Chapter 44

Steve pulled up to the curb just before 10:00.

"Did you call that one, or what?" Devlin asked Krissi as she hurried down the sidewalk. "One minute ahead of schedule."

"Only thanks to Steve," Krissi said as she got out of the car. She was wearing a dark blue, knee-length dress with a high neck and long sleeves. It had a bit of lace at the throat and matching lace at her wrists. "If he hadn't kicked my butt out of bed we probably wouldn't have gotten here until noon." She glanced at the apartment building. "How's your mother holding up?"

"I'll be glad when this is over," Devlin said. "I hope I'm not this bad when it comes to my wedding." She sighed. "We might as well go in."

Devlin's mother, wearing jeans and a tee-shirt, was pacing back and forth in the living room, chain smoking. "It's turned into an absolute disaster," she told Devlin. "While you were outside I made a few phone calls. The flowers are going to be delivered tomorrow, not today, the photographer's car broke down, the caterer is holding out for more money, and they can't find the punch bowl for the reception."

Devlin and Krissi looked at each other. "All right," Devlin said, drawing a deep breath, "let's see what we can do."

"Before we start," Krissi said, "how are you doing?"

"Oh, I'll live, I think. I may end up in jail, though, after shooting a few people."

"Good, that's the important thing. Did the dress arrive?"

"I picked it up yesterday."

"And you tried it on?"

"I did when it arrived. It's a bit looser that I thought, but--"

"Fine," Krissi said, cutting her off. "Where's the photographer?"

"He called from his cell phone. His car broke down on Route 251 about three miles north of town."

"I'll go pick him up," Steve said. "Where's the church?"

Devlin gave him the address and directions. He nodded as he wrote them down, then repeated them back to her. "I'll call your cell phone when I get to him," he added before he left.

"Flowers," Krissi said. "That's next."

"Why are the flowers going to be late?" Devlin asked. She shook her head. "Never mind, I'll deal with the flower people. What's with the catering people?"

"I don't know," her mother said savagely. "Fuck."

Devlin raised her eyebrows. "Mother, that's almost the first time I've heard you swear."

"When you're about to get married, Devlin, you'll understand."

"The caterer we can handle," Krissi said. She smiled softly. "That's not a problem. We'll need you to come along, though."

"That leaves the punch bowl."

"We'll handle that, as well," Krissi said. "Call one of the ladies at the Church; I'm sure one of them has a punch bowl she can loan you."

Devlin nodded. "Let's all get in my car," she said in as practical a tone as she could manage. She glanced at her mother. "And put out that cigarette, all right?"

Her mother ground out the butt and got in the front seat. "Let's go see the caterer, first," Krissi said as she got in back.

The caterer was right next to the dress shop. Krissi walked in with fire in her eyes. "So," she said in a loud voice, "someone's getting married today. You signed the contract, they paid for the food, and at the last second you're holding out for more money." The woman behind the counter shifted evasively. "I'm getting married next year, and I was thinking I'll just avoid using you. And, of course, I'll tell everyone at all of the bridal boutiques in the area what you did. You can imagine how fast that news will get around."

"Umm, well, there was a misunderstanding," the woman said hesitantly.

"Bullshit. You know, Sheryl," Krissi said to Devlin's mom, "I know a restaurant just outside of town that can put this whole thing together in just a couple of hours."

"How much will it cost?" Devlin's mom asked.

"It'll be my wedding present to you," Krissi said. "But first, let's go next door and start telling people about the catering service here." She spun on her heel and let the door bang shut behind her.

"I bet we could take out an ad in the paper," Devlin said. "Mom, do you know anyone who works for the local paper? They're always looking for something like this; trying to stiff a bride on her wedding day, oh, they'll love that."

"The money she paid me doesn't cover the cost of the food," the woman said as she came out the door.

"But that's what you signed the contract for," Krissi said, turning back to her, "and Sheryl paid you. But, don't worry, we'll let the lawyers work it out."

"Wait," the woman said. "I'm sure we can come to some sort of an arrangement."

