Jonathan called and rescheduled his meeting and headed straight home.
He breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that Jennifer was at home.
He came in the house and immediately locked the door.
"Darling, I thought you were going back to the office".
"Yeah, I did too. But something came up".
He picked up the phone and called the security company and requested immediate coverage on all sides of his house.
"Jonathan, what is going on?"
He started walking around the house drawing the blinds and closing the curtains.
"There's this business deal that I'm trying to close. If I close it, I will be purchasing a company called Young-Myers LLC. They are a small electronics firm out of Boston. If I purchase them, I will be closing down 2 factories and relocating those factories to another larger factory about 35 minutes away. I have stated more than once that nobody will lose their job-they just have to reapply."
"Ok, so?"
"So, you got in the car and left and then I headed to my car, and when I got there, there was a man standing against the tree in the median. He basically told me to cancel the deal. I explained to him that nobody would lose their jobs. He ended the conversation by saying that it would be a shame if something happened to you".
"And then what?"
"He got in a car and someone drove them away".
"Could you see who?"
"No, the windows were tinted very dark. I did get the license plate number though".
He came and sat by her.
"So, until the deal is closed, we are going to have security here around us and you at all times".
"Define around us at all times".
"Security posted on all sides of the house, plus someone in the house at night".
"Jonathan! What about our privacy?"
"If we have to give up something to keep you safe, it's worth it".
"I disagree. Tell me something, if you have someone stationed outside at all times, on every side of the house, and you use the cameras that you put in last time, then what is the purpose of having someone stationed inside the house?"
"Ok, I'll give you that one."
"Thank you".
He picked up the phone and called Stanley.
"Stanley, it's Jonathan. Can you come to my house? And bring everything on the Young-Myers deal with you. Thank you".
He hung up and then went and checked the cameras.
"Jonathan, can we just take a step back here?"
"Once we figure out what we are dealing with, we can."
She got up and went to the bedroom and took a bubble bath.
When she came out, Stanley was there and they were working hard on fixing things.
She basically stayed in the bedroom to let them work.
After Stanley left, Jonathan came into the bedroom.
"Hey, you hungry? Why don't we order in?"
She nodded.
They placed their order and went to wait for it in the living room.
"So what did you guys figure out?"
"We are going to keep one of the factories open, remodel the other one, then move everyone to that one and remodel the other one, and that way nobody will be out of work at all. Also, Stanley thinks James Piedmont is behind the threats, and that he's working for Elliott. Wouldn't surprise me".
"I understand that you were freaked out by this, and I understand that you want to keep us safe. But Jonathan, filling the house with security isn't the answer".
He hung his head.
"I know. I just didn't know what else to do".
"This is above our pay grade, darling. Maybe it's time to call Lt. Gray".
"Well, the plan for right now is for me to tell Young-Myers the new factory plan, and see if the threats stop. If they don't, I'll call him in".
"Can you call him and have him trace the plate number?"
"I don't need to. I have Stanley".
***A month later***
Things had pretty much returned to normal. Jennifer was still working out, and Jonathan was still busy at the office.
The wedding was about halfway planned. They had to have the meetings with the vendors, but other than that, they were just waiting on it to get here. She had hired a wedding planner to do the little things that were tedious.
She had been accepted to write freelance by an editor, so she was spending her days researching and working on articles.
She was at home when the phone rang, and she reached over and picked it up.
"Hello?"
"Hi, can I speak to Jennifer Edwards?"
"Speaking".
"This is Mallory, from the country club. We were informed that we are going to have to do some renovations on the wedding hall, and unfortunately, we aren't going to be able to hold your wedding on the 26th."
"How long will the renovations take?"
"About 8 months".
"Can we move it up?"
"I'm sorry, we don't have any openings."
"Are you kidding me?! You cannot be seriously telling me that you are canceling my wedding with a month to go!"
"I'm sorry ma'am. You will be refunded in full, I promise you".
"I don't care about that. I care about the fact that I planned a wedding at your facility and you aren't honoring that".
"I'm sorry ma'am".
They hung up the phone. Jennifer sat there, dumbfounded.
