I was thinking we should lock in Primrose Haus for your wedding reception, that’s all,” she rushed on and then held her breath. Please, God, don’t let Drake have talked Laney into Vegas.
There was a moment of silence on the phone that shot Anne’s heart rate up. Finally Laney said, “Okay, let’s do it.”
She seemed hesitant. Suddenly the buzzard of guilt perched on Anne’s shoulders. Way to go, it said. Pressure the poor kid.
Oh, crud. The buzzard was right. She was forcing her daughter to do something she wasn’t excited about.
But Laney had always wanted a fancy wedding, ever since she was a little girl. Deep down, she really did want this and if she settled for something else she’d regret it later.
Still, Anne had to ask, “Are you sure?”
“Yeah, I’m sure,” Laney said.
“You don’t sound sure.”
“Mom. I’m sure. It’ll be great for the reception. I still want to get married on the river, though.”
“Okay.” Hopefully, in a wedding gown. No shorts and bikini top. “Great. Tell you what. Why don’t you come by the office and we can talk about your vision for the wedding.”
“I need to get a shower first. I just finished running.”
Laney loved to run. She’d been on the swim team in high school and had added running to her regimen in college.
She’d tried to convince Anne to take it up, but Anne preferred a brisk walk on the treadmill at the gym or a walk in the snow on a wintry day. She would just have to live without experiencing that mystical runner’s high, because she’d never be caught running unless she was being chased by a bear. And since she didn’t do camping, either, there was no danger of that.
Her daughter loved to tease her about her poor excuse for a sense of adventure. So she didn’t like rock climbing or sleeping in leaky tents. If she was going to enjoy nature, she wanted to do it from the comfort of a cozy, little cabin.
“That’s fine,” she said. “See you whenever you get here.”
Funny how a mother and daughter could have so much in common—a love of parties and romantic comedies and card games—and yet be so different. That wasn’t a bad thing, she reminded herself as she ended the call. Her daughter was her own woman. And that was how it should be. Still, when it came to weddings…
“You’re frowning,” her sister said.
Anne blinked. “What?”
“You’re frowning.” Kendra studied her. “She’s not even here and you’re already worried.”
“No, I’m not,” Anne lied.
“You know, it is her wedding.”
“I know that.”
Kendra raised an eyebrow. “Do you? Really?”
Anne made a face. “Of course I do. The bride always gets the last say.”
She punched in the number for Primrose Haus in Icicle Falls. She’d tell Roberta Gilbert they were definitely a go for that Saturday in June before her daughter could change her mind. This was the right decision, she knew it. Laney would have no regrets.
“We’ll be looking forward to helping you create a wonderful memory,” Roberta said when she and Anne had finished talking business.
A wonderful memory, Anne thought. Yes, that was what this was all about, a wonderful memory for her daughter.
Not just for her daughter, but for everyone who loved her, as well.
“I can hardly wait to see our Laney get married,” her mother had said after the family dinner on Sunday, when it had been the two of them lingering over one last cup of coffee once everyone else had left. “Drake is such a nice boy.”
“Yes, he is,” Anne had agreed.
“It’s the first wedding we’ve had in the family in a long time. And who knows? Maybe there’ll be a baby soon.”
“I don’t think they’re in a hurry for that, Mom. Anyway, they’re young. They’ve got time.” The words had barely left her mouth when Anne realized how false that statement could be. She and Cam had thought they’d had plenty of time to have another. How wrong they’d been.
Laney had ended up being their only child. Fortunately, she was a wonderful kid, but Anne would’ve liked a couple more.
As if reading her mind, her mother had veered away from that verbal path. “Well, we’ll enjoy the wedding. You know,” she’d added, toying with her mug, “we all assume weddings are just about the bride and groom, but so many people get so much out of them. I’m sure you’ve seen that over the years. A wedding gives those of us who are older a chance to share in the couple’s happiness and to relive that special time when we found the person we wanted to spend our lives with. Of course, for the kids it’s a party, but don’t you think it’s also an example?”
