Page 99 of Christmas at Black Cherry Retreat
Chapter Forty-Six
For a full fortnight after Thanksgiving they enjoyed the lull before the storm. Fee helped Tom to add simple decorations to all the cabins that were booked for the Christmas season. They kept it natural by using fresh cut greenery, pine cones and shiny holly laden with plump red berries. It seemed there was an unwritten rule in Pine Ridge that it was compulsoryto hang Christmas decorations on every available spot. The town turned into a colourful, brightly lit wonderland. Even the police department didn’t escape despite Hank grumbling that it wasn’t professional to have an inflatable Santa Claus wearing a jaunty uniform cap outside the door. She’d seen far more elaborate decorations in cities around the world but the joyful, unsophisticated natureof Pine Ridge’s efforts appealed to Fee.
Every time they saw Lulu the little girl updated them on how many nights she had to sleep before Santa Claus finally came. They often joked that she would quite possibly burst with excitement long before the 25th of December.
But the previous week everything had changed when they collected her mother and Will from the Knoxville airport.They’d turned down Tom’s offer of a cabin at Black Cherry or Sarah Chambers’ guest bedroom on the grounds that they were used to being independent and would be fine in the Pine Ridge motel. Despite their differences Maddy and Sarah clicked the first time they met and united in their determination to thwart Fee and Tom’s plans for a simple, quiet wedding. They tried to distract their mothers and eatup more wedding planning time by taking them on several sightseeing trips around the local area. Out of desperation they even braved the appalling traffic jams around Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge to see the fifteen million Christmas light display in the Smoky Mountain Winterfest. Fee’s eyeballs burned for days after that one.
‘We’ve created a monster,’ she sighed. ‘You’ve heard the media’shabit of mashing celebrity couples’ names together these days? Well I think our mothers qualify. I can’t decide whether Saddy or Marah sounds best.’
‘Honey, hold onto the fact that when all this stuff is behind us we’ll be married and that’s all that really matters.’
‘I know you’re right but I didn’t expect—’ Fee succumbed to Tom’s kisses and pushed tomorrow’s wedding dress shoppingexpedition from her mind. She’d put it off up to the point where she thought Sarah and Maddy would kidnap her and drag her to the nearest mall. The fact it was now only five days until their wedding and she still had nothing to wear forced her to give in.
‘Yeah well there’s a lot we didn’t expect, sweetheart.’ Tom’s lopsided smile warmed her heart. ‘Most of it’s good.’ He nuzzled intoher neck and his stubble tickled her skin. ‘Whatever you buy I’ll love it and love gettin’ you out—’
‘Behave yourself.’ She slapped his hand away, the one exploring under the hem of her jumper. ‘At least until later.’ Fee sighed. ‘Any minute now our wonderful parents will be arriving for dinner and we’ll be back to talking about interesting topics like flowers and wedding cake.’
‘Don’t worry. I’ll show you interestin’ later.’
I’m sure you will.
Fee started to despair. She’d spent most of the day being herded around every bridal shop in Knoxville. Despite the fact she was within waving distance of forty, both women had similar visions of her in an elaborate white dress complete with veil. To please them she’d tried on a multitude of traditional wedding dressesuntil even Sarah and Maddy were forced to admit the futility.
‘There’s one more store Mary-Jo told us to check out,’ Sarah announced with firm determination and Fee got the hint she’d better not object. ‘She said the Bridal Bar has some cute dresses. If you can’t find something there we’ll be forced to go to Nashville tomorrow.’
The thought of enduring another round of shoppingwas chilling but the daylight was starting to fade along with Fee’s enthusiasm.
‘Get back in the car,’ Sarah ordered.
Ten minutes later they stood on the pavement outside the Bridal Bar and Fee almost danced with joy. The mannequin in the centre of the window wore Fee’s dream dress. The ice-blue, tea-length lace dress sprinkled with light-catching diamante, soft ballerina styleskirt and scooped neckline was the first she’d been able to imagine herself wearing.
‘That’s the one.’ Fee pointed and Sarah and Maddy exchanged unreadable glances before smiling and nodding. ‘Fingers crossed it fits.’
‘It will,’ Maddy declared and for some nonsensical reason Fee believed her mother.
Five minutes later she stared at her reflection in the mirror and bitback tears.I don’t do pretty. It’d taken Tom’s generous love to make her understand she didn’t have to make a choice between being strong and feminine.
‘Come on. Don’t make us wait any longer,’ Sarah shouted.
She stepped out of the dressing room and the look on their faces was worth every aggravating moment of the whole day. Fee hoped Tom would be equally struck dumb.
Tom leaned against the door post and blew on his hot coffee, gazing out over the frost-tipped landscape. He strolled over to one of his terracotta pots and plucked a dead leaf from his favourite dark wine Lenten Rose. Sturdy enough to survive a cold East Tennessee winter but colourful enough to make a statement. He smiled at the idea Fee might describe him the same way. They didn’t have any snow onthe ground yet but the forecast and dull, grey sky held strong hints that Fee might get her hoped for white wedding.
As Lulu would say “Only three more sleeps, UncleT”. After he lost Gina, and himself for a long while, he was convinced he’d never marry again but now he couldn’t wait to make Fee his wife.
‘You’re up early.’ Fee wandered out to join him, tugging on a soft grey jumperover her pyjamas. ‘You’ve finished the patio furniture haven’t you?’
‘Yeah.’ He didn’t apologise for leaving her alone in bed because he knew she understood. ‘That’s it for now. I won’t get a chance to do any more. There’s too much goin’ on.’ He could hardly wait to see his little niece’s face when she saw the completed dolls’ house for the first time.
‘Why on earth would you saythat? We’ve only got a school Christmas pageant this afternoon, the Pine Ridge Christmas carol concert at six o’clock.’ She ticked them off on her fingers. ‘There’s a Christmas cookie swap at the church tomorrow morning which you still need to make cookies for because I’ve been reliably informed that shop-bought ones are totally not acceptable—’
‘There are three dozen of my famous ReindeerEars in a plastic box all ready to go.’ Tom popped a kiss on the top of her head. ‘You’ve forgotten to mention attending the midnight Christmas Eve service, filling our stockings and wrapping presents.’
‘The positive spin to put on all of this is that assuming I survive the festivities we finally get to the best part.’
‘Eating all of my mama’s great food?’ Tom knew he deservedthe sharp jab in his ribs but he’d made her smile which was all that mattered. ‘Oh you mean that weddin’ thing we’ve got goin’ on?’
‘Yes, Thomas Michael Chambers that “wedding thing”.’