First, she was angry. Very, very angry. Then, she was upset. She started to cry.
She called Jonathan at the office.
"Hello?"
All he heard was a whimper.
"Jennifer, darling, is that you? What's wrong?"
"The-club-canceled-our-wedding-".
"What? Calm down…. Whatever it is, it will be ok".
She took a few deep breaths and then tried again.
"I said the club called and canceled our wedding."
"Did they say why?"
"Renovations. And they said it would take 8 months and that they couldn't move it up either".
"Ok, let me call them and talk to them, and then I'll call you back. I love you, it will be ok".
"I love you too. Ask for Mallory".
"I'll call you back, I promise".
They hung up and Jennifer went to take a bubble bath.
She was just about to get out when the phone rang. Luckily, she had brought the phone in the bathroom and placed it near the tub. She reached over and answered it.
"Hello?"
"Ok, now promise me you won't freak out".
"Just tell me, Jonathan".
"I talked to the club, and they agreed to move it to this weekend. I called Whitney, the wedding planner, and she said that was no problem and that she would take care of everything. I am going to make an announcement here in the office today that it's being moved to this weekend".
"Jonathan! We can't do it that soon, my father won't be here to walk me down the aisle. My aunts can't get here that soon."
"Jennifer, trust me, it will all work out. And I promise you, if you don't like this wedding, we will have another one in a year or so".
"Jonathan! I refuse to get married without my father walking me down the aisle".
"Baby, please don't stress. It's not good for the baby".
"You are making me get married this weekend without my father and you want me to not stress? Please, tell me how you think that's going to work out. There's still so much left to do! We haven't picked a honeymoon. You haven't gotten your suit yet, or the guys ties. We haven't picked flowers, or had the cake tasting. And instead of having over 30 days, we now have 4".
"Do you want me to call and cancel it?"
"I don't know what I want. If we cancel it, we lose money. If we keep it, it's not going to be perfect and I won't have my dad or my aunts there. I don't even know if Cassie and Ava can get here by then, and I have no clue what to do about their dresses either".
"Can you just trust me? I promise you, we will take it one step at a time and it will work out, ok?"
"What time will you be home?"
"4. I love you".
"I love you too".
She hung up and cried some more and then got out.
She took a long walk on the beach, and came back just before Jonathan got home.
He came in the house and found her walking in from the back porch.
"Hi".
"Hi".
She barely kissed him.
"Now come on, that's not up to our usual standards".
"Jonathan, don't."
"I promise you, it will be ok. Now let's make a plan of what needs to get done and then we can make some phone calls".
"Well, we need to pick a cake style and flavor, and that's if the bakery can make it in 4 days. We need to pick flowers and hope like hell the florist can do it all in 4 days. If Cassie and Ava can come, then we need to find them dresses off the rack that will fit in 4 days. We need to pick a honeymoon, that we will leave for in 4 days. And honestly, I don't want to do any of it, if I can't have my dad walk me down the aisle".
He wrapped his arms around her and tried to comfort her some.
"Ok, so what if we had Max as the stand in? I will set up whatever technology I have to in order for your dad to be able to watch the wedding. Maybe Max could walk you down the aisle and your dad could do the speaking part. And I meant what I said, if you don't like this wedding, after the baby is born, we will throw another one that you love".
He reached across her and grabbed the phone and called Deanne.
"Can you do me a favor? Can you please ask Kelly in Event Planning to gather her committee and come to my house right away? I'll pay overtime, I'll pay whatever I have to….thank you".
"Ok, so where do you want to go on our honeymoon? We have two weeks".
"I don't know. where do you want to go?"
"Well, Hawaii is nice, we could do a Hawaiian cruise. Or we could go to an all-inclusive resort somewhere. We can go wherever you want".
"How about a resort somewhere, wherever you want?"
"I'll talk to the travel agent and see what they suggest".
Just then, the doorbell rang. He went to get it and found Kelly and her committee standing on the other side.
"Hi, come on in.".
They all went and sat in the living room.
Max came in the garage then, from a poker game.
"Hi you two. Oh, sorry, didn't know you had company. Anyone up for some coffee?"
