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“Of course.”
She pulls a few locks of hair from either side of my face back toward her and attaches the comb of the veil to the back of my hair, securing it with hairpins. “And how about a gift from Cannon to complete the ensemble?”
“A gift?” I smile. “What’s he gotten me now?”
Ever since our engagement, Cannon’s been showering me with surprises. Clothing, jewelry, furniture, an expensive phone so fancy I can’t even work the thing… my favorite tall, beautiful stone statues of angels for the gardens, and…most recently… a car. The sleek silver Mercedes in the driveway belongs to me, silver angel wings stitched into the black leather headrests.
Her grin is giddy as she hands me a large, square, black velvet jewelry box. I flip open the lid to find dangling blue sapphire earrings and a matching bracelet.
“Your something blue and something new,” she says, taking the bracelet from the box and clipping it around my wrist.
“It’s beautiful.” Twisting my wrist under the lights, I watch the gemstones as they sparkle. There’s a knock on the door. I look up from the gift, calling, “Come in!”
Nonna’s at the door, Charlie at her side. They’re both dressed beautifully, their hair and makeup done like they’re headed to a glamorous wedding. Nonna’s dressed in a gown of soft, silvery purple. She comes rushing over to me, a jewelry box in her own hand. “I’m not too late for the something old, am I, Keisha?”
“Not at all, Nonna.”
Nonna hands me the jewelry box. “This was the necklace I wore on my wedding day when I married your grandfather. I want you to have it.”
My grandmother has very little jewelry from her past. I’m very familiar with the necklace this box holds. I spent hours admiring it when I was a little girl, two silver strands that twist together at the bottom, a diamond pendant hanging from them.
It touches me that she would give me such a sentimental gift.
“Nonna, are you sure?” I think of my mother’s white and rose china dishes she and Booker surprised me with just yesterday. “You’ve already given me the dishes.”
“Of course,tesoro. Who else would I give it to?” She pats my hand. “And now Charlie has your something borrowed.”
“But why all these gifts now? I haven’t even set a date for the wedding.”
Being so enraptured with my new job as co-owner of Fire, I really haven’t put much thought into wedding planning. To the point that Cannon has gotten a little grumpy over the fact that we still don’t know when we’ll be getting married.
I eye Charlie’s elaborate updo and shimmering, sleeveless floor-length gown, big pink flowers on black silk. “And why on Earth are the two of you so dressed up?”
Charlie gives a nervous giggle, turning to Keisha. “You haven’t told her yet?”
Keisha shrugs. “Sorry. I got a little carried away with the dress.”
“Told me what?” I look at Nonna’s smiling face, teeming with excitement. “What is it, Nonna? Tell me.”
Nonna bursts. “Oh,tesoro, my sweetheart. It’s so romantic. Your husband couldn’t wait another day to marry you!”
“Huh? What are you talking about?” I say.
Keisha throws a hand on a cocked hip. “Why do you think he closed Fire on Sundays?”
“So we could have more time together?” I say.
She rolls her eyes at me. “Yes, but why did he demand that we start this new schedule now, this week, today?”
Charlie giggles giddily. “Because he couldn’t take it anymore. He had to marry you. Today. It really is so romantic.”
“And a little grumpy of him,” Keisha adds. “But cute.”
I stare back at my reflection, overwhelmed. “I’m getting married… today?”
“Yes.” Charlie points at the door. “In one hour, right down that hall, in the ballroom, there’ll be four hundred people waiting to see you get married.”
“Oh my God.” Can this be real? “And you all planned everything for me? It must have been so much work.”
