Chapter 6
CHAPTER 6
C lara
My phone buzzed in my purse. I hadn't heard it at first because I was too busy balling up old photographs of Gabe and I while sitting on my sister's couch. The bedroom was cozy, but the couch had become my fortress since leaving my old apartment.
I had just finished dabbing my eyes with a tissue when my phone buzzed again. I fished into my purse to grab it. It took me a few more dabs from my tissue to see who was calling. I answered immediately.
“Hey, girl,” I greeted while trying to hide the fact that I had cried. “What's up?”
“I have an emergency , Clara!”
I blinked away the rest of my tears and sat up. “What's wrong, Jennifer? Who died?”
“Nobody died, but I might kill someone. My decorator totally backed out at the last minute!”
“What?!”
“I need you to fill in for her. I was supposed to go in next week to pick out the color schemes and the decorations and all the things we needed and . . . Oh, God. I think I'm having a panic attack.”
I nodded even though she couldn't see me. “Hey, take a deep breath for me, okay?”
“Okay.”
“Like right now. Take a breath.”
Jen took an audible breath and released it, filling the phone with static. “That feels a little better.”
“Take one more for good measure.”
She did as I instructed and I could hear the smile in her voice when she said, “You always know what to do, don't you?”
“I do my best.”
“So, how about it? Will you help me with my wedding? I'm so sorry to ask you this last-minute. I really wanted you to enjoy just being a bridesmaid.”
“Actually, I'm more than happy to be your decorator, Jen. I consider it an honor.”
She squealed. “You're a life-saver!”
“Why don't you meet me at my office and we can go over the colors you want?”
“That would be so wonderful. I need to wash my face. I've been crying.”
I laughed. “Yeah, me, too.”
“What?”
“I meant, I need to wash my face, too! I haven't done it yet today!” I held my breath while squeezing my eyes shut.
I hope she doesn't ask. Dear God, please, don't let her ask about it.
Jen giggled. “Oh, well, I'm glad I could remind you. What else are girlfriends for?”
“For decorating, that's what!”
“I'll totally pay your full fee, too. I don't expect the free treatment just because we're friends. I want you to get your money out of this.”
“I wouldn't mind tossing you a friend discount.”
She sighed. “You really do know what to do. Let's meet in about twenty minutes, okay?”
“That sounds good to me!”
“Thanks, girl. You saved my life!”
“Any time!”
Click .
I nodded with determination. “Alright, it's Saturday afternoon. Traffic should be light. I'll make it just in time to my office from here.”
I rose resolutely from the couch and went to the bathroom. I washed my face as I said I would. As I patted my face with a fluffy towel, I ran through the color swatches in my head. I had a catalog of everything in my office filed away in mental drawers. It was easier for me to help people when I knew what I had. From what I could divine of Jen, she would likely want cool colors for her wedding—that meant blues and greens and purples.
I set the towel down and reached for my eyeliner. Helping Jen gave me an excuse to look better than I had in a few days. At least the liner would hide some of the puffiness of crying. Of course, since she had been crying, I didn't feel half as bad. I applied a light peach to my lids and then added a beige lip stain with gloss over it.
After puckering my lips, I tousled my curly black hair. Although it was messy, it looked like a controlled mess. I would at least be somewhat fashionable. I studied my blouse and cringed at the stain on the front. I peeled it off and dug through my bag sitting near the toilet, favoring a teal tank and a pair of black leggings.
I smiled at my reflection. “Looking better already.”
I wandered through the living room, slipped on a pair of ballet flats, and grabbed my purse before heading out the door. The sun showered over me and made me smile wider. I hadn't realized I needed fresh air until I stepped outside. I hopped into my car and maneuvered through the Saturday afternoon traffic to get to my office.
I clutched my keys as I approached the front door to my office. I unlocked the door and wandered inside, sighing as I set my things on my desk near the back of the room. All around me were displays of all sorts of decorations and portraits of homes I had fashioned. I went behind my desk and gathered my wedding supplies—an idea book with plenty of spreads, a folder with rental companies for all sorts of wedding supplies, the color swatches ring, and about a dozen fabrics that I thought might appeal to Jen.
I set them out on my desk. “Thank God for work.”
The bell for the door chimed and I perked up.
“Clara, you are such a doll,” Jen chirped. “Thank you again for doing this at the last minute!”
“It's my pleasure, Jen. Come have a seat with me. We have plenty of things to discuss.”
She sidled up, dropped her purse in the chair in front of my desk, and then rounded my desk to wrap me in a huge hug.
She squeezed me hard. “I can't thank you enough.”
I groaned. “You can thank me by not squeezing me to death.”
“I'm sorry.” She released me and held me gently at arm's length. “I'm just so thankful.”
“I'm just glad you trust me enough to ask.”
