Okay, here's the next chapter. I am so sorry it took so long to get out! I even decided not to get it betaed because it's been so long since I updated. I must warn you, updates will be coming a bit slower than I had planned. I have a few other stories I'm working on, and unfortunately, my muse has been tuned in to them rather than this one. I will not give up on this story. I have so many of the scenes worked out already, I'm just trying to piece them together. So, bare with me! Also, much thanks to wonton-chan, AbigailRagan, and my anonymous reviewer! Hopefully this chapter doesn't disappoint you!

Chapter Three: Wedding Plans

I'm brought back to the present by the elves who now work under me shuffling in. Amongst them is my closest friend, Daniel. He makes his way to stand in front of my desk and leans on it, his stormy grey eyes staring into mine.

"Congratulations, hon!"

I smile up at him, resting my elbows on my desk. I fold my hands and rest my chin on them. "You congratulated me yesterday, Daniel."

"Well, I wanted to do it again! It's not everyday my best friend gets promoted!" he exclaims, his eyes sparkling.

I laugh. "I think you're more excited about it than I am." I give him a stern look. "Don't think that just because I'm your new boss, you can slack off."

His eyes widen. "I would never!"

"Uh-huh, sure. By the way, Judy's meeting with us in about thirty minutes. Is her dress ready?"

"Of course it is. I'm ready to show it to her." His eyes sparkled again. Daniel is my best clothing designer. I suppose his good taste comes from the fact that he's gay. I smile up at him. I wouldn't trade him for anything in the world.

"Can you tell Kyra to get her things ready?"

"Sure."

"Okay, when we're ready, I'll let you know."

"Great!" He turns and makes his way over to his work station and sits down.

I watch him for a few seconds before I turn my attention back to the papers on my desk. Judy's getting married in two weeks. Daniel, naturally, designed her dress. I was in charge of decorations. Even now, after being promoted, I'm not handing it over to any of my underlings. I grin to myself. I've only been in charge for less than half a day and I'm already referring to them as my underlings. When Judy first asked me to be in charge of decorating her wedding and reception, we went over the basic idea of what she wanted. I quickly scan over the sketches I've made, making sure I'm entirely satisfied with all of it.

I look up as the door to the department opens. Judy walks in, followed by her fiancé Matthew. She stops in front of my desk, giving me a bright smile. Matthew looks like he'd rather be back in wrapping, doing his job. I've decorated a lot of weddings, and in my experience, the groom doesn't exactly thrill at the idea of being involved in the details.

"Hey, Judy. Ready to see what I've cooked up?" I ask, folding my arms on the edge of my desk and leaning forward just slightly.

"I definitely am!" she exclaims, clasping her hands together in front of her.

"Then let's get started," I say with laughter in my voice. "Anna!" I call, catching the attention of a petite blonde elf sitting two stations away from Daniel. "Can you get Judy and Matthew some chairs to sit in please?"

Anna smiles and nods, standing up and heading to a supply closet to her right. She pulls two folding chairs out and closes the closet with her hip. She carefully maneuvers through all the work stations and sets the chairs up on either side of mine.

"Thank you, Anna."

"You're welcome, Evelyn," she replies with a kind smile before walking back to her station.

Judy sits down in one of the chairs while Matthew takes the other one. I pull out the plans for her ceremony. She lets out a soft gasp. Matthew's eyes widen as he stares down at the drawings. I motion with my hands to the different designs as I explain everything.

"I've decided on white Paris seat covers for both the ceremony and the reception. White silk ribbons accented with white roses at every chair will line the isle. Four marble pillars draped in white lace with a matching canopy will form a square. You'll stand in the center as you exchange vows.

"Now, for the reception, I went with round tables with white lace tablecloths. There are eight settings to a table. Your table will be at the back of the hall. It will have a white silk cloth with silver lining and silver Paris seat covers. Behind you there will be a heart shaped archway made of white roses. There will be a small bouquet of white roses, short enough that you can be seen over them. All the other tables will have long, white vases made of ceramic holding a few sprigs of baby's breath as the centerpiece.

"White and silver confetti in the form of the word 'Congratulations' will be sprinkled across every table. Small, white boxes tied with silver ribbon will be placed at every setting on every table. They'll be filled with candies for the guests. There will also be four glass candle holders with white candles on every table. White and silver lace will form a canopy starting at the center of the ceiling and traveling to the point where the ceiling meets the wall before falling to the floor. The white will run to the corners and the silver will run left to right and front to back."

