Bed of Roses (Bride Quartet #2)(40)

Emma listened with half an ear as dates were discussed.

She wondered if Jack had gotten her e-mail yet.

The bride wanted romance. Didn't they all? Emma thought, but perked up when she said she'd be wearing her grandmother's wedding gown.

"I have a photo," Mandy announced, "but Seth isn't allowed to see. So . . ."

"Seth, would you like a beer?"

He looked over at Laurel, grinned. "I would."

"Why don't you come with me? I'll set you up. When you've finished the beer we should be ready for you again."

"Thanks." Mandy reached into a large folder when Laurel led Seth out. "I know it's probably silly-"

"Not at all." Parker held out a hand for the photo, and her polite expression turned radiant. "Oh. Oh, it's gorgeous. It's just stunning. Late thirties, early forties?"

"You're good," the mother of the bride said. "My parents were married in 1941. She was just eighteen."

"Ever since I was a little girl I've talked about wearing Nana's wedding gown when I got married. It needs to be fitted, and a little repair, but Nana's taken good care of it."

"Do you have a seamstress in mind?"

"We've spoken to Esther Brightman."

As she studied the photo, Parker nodded approval. "She's a genius, and exactly who I'd recommend for this. Mandy, you're going to look absolutely amazing. And we could, if you want, build the entire wedding around this dress. Vintage glamour with class, romance with style. Tails rather than the more expected tux for the groom and groomsmen."

"Oh, wow. Wow. Would he go for that?" she asked her future mother-in-law.

"He'll go for anything you want, honey. Personally, I love the idea. We'd want to find vintage dresses, or the vintage style for the bridal party."

Emma studied the photo when it came to her. Fluid, she thought, Deco-inspired lines, with a sheen that said silk. She lifted her gaze to study Mandy, and decided the new bride would wear the gown as beautifully as her grandmother had. "I can replicate the bouquet," she said half to herself.

"What?" Mandy cut herself off in midsentence and swung her attention to Emma.

"The bouquet-if you wanted-I can replicate it. Look how clever she was, how smart to offset the long, fluid lines of the gown with the oversized crescent of calla lilies. Do you have the veil and headpiece?"

"Yes."

"From what I can see, she had it trimmed with lily-of-the-valley. I can do that, if it appeals to you. I just wanted to mention that before Seth comes back. Something you can think about."

"I love it! Mom?"

"My mother will be a puddle. So will I. I love it, too."

"We'll talk about it in more detail when we do our individual consult. Meanwhile, when you select the dresses for the bridesmaids, if you can get pictures then I can get copies made or you can scan them and send them in an e-mail so I can see what kind of flowers she chose for them."

Emma handed the photo back to Mandy. "You'd better put that away."

"Mac, why don't you give Mandy an overview of the photography?"



       
         
       
        

"First, I want to duplicate the pose in your grandmother's formal portrait. It's classic and gorgeous. But tonight, we should talk about what you'd like for your engagement portraits."

They moved from stage to stage, step to step, with a rhythm they'd developed over the years. As they discussed photography, cakes, food, Emma jotted down key words that would help her create a picture of the bride, the groom, and what they envisioned.

And if her thoughts veered in Jack's direction a few times, she reminded herself she excelled at multitasking.

By the time she and her partners walked the clients to the door, she was ready to duck out and see if Jack had answered her e-mail.

"Good job," she said. "I'm going to go home and start a file for the event. So-"

"There's something else," Parker interrupted. "When I was at the boutique today, I found Mac's dress."

"You what?" Mac blinked at her. "My dress?"

"I know you, and what you're looking for. And since it was right there, saying I'm Mac's, I used our connections and brought it home for approval. Maybe I'm wrong, but I thought at least you'd want to try it on."

"You brought home a wedding dress for me to try on?" Eyes narrowed, Mac pointed at Parker. "Aren't you the one who's always telling brides they might try on a hundred dresses before they find the one?"

"Yes. You're not most brides. You know immediately what works and what doesn't. If it doesn't, no harm done. Why don't we go take a look? It's up in the Bride's Suite."