Chapter 6 Lisa
LISA
In her room, Lisa stood back to view her handiwork.
Pepper stood before the full-length mirror and squealed.
She’d already had her hair and makeup done.
The tiara and veil, which had been in Pepper’s room, were now on her head.
Her glossy black curls framed her small face.
Enormous dark eyes stared at her in the mirror.
“I look fantastic,” Pepper said.
Maggie, on the other side of her, nodded. “If by fantastic you mean ridiculous, then I have to agree.”
“Are you sure you don’t want to wear one of our bridesmaid dresses?” Lisa asked for the fifth time.
“The man said he’d marry me if I was wearing a bedsheet. I wanted to wear white. So here I am.”
Lisa knelt to put one more stitch in the back.
Over the last few hours, they’d scored a flat white bedsheet from housekeeping.
One of the staff had managed to produce a needle, thread, and scissors.
From that, Lisa had made a gunnysack dress by cutting a hole for her head to fit through, then sewn in a collar and hemmed the skirt.
Another staff member had located a gauzy blue ribbon, which they tied around the waist. Her something blue, Maggie had suggested.
The dress, such as it was, came to Pepper’s ankles. She wore her silver strappy sandals, which looked completely weird next to the dress.
Lisa fought tears. “But this going to be in all your photographs.”
“I know. Isn’t it awesome?” Pepper asked.
A knock on the door drew their attention. It was Autumn, the fourth bridesmaid, who had arrived that afternoon just in time to take part in their ridiculous scheme. She and Lisa had been totally against it, but Pepper wouldn’t budge.
Autumn stopped just inside the door. “I can’t believe it. No one but you could make a bedsheet dress look like the latest fashion.”
“I know, right?” Pepper said. “I’m telling you girls, this is totally going to catch on.”
Pepper’s mom came in next. After being quickly filled in on the situation, Lila had jumped right in to help locate the supplies.
Now she carried a box with all the bouquets.
“The boys are all assembled downstairs. They’re ready for us,” Mom said as she set the box on the bed.
She handed them each their bouquets. They were about to start the trek downstairs and out to the wedding tent when a sudden light exploded in the sky outside the window.
“Was that lightning?” Pepper asked.
A loud boom rattled the windows, followed by a sudden burst of rain.
What in the world else could go wrong?
Lisa cursed as she went to the window. “It’s a huge thundercloud.” The rain was coming down in torrents, as if someone from up above had pulled a large plug.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” Maggie said. “We can’t have a wedding in thunder and lightning.”
Pepper barked out a manic laugh. “I swear, it’s like my biological dad’s up there just messing with me.”
Autumn pulled the window shut. “Where did that cloud even come from? It was sunny a few minutes ago.”
“It would be just like him,” Maggie said, in reference to Pepper’s late father.
“That’s the truth,” Lila said. “The man couldn’t stand it when other people were having fun without him.”
Autumn’s green eyes had grown huge in her small, pale face. “What do we do?”
“We’ll move everything indoors,” Lisa said as her mind turned through ideas.
The reception was inside already, so that wouldn’t be a problem.
There was the sitting area on the first floor.
If they moved quickly, they could push furniture aside to create a makeshift aisle for Pepper to walk down with her stepdad.
There were only about thirty guests. Maybe they would all have to stand?
After all this, Pepper was going to have a stinking aisle to walk down.
She asked Autumn and Maggie to follow her. “You two stay here,” she said to Pepper and Lisa. “We’ll get it all sorted out.”
“Take off your shoes,” Lisa said to Maggie and Autumn. “I don’t want anyone to break their ankle running down these stairs.”
“Good call,” Maggie said.
The three of them left their shoes outside Pepper’s room and scurried down the winding stairs to the first floor.
Stone, Jackson, and Stone’s brother, Kyle, were standing around the small bar just off the entrance.
The rest of the Wolves were huddled together by the windows, looking helpless and worried.
They were all drinking tumblers of scotch.
“Thank goodness it’s you,” Rafael said. “What do we do?”
“Should we wait it out?” Stone asked.
“It doesn’t look like it’s going to let up anytime soon.” Jackson held Lily on his hip. Wearing her white tulle dress and stockings and a tiara that matched the bride’s, she couldn’t look any cuter.
“We’re bringing this thing inside,” Lisa said. “We’ll use the big room there.” She pointed to the sitting room. “Start moving furniture against the walls. I’ll go down and tell the guests to come up here.”
“They’re all inside the restaurant,” Stone said. “Pepper’s dad directed them to go inside when the rain started.”
The men all went to work. Nico and Trey moved the couch against one wall as Lisa passed through to take the stairway down to the restaurant.
She paused for a second and pointed to the fireplace.
“Nico, make that the focal point for the vows. The guests will gather around here.” She gestured toward the spot in front of the fireplace.
“What about chairs?” Stone asked.
“We’re going to have to stand,” Maggie said. “Right, Lisa?”
“Yes, there’s not enough room for seating,” Lisa said.
“This is a disaster,” Stone said, sounding miserable. “I wanted it perfect for Pepper.”
Kyle exchanged a worried look with Lisa as he crossed over to stand next to Stone. Both solid and tall Hickman brothers looked close to tears.
“Your bride is a total trouper,” Maggie said. “She’s not in the least bothered.”
“All she wants is to be your wife,” Lisa said. “So put all your worries aside and enjoy this day, okay?”
“Yes ma’am,” Stone said, not sounding in the least convinced.
“The important thing is that we’re all here together,” Maggie said. “A wedding is about the people gathered, not the dress or anything else.”
Kyle lifted his tumbler toward his brother, tears in his dark blue eyes. “She’s right, bud. This day is already perfect because we’re here together. Mom and Violet are upstairs with the kids. Wait until you see them in their matching outfits.”
Stone turned to his brother. “I wanted Pepper to have everything she ever wanted.”
Kyle patted his shoulder. “Dude, she has that in you. I promise you, this day is going to be perfect.”