"Sure," Krissi said. "That's easy. I'll be back here at 1:15 to watch you deliver the food to the reception." She smiled pleasantly. "See how easy that was to work out?" She opened the door to the bridal boutique. "Hi there! Have I got a story for you guys."

"Did you really tell them what happened?" Devlin asked when Krissi got back in the car.

"Of course. Devlin, never make a threat you won't carry out. If that food isn't being loaded at 1:15, I'll be back in the boutique here at 1:20, telling everyone about it. Oh, and in the meantime, we'll contact that restaurant just in case."

"I'd love to be here to see that," Devlin's mother said.

"No, you won't," Krissi said. "You'll be in your wedding dress by then with other things on your mind. The catering is handled. Now, what about the flowers?"

Devlin dialed the number her mother had given her. She got a garbled reply, shrugged, and hung up. "I think we'd better see what's going on."

The flower shop was only a few minutes away. When they turned the corner of the block they saw the fire trucks filling the street. The flower store was just a charred ruin.

"Okay," Krissi said, "this is a problem."

"There she is," Devlin's mother said. "Let's find out what happened."

"I came in this morning and the place was already burning," the owner said a couple of minutes later." She had a basket next to her and pulled a bouquet out of it. "I saved your bouquet, but that was all I could do."

"That's something. All right, what do we do?"

"I'll pay you back after the insurance is settled," the woman said. She turned and looked at the firemen moving through the charred timbers. "Fifteen years."

"You'll be back," Devlin said. "Is there someone you would recommend?"

The woman nodded. She pulled a card out of her jeans. "Here's Jody's number. If anyone can get some floral arrangements put together for your wedding, she's the one. When's the wedding?"

"Two o'clock," Devlin said.

"Ouch. Well, it'll be tight, but give her a call. Like I said, if anyone can pull off a miracle, it's her." She smiled. "She loves challenges."

"Well, take some time off and come to the reception," Devlin said. She waved her hand at the remains of the flower store. "I know this looks bad, but come to the reception. It'll get your mind off of this for a few minutes." She glanced at Krissi out of the corner of her eye. "And I think it'll be good press, too. People will want to know you're going to be back."

"Maybe."

"Trust me," Devlin said. "You'll need the break."

"We'll see," the woman said, and turned back to watching the firemen.

Devlin pulled around the corner and pulled out her cell phone. After a brief conversation with Jody, she smiled at her mother. "We'll have to see her, and she'll want some money up front."

"Of course."

"But she's willing to try."

Her mother sighed. "At least I've got my bouquet. Okay, let's go. What else is going to go wrong today?"

"We'll find out when it happens," Krissi said. "What about your wedding cake?"

"That, at least, is taken care of. I checked this morning, and it's already in the refrigerator at the reception hall. The bakery delivered it this morning."

"We'll check it anyway," Krissi said. She pointed dramatically down the street. "On to Jody's!"

Jody, a spare woman with dark hair and lively dark eyes, was almost rubbing her hands. "Ordinarily I'd say it'd take at least a day to get everything ready," she said, "but I heard about Sarah's fire earlier today. She called me and asked me if I could do something for you. We discussed what you'd chosen for flowers, and I have most of what you want in stock. I'd say let's do a minimalist approach at the wedding itself. That will give me more time to do the reception hall."

"How much?" Devlin's mother asked.

Jody gave her a price. "I know it sounds like a lot, but time is rather tight. I'm going to have to do call in some favors."

"Whatever," Devlin said. "The important thing is to get things in place. Is there anything we can take to the church?"

Devlin's mother passed over her credit card. "Here, let's just get going and figure it out afterwards."

Jody nodded as she copied down the numbers. "I have ribbon and mini-bouquets here. Why don't you take those? That'll leave me free to concentrate on the reception hall."

"Here's the address," Devlin said. "It's right around the corner from the church."

Jody nodded. "I should be there about 12:30," she said. "I'll see you then."

"I really appreciate this," Devlin's mother said. "I don't know how to thank you enough."

"Just tell people that I was there for you in a pinch," Jody said, smiling.

"Note," Krissi said as they pulled away. "Let's change the lede on the article: compare the caterer with the flower people."

