Chapter 40 - Olivia
B uzzing with adrenalin, Olivia got up well before sunrise on the day of Ellen’s wedding. She wondered who was more nervous, she or Ellen. Olivia had lost her appetite in the days leading up to that morning, and she had been a bit of a nervous wreck. Her mom and Grace must have been concerned because they’d been sending her “You can do it!” texts all week.
In reality, she was in good shape, flowers-wise. Thankfully, her CSA subscription had wrapped up for the season. Otherwise, she was pretty sure she'd be having a stress-induced heart attack.
Ellen’s bridal bouquet and her bridesmaids’ bouquets had been in Olivia’s air-conditioned house since the night before. She'd finished Ellen’s on the first try—or was it the thirtieth if she counted all of her practice attempts?
For the last push of work that morning, Olivia was tasked with making somewhat identical table centerpieces. Fortunately, Ellen had approved a relatively casual aesthetic featuring large dahlias, so she hoped it would only take her a couple of hours until it was time to go to the venue and set up the final arrangement—a flower arch that would be the backdrop for the ceremony. Now, it was only a matter of execution.
Like clockwork, Olivia's mom pulled up two hours later in the white minivan she’d been driving since Grace and Olivia were in middle school, and Olivia sent a thank you to the Patron Saint of Midwest Frugality.
Once inside, her mom looked around. She oohed and awed, which Olivia really needed at that point. So much was riding on the day ahead. Olivia wanted Ellen and Aiden’s whole family to feel like she had fulfilled her end of the agreement. That way, she could close the chapter that was her brief affair with Aiden and move on. It was also an opportunity for her floral business to take off. Not only might it lead to more weddings, but Olivia could potentially parlay it into an opportunity to sell wholesale flowers to professional florists. Ellen had even generously offered to have her photographer snap photos of all of the arrangements and provide Olivia with copies.
When Olivia and her mom arrived at the venue, Olivia's anxiety was hovering around a five out of ten, so that felt promising. She was praying they would be in and out before the wedding party, or more specifically, Aiden, arrived. If everything went according to plan, Olivia would have everything set up well before pre-wedding pictures started. She needed to focus on getting the job done.
Her mom distributed the table centerpieces while Olivia got to work on the arch. After setting the bouquets out, her mom walked over to help.
Olivia had the greenery in place, and her mom was holding various dahlias, sunflowers, and zinnias for her to arrange in the arch’s structural armature. Thankfully, it was going much faster than she’d expected. Taking a step back, she stretched her arms and shoulders while looking at the arch in full detail.
Someone said her name.
Aiden.
Olivia didn’t need to turn around to know it was him. She and her mom pivoted their heads in unison and saw him standing there in a tux.
Fuuuuuuck.
Olivia's stomach did a somersault.
His presence alone was enough to cloud her brain, but there he was, looking amazing in black and white. The tux fit him perfectly and made his broad shoulders look somehow even broader.
“Sweetie, I need to use the potty,” her mom whispered.
Her words were a record scratch.
“Hi, Aiden,” her mom added cheerily over her shoulder, already halfway out of the room.
Olivia didn’t even have a chance to cling to her arm and cower behind her. Aiden waved halfheartedly toward her mom’s back.
“Hi, Olivia,” he said again.
“Hey.” She forced a smile and met his eyes briefly before he took in all of her hard work.
“Wow, this looks beautiful. You’re incredibly talented.”
Damnit. It would be so much easier if he was being a dick right now.
“Thank you. I’ve learned a lot, thanks to Ellen.”
Aiden didn't say anything. He looked into Olivia's eyes with a piercing stare, full of questions she didn’t know the answers to, but she couldn't look away. Her heart was beating fast, and sweat prickled at the nap of her neck. Ugh , when is this intensity going to fade?
“Sorry, was there something…?” Olivia didn’t know what question to ask.
“Oh, sorry.” He shook his head, and his shoulders drooped. “My mom texted me to ask if I could grab Ellen’s bouquet for her first-look photos. I guess it was a last-minute decision?” He sounded uncertain.
“Hmmm…interesting.” Olivia suspected their mothers had a hand in her current predicament–standing face-to-face with Aiden.
“Yeah, I’m starting to think so, too.” He’d read her mind.
They grinned knowingly, and Olivia had to admit it was a relief to see his smile and his dimples again.
He reached toward her as if to take her hand, but she instinctively pulled away before quickly asking, “How’s your dad doing?”
His eyes widened slightly, but his smile remained, if a little tight. “He’s doing well. Thanks.”
Aiden dropped his hand to his side.
“I’m glad to hear that. I’m sure this is all a lot for your whole family, but I know it’ll be a lovely day.”
“Sure. We’re all really happy for them.”
“Anyway, Ellen’s bouquet is over there.” Olivia pointed toward the honorary bride and groom chairs and crossed to the arch to put more distance between them. “You should take the vase so Ellen can keep her bouquet hydrated between photos.”
“Right, thanks.” He nodded once. “Again, this is all perfect. I hope you’re ready to be flooded with wedding requests. My parents’ friends will definitely be talking about this.” His words were friendly, but his tone was reserved.
Olivia nodded and gave Aiden a closed-lip smile. “Thanks. And congrats again to your family.”
He grabbed the bouquet and, with a final wave, walked out the door.
As soon as he left, Olivia’s mom reappeared.
Olivia raised a dubious eyebrow. “Really, Mom?”
Her mom’s whole body cringed, and she shrank several inches.
She covered her red face with her hands, the picture of guilt. “Eeek. Don’t be mad. Aiden’s mom made me do it.”
Olivia shook her head. “Was the weed hers too, Mom? Were you just holding it for her?”
They burst into laughter, and it cleared any remaining tension from the air. After wiping away a few tears, both from laughter and sadness, Olivia wrapped up the final touches on the arch. She spritzed all of the bouquets one last time and triple-checked to make sure she hadn’t left a single leaf or flower petal out of place. Olivia hoped Ellen and Mrs. Wescott would feel as though flower fairies had come and gone.
Then they were off. Back to home. Back to safety.
It was Olivia’s first market-free Saturday, so she had intentionally made plans to distract herself from all things Aiden Wescott. She was finally meeting up with her old friend Maddy for dinner at Los Guapos, the slightly better of the two local Mexican restaurants, and she was looking forward to it.