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  “Promise me something, girl?” began Heather. “Promise me that you will just soak in everything tonight and run in the moment?”

  I smiled. That was easy.

  “I promise.” I said to her. Right now, anything could happen to me and I would run with it. If Brad Pitt were to enter the church tonight and ask me on a date, I would definitely run with it.

  I glanced down at my watch and realize that it is after five. I had originally planned on being at the church by now to help with all the last minute preparations.

  “All right girlies.” I said. “The coach awaits.” I called to them as I bundled up in my winter coat and prepared to leave.

  Thank goodness the weather decided to cooperate. Even though its wintertime, it was fairly mild out tonight, despite all the snow that we received this past week. Most of the snowfall had melted away, you can see the sagging snowmen in the front yard drooping, and some are barely even standing anymore. No need to shovel the walkway, in fact, you could probably go for a stroll with a warm sweater, scarf and mittens tonight if you felt so inclined.

  Heather had Christmas music playing in her vehicle. With all the Christmas lights sparkling from the trees and homes, you could definitely feel the spirit of Christmas. As the girls dropped me off at the church and then pulled away to get themselves ready for tonight, I decided to slowly walk up the walkway to the church. With the warm breeze blowing, snow on the ground; you could almost feel the magic in the air. I found myself whistling “Walking in a Winter Wonderland” and feeling at peace within in my heart. I couldn’t stop myself from silently praising God for all His goodness in my life. I spread out my arms and did a little twirl on the sidewalk. With all the beauty surrounding me, I almost felt like God had created this night with me in mind.

  “Thank you Father,” I whispered, “for this wonderful blessing.

  As I stepped through the door of the church, I gasped. The site before me was that of an indoor winter palace. The ladies did such an amazing job.

  The moment you walk into the church you feel like you have been transported to a winter getaway. A Christmas tree stands alone in the corner sparkling with lights and cranberries gracing the tree. There is a small table with candles glowing and a beautifully decorated book for guests to sign and write precious words of wisdom for the couple to treasure for years to come.

  A little bench beside the tree for women to sit and exchange their boots for shoes if they desire, and one of the youth of the church is standing beside the coat rack offering to hang coats for those just walking in. The lights have been turned down low so the only glow is from the Christmas lights on the ceiling as well as the tree, and the dozen candles that are blazing throughout the room.

  To reach the downstairs you walked down a winding staircase. Normally the walls of the staircase are decorated with posters for Children’s Church and various mission projects that the Sunday classes have taken on. Tonight though, these posters have been taken down and replaced with various printed frames portraying elegance and delicacy. One picture is of a snowflake; the other is of an outdoor winter scene. There is a large picture in the middle with white embossed paper and a gold ribbon as the only source of decoration on that frame.

  Winding its way down the stairs are even more soft white Christmas lights. When you reach downstairs, currently the door is closed, obstructing the view of the inside. Before the closed door is another Christmas tree that is decorated this time with white lights and gold ribbon. Simple, yet elegant in appearance.

  When I opened the door the signs of busyness excited me. Various ladies from the church were they’re creating the final touches to the décor in the room. When I mentioned that I wanted elegant, that is exactly what I received. I stopped just inside the door and took a good look around the room. My mom was holding court over in the far corner. From what I can see, she is the one in charge here – good job Mom. I give her a quick wave and then the thumbs up sign, all the while she continues to stare at me.

  All around the room are round tables that will each seat between six to eight people. They are in a circular design with a main round table in the middle. All the tables, but the middle one, are dressed in black and gold. There is a black tablecloth draping each table with a shorter gold cloth on top of this. Each place setting has a black charger plate with a white and gold rimmed plate above that. For centerpieces there are various candle displays on each table. The middle table is the accenting table.

  Stacey loves pink and somehow wanted this color incorporated into the design. Since Stacey and Jude will be sitting at the middle table, the underlining skirt is a deep rose color with a shorter gold color cloth on top of that. Their charger plates are gold with white plates rimmed with a bold black strip. For the centerpiece of their table there is a vase that has been filled with water and pink sparkles. Floating candles are inside the vase and arranged around the vase are pink colored votives. Just perfect.

  As you walk into the room, beside the door is another Christmas tree. This one is decorated with white sparkling lights and white and pink ribbon and strings. Christmas lights are strung on the ceiling as well as thick tube like lights outline the room on the floor. Soft instrumental music is being played in the background. The ladies are adding the final touches to each table, and I can see ladies in the kitchen arranging various dishes of desserts. There is a long table against one wall that is decorated in pink and gold. I’m assuming this will be the table for the desserts and punch. Beside the tree is a table in the same colors with wrapped gifts already on top.

  As I stand there Judy and Pastor Joy from the Latte Ladies come up to me to give me hugs. They look like they are on their way out.

  “Wynne, you look amazing. A fairytale princess come true” gushes Pastor Joy to me while admiring my dress.

  “Being pampered suits you. You’re beautiful” admired Judy.

  “Thanks. I had so much fun, thank you so much for doing this for me.” I thanked them as I gave each lady a hug.

  “This place looks fantastic.” I told them.