Devlin could see the tight anger begin to fade slightly in her mother's eyes. "That's out of the way, then," she said. "All right, the photographer. Shouldn't Steve have called by now?"

"I'll call him," Krissi said. "Your job, Devlin, will be the punch bowl, and making sure your mother fits in her dress."

"Works for me," Devlin said as she turned back to her mother's apartment.

"When did you try the dress on?" Devlin asked her mother a few minutes later.

"Tuesday, why?"

"When did you eat last?"

"Oh, maybe Thursday, maybe Tuesday. I don't remember."

Devlin rolled her eyes. "You are not passing out in the middle of the ceremony from lack of food," she said firmly. She saw her mother's hip bones, and could easily count her ribs. "I'm not sure if Tom would appreciate marrying a scarecrow."

"I've been so nervous..." her mother began.

"The wedding's at 2:00, we should be at the church no later than 1:00, though earlier if we have a chance. It's almost 11:30, now. Let's see how the dress fits."

Obediently her mother got into the dress. Devlin called Krissi in, and together they walked around her mother, tugging, checking, finally looking at each other and nodding.

"It hangs a little loose on her," Krissi said. "But it's nothing we can't fix with a few pins."

"My thought exactly," Devlin said. "All right, mom, get back in your regular clothes, we're going to get some food in you."

"But..."

"And then we'll go directly to the church and get you ready."

"Sounds like a good idea to me," Krissi said, nodding.

Reluctantly her mother changed back into her street clothes. With little ceremony Devlin hustled her out to the car and south to the restaurant in the small strip mall where Emma had her lingerie shop. By the time they finished eating, her mother was in a much better frame of mind.

"Now, if only I don't burp during the middle of the ceremony," she said, laughing.

"We'll risk it," Devlin laughed. "When we get back to the apartment, we'll have to get everything you need loaded in the car."

Her mother nodded. "I have things pretty much set. I packed nearly everything I knew I was going to need last night."

Devlin smiled when she saw her mother's suitcase with a large padlock on it. "Didn't trust people, did we?"

Her mother shrugged. "Not really."

They got the car loaded, and then Devlin made her mother recite everything she was going to need for the wedding. Krissi checked them off as they were mentioned.

"That's it, then," Devlin said. "It's 12:45, which gives us time to come back and get anything that you missed."

"I think so," Krissi said. She eyed the pile in the back seat. "But I think that's everything."

When they got to the church Devlin and Krissi made a bee line inside. Devlin saw one of the women she mentally tagged a 'church lady', and mentioned the punch bowl.

"We have a spare here," the woman replied. "It's amazing how many of those things go missing on a wedding day. I think gremlins steal them, or something." She glanced at the dressing room. "How's your mother?"

"Nervous as can be," Devlin said.

"Well, tell her we've got things handled. She needs to take care of herself."

Devlin checked on her mother: she was working on her make-up. Satisfied that things were at least temporarily under control, she returned to the nave.

Krissi had put the guest book at the front of the church, along with an arrangement of flowers. There were more flowers on the pews, but that was it. As Jody had said, this was a minimalist approach.

Devlin went next door to the reception hall. The tables were already covered in white linen. At the front of the room there was a table set aside for the cake. Beside it were plates and silverware framed by a spray of white roses.

"We'll move the roses to either side when the cake comes out," Jody said. "I've got flowers on each table, along with wedding favors."

There were two girls setting the tables. The punch bowl, or its replacement, was on a corner table surrounded by a circle of flowers. In the opposite corner there was another display of flowers, and an empty picture frame.

"I thought we could get one of the pictures from the wedding, print it off, and put it there," Jody said. She smiled. "Might as well try something different."

"I... that... that's a wonderful idea," Devlin said. "I never would have thought of that." She caught Krissi's eye. "Do you want to change before checking with the caterer?"

"I don't have time," Krissi said. "I'll change when I get back." She saw Steve standing at the front door with a middle-aged man festooned with cameras. "The photographer's here. Steve and I will go check on the caterer."

"How are you doing?" Devlin asked her mother when she returned to the dressing room. Her mother had finished her make-up and was just staring at the wedding dress, her hands shaking.

"I think I may throw up," her mother said. her's hands began shaking even harder.

