Chapter Four
Half an hour later, all three ladies were completely dressed, with Belle chatting happily away. "Here, let me zip you up," Hope said to Chloe. She proceeded to pull the zipper up the back of the wedding gown and then she stepped back, placing her hands on her hips as she surveyed her work. "There. All done."
"Can I see myself now?" Chloe whined slightly to the three smiling women in front of her. "You have all taken some type of perverted pleasure in not allowing me to see myself in that damn mirror for the past thirty minutes."
"I think it's time," Belle announced to her mother-in-law, after she rolled her eyes at Chloe's wheedling. "Chloe's running out of patience. That's never been her strongest virtue. I should know, I've been her friend for so long!"
"Don't I know it!" Hope said back to Belle, winking at Chloe. "I lived with her for three years, don't you know."
"Hey, guys!" Chloe interrupted them as Greta started laughing hysterically, enjoying the happy atmosphere in the tent. "The mirror? Please?" She looked at them imploringly with her wide blue-eyed stare.
Belle blew out a breath of air as she said, with pretend reluctance, "Oh, all right, Chloe Lane! Prepare to be amazed!" As Belle went to the portable full-length mirror that was facing the opposite way, Greta placed her hands over Chloe's eyes, so that she wouldn't be able to see her reflection until Belle placed the mirror directly in front of her.
Chloe giggled slightly with nervousness as Greta slowly took her hands away from her eyes. "Time to peek!" Greta announced delighted, anticipating Chloe's reaction to her glorious appearance.
Chloe opened her eyes slowly after Greta took her hands away and looked down at her feet. She stood in front of the mirror, slowly bringing her eyes to finally see the finished product. Her eyes lit up with wonder when she saw the vision reflected in front of her. "I look…" Chloe breathed out.
Chloe's hair was piled high on her head, allowing only a few stray curls to frame her face. She had only used a minimal amount of makeup on her face, for simplistic purposes. The wedding gown was so simple in design when it was hanging on the rack but it took on a new, seductive meaning when it adorned Chloe's body. The dress was very form fitting to the waist, but the ivory skirt flowed gently around her, falling just short of the ground.
"Simply amazing," Greta finished for her helpfully as she gazed at her sister with joyful awe. She smiled lovingly at her sister when Chloe turned her head to meet her glance. Greta stood high on her tiptoes and gracefully placed the veil on top of Chloe's head, securing it with a few bobby pins. Chloe had refused to have a veil cover her face, so it glided down her back, reaching her back.
"Absolutely magnificent, Chloe!" Hope interjected as she reached for her purse next to her. "Now, since the three of us are in your wedding, we have a few gifts to give you, that we feel are appropriate for the situation."
Belle clapped her hands gleefully as she realized what Hope was getting at. "Oh, yes! The presents!" She hurried over to the doorway, where she had dropped her small purse and a shopping bag, and then came back to rejoin the group of boisterous women.
Greta hit the heel of her hand against her forehead as she exclaimed, "I nearly forgot about this, girls!" When Chloe looked at her in confusion, Greta clarified for her by singing out the traditional refrain, "You know, Chloe. Something old, something new…,"
"Something borrowed, something blue!" Belle and Hope joined in the recitation as a smile bloomed across Chloe's face.
"Oh, that's so sweet!" Chloe felt tears begin to well up in her eyes as she looked at her nearest and dearest friends. "I think I'm gonna cry!"
"Oh, no! No, you're not!" Greta insisted strongly as she held onto Chloe's shoulders tightly, meeting her gaze squarely. "We don't really have the time to put you back together, Humpty Dumpty! Keep it together, girl, at least until after the ceremony!"
Chloe took a few deep breaths, exhaling slowly, as she followed Greta's instructions. "I know, I know," she finally said. She closed her eyes and then opened them again after she was reasonably sure she had regained her composure. "All right, let me see my presents!"
"Well," Hope began as she moved to stand with Greta and Belle near Chloe, "as you now know, we wanted to each give you something that reflected the timeless tradition. So, each of us took one of the categories and planned a special gift for you."