"Sure Max, thanks".
Jonathan explained everything to the ladies.
"So, we are in need of your help so that we can pull this off".
"Ok, well, what do you need us to do?"
"We made a list."
Jennifer handed it to her.
"Perfect. Let's start with flowers. What are your wedding colors?"
"Light blue and sparkly silver. And the country club has these tall square vases that they use for centerpieces. They are about 8 inches tall. So, I know I want the centerpieces to be taller than the vase, maybe by 4 inches or so. And it's ok if they spread out some".
"Perfect. So for the centerpieces, what if we did arrangements of blue gladiolus, white gladiolus, blue bells, and bells of Ireland? And for your bouquet, we can do forget me nots, hydrangeas, and agapanthus. For the boutonniere's, we can do a single white rose, or light blue forget me nots".
"I like all those ideas".
"Great. Allyson, see if you can call and arrange that with the florist".
Allyson headed to the sunroom to use the phone.
"Ok, now let's talk wedding cake. What's your favorite cake flavor?"
"White cake."
"Devil's food".
"Ok, so maybe the baker can do a 3 or 4 tiered cake, with alternating flavors. Do you have a design in mind?"
"Kind of. I don't have a cake topper at all, though. And oh my gosh, we don't have champagne flutes for the toast".
"There's a wholesale wedding supply store on Wilshire and 38th. Called Bridal Galaxy. You should be able to get things from there".
"Oh, that's a good idea".
"So what do you want the cake to look like?"
"I like the ones that look like they've been scraped on the sides, with the stripes".
"Wonderful! That's easy to do. Ok, Leslie, please call her baker and see if they can accommodate this request and tell them it's an emergency".
"Yes, ma'am".
"What's left?"
"Finding out if my friends can get here this weekend, and if my dad can come to walk me down the aisle".
They looked up flights, and found that there wasn't a flight that would get her dad there in time.
"Want me to call him?"
"No, it's no use. He won't be able to get here in time. In order to get here, he would have had to have left yesterday".
She looked at Kelly.
"Thank you, for your help. I really appreciate it".
She got up and headed to the bedroom, in tears.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Hart. I didn't mean-"
"It's alright. This has all been a little much for her. She'll be fine, it wasn't your fault".
Just then Allyson came back from the sunroom.
"The florist agreed, and said that if you agreed to do light blue roses in the boutonniere's, they would throw those in free".
"That's perfectly acceptable".
Leslie came in from the kitchen.
"Baker agreed, but said that since it was last minute, it would cost $500 extra".
"No problem, I'll cover whatever".
He got the checkbook and signed some checks and handed them to Kelly.
"If you could take these and pay the vendors, I would appreciate it. I'll call Whitney and tell her to cross it off her list. And thanks for your help, we really appreciate it".
He saw them out and then went to check on Jennifer.
She was laying on the bed, rubbing her temples.
He came and sat next to her.
"It's going to be ok. At the end of the day, we are going to be married. It's all going to work out".
"I know. I'm just so anxious".
"Come on, let me take you to dinner. Wherever you want".
She sat up and hugged him for a few minutes.
"Want to ask Max to walk you down the aisle?"
"Yeah, I do".
He gave her a few kisses and then they headed to the kitchen.
"Max, we are going out to dinner. And also, the wedding is now this Saturday. And it appears that Jennifer's dad can't get here in time, so would you mind walking her down the aisle?"
"I'd be happy to. Positively delighted".
She hugged him and kissed him on the cheek.
"Thank you, Max".
She turned to Jonathan.
"Darling, can we go to that place-"
"Absolutely".
She kissed him and they headed out.
She felt better after they visited the bridal store. They were able to find their wedding favors, the champagne flutes, the knife and spatula for cutting the cake, and what they wanted for the wedding toss. She also found a cake topper that she loved-an H covered in rhinestones, with a bride and groom sitting on the top part of the H, kissing.
After they checked out, he took her to a Chinese place.
She was quiet all through dinner, and he was very understanding about it.
When they got home, she walked out to the beach and sat in the sand a bit.
After a while, he came and sat with her.
