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“No.” She picked up a red heart-shaped glass ornament and cradled it in her hand. “I know they love me, and I have faith they’ll be civil to one another on my special day. I even think they’ll try to get along. But honestly, what I really want is for the tension to be dealt with beforehand so that I’m not on pins and needles all the time.”
“They put you in the middle?” Sarah asked.
“Yes. Not on purpose, though. They don’t mean to do it, but it happens, and somehow that makes it worse. If I go to the ranch instead of going to New York, she’s hurt. If I see her instead of him, he goes quiet. It’s a silent tug-of-war, and I want it to stop, at least on my wedding day. I want to think about our marriage that day, not the disaster of my parents’ marriage.”
“I see.” Her arms crossed, Celeste lifted one hand to thoughtfully tap her lips with her index finger.
Sarah said, “I don’t know your mother, but I’ve spoken with your dad on the phone, Molly. He strikes me as a reasonable person. You should say to him what you’ve just said to us. I’ll bet he’ll listen and do what he can to make it right for you.”
“Maybe,” Molly said glumly.
Celeste asked, “Do you have a date for the wedding in mind yet?”
The couple glanced at each other, then Molly said, “We briefly discussed it earlier. But, first, we’ll need to speak with our families and get everyone to check their calendars.”
“I’m hoping for shortly after graduation,” Mason said. “I wouldn’t want to start a new job and then ask off for a honeymoon.”
Lori suggested, “You should have a Christmas wedding. Maybe on the weekend between Christmas and New Year’s.”
“And where will it take place?”
Molly winced and bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know. I split my time between Dad’s ranch in Texas and Mom’s place in New York.”
“Knowing them, they’ll want us to do two weddings,” Mason drawled.
“Nonsense.” Celeste dismissed that with a wave. “You two should get married on neutral ground. Have a destination wedding.”
“You mean like Hawaii?” Mason rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know, Ms. Blessing. That would probably be okay with my parents. They like to travel every chance they get. But we’d also like to have our friends at our wedding. Our friends are mostly poor college kids, so asking them to make a big trip really doesn’t work.”
“And I don’t want to ask my parents to pay for something like that,” Molly added. “Money is tight for Dad, and he’s too proud to let Mom pay for everything. So, it’s better for everyone if we keep this wedding low-key.”
“Actually, I was thinking of someplace much closer and more economical than Hawaii,” Celeste said. “Why don’t you get married here in Eternity Springs? It’s within driving distance from Texas, so travel doesn’t need to be too expensive. You’d have a historic church for the ceremony, and Angel’s Rest is a lovely venue for a reception. I happen to know that your friends could get an extra-special deal on their rooms. Our college student winter discount is even better than what we offer in summer.”
Interest lit both Mason’s and Molly’s eyes as they glanced at one another. “In a town this small,” Sarah said, “your parents couldn’t avoid each other for long.”
“That’s a thought,” Molly said.
Celeste added, “I know of a perfect place for a secluded honeymoon if you want to stay in the area. Sarah, you’ve seen what the Timberlakes have done to Bear’s yurt, have you not?”
“Yurt?” Mason asked.
“It’s a year-round universal recreation tent.”
“You want me to spend my honeymoon in a tent!” Molly exclaimed.
Sarah laughed. “That yurt is no ordinary tent. It was luxurious before our friends bought it, but after their upgrades, it could compete with a five-star hotel. It’s their romantic getaway, but I’m sure they’d let you use it.”
Lori nodded decisively. “You should totally do it.”
“It does sound awesome,” Mason said.
“You and your parents could come here for Christmas,” Celeste said. “You’ll have last-minute preparations to make. That way, you could deal with the tension before your wedding day.”
Mason nodded. “I’ll bet my family would come here for Christmas, too. We could spend the holidays together and put off the whole ‘Whose family do we spend Christmas with?’ decision for another year.”
“That would be awesome.” Molly took a long look around, her lips pursed in thought. “Lori says it’s beautiful here at Christmastime. Cold, but beautiful.”
A wicked glint entered Mason’s eyes as he added, “Good snuggling weather.”
