Willow took a bite of the pink cakepop, and she started to smile. “Mama, these are yummy!”
I tried the red velvet expecting a nice treat, but the flavors that melted in my mouth had me sighing and leaning back in my chair. “Oh, my.” I took another bite. “Candice, you are an artist.”
Candice smiled and took a sip of her water. “I’m glad you like them. Autumn and Duncan have chosen those two cake flavors for their wedding.” She flipped open a notebook and rotated it to face me. “While the color of the candy coating will be different, here is a photo of the tiered setup they’ve chosen for the reception.”
We spent a pleasant half hour going over the details of the wedding dessert. The delivery time, set up, and so forth. Now that I’d sampled the cakepops for myself, I could see why Autumn had been keen to have them at her wedding reception. Beyond the taste, which was extraordinary, the rainbow of different pastel colors would be gorgeous in the tiered display.
I confirmed Candice’s Saturday appointment with the bridal party for bridesmaid dress shopping, and she promised me she’d be there ‘with bells on’. Before we left, she boxed up a half dozen more cakepops for Willow.
I pulled my wallet out of my bag. But she waved me off.
“It’s on the house.” She winked at Willow.
Since Willow was in such a good mood from the two cakepops she’d eaten, we went directly next door to the O’Connell florist shop before getting lunch.
The florist was a wonderland of spring in the middle of winter. Lush green plants, orchids, blooming house plants, and a glass-fronted cooler full of flowers greeted us, as did a large gray cat that hopped out of the front window and marched right up to Willow.
“Meow,” the cat cried. It sounded exactly like he’d said hello. Without further ado, he plopped himself down on Willow’s snow boots.
Willow giggled. “Mama, the cat said hello.”
I couldn’t help but laugh too. “Hey there, kitty-cat.”
“That’s Tank.” Came a woman’s voice. “He’s friendly.”
The blonde woman stood behind a sturdy workstation. She had long, straight hair pulled back in a ponytail, and I saw as she walked forward that the bottom half of her hair was dyed purple.
Purple hair, I thought. Land sakes.
“You must be Maggie and Willow,” she said, holding out a hand. “I’m Violet O’Connell. Welcome to William’s Ford.”
“Pleasure to meet you in person, Violet.” I tucked the box of cakepops under my arm and shook her hand.
“I love your accent,” Violet said. “Where are you from?”
“Louisiana.”
Another woman came out from the back. She was middle aged, blonde and looked enough like Violet that I guessed they were mother and daughter. She introduced herself to me as Cora O’Connell. “What brought you to Missouri?” Cora asked, shaking my hand.
“Besides coordinating the wedding,” Violet added, making me smile.
“I have cousins in William’s Ford,” I said.
“Anyone we know?” Cora asked.
“Jeez, Mom.” Violet rolled her eyes. “Let the woman take her coat off and sit down, before you begin the inquisition.”
Violet led the way, and before I knew it I found myself seated in a chair at a wooden consultation table, while Willow dragged a ribbon across the store for Tank to chase. Cora took over answering phones and running the shop while Violet and I had our meeting. I’d honestly expected to have a more formal sit-down type of meeting with the baker and the florist, but clearly, that wasn’t how they did things here in William’s Ford.
I had to admit, it was an unusual set-up. Both the baker and the florist were bridesmaids in the wedding they were vending for. But after fifteen minutes with Violet O’Connell, I could see that the woman was a consummate professional, and she was well organized. After subtly checking out the arrangements in the cooler and viewing the photos of the other weddings she had done, I felt relieved that my bride and groom had chosen both their baker and florist well.
Violet confirmed her bridesmaid dress appointment for Saturday, but before we left, she threw me a curve ball.
“So, Maggie.” Violet folded her hands in her lap. “Have you ever organized a child’s birthday party? A really extravagant one?”
“Yes.” I nodded. “And I’ve done event planning for a few over-the-top sweet sixteen parties, and also a debutant ball.”
Violet leaned forward. “There’s a special little girl in my life and she’s about to turn six. She lost her mother a few years ago, and I recently found out from her father that she’s never had a real birthday party.”
I opened my notebook and got out my pen. “The date?” I asked briskly.
“Well that’s the thing,” Violet said. “It’s on Sunday, and with Valentine’s Day so close the flower shop is crazy busy. I don’t have the time to do this properly. Not in the way she deserves.”
I jotted the date down. “Do you have a theme in mind?”
“Sugarplum Fairy,” Violet said. “It’s a long story, but that’s how we met. Her father and I took her to see The Nutcracker ballet over the holidays, and Charlie’s become obsessed.”
“The birthday girl is named Charlie,” I said as I began to take notes.
“Charlotte, actually. I call her Charlie,” Violet explained.
“How many guests?” I asked, as I wrote down: ballet, pastel colors, sparkle, snowflakes.
“Eight—maybe ten children.”
“Budget?” I asked.
“I know it’s last minute,” Violet said. “How much would you charge to take care of everything? We’re talking cake, decorations, games, goodie bags…”
I sat back and considered. “It would be a nice touch if the children could make something at the party, too,” I said. “A simple craft that goes with your theme. Something they could take home.”
“That’s perfect!” Violet began to smile. I know I’m asking for a lot in a short amount of time, but what do you think you would charge?”
I swiftly considered the costs and more importantly the benefits…This could get my