“Of what?”
“Of commitment. A wedding, no matter where it is—” Julia had reached out to cover her daughter’s hand with hers “—is a sign of loyalty, of responsibility.” She bit her lip, as if hesitating to continue.
“What?” Anne had prompted.
“I don’t think you understood at the time why I was so upset about your hurried affair. I wonder if you can see now, after having planned so many weddings for so many brides. It’s an important event for the whole community.”
Anne could only nod in agreement. Of course, given the options she’d had at the time, she’d do the same thing all over again. Still, if the situation had been different, if she hadn’t gotten pregnant…
Some things in life you couldn’t redo. But her mother had a point. You could relive. With Laney’s wedding she and Cam could celebrate both their daughter’s union and their own. They’d celebrate love, family and friendship. Yes, her mother was right. A wedding was a big deal for a lot of people.
But mostly for the bride. She could hardly wait until Laney arrived and they could start planning the details of the momentous occasion that lay ahead for all of them.
An hour later Laney was in the office, comfy in jeans and a long, black sweater, accented with one of her necklaces, a silver creation featuring her signature mermaid carrying a silver heart. She and Anne sat at the computer, discussing color themes and decorations, with Kendra tossing in the occasional comment.
“What’s wrong with purple?” Laney asked with a frown.
“Nothing,” Anne said quickly. “It can make for striking decorations.” It also made Anne think of the red-hat ladies and the popular poem about a woman wearing purple when she was old. Of course, there was nothing wrong with being old or wearing purple, but it didn’t seem like the right color for Laney’s wedding.
“Purple might be kind of cool,” Kendra put in.
Who asked her? “If that’s what you want, that’s what we’ll go with,” Anne said, reminding herself that her daughter got to make the final decision. Still, she wanted to make sure Laney would be happy with it. “Let’s look at some other colors, too, though.”
“Okay, fine,” Laney said irritably. Her phone dinged and she checked it, then spent a moment thumbing a text.
“Who was that?” Anne asked. They were trying to get this wedding planned. Did Laney really need to stop in the middle of their meeting and text someone?
“Autumn. I told her I was coming over here to pick out colors. She’s gonna be my maid of honor.”
Not surprising, considering that they’d been friends since high school.
The phone dinged again.
Oh, great. “Honey, at this rate we’re not going to get anything done,” Anne chided.
“Autumn thinks purple would be ugly.”
Well, then. That decides it.
“We should look at other colors,” Laney said.
Obviously, Autumn’s opinion did decide it. Anne wasn’t sure whether she should be grateful or annoyed. “Tell her we’ll keep her posted,” she said and hoped Autumn would get the message and go have a latte.
They checked every imaginable color theme and style from red to pink polka dots. Finally, Laney said she wanted green and brown. All right. Progress. Ten minutes later, they found something new to disagree on. “Why can’t I have balloons?” Laney demanded.
“I didn’t say you couldn’t have balloons,” Anne insisted. “But in all different colors? That’ll look odd.” It made her think of circuses and clowns or state fairs. Might as well throw in some pigs and a Ferris wheel. And what was the point of using different-colored balloons if Laney had picked a specific color scheme? “Anyway, I thought you were going with green and brown.”
“They don’t make balloons in green and brown,” Laney pointed out.
“Somebody must,” Anne said and brought up yet another image on the internet.
“Eew,” said Laney, frowning. “Lime green. That’s gross.”
Yes, lime green wouldn’t work. They’d been talking about forest green. But Anne had an alternative suggestion. “You could have ferns and chocolate mint, and crystal votives on the tables would be gorgeous.”
“But what about the balloons?”
“Honey, we can’t find any in the color you want. You’re going to have to bag the balloons.”
Laney frowned, obviously unhappy with the idea of giving up on balloons.
“The ferns and mint will be pretty. And both you and Drake enjoy the outdoors, so it would be bringing something you love into the wedding theme.”