  “You have your mother to thank for that. She made sure that all your ideas were workable and that we could all help to create this dream.” Pastor Joy informed me.

  “Now we have to be off and get ready ourselves. Have fun, and we’ll see you soon.” Judy told me as they continued to walk out the door.

  After they left, I walked over to my mom and gave her a hug.

  “Thank you so much Mom. This is perfect.” I told her. I’m still amazed at how it all came together.

  “This is an important night Wynne, I just wanted to make it perfect for you.” Mom replied as she hugged me back. I could see tears in her eyes.

  “You look so beautiful.” Mom cried as she gazed at me.

  “Why is it so shocking to everyone?” I asked her. The reaction of everyone so far is leaving me with a weird feeling. Do I normally not look good; so that when I do dress up, the change is so startling that everyone notices?

  My mom reaches up and pats my cheeks.

  “Honey, your whole focus has been on your business and your home that you have forgotten to focus on yourself. So yes, the change in you tonight is so evident that everyone will notice. Don’t be ashamed, just reach out and grab onto life the way God wants you to.”

  I smiled at her and knew that I had a twinkle in my eyes.

  “I plan to Mom, I plan to.” I said to her.

  “Good” she replied. “Now go and grab an apron and help out in the kitchen. Make sure it’s a full apron though; I don’t want you to get your dress dirty. If you had listened to me in the first place, this wouldn’t even be an issue.” she said to me as she tried to scoot me towards the kitchen.

  “Mom, if I had listened to you, then I would still be at home getting ready while you were here directing. Nope. It’s time for you to go home now and get ready. Dad promised me he would come tonight.” I said to her as I took the clipboard that she was holding from her hand and walked her to t
he door.

  With only an hour left before everyone would begin to arrive, I made a quick sweep of the list my mom created to see what else needed to be done. Noticing that everything had been checked off, I decided to go into the kitchen to see how I could help there. The moment I walked into the kitchen Joan was there with an apron to put on. I just laughed and told her all mothers think alike.

  “No honey – this is a woman thing, not a mother thing. What woman in her right mind would want to get all messy after she has just spent a day of pampering and looks absolutely gorgeous?” she asked me with a southern twang to her voice.

  I laughed at her and began to work on a tray of goodies.

  Chapter 15

  The party was a success from the moment it started. Jude and Stacey arrived a few minutes early and they made the exact same movements that I made when I first walked in. I made sure I was at the front door to greet them when they arrived. Jude even made an average male comment.

  “Very nice” he said while shrugging off his jacket and taking Stacey’s wrap.

  Thankfully Stacey had a completely different reaction. The moment she walked into the front entrance she was enthralled.

  “Oh Wynne. This is amazing. It’s gorgeous.” she gushed.

  “Just wait until you see the downstairs.” I warned her.

  “Oh I can’t wait. Come on Jude.” she cried as she tugged at his hand.

  I followed them down the stairs and soaked in all the comments Stacey made on her way down. Although I didn’t personally create the atmosphere here tonight, I felt so proud of the ladies who did.

  Just as we reached the bottom of the stairs I called to Jude and asked him to wait. I gave Stacey a moment to gather her thoughts. I wanted to share something that was on my heart with them, but I didn’t want Stacey to be completely focused on the decorations that she lost what I had to say.

  “Jude, tonight is such a special night for you and Stacey. There were so many ladies that came today to help make this whole night a possibility. There will be time tonight for you both to have a few words. Could you make sure that you give them all the credit and not to me?” I asked him. If I remember correctly, Jude has a habit of not thinking before speaking and I wanted to make sure that he didn’t end up sticking both feet in his mouth tonight.

  “Of course Wynne. I know how much you hate having the spotlight on yourself. Don’t worry. Even though I know you were the mastermind behind tonight, I’ll place all the glory on the other ladies.” Jude informed me.

  “No, that’s not what I meant. Jude, Stacey – the moment I made the decision to throw this party for you, I had so many ladies rally around me concerned that I was doing this for all the wrong reasons. So they decided, all on their own I might add, to throw this party for you instead – as a group. Basically all the ladies who helped to raise you in this church are the ones who are showering their love on you tonight.” I wanted to make sure that they understood what tonight was all about.

  Stacey took hold of my hands.

  “Wynne, we completely understand. This will be a night where we will always remember that this church showered love upon us.” Stacey confirmed exactly what I was hoping to hear.

  “Thank you Stacey. This night is for you guys, and I hope that you will enjoy it. I am so happy for you both.” I told them as I began to open the door to the main room.

  Inside the majority of those who were coming had already shown up. Everyone was waiting for the guests of honor to arrive. Pastor Joy offered to host the evening for me, “so that I can be free to focus on my date tonight” she informed me a few days ago. So once I walked the newly engaged couple into the room, I was free to melt into the crowd and wait for my mystery date to arrive.

  The moment Jude and Stacey walked into the room everyone began to clap. I made sure that I hung back a little bit; giving the couple enough time to walk into the room and begin to mingle. I could hear Stacey exclaim over the beautiful room. I smiled, knowing that this will be a night she will always remember.

