Forgotten Honeymoon by Beverly Farr

any further. “Go where?”
    “House hunting,” he said succinctly.

 
    CHAPTER FIVE
     
     
    Her mother sat at the dining room table with
thirty teacups in front of her. She handed Kelly a typed list of
wedding guests and a pair of scissors. “Here,” she said.
    Kelly looked at the scissors in her hand.
“What are we doing?”
    Her mother explained. “I’m figuring out who
should sit where at the dinner.” She pointed. “Each of the cups
represents a table.”
    Thirty tables with ten guests each, meant 300
dinner guests, at fifty dollars a plate. What a lot of time and
money her mother had spent to ensure that her wedding day was
perfect. Kelly sat down next to her. “Can’t we just open the doors
and let our guests choose their own seats?”
    “And have a stampede? No, thank you. Besides,
you remember what happened when your Uncle John got married again.
Cousin Louise and Carla ended up at the same table. I was afraid
we’d have to call the Homicide Unit.”
    Kelly watched her mother rearrange several
slips of paper. She gathered her courage. “Mom,” she said gently.
“We need to talk.”
    “Go ahead, dear. I’m listening. I can cut and
listen at the same time.”
    Kelly put her hands on top of the wedding
list to stop her for a minute. “Mom. I’m going to marry Lars
Henderson.”
    “Yes, dear.”
    “No, you don’t understand. I’m marrying Lars
instead of Nigel.”
    “Yes, dear, I heard you the first time.”
    Kelly was stunned. “Aren’t you
surprised?”
    “No.” Her eyes twinkled with amusement. “I
suspected something was up the other night when you didn’t go to
the bridal shower.”
    That even seemed so long ago. “And you don’t
mind?”
    “No, it seems right. Lars is so much nicer
than Nigel. He’ll make a much nicer husband. And he’s cuter,
too.”
    Kelly smiled at her mother’s ability to
assess the situation so clearly. Lately her own thoughts had been
running along similar lines. She’d always liked Lars’ hair and
eyes, but now she’d noticed his square jaw and beautifully shaped
mouth. But she didn’t want to start day-dreaming about those heart
pounding kisses now. Kelly said, “We’ll have to send out new
invitations and retractions for those on Nigel’s list.”
    “Yes, dear, I’ll order them this afternoon.
Would you please get a guest list from Lars and tell him to limit
it to one hundred and seventy five?”
    How could anyone have one hundred and seventy
five friends? “I’ll ask him.”
    “Good,” her mother said matter-of-factly.
“Now remember you have another fitting for your wedding dress this
afternoon. You’re looking a little thin. Have you been
dieting?”
    “Not really.” She hadn’t felt like eating
anything the past few weeks, but she’d thought that was due to
pre-wedding nerves. Now, she supposed it was due to the
pregnancy.
    “Well, don’t lose any more weight or your
dress will hang on you.”
    Don’t worry, Kelly thought wryly. I’m due to
get bigger and bigger.
    “And you’re a little pale. I’ve scheduled an
appointment with the hair stylist and a make-up artist for that
morning. Have you decided whether you want your hair up or
down?”
    “I don’t care.” What did it matter if her
hair was up or down?
    “Oh good, I’ll decide myself.”
    “Just so long as I don’t end up looking like
Marie Antoinette.”
    Her mother looked at her thoughtfully. “I
don’t think you have enough hair. And the powder would be too
messy.”
    Kelly laughed. Her mother smiled and turned
back to the wedding list and started cutting apart the names.
    Kelly couldn’t believe her mother wasn’t more
curious, demanding more information from her, but then her mother
had always been a patient person, happily busy with her own
projects. Kelly said, “Mom, about Lars. Isn’t this change going to
upset everyone? What will all our friends and family think?”
    “Since when have you cared about that?
Besides, I think everyone will be