Graceful Deception

6. I've Never Really Been One For Dresses

Chapter 6

I’ve Never Really Been One For Dresses

 

 

Just as Ed predicted, Marta had made a lunch that was pretty much out of this world.  But then again, I wouldn’t have expected anything different from her.  Sure, I loved my mom’s cooking and even the food at school wasn’t half bad, but there was just something about all of hers was…perfect. 

And there was way too much for everyone, even if we had eleven people sitting in the dining room at the long, mahogany table that looked like it could seat about twenty-five if you spaced everyone right.  In the space were we didn’t take up, the rest was filled with dish after dish of food.  I was under the impression Marta hadn’t known what anyone would want so she just decided to make everything she knew how to.

And after the hour or so that we ate and talked, never had I thought that I would be looking through wedding magazines for the next six straight hours.  I had to hand it to Elena, though.  She already had every aspect of the wedding planned down to the last possible thing.  The dresses, the tuxes, the colors, the flowers, the catering…it was all done and paid for.  She had all of the pictures and seating charts and dinner courses laid out all down the dining room table. 

“It makes it so much easier if you get it all figured out ahead of time,” she said, smiling at me over the top of a magazine.  “Plus with both the wedding and reception being at Ed’s place, it saves so much on the venue.”

It was only me, her, and Stella since everyone else seemed to go their own ways.  Grant had work he had to get to, John, Ren, Paul, and Ed were back in Paul’s office discussing things about our trip, and Rosaline had volunteered to take Haidar and Ghada to the airport so that they could catch their plane. 

I snorted at the mention of her having to save money, rolling my eyes before looking at Stella, who was trying to hold in her laugh.  “Yeah, because you don’t have enough money to pay for one if you wanted to.”

Elena laughed, reaching beside her to grab the small pillow before hitting me in the shoulder with it.  “I take offense to that!”

“Why?  It’s true!  You guys are loaded!”

“I really wouldn’t put it that way…”

“Says the woman whose family’s next in line to live in a freakin’ palace.”

“It’s not a palace.  It’s a manor.  And I won’t be living there.  And neither will Dad.  John’s next in line for leadership, so he’ll be the one living there with his own family, which will include all my adorable future nieces and nephews.  Let’s just hope they get more of you than him…”

Let’s just say that I pretty much couldn’t breathe when I caught on to what she was saying.  Me?  John?  Kids?  What the…huh?  This girl wasn’t popping out kids anytime soon!  I planned on being married before any of that happened.  But at that thought, the image of me and a certain someone standing up at the alter instead of Elena and Grant appeared in my mind…You’d better start backpedaling now, Emmy, or you’re going to get into big trouble.

“I saw that look,” I heard Elena said.  My eyes focused back on her, and also on Stella, who had moved closer to her side.  The two of them, with those knowing looks on their faces, looked like coconspirators.  “You got the image of cute little kids running around with dark hair like yours and John’s green eyes…”

I shook my head fiercely.  “No, I wasn’t…”

Stella rolled her eyes grinning over at Elena.  “I don’t think she’s telling the truth, do you, Elena?”