“And you don't mind with being my bridesmaid, too? Is that too much?”
I shook my head. “Actually, I need the distraction. The whole break-up has my head frazzled and my body feeling weird.”
“Have you eaten today?”
I hesitated, humming as I really thought about her question.
Without missing a beat, she procured two protein bars from her purse. She handed me one and then sat down, unwrapping hers instantly.
“I'm trying to keep an eye on my weight for my dress,” she admitted. “But the stress has my hunger skyrocketing.”
“You still look as great as you always have, Jen.”
“Thanks, Clara. I'm just a mess.”
“And that's why you're here, to get a handle on the mess.” I pushed forward the first booklet. “This one has a ton of themes you can choose from. You can take a whole page or take ideas from whatever strikes your fancy.”
She accepted the book as she chewed slowly on her protein bar. She swallowed the bite she was chewing and hummed thoughtfully as she popped open the book. “Wow, these all look . . . expensive.”
“Don't worry about prices just yet. I have ways for us to fit what you want into your budget. We can get crafty!”
“I do like getting crafty.”
“Take a look at a few pages and tell me what you think.”
She hummed again, nodding as she turned page after page. A few minutes went by with us in silence and I folded my hands in front of me, remaining alert while also keeping my muscles relaxed. I was used to this part of the process. Over the years, I had developed a great deal of patience with each customer, picking up their rhythms so that I could work with them.
Levon entered my mind. It was sudden and strange, just as his appearance in my old apartment had been. I shook away the thought to focus on Jen. She was still perusing the pages, her delicate fingers treating each sheet like porcelain eggs.
She paused on one page. “This color scheme is gorgeous.”
“Cool colors,” I said with a chuckle. “I figured you would go for that.”
“I love this purple with this teal. Can we do that?”
I pulled out a fresh worksheet and wrote Jen's name at the topic. Under the color section, I wrote her choices while nodding. “We sure can. Do you care which color is on which object?”
“I think purple curtains over the chairs would look lovely.”
“We can do that.”
She hummed. “And the teal—those could be the centerpieces. Like the teal can be the accent so that the purple isn't overwhelming.”
“Excellent.”
“Could we do centerpieces that the guests can take home?”
I smiled. “That would be a lovely token! What would you like?”
“Well, these little baskets look adorable. We could even make them ourselves, I'm sure. I could get us all together for that.”
“That would be a great bonding exercise for you and the bridesmaids.”
She grinned. “That's what I was thinking.”
“Is there anything you would like your fiancé to do?”
“I mean, he's been doing well with setting up the catering and actually booking the place. I'm taking care of the smaller things.”
“This is by no means small,” I expressed. “But they are mildly easier, sure. I'll make sure all of your bases are covered in this arena.”
“Thanks, Clara. This is so nice. I feel like you're better than the designer I had.”
I laughed. “You're only saying that because she bailed.”
“No, I'm serious. I'm starting to feel like that was a blessing in disguise.”
I smiled warmly. “Thanks, Jen. That's really sweet of you to say.”
“I mean it. I really do.”
“I'm very glad. So, how are you feeling about the tables? Round?”
“Round would be best, yes.”
I nodded and checked off a few boxes on the worksheet I was using for her. “And do you want any loose decorations?”
“Like what?”
“Like confetti.”
She wrinkled her nose. “That sounds like a total mess for people to clean. We're not even allowing our guests to throw rice. I don't want to make a mess.”
“That's fair! It'll be much easier without too many small items.”
“That's what I figured, too.”
“Alright, so, how about what favors you want to put into your baskets?”
She hummed and sat back in her chair, playing with the wrapper of her protein bar. I lifted my gaze to peer out the expansive office window. Sunlight poured through the glass, casting shadows over the carpet. I studied the patterns in the fabric until Jen commanded my attention.
“I like the idea of skeleton keys being tokens. We could attach the date of the wedding with our names by ribbons.”
I perked up. “Oh, that sounds so lovely, Jen!”
“And then we could add candy and other trinkets.”
“That sounds wonderful. I think that will absolutely fit the budget you want.”
She cocked her head to the side. “Did I tell you my budget?”
“You mentioned it a while back when you asked me to be your bridesmaid.”
She nodded. “Okay, just checking. I didn't want to leave you in the dark about it.”
“I've put it here at the top of the page, so when we add items, we'll be able to deduct and see where we're at.”
“Thanks, honey. I can't tell you how much this means to me.”
I smiled warmly. “It's my pleasure, Jen. I'm here for you.”
She reached across the desk to take my hand. I held hers gladly, feeling the radiance of her gratitude. I squeezed her hand. We sat like that for a moment until she let go, but the warmth remained. It could have been the sun shining through the window or the fact that my office was slightly stuffier than usual. But overall, I felt hopeful.
And I hoped to hang onto that.