Devlin looked at the other two women in the room. "Suggestions?"

"All brides are nervous," one of them said. She dug into her purse and pulled out a paper bag. "Let's try this."

After a few minutes of sustained breathing in the paper bag, her mother's hands stopped shaking quite so much. Finally she waved it away. "All--all right," she said. "I'll be fine." She pulled off her tee-shirt and began peeling out of her jeans. Twenty minutes later she pulled on her lace gloves. By now her hands were rock steady.

"Have to touch up your make-up and hair," one of the women said as she picked up a brush.

Devlin took this cue to go out to the car and bring back her own dress. She'd searched for several days before finally choosing this one. It was a basic white sheath, knee-length, with a high neck and long sleeves. The dress flared slightly like she had on an underskirt. To complement it she wore white tights with white pumps her mother had bought her for the occasion. After some consideration she went with just earrings; no necklace, no bracelet. The idea was to be simple and effective without upstaging her mother. With her hair pinned and swept off to one side, Devlin decided she looked every inch the proper and demure young lady. The nods from the other women in the room just confirmed that impression.

While waiting, her mother reached for a pack of cigarettes. One of her friends from work gave her a pack of nicotine-less cigarettes, which her mother chain-smoked without seeing or tasting anything. Finally, a breath mint, a couple minutes more with the paper bag, a final check for the ring--Devlin slipped it into the pocket on her dress, and it was nearly time.

Krissi slipped into the room and began shedding clothes. Devlin helped her zip up. "Everything ready?"

"Everything," Krissi said. "But don't look for that caterer's work, either. She had 'difficulties' with the final preparation. So we have mini-burgers and so on from that restaurant." She sighed. "'She'll never work in dis bidness again!'"

"What?"

"A quote from a Jimmy Buffett song. Never mind. How do I look?"

"Your hair is a mess, but other than that, presentable."

Krissi grabbed her hair brush out of her purse and attacked her hair. "Fortunately I've got a lot of experience with this."

"And your hair is naturally straight."

"That, too." She finished and checked herself in the mirror. "How do I look?"

"Marvelous. Now get out front, things are about to start."

Devlin preceded her mother down the aisle. Everything seemed so nice and proper, it was hard to believe how hectic the last few hours had been. She only hoped her own wedding, whenever it might be, would go a lot smoother.

When her mother stepped up next to Tom, Devlin could see the slightest trembling of the bouquet her mother was carrying. Devlin could feel her mother's trembling subside as the minister started through the vows. And, finally, it was over, Tom was lifting her veil and kissing her, and everyone was clapping.

The reception--Devlin cast a quick look around, checking everything--it looked like everything had been planned down to the last detail. Things went better than Devlin thought they would. There was the opening of the gifts, the toasts, the wedding cake, the food--people loved the mini-burgers--more toasts, and plenty of dancing. Her mother was happy, her eyes sparkling and her smile infectious. She danced as if her feet weren't touching the ground. The photographer had two cameras, and he took pictures from both of them. He also had a boy following him around with a polaroid camera. The boy would take a picture. The photographer would study it, and then take a picture from each camera.

Devlin danced with Tom, but politely turned down dances with some of the others. Krissi and Steve were constantly out on the dance floor, and when Steve took a bathroom break Krissi almost collapsed on a chair.

"Lordy, but he can dance. I'm half-past pooped, and it's only the middle of the afternoon."

"I just had another thought," Devlin said. "What about the limousine?"

"It's here," Krissi said. "I checked. It's waiting out front, and the driver is in the front seat reading a book."

"I guess the only thing left is the bouquet."

"Going to try to catch it?"

"Not on your life! What about you?"

"Maybe."

In the end somebody else caught the bouquet. Tom and her mother ran down the front walk while being showered with rice. Amid cheers and wishes for good luck they sped off into the afternoon.

After waving, Devlin headed for her car. "I'll be back in an hour or so," she said, "maybe two. Will you be here?"

"Probably," Krissi said, laughing, "and still dancing, too."

Devlin met Tom and her mother at a restaurant at the hotel where they would be staying the night. After a quiet late afternoon dinner she gave her mother a hug. "I'll see you when you get back."

