Chapter 3

Here Comes Yet Another Day

Jordan pressed the elevator up button one more time. She didn't need to look at her watch to know she was going to be late for the morning staff meeting.

For once it wasn't her fault. It was raining; traffic was horrible; there was a line at the coffee shop, and the elevator was creeping down to the lobby as if it were being hauled by hand. All in all, she should be put out or at least bit grumpy. But if the little smile on her face was any indication, Jordan didn't care.

Nothing could put a dent in her good mood. Not even the woman waiting next her complaining about how the rain was making her bursitis acting up. Nothing...especially with that little tingle she has been carrying around since Woody's kiss good bye.

Jordan never considered herself a kiss connoisseur. For Jordan, there were only good kisses and bad kisses. Woody spent the better part of the prior evening refining her senses.

There was one thing for sure; the man could kiss. That kiss he gave her the desert was a just a peck comparison. He taught her a lesson by turning necking like teenagers into an art form. Not to be undone, Jordan took him to school for the main event.

If she knew what it could be like between them Jordan would have given in years ago.

"Are you going up?"

Jordan snapped out of her fantasies in time to hear the woman with the bursitis problems holding the elevator for her.

She smiled bashfully and stepped inside. "..Thanks."

Just a week ago Woody said something like heaven and hell won't be able to keep her feet on the ground when she found the right man. Her feet haven't hit the ground since. Who would have guessed? Dr. Jordan Cavanaugh, a woman who never believed in love and that men were fine as long as they don't get too close or take away too much control, was getting married in less then a month.

That was, of course, if she could pull it all together in time.

Jordan felt guilty that she had to ask for help. Between kisses, Woody teased her about the trip he was planning. Normally Jordan hated surprises, but the idea of flying off some mysterious exotic location with the man she loved sent her closet romantic self into overdrive. Maybe there was an old fashioned girl in there after all, she mused.

The elevator doors opened on the ninth floor and Jordan rushed into the conference just as Garret said "Morning everybody. Jordan...thank you for joining us."

"Good morning," she smiled impishly.

After downing the last bitter tang of his cold coffee, Woody tossed the empty cup in the trash with a goofy grin, thinking about standing in line with Jordan to buy it. Neither of them had the time to wait but he didn't think either of them were in any hurry to say good bye. Summer in the city was always busy, but even more so in the last few days. Twelve months ago the summer heat had him frustrated to the point of sleeplessness. This year he had something else to keep him up all night.

Who would have guessed? Detective Woodrow Hoyt, a man that thought that happiness wasn't in the cards for him, was marrying the woman of his dreams in less than a month.

...A woman that all but twisted him into a sexual pretzel the night before. Yes, he was a very, very lucky man.

Like wildfire, word of the wedding was making it rounds around the precinct. Outside of a few quickly squelched rumors about the speed of the nuptials, the consensus has been pretty positive. In fact, most of his co-workers said it was about time.

The only thing that could put a damper on his good mood was Jordan trusting others to plan the biggest day of their lives. Woody trusted both Lily and Nigel with his life, but his wedding day was a totally different story. When he tried to press Jordan for details she just segwayed out of the conversation by saying that everything was under control. He may love Jordan to distraction, but he was afraid she wasn't taking the whole idea of the wedding ceremony as seriously as he did.

He had assumed that having her ex-boyfriend officiate would be the only thing that would be odd about the wedding, but with Nigel and Lily in the mix he didn't know what to expect.

It didn't make him any less uneasy when Jordan assured him that she made Lily promise to not contract a tarot card reader for the reception. The idea that Jordan had to make that particular point very clear made the hair go up on the back of his neck.

Woody prided himself in the open-minded thinking he's developed over the last few years...but some things he wanted to be traditional and simple and his wedding to Jordan was one of them.

After the morning meeting, Lily cornered Jordan in the locker room.

"I have some good news! We found a place."

"Really?" Jordan replied with a surprised, yet relieved, smile.

"The Harmony Wellness Center," Lily announced with more than a touch of pride in her voice. "It's a beautiful facility. Natural light and tranquil lines. Did you know they flew in a feng shui master from China when they designed the building?"

"Feng shui?" Her smile as uncertain.

"Just think," Lily continued excitedly. "You'll be starting out your married life in perfect balance with no negative chi."

"Well, we've had enough negative chi to last us a lifetime," Jordan singsonged with two thumbs up.