Her argument produced a thoughtful nod.
“Let’s look at cakes,” Anne said and moved them on to new territory before Laney could argue for a rainbow of balloons again.
They found one on Pinterest—a beautiful green fondant with tasteful brown swirls. “Wow,” Anne breathed.
“That’s pretty,” Laney conceded. “But I want a donut cake.”
Okay, donut cake. That took them to a different set of images. The donut cakes were cute, Anne had to admit, but they weren’t very elegant. She remembered feeding Cam some of the tacky cake their neighbor had made, telling herself how wonderful it was that they had a cake at all, yet wishing for one with a froth of white frosting and pastel-colored flowers from the bakery. She hadn’t had time to budget for a cake, and she hadn’t wanted to ask her mother to pay for one. Her parents had paid for her gown and bouquet, and under the circumstances that had felt like plenty. Looking back now, she realized Mom would happily have sprung for a cake and anything else she wanted if she’d only asked.
“Hey,” she said, pointing to one image. “You could have a donut bar. What about a donut bar and a traditional cake? Something for everyone.”
“Including Mom,” Kendra added snidely.
Anne ignored her.
“A donut bar isn’t the same as a donut cake,” Laney said stubbornly.
“Not all of your guests are going to want to eat donuts,” Anne pointed out. “If you do the donut bar and the cake, then everyone’s happy.”
Everyone except the bride. Laney’s mouth slipped into a half frown.
“Don’t you think that’s a good compromise?” Anne nudged.
“Yeah, I guess it is.”
One more thing settled. They were moving right along.
Next they chose invitations. This, too, involved much discussion. The save-the-date cards Laney finally picked were cute. They’d be trimmed with Laney’s colors and feature a picture of her and Drake with conversation bubbles over their heads saying “I do” and “Me, too!” Underneath, block printing would say “How about you? Save the date to celebrate.” It was a little unconventional, a perfect fit for her daughter.
“We’ll need to go up to Icicle Falls to visit the florist next,” Anne said. “When can you get away?”
“I’m not sure,” Laney hedged. “I’ll let you know.”
Not sure? Let her know? They needed to get this planned. “Honey, we can’t drag our feet. June’s not that far away. There’s still so much to do.”
“I get that, Mom.” Laney checked the time on her cell phone. “Oh, wow. I’ve gotta go.”
“But we still have to talk about napkins and what kind of food you want and…”
“I know, but I’ve got company coming for dinner tonight and I haven’t even shopped yet.”
Anne felt deflated. They were just starting to have fun and her daughter had to leave? “Oh. Well, okay.”
Laney gave her a quick kiss, hugged her aunt Kendra and then was out the door before Anne could suggest another day to get together.
“That went well,” Kendra said after she left.
“It did.” Anne ignored both her sister’s sarcasm and the feeling that things could have gone better.
“Right. That’s why she left at three thirty in the afternoon to get ready for dinner.”
“She had to shop.”
“Uh-huh. And you believe that? Hey, I’ve got an oil well in New York City for sale. Wanna buy it?”
Anne frowned and swiveled her desk chair to face her sister. “Okay, what exactly are you saying?”
Kendra swiveled her chair, too. “I can put it in one word. Momzilla.”
“I am not a Momzilla!” Anne protested.
“True,” her sister agreed. “Not a full-grown one yet, anyway. Right now you’re just a baby one.”
“Oh, very funny,” Anne snapped.
“I thought so,” Kendra said and turned back to her computer.
They worked in silence for twenty minutes before Anne asked, “How was I being a Momzilla?”
“Well, let’s see. You want to start with the great debate on the invitations or go back to the battle of the colors?”
“There was no battle over colors. I was simply making suggestions.”
“Mmm-hmm. Like you did with the balloons. And how about the donut cake?”
“She’s getting donuts,” Anne said, choosing the most solid ground to stand on.
“She’s getting a donut bar. And you’re getting the cake.”
