A Bride for Tom(14)

“I like red.” She looked at Peter who didn’t even seem to notice the conversation going on in front of him. She nudged him under the table with her foot.

He jerked his head in her direction.

“Peter, don’t you agree with me about the red color?” Jessica sweetly asked.

He sighed. “It’s just one color.”

“Yes, and it’s my wedding.”

Connie cleared her throat. “But your mother can’t afford to pay for it. Remember, I’m the one with the bill. Since that is the case, I believe I’m owed a few allowances.”

“You wouldn’t have to pay for anything if you’d let me have a simple ceremony,” Jessica argued.

“Please, let’s not fight,” Peter interjected. “It’s unbecoming. The point is that we’re going to be a family, and since that is the case, we need to get along.”

Jessica resisted the urge to kick him in the shin...but just barely. She’d already consented to the elaborate wedding and reception because his mother knew a lot of “important” people who were particular about formal ceremonies and how things should or should not be done. Jessica had met a few of those people and realized that life would go much easier for Connie if she was able to present an elaborate wedding. But there was a time when enough was enough. Or at least, there should be.

“I’m sure we can reach a compromise,” he said, wiping his mouth with a napkin before he set it back on his lap.

Jessica wasn’t sure where he was going with this, so she twirled the fork in her hand and waited for him to continue.

“Mother, Jessica has conceded to your desire for a nice wedding. Jessica, my mother has agreed to pay for such a wedding. So this is what I propose. One of you will decide the colors for the ceremony and the other will decide the colors for the reception. That way you both get what you want.”

His mother sighed and gave a slight nod. “That sounds fair. Jessica?”

Jessica still didn’t like it, but what could she say? The wedding wasn’t really even hers at this point. Sure, she was the one getting married, but this was apparently about Connie James impressing her friends—and that made it Connie’s special day. Besides, it was just colors. What did it matter if something was red or white? “Alright,” she finally relented.

Connie beamed at her and squeezed her arm. “My son is lucky to have you.”

Jessica returned her smile but didn’t feel the enthusiasm behind it. Is this what life was going to be like with Peter? She looked at her plate of half-eaten steak and potatoes and beans. Connie wasn’t mean to her, but there was something confining about being in the woman’s presence. It wasn’t something she noticed right away. But the more time she spent with them, the clearer it was becoming that something seemed off.

Could it be Tom’s kiss? She quickly looked up at Peter who was laughing at one of his mother’s jokes. Peter had never kissed her like that. Her face flushed and her heart beat faster as she recalled the warmth of Tom’s lips on hers. He was strong too. She felt safe and protected in his embrace.

Taking a deep breath, she willed the thought aside and finished the meal. Jessica wondered if the woman would be telling them where to live too? At this point, Jessica would like to move outside of Omaha.

Maybe this is a mistake. She looked at Peter and his mother. He pulled out Connie’s chair before he walked over to her and pulled out her chair. Why hadn’t she noticed that before? Did he always do things for his mother first?

Jessica managed through helping Connie with the dishes, acting as pleasant as she could despite the growing sense of doom that hovered in the air around her. Then she sat with Peter and his mother for a mind-numbing hour, not even sure of what they were talking about. She wanted to see Tom again. But would that be a good idea? She wasn’t even sure what yesterday had been about. He seemed upset with her for something. He thought she’d brought Peter and Margaret over and hid them in her house. That much was obvious. But why would he think that?

She had no idea what Tom had been thinking, or why he made up all that talk about his parents feeding him or him having a condition called the shakes. At first, she actually believed him. But after his inquiry into Peter and Margaret, it dawned on her that he’d made up those lies. But why? And how was she going to find out? She would have to talk to him. That was the only way she was going to get an answer to her questions.

When it came time for Peter to walk Jessica home, she breathed a sigh of relief and let Peter help her put her shawl around her shoulders.

“I’ll see you next week, my dear,” Connie told her and hugged her. “We’ll take a look at what decorations we’ll have for the tables at the reception.”