Chapter Seven

Ella took a cup of coffee to Nicole and gently woke her. The young girl yawned and then stretched and suddenly let out a gasp when she thought she'd lost the scrapbook but it had been placed on the table nearby. She went to push the throw down so she could stand up and noted that a quilt had replaced it.
"Huh!" she said confusedly.
"Your Dad came down at about half one and found you fast asleep. So he put the quilt on you." Ella explained. "He was going to lift you up to bed but you were so fast asleep."
Nicole smiled.
"What was he doing awake at that time of night?" Nicole asked then blushed. "Oh." She added.
Ella laughed.
"Nothing like that Missy, he just couldn't sleep last night. Sometimes he has bad dreams." Ella glossed over what could be classed as night terrors. "He likes to know you are home safe too."
Nicole laughed.
"Is that coffee for me?" she asked, avoiding confessing that she liked the fact that her dad cared so much.
"Yes!" Ella handed her the cup and took a deep breath. She had to admit that she wasn't feeling the best today but they had an awful amount to get through. Checking out the venues, confirming the date getting the guest lists worked out for the invitations to be printed. And Nicole still hadn't finalised her choice of invites.
She sat back on the other sofa and took a couple of deep calming breaths but the feeling of queasiness still wouldn't go away.
"Are you ok?" Roman called from the kitchen doorway.
"To be honest no. I think I might go back to bed for a bit. I think I'm coming down with a bug." Ella gave them a weak smile.
Roman took a step forward but before he could help Ella stand up Nicole was there. She placed her hand on Ella's forehead checking for temperature.
"You know what this means don't you?" Nicole said with a half smile. "I get to drag Dad around all the wedding places we were going to today."
Ella gave a weak smile and tried to stand.
"Come on" Roman began. "I'll take you upstairs." He swept her up into his arms and carried her up the steep staircase leaving Nicole to sit and drink her coffee. She had a worried look on her face. She tried to tell herself that it wasn't just about missing El's company on the shopping trips and her help with the wedding but she suspected that she had become such a Bridezilla that that really was the only reason and that made her feel really selfish. She hoped that she wasn't turning into the old Nicole.

Geoff picked up his phone and made the most difficult phone call he had ever had to make. Telling Nicole that the church was already booked the Saturday they wanted it for the wedding. He looked around and glanced at the view letting it calm him. With any luck she would be busy and the all would go through to voice mail he hoped. But his hopes were dashed when she answered on the first ring. He gulped.
"Hey!" she said. "I was just thinking of you Prince Charming."
He felt his heart give a little flutter and laughed at the way she could affect him, even on the other end of a phone call.
"Hey!" he replied. "I hope you still think of me like that when I tell you the bad news."
She gasped.
"What?"
"The church is booked solid for that Saturday. There is no way we will be able to have it." He told her and heard an audible groan from the other end of the connection.
"Well you work there!" she said aggressively. "Do something. Bump somebody's wedding."
"Nic, it doesn't work like that. I told you it was a popular time and we'd be lucky."
She took a deep breath, pinching the bridge of her nose and frowning. Luckily he couldn't see her right now as she suspected that it wasn't a pleasant look on her face.
"Geoff do something." She said her tone very unpleasant then she said. "I'm sorry. What are our options?"
"That's the other thing, Nic. They only have one space available in the diary. Its in 6 weeks." He took a breath and lifted the phone away from his ear in preparation for the response he was sure he would get.
"6 weeks?" she cried.
"How the hell can we possibly do everything in six weeks. I don't even have Ella today because she chose today to go get sick on me and I'm stuck with my dad who is driving me up the wall because he doesn't have a clue about what makes a decent wedding. Of course if he had married my mother or Ella properly then it might have been different but oh no and now you are telling me that I have to put everything together in 6 weeks. It simply won't do!" She paused at last before finishing with. "Geoffrey Campbell sort out the church or I am not going to marry you." And hung up the phone with an audible snap.
Geoff smiled and turned to his pastor and also his boss.
"She's thrilled, we'll take the slot. And also you won't be meeting her until the day!"
The pastor, Frank, smiled.
"She took it that well?" he asked.
"No she took it better than I expected actually!" Geoff confessed.
"Com'on son. Let's go discuss some details." Frank steered him into the church and through to the office.