"It's perfect, Evelyn," Judy squeals excitedly when I finish. "I knew it would be."

I smile at her. "I'm glad you like it." I turn to Matthew. "What do you think?"

Matthew blinks, obviously surprised that I'm asking his opinion. "Uh, it's great. I mean, it really is."

"Good," I say, my smile widening. I turn back to Judy. "Would you like to see your dress?"

"Yes!" She hops up out of her chair.

"I think I'll just wait here," Matthew offers, saving me the trouble of asking if he's allowed to see the dress.

"We'll be back in just a few minutes," I inform him before walking over to Daniel's station, Judy following close behind. "We're ready, Daniel."

Daniel grins and quickly stands up. "Right this way, ladies."

As Daniel leads us to the closed off room just for his use, I tell Judy, "Kyra has your menus ready, along with sketches of your cakes. You can go see her right after this."

"Wow, Evy," she giggles. "You've been the Head of Design for only a few hours and I can already tell Bernard made the right choice."

I give a modest smile. "Thanks, Judy, but I just got started. I could have a meltdown in two days for all we know."

Daniel gives a flourished wave of his hand. "Don't listen to her, Judy. She's just being modest."

I start to say something back to him, but he opens the door to his room and ushers us in. Judy lets out another soft gasp. My eyes grow wide as I stare at the dress in front of us. The body of the dress is made of white satin. It has a straight neck and hugs the body until the natural waist line, where it bells out. There's a small amount of white embroidery on the center of the bottom. It has white organza arms decorated with embroidery that bell out just past the elbows.

"Oh, Daniel," she breathes. "It's gorgeous!" Daniel beams down at her. "Of course it is! I designed it, didn't I?"

I roll my eyes. Daniel has no lack of confidence whatsoever. "Get over yourself, Daniel."

"You're just jealous," he replies in a sassy tone.

I roll my eyes again, shaking my head before he ushers us back out. Matthew is sitting exactly where we left him, but he's looking over the decorating plans again. The small smile on his face lets me know that he does, indeed, like them. Daniel grins as he heads back to his work station. Judy follows me back to my desk. I clear my throat and Matthew's head snaps up.

"Uh, I was just," he begins in a stutter. "I mean," he's having trouble finding what he wants to say.

"It's okay, Matthew," I reassure him, smiling kindly. I turn back to the group of elves working under me, still a bit overwhelmed that I'm their Head. "Kyra," I call. A brunette elf looks up at me. "Are you ready to fill Judy in on what will be served at her reception?"

Kyra nods, a smile playing on her lips. "Yes, Ma'am."

I groan. "Please, Kyra, it's just Evy. I don't like being called Ma'am."

Kyra grins. "Yes, Evy."

"Kyra is in charge of the catering. I have the highest faith in her," I tell Judy.

"Great!" Judy exclaims. She moves to pick up her chair, but Matthew beats her to it. She smiles brightly at him as he carries their chairs over to Kyra's desk. She turns to me, "Thank you again, Evy. For everything."

"It wasn't a problem, Judy. Really."

She beams at me before turning around and bounding over to take her seat between Kyra and Matthew. I move to sit back down behind my desk, moving the folder with Judy's wedding plans to the side. Before I can figure out what I need to be working on, someone taps me on the shoulder. I turn around to find Larry standing there with a small smile on his face.

"Hey, Evy. Quintin was wondering if you could come down to Research & Development real quick. Says he needs your help with a design."

"Of course! Give me one moment," I say as I stand up. He nods and I walk over to Daniel. Leaning on his desk, I say, "Hey, I have to go over to Research & Development for a bit to help Quintin. Keep an eye on things for me?"

"Of course, doll," he says flippantly. "Tell Quintin I said hi, would ya?"

I giggle. "You know I will."

He winks at me and I laugh as I walk back over to Larry, motioning for him to lead the way. As I follow him, I can't help the amused smile that forms on my lips. Quintin came out just under two hundred years ago. Ever since then, Daniel's been flirting shamelessly with him. Of course, Daniel's always had a thing for the Head of Research & Development. I'm so absorbed in my own thoughts that I hardly notice when we stop outside of Quintin's department.

"Well, I have other things I need to be doing," Larry says as he turns to leave. "See ya later, Evy."

"Bye," I call after him before pushing the door open and stepping through it.

Sorry if it's a bit shorter than the last two. I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. If you want to see more, reviews help inspire!