“So, Jenny, any wedding plans yet?” Bella reached for the glass of wine Owen had poured for her and took a sip.
“We’re thinking of a spring or summer wedding during the school break. Just a small wedding. Something simple. Family. All of you. That’s about it.”
“I’ll help if you want.” Bella loved to plan events. Figure out decorations. Coordinate everything. A wedding would be so fun to arrange.
“That would be great. I can use all the help I can get.”
“I’d be glad to help, too.” Becky Lee offered her help.
“Wonderful. I know I need to get planning, it’s only a handful of months away.”
“Okay, it’s official. Next Monday at our monthly get together we’ll see how much we can get done. How does that sound? It’s at my place this month.” Bella already had ideas racing through her mind. Maybe she’d sit down after she got home this evening and write them down so she didn’t forget them.
“Great.” Jenny smiled. “I feel better already just knowing we’re going to work on it. Just remember. Something really simple.”
“I can do simple.” Bella rethought some of the plans dancing around in her mind.
~ * ~
Becky Lee wasn’t sure her friend Bella could do simple, but she knew that whatever Bella came up with would be beautiful. She had such a gift for putting things together.
She looked across the table at Clay and Jenny. Clay had leaned close to Jenny and said something to her quietly. She wondered if he agreed with all this wedding planning. Oh, he’d probably agree to anything in the world that Jenny wanted. He was so thrilled to be marrying her.
“So, I heard you two were looking to buy a house to live in after you get married,” Becky Lee said.
“We are. The girls and I have enjoyed living at my mom’s house since summer, but I’m sure she’d like to have her home back without the noise and commotion we brought.” Clay grinned.
“Oh, I bet Greta loves having you live there. She’s just crazy about her grandkids. She was in the Magnolia Cafe the other day for lunch and was talking about how much she enjoyed having you all stay there.” Becky Lee smiled.
“Oh, I know she does. But there isn’t room for all of us after we get married. There’s no bedroom for our son, Nathan, and I’m not sure he’d like sharing one bathroom with his new sisters. I’d like to buy something nearby her house though.”
“I’ve already talked to a realtor and I’m putting my house on the market soon. I just need to finish boxing some things up and getting it all cleaned up.” Jenny placed her hand on Clay’s hand resting on the table. “We decided we needed something new for all of us.”
Becky Lee leaned forward. “I have some good news then. The Franklins were in the cafe the other day and told me they were thinking of selling their place and moving to Florida.”
“No, you’re kidding. That’s right next door to Greta’s place. That would be fantastic, wouldn’t it?” Jenny looked at Clay. “Greta has offered to help out with the kids when we get tied up with work. That would be so convenient.”
“It would be. I’ll talk to them tomorrow morning, first thing.”
Becky Lee was once again glad of her Magnolia Cafe connection, as she called it. It seemed that most of the town filtered through the cafe on a regular basis. She was often the first to know what was going on around town. She’d be thrilled if this worked out for Jenny and Clay.
Oh, speaking of her Magnolia Cafe connection… “Izzy. Is Gil seeing someone?”
“Not that I know of, why?”
“I just heard he’d been seen around town with some out-of-towner. Madeline. I think that was her name. She had an old letter with her when she stopped by the cafe. She was looking for who wrote it.”
“Hmm, I’ll have to drop by the Feed and Seed and see what’s going on. I don’t think he’s dating her or anything, though. I mean, surely he’d have told me.”
“I don’t know. I just know people have been popping into the cafe and telling me about seeing them together.”
“He’s probably just being Mr. Helpful. You know how he is.”
Their conversation was interrupted when the waiter came to take their orders and Sylvia dropped by the table. “Are you all enjoying yourselves?”
“Yes. You’ve done such a lovely job with the place,” Jenny said.
“I can’t wait to try your new dishes. The menu looks great.” Becky Lee couldn’t wait to try the crispy skinned chicken with rosemary sauce on risotto. She’d pored over the menu looking at the different combinations that Sylvia had created. Sylvia evidently was a good judge of what went together with what. Where the old menu had been standard comfort food, this menu sparkled with originality.