“Daimon said that?” I was somewhat surprised. Here I thought Daimon would just let me choose my dress and maybe not even that.
“I just need you to come down to my office, and please hurry; time is of the essence. I need to know what you like and dislike. Once I have everything I need from you, I will take over and organize everything. Can you be at my office in an hour?” she asked.
I knew there was no avoiding it. I sighed, resigned to the fact. “Yes. Where exactly is your office?”
I stood in front of an older building in midtown. I walked up the steps to a chic looking office that was filled with pictures of various events including weddings.
“Ms. Sakis?” A short blonde woman came out of her office and held out her hand to me.
“Yes, Ms. Somer?”
“Just Jessica.” She smiled as we shook hands. “I figure you should use my name since you’re going to be seeing me more than your husband-to-be,” she said as she waved at the seat in front of her desk with a smile. “So, Ms. Sakis…” she said as she sat down at her desk.
“Addie,” I corrected.
“Okay, Addie, tell me what you like? Extravagant? Opulent? Do you want the world to fawn at the sheer lavishness of your wedding? Colors! What colors do you like? Theme? Flowers?” Her run of questions did nothing but overwhelm and confuse me. My heart rate sped up to the edge of panic.
“I don't know really,” I said quietly, since I hadn’t really thought of anything.
“Okay,” she sighed, she seemed somewhat annoyed. “What do you imagine your wedding being like?” She waited, putting her hand to her chin.
“Elegant and simple,” I replied, twisting my engagement ring. “Nothing too over-the-top or luxurious.”
She nodded, listening to me. “Okay, I didn’t expect you to be so easy. Don’t you want the wealthy New York wedding?” she asked in disbelief.
“No. I want it to be effortless and classic. Nothing too pretentious or grand,” I said honestly.
“I actually like the idea. Young humble background marrying for love. It’s just you took me by surprise. Marrying Daimon Evans, one of the wealthiest New Yorkers, one would expect an ostentatious event, to show your wealth to the world.”
“I'm marrying Daimon, not his money.” I almost cringed, hoping lightning wasn’t going to hit me.
“Seeing you now, I know exactly the type of wedding I'm going to plan for you,” she said confidently, sitting tall in her chair, and picking up her cell phone.
“I feel like I should be nervous,” I smiled at her with a light laugh.
“You shouldn’t. Daimon got the best and I'm the best. You just leave it to me,” she winked and gave a reassuring smile. “I’ll be texting you the various appointments that I’ll need you to attend with me, starting with your dress. I’ve made an appointment for you at Kleinfeld, tomorrow morning at eight. You have to choose it tomorrow. Each day counts now.”
I let out a sigh as I fidgeted in my seat. Hearing her talk about my dress, hit me like a ton of bricks. This whole time only words were exchanged between us about all this, but tomorrow was finally the reality of it all.
“Addie, sweetheart, are you okay?” Jessica asked, a look of concern etched on her face.
“Yeah, I'm just overwhelmed,” I admitted.
“You look like a ghost. Don't worry, sweetie, I’ll make sure this wedding is painless for you,” she said, trying to calm me down.
“I guess I’ll see you tomorrow morning,” I murmured, failing to hide my anxiety.
“Make sure you are in front of Kleinfeld’s at seven fifty tomorrow. I hate being late,” she warned in a stern voice. Her tone made it clear she was not a woman to mess with.
“Okay, I’ll be there,” I reassured her.
“Tomorrow, seven fifty at Kleinfeld’s, can you make it?” I asked Elissa as we worked.
“Tomorrow morning? Holy shit, girl, that was fast!” Elissa shouted, mostly because she was shocked.
“Yeah, well, Daimon and I don't want to wait and well, I need to get things done.” I fixed a false smile on my face, hoping my friend wouldn’t see through it. Not only was the wedding weighing heavily on my mind, but Darren…Darren was an issue too. He wasn’t here that evening. He rarely missed work, so I couldn’t help but wonder if it was because of me.
“Did you even think of the type of dress you want?” Elissa asked seemingly excited. I guess one of us should be.
“No, not really. Just simple, I guess,” I muttered.
“Holy shit, I better be invited to this shindig,” Jace said, laughing.