A Match Made in Heaven

Chapter 7

“I don’t know which way is up anymore,” Janelle groaned as she leafed through her wedding binder. “I think this is a bit much for me.”

“Nonsense,” Clark said as he moved his phone away from his ear. “You’ve got this! Hello, yes, I need to speak to you about these flower arrangements.”

Janelle sighed. She was glad Clark was enjoying planning her wedding, because she was at her wits end. The fall had quickly turned into freezing winter. All the while, Reece was in New York taking care of business. He’d kissed her on the forehead over a month ago telling her that he’d be back soon.

She wasn’t exactly mad at Reece, at least he was helping when he could. Still, it was going to be a large wedding and it felt as though the February 14^th wedding date was getting closer and closer. They’d both chosen it, but Janelle had no idea how quickly it would be coming up.

“Did you pick a color for the bridesmaids dresses yet?” Clark asked.

“No, I still can’t decide. Daphne really likes the red, but Mya likes the black better.”

“What do you like better?” Clark asking, cocking his brow.

“Vodka,” she mumbled. When he rolled his eyes, she sighed. “The red, I guess.”

“She says red it is. Yep. Of course, we’ll meet you guys there in two hours. Bye.”

“Who was that?” Janelle asked.

“That was Daphne. She’s going to round up all of the bridesmaids and we’re going dress shopping. You still haven’t even picked your dress out yet. I already called your mom, she’s on her way here.”

Janelle shook her head. “I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

“Not a thing. You’d be getting married in an alley wearing a pair of jogging pants.”

Janelle laughed. “I’m not that bad!”

“That’s what you say. Girl, you need to start making some decisions. After all this is your wedding, you need to make sure it’s something you’ll enjoy. Otherwise, what’s the point?”

She nodded. “I hear what you’re saying.”

“Good. Now, go get ready. I found the most amazing little dress boutique. After we’re done there we’ll get shoes and jewelry too.”

“Wait,” Janelle said after she slipped from the bar stool. “Where’s the budget at now?”

“None of your business,” Clark countered, “Reece told me not to tell you a single figure. It’s your wedding, it’s supposed to be expensive. Now, go get ready before I have to fight you.”

“Okay, okay. I’m going,” she mumbled as she walked up the stairs to her room.

Janelle rumbled through her closets for a while before she settled on a pair of slacks and a white blouse. She pulled her hair into a ponytail, dabbed on a bit of makeup and was ready to go. When she walked back downstairs, her mom was already waiting downstairs. Janelle smiled as she hugged her.

“I missed you,” Jacklyn said.

“I missed you too. Sorry, I haven’t really had time to talk. This wedding planning is driving me crazy. I should have pushed the date back farther.”

“It wouldn’t matter, trust me. I had a year to plan your father and I’s wedding. It still drove me to the brink of going crazy. Besides, you have all of us here to support you.”

Janelle smiled. “Yeah, that’s true. And having Clark around is like a one man army.”

“Damn straight!” Clark called from the next room.

They laughed as Janelle slipped on her boots. She threw on the heavy, winter coat that Reece had bought her before they stepped outside. Snow covered the ground. Janelle wrapped her coat around herself a little tighter before digging into her pockets to pull out the pair of matching black gloves trimmed with fur.

Clark drove them to the boutique in his car. It wasn’t far away and for that Janelle was glad. She had to admit, she was excited about going shopping for her dress. Unlike other women, she’d never dreamed about a wedding, she’d never really thought about it in fact. She was too busy planning her career. Now, she had no idea what kind of dress she wanted, but she knew she would know it when she found it.

The boutique had a wide selection of dresses that were all highly priced. As soon as Janelle began to protest, Clark cut her off and reminded her that Reece was taking care of it all. She sighed. Looking at them all though, she had to admit she admired them. They were beautiful.

She took a seat in a cream arm chair and was immediately handed a glass of champagne. For that she was grateful. She took a long sip of the bubbly drink as the bridesmaids picked out their dresses. Janelle approved each one before it was her turn to pick out a dress. She drained her champagne glass before she began to search through the racks.

A few caught her eye, but none of them were what she was looking for. She went past dresses that seemed as if they would hug every curve. Finally, her eyes stopped on one. She smiled.

“This one is beautiful,” she said holding it up for her mom to see.

“Try it on!”

Janelle stepped into the dressing room and she shed her clothes. She stepped into the dress, calling her mom in when she couldn’t zip it. Jacklyn zipped it up easily, smiling at her reflection in the mirror.

“You look beautiful,” she whispered, her eyes already tearing up.

Janelle had to admit she was in love. The top of the dress had thin straps that laid against her skin comfortably. The top was beaded beautifully while the bottom was poofy. It made the bottom of the dress huge. A red ribbon went around the middle, the long tails lying against the skirt. Janelle felt like a princess as she ran her hands over the material.

“This is the one,” she said smiling. “It’s perfect.”

“Well, let us see already!” Clark was calling from outside.

Janelle laughed. She gathered up the skirt before she stepped out into the room. Everyone’s mouths dropped when they saw her. She beamed.

“I’ll take that as you guys like it.”

“You look beautiful!” Mya said as she walked over to her. “I love it. Reece is going to love it too.”

“You do look amazing,” Daphne chimed in.

“Ah, the ballgown,” the sales woman said with a smile as she walked over. “It’s a good choice. You look stunning.”

 “I’ll take it,” Janelle said.

“Lovely. I’ll ring it up for you.”

“Oh, we should pay for our dresses too. And Clark’s suit,” Mya said setting down her glass.

The woman shook her head. “No need. Mr. James has already taken care of everything. Congratulations on your upcoming nuptials,” the woman said with a smile before she turned back towards the register.

“Have I said how much I love Reece lately?” Mya said laughing.

Janelle went back into the dressing room. She almost didn’t want to take the dress off, but she slipped out of it so that it could be wrapped up. Wiggling back into her clothes, she couldn’t help but to grin. After she was dressed, she dug into her bag for her phone.

“Okay ladies,” Clark was saying behind her. “We have two more stops. Shoes then jewelry.”

Janelle stepped outside as she called Reece. She bit her lip as his phone rang. It wasn’t long of course before he picked up, his deep voice sending shivers down her spine even through the phone.

“Hello, beautiful.”