Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
Ava
A few days after New Year’s, Mom came with Tori and me to tour some potential venues—a hotel, a community center, and a restaurant with an upstairs banquet hall
First stop was the hotel. I was dubious walking in because it was one of the chains, and I’d been to a few events and conferences in places like this.
They were lackluster to say the least. Mediocre food, painfully dim lighting, ugly carpets.
Aside from the really high-end places—which this was not—they weren’t exactly what I’d call a dream venue for a wedding.
This place was available for the dates we were considering, though, and it wasn’t super expensive, plus they offered discounted rates for any guests who booked rooms. So… it was worth at least coming down and taking a look.
The lobby didn’t inspire much confidence. It was as bland and pastel as most mid-range hotel lobbies, though it was clean and had lots of natural light pouring in through windows and skylights. There was nothing wrong with it—it was just kind of generic and meh.
“Tori and Ava?” A tall white woman with red hair approached us, and when we confirmed who we were, she extended her hand. “I’m Sarah, the property’s event coordinator.” She shook hands with all three of us. “Let’s go have a look at the ballroom, shall we?”
As she led us down a long hallway, she gave us a few details.
“One level of the garage can be cordoned off for private event parking—there’s a small upcharge for that, but your guests won’t be charged to park.
This will also give them access to the event wing without needing to go through the lobby. ”
Tori and I exchanged looks and gave each other “sounds good” shrugs.
Sarah continued, “We have in-house catering available for everything except your wedding cake. The menu can be customized to be as big or small and as high-end as you’d like.
For your ceremony and reception, our staff will set up seating and tables for both, with decorations, place settings, and centerpieces according to your instructions.
There is also an outdoor courtyard that most couples like to use for their photos.
” She grimaced. “It’s a little sad right now because everything’s still trimmed back for winter, but it should be more colorful and vibrant by your date. ”
We nodded along as she spoke. So far, so good.
“And here is the ballroom you’ll be using for both your ceremony and reception.” She pushed open a set of double doors, and…
This was not the bland, uninspired setting I was used to for conferences.
Huge, sparkling chandeliers bathed the whole room in warm light.
The walls were a soft gray with glowing sconces every few feet.
It was brighter than most conference venues, but it wasn’t the stark, blanched lighting that made everything feel corporate.
It was… quite pretty, actually, especially if I imagined it with some flowers and decorations.
“This is really nice.” Tori gazed wide-eyed around the room. “I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t this.”
“I know, right?” I said. “It’s a lot bigger, too.”
“Good, because I don’t want to spend the whole reception with everyone stuffed into a tiny room.”
I laughed, and so did she, and I kind of… stared. The warm light picked out the lightest highlights in her blonde hair and added a faintly sun-kissed look to her complexion. And her eyes were?—
I pulled my gaze away from Tori and cleared my throat. “There was something on the website about a dancefloor?”
Sarah nodded, and she started telling us about the dance floor that could be placed anywhere in the room. I was only half-listening, though, because I was busy trying to calm my heartrate down.
It’s just Tori, Ava. Get a grip.
Sarah took us out to the courtyard, and the cool air helped to ground me.
So did the beautiful scenery. Even with the bushes trimmed back and the flowerbeds mostly bare, the courtyard was gorgeous.
There was a flagstone path that wound between the various plants, and some amazing places to use as backdrops for photos—a brick wall covered in vines, a couple of marble fountains, a tall hedge that could probably be festooned with flowers.
This was definitely not what I’d had in mind when we’d agreed to check out this hotel. As I watched Tori taking in our beautiful surroundings, I could absolutely see us getting married here. I could see us taking our photos out in this courtyard.
Taking fake photos, Ava.
Going through the motions of getting married.
Right. Right, this wasn’t a real wedding.
But maybe it was good that I kept forgetting that. I was less likely to slip up and let someone find out what was really going on. If I was this far in character, then no one would suspect a thing.
Perfect.
“Well, I’m definitely not sold on the community center.” Tori wrinkled her nose as we all ate a late lunch at Mom’s kitchen table. “I think community centers are just fine and all, but not that one.”
“I know, right?” I tore a piece of lettuce off my sandwich. “Was it just me, or did that place smell super weird?”
“Super weird,” Tori agreed.