"They're willing to work with us to some degree. The guests will have to agree to perform a ritualistic cleaning before they enter the building and not contradict the energy flow that streams around them."

'Kinda like being up a creek with out a paddle.'

Jordan pasted a smile in place as Lily excitedly spelled out her church's philosophies about the use of the five elements as a basis for any religious ceremony.

"...They assured me Paul is more then welcome to perform the ceremony as long as he acknowledges the other faiths involved in the make up of the Harmony Center. I already talked to him and he said it wouldn't be a problem."

Jordan bit her lip. She could only guess how this was going to fly with Woody. Incense and a water ceremony were already going to be a tough sell, but add all the deities in the cosmos into the vows and Jordan knew she was going to have her work cut out for her.

"I think I have a line on a caterer though the center. He's an artisan that uses only organic. I understand he does amazing Taramosalata and Pulpo a la Vinagreta. You need to give me a guest list so that we can work out a menu..."

"..Octopus?"

"Amazing..." Lily reiterated.

Three autopsies and a prolonged battle with the copier machine later, Jordan staggered down the hallway to her office. As the day wore on, Jordan was having difficulty remembering she was in a fantastic mood.

Out of the corner of her eye she saw Nigel and Lily consulting over the bright pink folder that had Jordan's Wedding written in flowing letters across the cover. Earlier Nigel filled her in on their planned trip to find her wedding dress that evening.

Once inside her security of her office, Jordan's shoulders dropped. Her failure as a bride was complete. She couldn't even find the time to buy her own dress.

She was still debating on canceling on Woody for the evening and going with them when her phone rang.

"Cavanaugh."

"I come home from my honeymoon to find a message on my machine. Casual my fanny..." Kim's silky voice exploded into a squeal that was reminiscent of the twelve year-old Kim's reaction every Sunday night when Tom Selleck wagged his eyebrows in the opening credits of Magnum PI.

"I can't believe it! One month? Are you crazy?" Kim laughed.

"Your wedding only took one month to plan."

"To cement. Jordan, I started planning the second the subject came up...about eight months before give or take. I'm impressed. " Kim clucked.

"...Ohh"

"Of course I'll stand up with you. And no I'm not upset Lily is you maid of honor. I know how much she means to you. I still can't believe it. I figured if you ever get married I'd get a post card from Vegas...and then a second one a few days later saying you needed annulment legal advice."

"No. Not. Vegas. Vegas is out of the question," Jordan corrected tensely.

"Hmmm, there's a story there, but I'll that it slide for now."

Jordan's reaction was a sigh of relief.

"Jordan Cavanaugh is having a wedding, complete with all the trimmings," Kim continued brightly.

Jordan was glad at least one of them was finding some enjoyment out of the prospect. "Yep. With allll the trimmings," she said with more excitement then she felt at that moment.

"Lily, love, we are looking for a wedding dress for a stylish, mature woman..." Nigel pointed to the tulle creation in Lily's arms. "Not a dress for her Quinceanera..."

He held up a slimly-silhouetted jersey halter gown. "Now this one screams self confidence."

Lily looked at the dress with a jaundice eye. "It screams something alright..." she murmured thumbing the price tag.

She had her doubts when Nigel suggested they do their shopping at a place that was listed in the phone book as a rental resale warehouse, but she couldn't discount their selection... or their prices.

"You need to remember we're looking for just the foundation. By the time I finish Jordan will have a designer original," he smiled smugly. "Here, there's one in your size. Go try it on..."

Lily sighed. "Nige, I don't think so..." She couldn't see any reason to try on a dress that would hang differently on her feminine curves than Jordan's long lines.

"Go on. I told you that I need to see the hang to find something that'll work for my vision." Nigel pressed the plastic wrapped dress in her hands and whispered. "Come on darling, haven't you always fantasized about playing dress-up in a place like this?"

Biting her lip Lily had to admit she was girly-girl enough to be tempted. 'Let me try on that ball gown one too, and you have a deal."

With a Cheshire cat smile Nigel pulled the tulle dress off the rack and passed it over.

"I'll be waiting out here..."

Lily didn't need to be told twice. She hit the dressing room running. They may not agree on what less is more means, but Lily wasn't going to pass up a chance to play princess in her mission to give Jordan a wedding they'll be talking about for years.