"Don't forget to water the plants."

"I won't. Have fun, and I'll see you next Sunday."

Devlin drove back to the reception, taking her time. In spite of everything, it had all come together. Her mother had organized this in less than a month. She decided to spend a little more time planning her own wedding.

Sue and Danny were standing on the sidewalk when Devlin pulled up. Devlin caught Sue's eye as she got out of the car, and motioned her over.

"What is it you wanted to talk to me about?"

Sue looked around. "I wanted to know if you wouldn't mind seeing Danny every week or so like you used to, at least as long as I'm pregnant."

"Sure, no problem." She thought of what Denise O'Connor had told her. "Tell him, though, that he'll have to make the arrangements. We may have someone following me again."

"I thought the police arrested those men."

"This is somebody new."

"I'll tell him. I'm sure he can come up with something." She pressed her hand on Devlin's arm. "I want to thank you for this. You don't know how much it means to me."

"I'm glad to help, but you'll let me know when things are over. There'll come a point where this has to be over."

"I will. I figure it'll be a couple months after the baby is born."

"That'll be, what, next February?"

Sue nodded. "Something like that." She gave Devlin a quick hug. "Thank you so much."

Devlin sighed. Had she just agreed to have sex with Danny for 11 more months? That was funny in a way. Wasn't sex and love supposed to be spontaneous? That was a laugh. Her sex life was as predictable as you could get: Tuesdays at Cindy's, every other weekend at Emma's, and now Danny once or twice a week. Well, she couldn't complain about not getting any. She was getting more than the rest of the girls on her floor put together. She snorted. She was probably getting more than half the girls in her dorm.

She remembered high school. This was sort of like that. In high school she'd had sex nearly every night with Danny, and every other weekend at Emma's. If anything, she'd finished growing up with sex every day. Probably only Amnita could claim something like that. She'd probably had more sex than the fantasies of the boys in her graduating class. That was worth a laugh or two.

Krissi was still inside. She was talking with a couple of the church ladies, and making a few notes on a napkin.

"My feet are killing me," Devlin said as she sat down. She massaged her ankles. "Much better."

"You missed a great party," Krissi said. "It got a little wild after you guys left. How are your nerves?"

"A bit frazzled, but not too bad. It was harder on my mother."

"I've known gals to lay into the sauce right after a wedding," Krissi said. "Especially with so many things trying to go wrong at the same time."

"I can see why." Devlin shifted her legs so she could massage her other ankle. "She's relaxed, now. Tomorrow this will all be just a story, one she can laugh about."

"True. Steve took off about 30 minutes ago, so I'm at loose ends."

"Well, we could head back to campus."

Krissi tugged her to her feet and started toward the parking lot. "We could, but I was thinking of something else." She stopped and looked around the reception hall. "After we clean up, of course."

Devlin nodded. "Let's get busy. It shouldn't take too long." She shifted her weight back and forth, trying to find a way to stand so her feet didn't hurt. "I've got to get out of these shoes. Everything else can wait."

Krissi laughed. "I brought flip-flops just for this moment."

Devlin threw her shoes in the front seat of her car, and then, barefoot, helped clean up from the party. At the end of an hour the place looked like it had the night before.

"So," Krissi said as they walked out to Devlin's car. "What do you want to do? I'm not that keen on going back to campus. I see too much of the place as it is."

"My mother just got married," Devlin said as she got in her car. "She's pregnant. She's expecting a baby. I'm going to be a sister." She shook her head. "I've got this urge to get blind, stinking drunk. I won't, but it's a temptation. She's going to have sex tonight. That's a bit weird. I mean, your mother never has sex. Mothers are asexual creatures, aren't they? But tonight she's going to have sex with her new husband. Like I said, I have this urge to get wasted."

She sighed. "The proper thing to do is to head back to campus. You said your folks are coming down tomorrow; what time do they get in?"

"Their plane arrives in Chicago at 11:00," Krissi said. "It's about a 3-hour trip from Chicago, at least the way my Dad drives, so by the time they get to campus it'll be around 2:00."

"What did you have in mind?"

"It's after 8, now..."

