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Chapter 9
"Ms. Webber." Venus was out front talking with the receptionist.
"Sorry to just drop back in." Elizabeth said realizing she didn't have an appointment.
"It's fine. We had two hours booked for you this morning, so actually this is still your time." Venus explained to her bride.
"This is Jason Morgan, the groom." Elizabeth said making introductions.
"Mr. Morgan, congratulations." Venus said shaking his hand. The introduction wasn't necessary, as a resident of the island she knew who he was on sight. Same with Sonny Corinthos. Milo's presence made more sense now, although Ms. Webber wasn't the only client they had come into the shop with protection. The island was a popular wedding destination for folks who could afford it. They even had clientele from royal families come in and shop. "Are you back for the attendants' dresses?"
"Yes, but the ones I selected." Elizabeth really did like those gowns for the wedding.
"I put them aside as well as the ones your mother suggested." Venus said leading them to the proper area in the boutique. "Have a seat and I'll go get them."
"Thank you." Elizabeth sat while the guys stood. Venus wasn't gone long. Seeing the dresses Liz smiled knowing she was making the correct choice. "They really are lovely. I think the ladies will look beautiful in them."
"They aren't originals like your wedding gown and your mother's dress." Venus let her client know. Bridal party gowns rarely were unless they were custom made.
"That's fine." Elizabeth said nodding. "What do you think?" She asked Jason. His was the only opinion that mattered.
"They are nice." He said with a half-smile. Honestly he only cared what Elizabeth looked like. He already knew she would be gorgeous. He also got the symbolism of the light and dark blue. Her eyes and his.
Elizabeth just smiled. With Jason what he didn't say was just as important as what he did. If he had hated them then he would have been honest. "I also need a flower girl dress. Chiffon, if you have it, but not overly poufy." She couldn't think of any other word to describe what she meant.
"How old is the little girl?" Venus asked mentally going through their inventory.
"She is three." Elizabeth smiled thinking of Kristina. She was adorable, and the princess of it all. "She likes dressing up, so I'd like something that will honor that."
"Blue as well? Or are you going to be more traditional and go with white?" Venus just wanted to check.
"If I go with white I'm introducing another color into the wedding. Diane will probably never talk to me again." Elizabeth said laughing. "So I'll start by looking at your blue gowns. I would like to stay on the lighter end of the blue spectrum." She thought the dark blue was a little mature for Kristina.
When Venus moved off Jason leaned over. "Get the dress you want, do not worry about Diane."
"She really was trying to help." Elizabeth told her fiance.
"I know, but it's our wedding." He reminded her. His girl was sometimes too nice.
Before Elizabeth could respond Venus returned. "That is lovely." Liz said smiling.
Jason grinned. "That's a Kristina dress." He said thinking of his goddaughter. She would probably want to wear it even after the ceremony was over. So it could go into her play chest.
Milo was nodding too. That was the perfect outfit for Sonny's daughter.
"Great." Venus said looking at the pale blue taffeta dress. It was tea length so the little girl didn't need to worry about tripping as she came down the aisle. "If the straps are an issue we can remove them during her fitting."
"No, I like the straps. They are more age appropriate." Elizabeth said smiling. "She's going to look adorable. We will take all three dresses please."
"This is has been one of the easiest consults of my career." Venus said leading them back up front.
"Even factoring in this morning?" Elizabeth wanted to know.
"This morning wasn't that bad, at least not from my perspective." Venus said on a small laugh. "We've seen fights that have turned physical, or result in people not talking to each other again." Which could make follow up fittings tricky.
Elizabeth couldn't help but think of her sister almost crying in a boutique changing room because of something their mother had said. Sarah's weight had come under scrutiny during the gown search. Despite the eldest Webber daughter being a size two Carolyn had called her doughy after she tried on a mermaid style dress. "I appreciate your help."
"You are most welcome." Venus said smiling. "We will see you next week for your fitting."
"You will, my party members should be here by then." Elizabeth said before the consult left them with the receptionist who would right up the bill.
"Okay, everything is paid for." Jason said smiling at the fact that they were one step closer to getting married. "Since we are out what else can we handle before going to the bakery?"
"How about the flowers." Liz suggested.