“Smelled like wet mothballs,” Mom muttered.
“Is that what that was? Because eww.” Tori made another face, then took a bite of her own sandwich.
“Smelled like it to me,” Mom said. “And I swear they must use the same disinfectant that the chemo center uses.” She shuddered. “Blech.”
“Okay, so definitely not the community center,” I said.
We all nodded. It had icked me out anyway, but if it made my mom think about chemo, it was an emphatic no .
“What about the hotel?” Tori said.
“I really like that place,” I said. “It was so much nicer than I expected!”
“Me too!” Her smile was huge. “I couldn’t believe how gorgeous it was! Like, how are they hiding something that amazing in a hotel like that?”
“No kidding.”
“I think it used to be an independent hotel,” Mom said. “It was only bought out by the chain maybe ten, twenty years ago?” She shrugged. “They must’ve realized what a draw their event facilities were, so they kept them as is.”
“Smart,” I said.
Tori nodded. “So… book the hotel?”
“Let’s do it.” I paused. “Which means I guess we’d better nail down a date.”
“Oh. Right. They probably need that.”
We all put our heads together and finally landed on May second. The weather would be turning by then, but it wouldn’t be super hot yet, and it kept us on the right side of the hotel’s peak rates.
And it’s not too far in the future, I thought, glancing at Mom. Hopefully it’s soon enough.
I didn’t let those thoughts linger. Absolutely not.
After we’d finished lunch, I called Sarah and gave her a credit card number. In minutes, it was done—we had a date and a venue. Two big items crossed off the to-do list.
“While you’re here,” Mom said. “Have you girls picked out rings?”
“Not yet.” Tori smiled. “We were going to go shopping this week.”
“Do either of you have your hearts set on anything in particular? Any designs?”
Tori and I exchanged glances, and we both shrugged.
“Not really,” I admitted. “Probably just something simple? I don’t need anything big and flashy.”
“Neither do I.” Tori wrinkled her nose. “Not really my style.”
Mom nodded slowly. Then she pushed herself up and said, “Wait here.”
Tori and I looked at each other. She shrugged. So did I.
Mom returned a moment later, and as she sat in her chair again, she showed us two small velvet boxes. “These were your great-grandmothers’ rings. My grandmothers.”
I straightened. “Oh. Really?”
“Mmhmm. I was holding on to these for you to choose between when the time came.” She handed me the boxes. “My mother left them to me to give to each of my daughters, but I only had one, so…” Then she smiled at Tori. “Well, now I have two.”
Tori touched her chest, and her smile made my heart flutter. “Aww. Thank you!”
I admittedly felt guilty about this for the same reasons I felt guilty for everything surrounding this wedding. But the way Mom looked so proud and happy—I mean, that was the whole point of what we were doing, wasn’t it? So it wasn’t wrong. I hoped.
I put one of the boxes on the coffee table and carefully opened the other. Inside, tucked into the velvet padding, was a filigreed gold band with a small round diamond. It was soldered to a slightly wider band with the same pattern.
“That was your Great-Grandma Carson’s ring,” Mom explained.
“It’s really pretty,” I whispered.
Tori leaned in close. “That pattern is so cool!”
“It is.” I tugged the ring free and turned it between my fingers so we could both look at the delicate filigree. “Do they even make rings like this anymore?”
“Not in my price range,” Tori said dryly.
I laughed. “I know, right?”
“You won’t find a diamond like that anymore, either,” Mom said. “It’s a… European cut, I think? They’re all machine-cut now, but they were cut by hand back then. So they’re not quite as precise or sparkly as they are now, but they’re still beautiful.”
“It’s really pretty.” I didn’t know much about diamonds, so I had no idea how much difference there was between the one in my hand and a modern one. I just knew my great-grandma’s ring was gorgeous.
Mom gestured at the other box. “Those are your Great-Grandma Mathers’s rings.”
I handed the first to Tori and picked up the second.
Inside that box, I found an engagement ring and a wedding band.
They were slightly wider than the other set, and they were silver instead of gold.
The diamond was a touch bigger and set into the ring rather than on the raised setting like the other.
“That set is white gold,” Mom explained. “Your aunt told me it needs to be rhodium-plated so it’ll be bright silver again.”
I brought the ring closer, squinting at it. Against the deep red velvet of the box, it looked perfectly silver to me.