Belle broke in excitedly, interrupting Hope's explanation, "There's only three of us here, but we know that Brady wanted you to wear his mother's necklace. So, that covers the "something old" part."
At the mention of the necklace, Chloe brought her hand up and tenderly fingered it. "I haven't taken it off since he gave it to me, after we reconciled," Chloe admitted to her friends. "It means a lot to me and Brady. That's a great idea to use this necklace as part of the tradition."
"Something new is next!" Greta announced gaily, smiling widely with satisfaction at her sister. "That's my territory!" She reached inside her purse and pulled out a small box, decorated with a dusty rose bow. "Here you go, Chloe!" she said as she handed the box to Chloe.
Chloe looked at the box after she received it and then eagerly took the bow off. "Greta!" she exclaimed after she lifted the top of the box off. "They are perfectly charming!"
"Let me see, let me see!" Belle chanted insistently until Chloe pulled out the diamond earrings for all to see. They were in the shape of music notes, definitely an appropriate gift for Chloe Lane.
"When I saw them in the store, they screamed, "Give me to Chloe!" laughed Greta as Belle and Hope looked at her with approval. "I knew that the earrings would be just right for this wonderful occasion."
Chloe handed them to Greta and took out the pearl earrings in her ears. "My hands are starting to shake," she confessed to Greta, starting to feel the coming nerves that plagued most brides. "I think it's all this outpouring of emotion. Can you put them in for me?"
"With pleasure," Greta answered her sister as she leaned over and fitted both earrings quickly and competently into Chloe's ears. She stepped back and placed her hands on Chloe's cheeks, turning her head first one and then the next. She nodded approvingly at Chloe's ensemble. "Now that is a pretty picture!"
"My turn! My turn!" Hope said excitedly as she pulled out a small bag from her purse. "I'm covering "something borrowed", Chloe. I wanted to lend you something that meant the world to me, something very special and meaningful. So, without further ado…"
Chloe gasped when she saw Hope bring out the item from her bag. "Hope, it's your good-luck bracelet! The one Bo gave you on your honeymoon this past winter!"
Hope handed it to her friend gingerly and then explained, "I want you to wear it today, so that it can bring you all of the luck in the world. Not like you're going to really need it, but…" Hope leaned over and fastened the diamond bracelet over Chloe's wrist. Chloe smiled in appreciation at Hope.
Belle came over to Chloe, carrying her purse and the gift bag. "By process of elimination, I was responsible for "something blue"! Here is the first part of it!" She handed Chloe the small box that she had concealed in her purse.
Chloe opened the small box and grinned with delight at its contents. "I should have known," she said as she pulled out a blue satin garter with lots of white ribbon. Chloe stretched the garter and shot it at Belle, causing Belle to roll with laughter.
As Chloe leaned down to pick up the garter from the ground, Belle pulled out another box from her shopping bag. "I know. I admit it. The garter wasn't very imaginative. But, I know that this will make up for it!" Belle placed the large box in Chloe's hands.
Chloe arched her eyebrows at Belle as she opened the package. Another grin of delight crossed her face as she started to laugh when she saw the contents of the package. "Now this is perfect."
"Well, show us!" Hope encouraged Chloe, waving her hands slightly in the air, with a nod of agreement from Greta.
Chloe reached in and pulled out the midnight-blue silk teddy, with matching robe. The women laughed merrily as Greta turned to Belle and commented, "Yeah! That is certainly perfect! Good job, Belle!"
After the laughter subsided, Greta looked at her watch and exclaimed, "Oh my god! We only have forty-five minutes left! Hope, we need to go check all of the final arrangements!" Greta opened her purse and took out her notebook, which contained notes on all of the details for Chloe's wedding.
Hope leaned down and gave Chloe a tight hug. "We'll see you in a little bit, Chloe!" Then, she turned and hugged Belle. "Keep her smiling!" Hope ordered Belle as she followed Greta out the tent door.