"Lead the way." He said linking their fingers as they walked out.
Francis took them out to the deck, and once Diane was seated he went back into the house to get them both something to drink. Ice tea for her, and coffee for him. He sat down and grinned at her. "So what happened?"
"Elizabeth is incredibly stubborn." Diane told him.
"Because you're not?" He said laughing. "I'm surprised you didn't start with her being my daughter." He had seen Alexis do that with Morgan and Kristina. When they were good they were her kids, when they weren't they were Sonny's. "What is the issue, exactly?"
"The bridal party dresses are strapless, and so is Liz's dress. The other girls should have a different neckline on their dresses. That way the bride clearly stands out." Diane let him know.
"I think the white dress will take care of that." Francis said sipping his drink.
"That's exactly what she said." Diane told him frowning some before taking a sip of her drink. "The two of you have a lot of traits in common."
He heard an odd note in her voice. "Is that a bad thing? You like me and my traits." He pointed out.
"I love you. I don't think there is any doubt about that. I love Liz too." Diane said giving him a grin. "I have also never encountered two more stubborn people in my life. Despite not sharing DNA, it's sometimes like she's a carbon copy of you. The two of you perfectly demonstrate the scientific principal that behaviors can rub off on people when they spend a lot of time together." Diane explained what was behind her emotions. "I would have never let her pick a hot pink prom dress, but you certainly would."
Francis thought he knew what this was. Diane's real memories were getting mixed up with her false memories and now she was feeling guilty about the time spent on her career. His sister went through something similar when she went back to work after her son was born. She felt like she had to choose between career success and being a good mother.
Francis thought women had it hard. They were judged if they stayed home, and judged if they went back to work. At the same time he wasn't sure how to help Diane with this. What she was feeling was based on the lie her own mind was telling her. Did he feed that lie? Or did he not and possibly say something he shouldn't.
Finally he reached over and covered Diane's hand with his. "Every single time Lizbits has needed you, she never had to search to find you." He told Dee. Which was true. If Liz said she needed to talk to Diane, then his girl made sure she was available. One time even cancelling their date because Liz had called her crying.
"I want the day to be perfect for her." Diane said on a sigh. "I want her to have her moment like every single bride that came before her. She deserves that." She said before lightly rubbing her temple.
"What's wrong?" Francis put his glass down and came around the table.
"I have the beginning of a headache." Diane told him. One minute she had been fine and then the pain was there. "I hope I'm not going to be subject to migraines from here on out."
"Let me get you some aspirin." Francis walked into the house and grabbed the bottle. "How often have you been getting headaches?" He asked watching her swallow the pills. "Be honest."
"Off and on since we arrived at Sonny's house. Yesterday was the worse." Diane admitted. But she had been in the hospital for a head injury so this probably wasn't anything to worry about.
"Babe, the doctors said not to push." He reminded her as he gently massaged her neck. She was tense. He figured she was trying to fill in more blanks.
"I'm not pushing." Diane said covering his hand with hers. "I hate being sick, or in this case injured." This wasn't his fault. No it was the coward who ordered someone to shoot at Jason from their car. "Did they find the shooter yet?"
"No." Francis told her, lying. Cody had indeed tracked the guy down the same day they got shot at. Which was how they knew for a fact that Ric was at the root of what happened. But Diane didn't get that information. Even if she was well, she wouldn't get that information. She also wouldn't ever find out she was the intended target. Jason was the one to give the order that everyone was to say he was the target. He didn't want Diane living her life in fear because she was his lawyer. Francis completely agreed with that call. She knew the risks associated with being in their company, but she didn't need to know that a hit had been put out on her. "Would you like to go lie down?"
"No. How about a stroll on the beach until the Jason and Liz return." Diane said smiling up at Francis. He wanted to take care of her and normally she would say she didn't need him to fuss over her. However since they were on the island she was going to let him. "I will talk to Liz and apologize for pushing. Maybe she'll let me help her with the rest of the planning."
"A walk is a great idea. Kick off your shoes." He pointed to her heels. "And we'll go down."
They walked into the flower shop and Elizabeth smiled in delight. "I love flowers. I want to have a garden someday."
