Page 71 of Dark Shaman: The Lost Treasure
AMANDA
Asatisfied smile spread across Amanda's face as she surveyed her handiwork. The village green had been transformed into a fairy-tale wonderland, with pink and gold streamers fluttering from the trees and creating canopies of color. Round tables draped in white linen and topped with miniature castles made from sugar and fondant dotted the lawn, the place setting featuring tiaras for the ladies and crowns for the gentlemen because it was a royal birthday, and all guests were princes and princesses.
"Mommy! Mommy!" Evie pointed at the dessert table. "Cake!" She started toward it with the determined but wobbly gait of a little girl who was still learning to walk.
If she fell on her little tushie, the diaper would cushion her fall, but the custom princess dress Stella had created would get dirty before the party even started.
The soft pink confection with its layers of tulle and delicate embroidery made Evie look like she'd stepped out of a period painting, and not one of Disney's adapted fairy tales that bore no resemblance to the originals they'd supposedly been basedon. Not that there was anything wrong with adapting old stories for modern times, but at some point, the scripts had become so ridiculous that the stories had lost their charm, and the movies were simply unwatchable. Little girls didn't watch movies about princesses to have adult subjects shoved in their sweet little faces. They wanted magic, fairy dust, pretty dresses, and tea parties.
All of which Amanda had strived to provide for Evie's first birthday party.
"Look, Mommy!" Evie managed to reach the dessert table before Amanda could catch her and grabbed one of the chocolate-covered pretzels that had been left within her reach.
"Oh no, you don't." Amanda swooped in with a wet wipe she'd pulled out of her pocket with the practiced swiftness of a gunslinger. "Let's clean these little hands before they touch the pretty dress."
Evie shoved the pretzel into her mouth and tried to reach for another one, but Amanda was faster, catching her hands and cleaning the chocolate smudges.
"Choco!" Evie lamented, pointing at the dessert table with sad puppy eyes.
"Later, sweetie. After we eat real food." Amanda adjusted one of Evie's tiny hair clips that had come loose. "Let's say hello to your guests." She lifted her into her arms and walked away from the table laden with irresistible temptations for little ones.
"The decorations are beautiful." Syssi walked toward them with Allegra's hand in hers. Kian followed, looking handsome in his casual linen pants and short-sleeved, loose shirt. It was a raresight to see her brother dressed like that. He usually dressed in a suit and looked like he was about to close a billion-dollar deal.
Allegra was resplendent in her own custom princess dress, a deep purple creation with silver stars embroidered across the skirt.
"I'm like Princess Sparkle!" Allegra twirled to make her dress flare out.
"You look beautiful, sweetie." Amanda glanced at Syssi. "I really wanted to order queen dresses for the mothers, but Dalhu said that I was getting carried away and that I couldn't put every resident of the village in a costume." She sighed. "I wish I could. Imagine how wonderful this party would have been if everybody was wearing costumes."
"You think?" Kian raised an eyebrow, gesturing at the elaborate setup. "The cruise weddings you organized were not as fancy as this."
"You only turn one once," Amanda defended. "Besides, look how happy our little princesses are."
Phoenix, Andrew and Nathalie's daughter, came running over in her own princess dress—a gorgeous green number with gold trim that complemented her dark hair perfectly. Even Karen's daughter, Idina, normally too cool for such things at the advanced age of four, seemed pleased with her blue and silver gown. Cyra had been delighted to receive her green and gold dress with the matching tiara and wear it to the party, but as usual, she was too shy to show it off and was hiding behind her mother’s legs.
"Where's the birthday girl?" Annani's melodious voice preceded her arrival.
"Nani!" Evie reached for her grandmother with grabby hands.
Annani's face lit up as she took her granddaughter. "Happy birthday, my precious one."
As Amanda watched them together, she was almost overcome with emotion. A year ago, she'd been pregnant and terrified, wondering if she could keep her daughter safe until she transitioned into immortality. But even though it was still too early for that, just having her mother around made her less afraid. Instinctively, she knew that nothing would happen to Evie while her grandmother was nearby.
"Shall we move to the family table?" Amanda suggested. Evie's diaper seemed full and probably needed to be replaced, but she'd left the diaper bag on a chair over there.
The family table was decorated with an elaborate centerpiece of a gorgeous castle, and as they settled in, more family members arrived.
Amanda scanned the gathering for Dalhu, who had gone to help Soraya and her sisters carry things to the buffet table and was missing in action.
When she saw him walking toward them, she smiled and waved. "Daddy is coming," she told Evie.
"Daddy!" Her daughter wiggled in her arms, demanding to be put down so she could run to him.
He scooped her into his arms and twirled her around, eliciting happy squeals.
"I hate it when they do that," Syssi said. "It's so dangerous."
"It's what daddies are for," Kian said. "We bring fun and excitement."