“This isn’t for me!”
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I’m trying to make sure Laney has the perfect wedding she deserves.”
“Everyone has a different definition of perfect,” Kendra said.
Anne couldn’t argue with that. So she decided not to. Instead, she got busy researching party favors for a client who was getting married at West Seattle’s Golden Gardens, a favorite beach of many Seattleites. Can coolers would be just the thing for a beach wedding. And baseball caps. Yes, her bride-to-be would love those. Darn, but she was good.
And since she was good and had been doing this for years, there was nothing wrong with guiding her daughter. So there.
Still, the thought that maybe she was taking too much control moved into her brain and set up a broadcast tower. So that night over dinner with Cam, she recapped her session with Laney, hoping for a different verdict. “Do you think I was being a Momzilla?”
He took a last bite of ice cream and pushed aside his bowl. “Nah. You were giving her advice. That’s what you do, right?”
“It is. And I just want her to have a lovely wedding, something memorable.”
“Understandable,” he said with a nod. “Don’t worry about it. She gets the final say.”
“True.” Laney did want a donut bar, didn’t she? And there was nothing wrong with having cake, as well. She could have her cake and eat it, too. Ha-ha. Anyway, Anne and Cam were paying for the wedding, so if they wanted to throw in a cake as a bonus, why should Laney care?
Except Anne had talked her into having a donut bar instead of a donut cake. She’d talked her into a lot of things. She flashed on a sudden image of Laurel Browne insisting, “We are not having daisies at the wedding.”
No, no. She wasn’t anything like Laurel Browne. Laney was the one who’d settled on green and brown for her colors, and Anne wasn’t about to rock that boat. And the balloons, well, they simply weren’t the right color. That was hardly Anne’s fault.
But the cake? Okay, they’d go with the donut cake. She grabbed her cell phone from the kitchen counter.
“Who are you calling?” Cam asked.
“Laney. I’m going to tell her we’ll do a donut cake and a regular cake.”
Cam made a face that plainly said “I’m a long-suffering husband” and got up to take their bowls into the kitchen.
Dinner was their time and they didn’t take calls then. But they were done with dinner now. Anyway, this was important. Her call went to voice mail, and she remembered that Laney was having company tonight. Still, that never stopped her from answering her phone. She was one with her phone. Was she mad about the cake thing?
“Hi, honey,” Anne said as soon as voice mail gave her the all clear to speak. “So, I’m thinking if you really want a donut cake, there’s no reason you can’t have one. Pick the one you like and email it to me and then I’ll send it on to the baker. Hope you’re having fun at your dinner party. I love you,” she added.
There. No one could accuse her of being a Momzilla now, not even a baby one.
“Feel better?” her husband asked.
She nodded. “The donut cake will be cute. It’s going to be a lovely wedding.”
“They all are,” he said. “Hey, and speaking of special events, we should talk about what we want to do for our anniversary.”
An excellent idea. But after her busy workday and sorting out the issue of the cake, Anne was suddenly out of steam. “Could we do that tomorrow?”
“Yeah, sure.”
He sounded the slightest bit disappointed.
“I’m too tired to think,” she said. Anyway, they had plenty of time to plan their anniversary.
He came back to the table, bent over and wrapped his arms around her. She could still smell a hint of the woodsy cologne he favored. He put his face next to hers and she felt the brush of five o’clock shadow. “What do you want to do instead?”
Bury the baby Momzilla and cuddle on the couch. “Let’s see what we’ve got in our Netflix queue.”
“Okay,” he said, and they moved to the living room.
Cam preferred action flicks, but he found a romantic comedy for her. “We don’t have to watch this,” she told him as they settled on the couch.
“Sure we do,” he said, kissing the top of her head. “Tonight it’s all about you.”
It’s all about you. Had that been the case this afternoon?
Of course not, she assured herself. Laney got to make the final decisions. Anne was there only to help her make the right ones.
She smiled and snuggled up against her husband. No Momzillas here.