"Yeah... ?"

"How about going to Emma's? I sort of promised her we might show up."

Devlin laughed. "Krissi, as much as I enjoy it, I'm not sure if I'm in the mood to get laid tonight."

"Why not? It's either that or get drunk. Technically speaking, you're too young to get drunk; you have to be 21 in this state to drink. You're not too young to get laid, though."

"I'm too young for a number of things I've done," Devlin said. "But that never stopped me."

"True. Okay, how about this? If you get drunk, you'll end up doing something foolish that you'll regret, and probably with a guy who won't be safe."

"How do you know I'll do that?"

"I remember how horny you got the last time you got drunk."

"Well, okay, you've got me there."

"And if you get drunk, you'll need a place to sleep it off because you're not driving."

"That's true, too."

"Where were you planning on spending the night? On campus?"

"Well, that idea crossed my mind. I do have a room there."

"C'mon, I want to go to Emma's. You can always go sit in the hot tub and relax. I feel the need to get downright raunchy."

"That must be because your mother's coming town."

"Probably," Krissi agreed. "Just the thought of her always seems to make me horny."

"From your stories I have a hard time believing you're her daughter."

Krissi laughed. "Put it this way: when I was younger, I couldn't picture her having sex. Now that I'm older, I still can't picture her having sex. It wouldn't be proper or something. Maybe she objects because really good sex can be messy."

"She's that much of a neat freak?"

"She has a maid service come in once a week. The day before they show up she cleans everything down to the last detail. Says she doesn't want them to think a slob lives there."

"Doesn't that defeat the whole purpose of a maid service?"

"It's a status thing for her. My parents are too important and too busy to clean. I think that's because on a couple of the foreign posts we had servants."

Devlin shook her head. "Some people."

"C'mon, it'll be fun."

"Emma doesn't like people to show up too late," Devlin said. "By the time we get there, it'll be 9:00, or a little later."

"That's still plenty of time."

Devlin sighed. "You seem set on it," she said. "Sure. Why not?"

"You'll have fun," Krissi said. "You know it."

"I don't know. I'd feel rather conspicuous showing up in this dress."

"I wouldn't worry. You'll be out of it soon enough."

Devlin sat there reluctantly staring at her friend. Finally she sighed and started the car. "Sure," she said in an even voice. "Why not."

They drove past Emma's about 9:15. Cars were parked neatly up and down the street, and the parking lot of the Grange was full. "All right, smarty," Devlin said, looking for a place to park. "Now what?"

"I think there's one up ahead," Krissi said, pointing. They cruised past the spot slowly, staring at the fire hydrant. "I guess not."

Finally they found a parking spot nearly two blocks from Emma's. "I just realized I didn't pack anything for an extra night," Krissi said as they got out of the car.

"I wouldn't worry about it," Devlin said as she pulled out her overnight case. "You've never been keen on underwear."

"If we're late getting back to campus, or my folks show up early, my mother will notice, and I'll hear no end of it."

"It's not too late to back out."

Krissi shook her head. "Come on, we're here, we might as well do it. I'll just have to remember to buy something on the way back to campus."

"So how are we getting in?" Devlin asked. "Emma locks the door at 7:00."

"I called her earlier today," Krissi said. "I told her that we might be late. She was going to leave the gate to the backyard unlocked, but we have to lock it behind us."

The gate was hidden in the shadows between the house and the garage. Krissi tried the latch, opening the gate easily. She felt around, and found the latch that locked it, sliding that home behind them. They walked slowly to the back door, not wanting to interrupt anyone. Their caution was rewarded, they could hear soft grunting and rapid breathing coming from somewhere in the backyard. Krissi flashed Devlin a smile before opening the back door.

Once inside they could hear music and a strange buzzing coming from downstairs, and giggles coming from the living room. There were half a dozen people, all nude, in the kitchen. "Umm, clothed," one woman said. "Kinky."

"Anything to be different," Krissi said gaily to the others in the kitchen, and headed for the front of the house. Devlin gave the others a smile and followed.

One of the guys in the kitchen peeled off and followed them. He tapped Devlin on the shoulder. "Can I look up your dress?" he asked.