He scooted up behind her and wrapped his arms around her, and she laid back against his shoulder.
"So, I never told you-the bakery agreed to do the cake early, and the florist said they could do the flowers like we wanted, if we did a light blue rose for the boutonniere's. I'll talk to the travel agent tomorrow and see if she can give us any recommendations".
"I just want it to be perfect, that's all. This is going to sound so cliched, but I don't plan on our marriage not working out, and while I like the idea of having a bigger party in a year or so, I think I will always remember the first one. And I want the first one to be perfect".
"It will be as perfect as we can make it, I promise".
He rubbed her shoulders for a bit, and then just held her.
"It's getting chilly, want to go inside?"
She nodded.
He helped her up.
"Darling, how did you get them to agree to let us have the wedding this weekend?"
"I agreed to donate a substantial amount to their renovation campaign".
"You're wonderful".
She leaned up and kissed him.
"Want to marry me in 4 days?"
"Yeah, I think so".
He leaned his forehead against hers.
"I love you".
"I love you too".
They walked inside and went to put their pajamas on.
Jennifer went and got a big glass of water and then came to the bedroom.
"How about a movie in bed, darling?"
"Sounds good to me".
They climbed into bed and she snuggled up to him. Before the movie even really got started, she was fast asleep on his shoulder.
***Three days later***
Jennifer was on a mission, to get everything taken care of in time. She and Jonathan were due at the rehearsal by 5, and they had lots of stuff to bring with them. She was packing the car and trying to make it all fit. She had so much to do that it seemed like every time she crossed something off her to do list, she added two more things to the bottom.
Jonathan got home at 4:30, and quickly changed.
"Ready darling?"
"Almost. One more box to load".
He came and took the box from her and then they headed out.
She had been able to find a seamstress who did an emergency alteration on her original wedding dress. It was a strapless gown, with a sequined bodice, and a pleated A-line skirt. It had a sweetheart neckline and it shimmered and sparkled no matter which way she turned. The seamstress had shortened the length and had turned it into a party dress. Jennifer was wearing it to her wedding rehearsal.
They pulled up to the country club and parked and then Jonathan went and got a dolly so they could unload the car.
After it was all unloaded, they went inside.
Whitney was there, setting everything up.
They waited for a few minutes, and then Jennifer and Whitney started reconfiguring everything.
"Ok, so it doesn't look like my bridesmaids got here, so maybe Jonathan's attendants should be ushers instead".
"Who said your bridesmaids didn't get here in time?"
She turned around and saw Cassie and Ava standing there.
"Oh my gosh! You two are really here!"
They all started squealing, and jumping up and down, and hugging each other.
"How did you get here?"
"Jonathan".
He came over and put his hands on her shoulders.
"I called the Times and arranged for them to cover our wedding for the paper. So, naturally they would need to be here to cover it, and I threw in 2 first-class tickets plus a room at the Four Seasons".
She turned and hugged him.
"Thank you, darling. This means so much to me".
The minister arrived then, and everyone began to assemble like they were supposed to.
"Wait, darling, there's one more thing that's missing. Can you look outside that door behind you and see if a very important package arrived?"
She thought it odd, but opened the door anyways.
"Hi sweetheart, ready to get married?"
"Pa! You're here". She threw her arms around him and hugged him for the longest time.
"How did you get here?"
"Jonathan sent his plane and his pilot. He explained everything and there was no way I was going to miss my only daughter's wedding".
"I'm so glad you are here".
They ran through the rehearsal a few times, and everyone had it down pat.
Stephen took everyone to dinner after that. Cassie and Ava rode with Jonathan and Jennifer.
They chatted the whole time. Jonathan couldn't get a word in edgewise.
"Do you two have dresses?"
"Yes, we each bought 4 dresses. We are going to put them on for you tonight, and you get to pick".
"What a great idea".
They got to the restaurant and parked.
Jonathan opened all the doors for the ladies.
Jennifer hugged and kissed him for a few minutes.
"I'm so happy you got my dad here, that was the best surprise. I love you".
"I love you too".
They walked into the restaurant and headed for their table.
As soon as they got to the table, Jennifer's mouth dropped open.