  I guess I waited too long because just as I was about to enter Heather came walking out the door searching for me.

  “What are you doing out here by yourself? Waiting for your date?” She reached for my hand.

  “No. I’m sure my mom will find me when he arrives. I was just wanting to give them some time to get in before I followed them.” I told her. In all honesty, I haven’t thought about my mystery date too much tonight. I thought I would leave the introductions up to my mom whenever he decided to arrive.

  “Well come on then. You don’t want people to begin to wonder where you are, do you?” she asked me as she tugged me into the room.

  “I hope you saved me a seat.” I said to her as we wove our way through the crowd trying to talk to Jude and Stacey.

  “Of course I saved you a seat. I’m offended. What kind of friend would I be to leave you on your own with a mystery date?”

  “Hmm, that is true. As if you could really leave me alone with the guy before you found out all there is to know about him.” I teased as we found our seats and sat.

  “You know her too well.” confirmed Matt as he overheard our conversation.

  Stacey just grinned, not at all embarrassed that we figured out her true intentions.

  “So where is this mystery man?” Matt asked.

  “The way I figure there are two reasons why he’s not here yet. One, my mother gave him her famous directions and he’s now on the other side of town completely lost, or two, his sanity returned and he realized what a horrible idea this was.” I said to him as I smiled.

  Both Matt and Heather laughed. My mother and her sense of directions are famous around here. You only have to experience the sense of becoming lost once before you figure out that to go the opposite way that she told you is the right way. I can’t tell you how many times growing up that we had gotten lost on trips, all thanks to my mom who would insist on taking care of the map. When my mom tells you to turn left, you turn right, when she tells you that it’s just down the road a bit, be prepared for a long drive.

  “I would bank on the fact that he got turned around.” Matt told me. “Any guy who would turn down a date with you tonight needs to be in a mental hospital.”

  “Doesn’t she look fantastic tonight?” Heather reiterated for the millionth time tonight. I know she’s just trying to boost up my self-esteem, but enough already.

  “All right, All right. Enough Heather. If I have one more person tell me how gorgeous I look tonight, I’ll scream.” I said in mock anger.

  “Just soak it up, will you? No woman in their right mind would deny a compliment when she deserves it.” Heather said to me.

  I was beginning to feel a bit antsy, and I just needed to move around.

  “I’m not denying it Heather. I just don’t need to hear it anymore.” I tossed my hair over my shoulder as I walked away from her.

  About an hour into the party, I was beginning to feel like I had been stood up. By now all the guests had arrived and the majority of the food had been eaten. Stacey is in the middle of opening the numerous gifts that they received while Jude is sitting there fiddling with his drink looking completely bored. I was still feeling quite antsy and was constantly moving around.

  I found myself continually watching the door.

  I walked over to my parents’ table. There was an empty seat beside my mother that was right in front of the door, so I sat there and turned towards her.

  “Now be patient dear. I know he’s a little late, but he will be here.” Mom said to me as she patted my hand. What is with her and patting my hand. Not only am I feeling a bit antsy, but I’m also starting to feel a bit grumpy.

  “Mom, he’s an hour late. It’s quite obvious that he won’t be coming, whoever he is. Thanks for the thought though, I do appreciate it.” I told her.

  “He’ll be here honey.” My dad injected.

  “Well, I’m glad that you both feel positive about this. I don’t even know the g
uy, but if he has enough bad manners to not show up on a date, then I’m fairly certain that I don’t want to waste my time getting to know him.” I reasoned.

  “Be patient dear. Now, why don’t you go grab your mother a fresh cup of punch and something to munch on? Preferably chocolate if there is any left.” She asked me, or rather, told me.

  I walked over to see what types of goodies were left on the table. There wasn’t much of a selection left, even though the night was only half over. Making a mental note to go into the kitchen to see if there are any plates to bring out, I filled my mom’s punch glass and placed it on the table while I glanced through the remaining selections of dessert. I chose a piece of chocolate brownie and a pecan tart for my mom and placed it on her plate. I was just about to take the final piece of cheesecake for myself when from behind me I could hear my name being called. Thinking that maybe my date had finally arrived, I turned around and suddenly felt my plate slip from my hand.

  There, standing before me, was my date.

  My body shook as I stood there in complete shock and could not form a single thought, let alone a word.

  He just stood there. There was a gentle smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye.

  I wanted to kiss him.

  All I could do was stare.

  “This is where you are supposed to say hello.” He said to me softly.

  Hello? Hello? How in the world can I even imagine saying ‘hello’ when I’m finding it difficult to comprehend the very fact that he is standing before me with a bouquet of roses in his hand and a smile on his face?

  “Okay, well, how about ‘am I dreaming’ if you can’t say hello,” he continued. He had one of those earth shattering lazy smiles on his face. I can tell he loves my response.

  I find myself beginning to smile.

  “Am I dreaming?” I asked him teasingly. Everything else has faded to the background. The only person in my reality at this moment is the one standing before me.

  “Richard?” I asked hesitantly. I felt in my heart I knew the answer of why he is here, but I still needed to ask. “Why are you here?”