“Can I see it?” Tori asked.
We traded rings, and she held the silver set up against a sterling silver band she wore on her right hand. Then I understood what Mom was getting at—the wedding rings were ever so slightly yellow.
“So we have to plate it?” I asked.
“You don’t have to.” Mom shrugged. “It’s perfectly pretty the way it is. But Aunt Lacey told me that it needs the rhodium plating if you want it to be more silver-looking.”
“It looks fine to me,” I said.
“Me too.” Tori turned them between her fingers. “These are super pretty.”
I glanced at her. Then the rings. Then my mom. “So you… You’re letting us wear these?”
“I’m not letting you wear them.” Mom smiled. “I’m letting you have them. They’re family heirlooms that were meant to be passed on to my daughters.” Gesturing at both of us, she smiled even bigger. “I held on to them for my girls, and that’s exactly where they’re going.”
My throat tightened with the threat of tears.
The guilt was still there, but it was mostly elbowed out of the way by this realization of just how much Mom adored Tori.
Though Tori wasn’t really my fiancée, she’d been close to Mom for years.
That Mom was so happy at the prospect of Tori wearing one of her grandmothers’ rings—that she was so eager to embrace Tori as her second daughter—really choked me up.
And… yeah, it definitely made me feel guilty, too.
But I didn’t say anything. Mom was happy, and that was the whole point of this. I trusted Tori implicitly to take care of the rings and to give them back later. My great-grandma’s heirlooms were safe with her.
I cleared my throat and turned to Tori. “So, um… which do you want to wear?”
“They’re your family’s rings. It should be your choice.”
“But you’re going to wear one too.” I paused. “I mean, if you want to. You don’t have to wear?—”
“I’d love to wear one,” she said softly. “They’re both gorgeous.” She paused. “Your engagement ring is yellow, but we could always plate it white or trade it in for something white if you want to wear the other set.” She touched my arm. “You pick.”
I held her gaze, and my heart was doing things it really shouldn’t have been doing while my purely platonic best friend and I figured out what rings to wear for our fake marriage.
I shifted my attention to the rings. They were both beautiful, and I wouldn’t have objected to wearing either. I didn’t feel particularly possessive about one or the other; Tori wearing one felt like it was staying in the family anyway.
I tried not to think too much about that.
I glanced at Tori’s hand. She wore a lot of rings, and the vast majority of them were silver.
Today she had on a slim band on her pinky and a chunkier filigreed piece on her right ring finger.
I had no idea what metal—if they were actually silver, white gold, or if she’d sprung for platinum—but she definitely preferred the color silver over gold.
Me? I didn’t really care. I didn’t wear a lot of jewelry, and I was fine with either color.
Which made the choice a no-brainer.
I held up the gold set in my hand. “Why don’t I wear this one, and you take the white gold?”
Her eyes lit up. “Are you sure?”
“Of course! It goes with most of your jewelry.”
“It does.” She turned the ring between her fingers. “We should see if they fit.” Tori grimaced, facing my mom. “I’m kind of afraid to get them sized, though.”
Mom waved that away. “They’re meant to be worn, honey. If that means adjusting them, then that’s what it means.” She gestured at the rings. “Put them, on. Let’s see how they fit.”
Tori’s, it turned out, wouldn’t need to be sized. It slid over her finger without any effort, and she had to tug it just a little to take it off.
The set I’d be wearing wouldn’t make it over my second knuckle.
“Oh my God,” I said. “Did Great-Grandma Carson have super-tiny hands or something?”
“I don’t think she was more than five feet tall,” Mom replied. “Your great-grandpa wasn’t a big man, but he towered over her.”
“Wow.” I took the ring off. “Definitely going to need to get this sized, then.”
“We’ll take it to the jewelry store this week.” Tori gestured with the other ring. “We should probably get this one checked, too—make sure the stone is tight. I’ve heard they can come loose after a while, and I’d feel terrible if I lost your grandma’s diamond.
“Good idea,” Mom said.
Tori nodded and slipped the ring back into its box. I did the same with mine.
So now we had rings. Family heirlooms, no less.
We had a date. We had a venue.
I met Tori’s gaze, wondering if she saw through to my nerves.
Holy crap. We’re really doing this .