Settling into bed next to Worth later, Jessica sighed as she rubbed lavender lotion onto her hands. It was new, a little parting gift from her mother. She held a hand up to Worth's nose teasingly. "You like?"
In response, Worth kissed her hand. "I like." Turning over, he kissed her long and hard on the mouth, whispering, "I love."
Almost two years after her father had died, she had just witnessed the start of a new, joyful chapter in her mother's life. And my own chapter has begun, Jessica thought, then she said aloud, "One down, one to go. Well, actually, two to go. Donna told me the other day that their wedding is only two weeks after ours. They decided to move things up to before Thanksgiving." She reached up to turn off the bedside lamp.
"Really? I'm glad you mentioned that, so I can make sure we return from our honeymoon trip in time."
"Are we going to be gone two whole weeks?" she asked, surprised.
"Close to it, but I'll make sure we get back," Worth said, turning off the lamp on his side. "I like Donna, and she's a good writer—the jury's still out on Eric."
Men. Jessica giggled as she settled back. So far, Jessica hadn't been able to cajole any honeymoon details out of him. She'd tried everything she could think of, to no avail. She'd even bribed Skip with his favorite pastry, but Worth's assistant was as close-lipped as his boss.
"How will I know what to pack?" she'd finally pouted.
"Leave that to me," was all Worth would divulge. "Don't you trust me?"
"I trust you with my heart, yes. With my life, absolutely," was her response before making a face. "With my packing, no."
"Well, you don't have much choice, my dear. My surprise, my rules."
Long after Worth had turned over and she was snuggled up tightly against his warm, furry back, Jessica lay awake, reliving the day, planning ahead. They were due to fly to Paris the end of the next week so Jessica could meet Molly and Madame Barnard, her dress designer. After that, they only had a few last-minute details to take care of. The magazine had really taken off, which added to both their workloads; Molly had been a godsend at helping with the wedding plans.
In addition to Donna, Jessica had asked Kari and Layla to be her attendants. They'd already chosen their dresses, the flowers were ordered, a photographer had been booked and the venues for both the ceremony and reception were taken care of. Molly had arranged for the catering, after Jessica and Worth chose the menu. Her own dress, though…Jessica drifted off to sleep, dreaming of lace and flowing skirts.
At Charles De Gaulle Airport, they picked up their luggage and exited immigration smoothly and quickly. A limo was waiting to take them to Le Pavillon de la Reine, the luxury hotel where Molly and Fred were also staying—Molly's wedding gift to them, along with the dress. They were waiting in the lobby to greet them. After Worth and Jessica were settled into their spacious and elegant room, the four of them had dinner together downstairs. Jessica was in awe of the city, the hotel, the food, everything about it. I'd better pinch myself; am I dreaming? Am I really in Paris?
They were scheduled to meet with the designer the next afternoon, and they would spend a few days sightseeing before flying home. As it turned out, the anticipated arduous task of choosing the perfect wedding dress had been relatively simple. The first one Madame Barnard brought out was entirely too fussy, all flounces and bows. But the second was breathtaking.
The cowl-necked sheath was pure white silk, elegant, accentuating every one of Jessica's curves. Long sleeves came to a point, reaching to her fingers. Madame Barnard suggested low-heeled satin-covered pumps that would be stylish and comfortable. She had several veils to show her that would work with the dress. Jessica chose one that was particularly delicate, a short piece at the front that would not detract from the neckline with yards flowing behind. Madame Barnard clucked as she pinched material here and there, promising to have everything altered to perfection and delivered to the hotel the next day.
With that out of the way, she and Molly decided to have coffee. The sunny day took enough off the chill in the air that they could sit outside and breathe in the atmosphere. Every time she had the opportunity to spend time with her future mother-in-law, Jessica enjoyed her more. They laughed and talked, and Jessica described her mother's wedding and new condo in great detail.
"I can't wait to meet Carol," Molly said, sipping her espresso. "I'm sure we'll get along well, and Chet sounds divine. Fred's making our reservations today, in fact. We'll be back a few weeks before the wedding so we can help with everything."
Worth and Jessica had not had as much alone time as they would have liked, but this was a gift from Molly and Fred, after all. For the next few days, the two couples roamed cobbled streets, art galleries and museums before it was time to return to the States. Molly filled in some of the gaps to Jessica's understanding of Worth's youth; Fred delighted them with stories from his own unique past. Back home, between parties and the magazine, they were quite busy until the week before the wedding. Jessica planned to take a full month off to work on last-minute details, go on her honeymoon and get settled when they returned. Even that time would be busy, however, as Worth had given her a decorating budget to redo the condo, as his gift.
The magazine and several business trips kept Worth occupied until the last few days before the wedding. All week, October rains had turned the city into dreariness, but nothing could dampen Jessica's excitement. November first, it was as if Mother Nature had gotten an invitation to