"Anytime I see a flower I think of my grandmother." Jason said looking around. He missed her, and Em, something fierce. "So what were you thinking?" They hadn't been spotted yet so he had time to ask.
"Tulips." Elizabeth said leaning in to smell a bloom. "If they can get them. It would probably be smarter to go with a tropical flower, but I love tulips. White for all of us, and tulip petals in Kristina's basket."
Jason frowned a bit in concentration. "I'm not sure I know that plant. My grandmother didn't grow them."
Elizabeth spied some in the cooler and smiled. "They are in the bucket on the bottom shelf of the display case behind the counter." She pointed to where he should look.
Jason nodded. "I didn't know you liked them so much." He would make sure she had some regularly. He did know a lot of her preferences, and in terms of flowers he knew she was not a rose fan. They were pretty to look at, but she didn't like having them around. It had something to do with her ex.
"I really like Gerber Daisies too. I think the tulips will work better for the ceremony." Elizabeth said thinking out loud. "What would you like for your party?"
"Tulips are fine for the guys as well." Jason wasn't super picky.
"Can I help you?" The sales associate asked coming over. "Sorry for the wait." She added when she saw who her customer was.
"It's not a problem." Elizabeth said setting the florist at ease. She knew that people got nervous around Sonny and Jason. "We used the time to firm up our choices." She said smiling. "We'd like to see some tulips and talk about flowers for our wedding. In two weeks." It was important that the florist knew the time frame was so short.
"Okay." The associate said nodding. "We have several varieties in the store at the moment, and we can certainly fly more in." You didn't say no to Jason Morgan. "How many bouquets?" She asked taking them over to a table.
"Three bouquets for the bridal party, one basket for the flower girl, and three boutonnieres for the groom's party. Plus the flowers for the reception." Elizabeth paused. "We are going to be adding on to this order because we need flowers for both sets of parents. When I know what they want I can call."
"That will work." The associate assured the bride. "I'll get you some samples, Ms.?"
"Corelli." Elizabeth has almost said Webber. If Diane called the shop to check on the status of the order she wasn't going to use Webber. Elizabeth could have gone with Miller, but there was no way Francis wouldn't have his children use his last name. He wasn't at all progressive in that regard. Diane could keep her maiden name that was fine. Their kids would have his last name. The attorney would know that.
"I'll be right back." The associate said before moving off.
"You almost said Webber." Jason grinned, he caught the brief pause.
"I did." Elizabeth admitted laughing. "It's kind of a habit after so many years." She joked. "Steven is going to use the last name Hardy, if Diane isn't better by the time of the wedding. He is worried that hearing the name Webber might trigger something." Liz said shrugging.
"He's okay with Francis giving you away?" Jason wanted to know.
"He is." Elizabeth leaned back in the chair. "Steven said he always assumed I would walk down the aisle unescorted. I'm not going to ask our father, and my mother would raise holy hell if I asked Steven to do it." She said shrugging.
"Did your dad give Sarah away?" Jason wanted to know.
"Yes. They didn't get a choice. Sarah wanted to walk down alone." Elizabeth really was getting off easy. "After this where are we going?"
"To see the baker." Jason said grinning because he knew she would like that. It was good they opted to do flower first because the baker needed more time to get samples together.
"Yum." Elizabeth said laughing. "Alternating layers of chocolate and vanilla?"
"That will work." Jason was a chocolate cake fan like his soon to be wife, the vanilla would offer an option to those who weren't. "But when we get there I'm willing to pretend I don't know what I want so we can get more free samples." He said joking. He wasn't able to lie so that wasn't going to happen.
"That's really big of you." Elizabeth said laughing again.
"Sonny brought this big box of cake squares to one of our meetings when he was planning his wedding to Alexis. We all ended up in sugar comas, and didn't get anything done. Best meeting ever." Jason said grinning at the memory.
"The baker might not have that many samples ready to go." Elizabeth pointed out. They would probably only get to taste the flavors that were already on hand.
"I called this morning to tell them I would be in before lunch." Jason told Elizabeth. "So yeah they will."
"Smart." She said leaning over and kissing him. Before it could get out of hand the associate returned with a small bucket of tulips in a rainbow of colors. "Lovely." Elizabeth said smiling and settled in to get a brief lesson in what she was looking at.
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