Chapter VII: An Eclectic Birthday Bash
"Shane, sweetie, this is going to be so much fun!" Sharon said as she put on the finishing touches to her Cleopatra costume.
Shane fastened the Swarovski crystal chandelier earrings she was wearing that night. "I think so too, Mother," she grinned.
"You look absolutely stunning, dear."
"Oliver wasn't too convinced on the costume party idea," Shane laughed. "But when I suggested a James Bond theme so he could wear a tux, he was on board immediately!"
"Well, the Miranda Frost look becomes you. Although that's the only thing, because you are certainly no double agent!"
Shane grinned. "It's fun to dress up. I couldn't believe it when I saw this at the vintage shop by the beauty salon."
Sharon looked at her daughter and couldn't be prouder of the woman she'd become. To see her so happy was any mother's wish come true. She looked resplendent in her sleek updo, flawless makeup and one-shoulder silver dress. The beading made it look like icicles were dripping from her slim figure, truly embodying an ice queen.
"Is Walter picking you up?" Shane asked.
"No, he's meeting us at Moonrise Ranch. He had a meeting with his son and was going to run late. Is it alright if I catch a ride with you and Oliver?"
"Of course, Mom."
Sharon smiled. Little by little it seemed that Shane was finally accepting Walter in her life, and she couldn't be happier.
There was a soft knock on the slightly ajar door that led to Sharon's bedroom. Oliver's head popped through. "Ladies, are we ready to leave soon?"
"Yes, darling, but not before I give you your birthday present!"
Oliver looked dashing in his tux. He had kept the bow tie loose, channeling Pierce Brosnan in Die Another Day.
"I'm going to be the most envied man at that party… arriving with not one but two magnificent-looking ladies." Oliver said, gazing adoringly at both his wife and mother-in-law.
Shane would've chuckled if she hadn't been moved by his words. It didn't cross Oliver's mind that any woman with half a brain would be drooling over how handsome he looked!
She handed Oliver a small white box with a silver bow. "For my dearest husband… the day of your birth is a blessing to us all." She touched him lovingly on one cheek as she kissed him lightly. "Please, open it."
Oliver proceeded to open the little box with precision and patience, practically driving Shane and Sharon up the wall.
"Sometimes I can't figure out how the two of you get along," Sharon shook her head in disbelief. "Shane tears into gifts, ripping the wrapping to reveal the present as quickly as she can."
"I like to delay gratification," Oliver said absently, completely engrossed in the unwrapping process.
"You don't say…." Shane uttered under her breath. Both she and Sharon hid their grins.
"Oh my goodness, my love. These are exquisite." Oliver revealed the contents of the box, silver cufflinks with "TTT" engraved on them.
"TTT?" Sharon asked.
"Trust the timing," Oliver and Shane said in unison, as they gave each other knowing glances.
"I'm going to wear these tonight. Thank you so much, my love," he said as he drew Shane closer and kissed her forehead. "We can celebrate just the two of us later," he whispered in her ear.
"Wouldn't have it any other way, Mr. O'Toole," Shane whispered back.
XXXXX
Moonrise Ranch was officially decked out for the party of the year. Vivianne wanted to go all out for Joe and Oliver, and that's exactly what she did.
The living area within the house had been cleared of furniture and replaced with tall cocktail party tables. The tablecloths were white and navy blue, and the centerpieces had both yellow roses and purple dahlias. Vivianne had wanted to add that special touch… those flowers were significant to the birthday boys! Oliver had adopted Shane's favorite bloom, wearing yellow roses often on his suit lapel. She also wanted to give a nod to the first bouquet her Joseph had gifted her. One of those beautiful dahlias had been pressed and dried within the pages of her favorite book, a French copy of The Little Prince.
Vivianne had hired waiters who were already passing hors d'oeuvres trays for the guests. She was partial to the bite-size brie canapés topped with fig jam and the little pancetta risotto fritters. The open bar set up was outside by the fire pit with plenty of bubbly, wine, and beer for the guests. The twinkling lights Olivier had helped her set up added a romantic touch. A soft hint of a smile rounded her lips as she thought of her grandson. He had a blast with that task. Olivier could be so hyper-focused on his music, it was quite the change of pace to see him behaving like a kid.
She walked towards the cake table and couldn't help but admire it. Victoria, the chef who was giving Shane cooking lessons, was also a pastry chef and cake designer. That woman was an artist, Vivianne thought in admiration. The cake was a sumptuous five-tiered masterpiece that celebrated both Joe and Oliver. The bottom tier replicated a camping landscape with trees, trails, and even a stream. The one on top reveled in Oliver's favorite things. Victoria had fashioned mini sugar replicas of Dickens' books and Shakespeare plays, a victrola, and vinyl records. If one took a closer look, you could see the artwork of Coltrane and Sinatra album covers, along with Debussy's Clair de Lune and Billy Joel's Storm Front. On a corner of that tier, but still visible, was a cat that had a strong resemblance to Flynn! The middle tier was another landscape celebrating Joe, but this one had a home garden with assorted blooms and veggies. It added a beautiful explosion of color! The following tier had hand-painted calligraphy inscriptions of Oliver's witty phrases. Trust the timing was front and center. Shane had told her to include I don't want a nice lady, I want you as an inside joke. After she told her the backstory, Vivianne laughed uncontrollably. Shane and Oliver certainly had quite the history!
Oh, but that top tier! The final tier of that edible masterpiece honored the two gentlemen and their postal history. Victoria had made a mailbox out of sugar paste along with the Dark of Night Award. Dahlias and yellow roses provided a whimsical accent and just for the heck of it Vivianne had asked her to include a tiny FedEx envelope. She wondered what Oliver would think of that!
"Mom, you've outdone yourself!" Juliette approached Vivianne in her Princess Peach costume.
"Thank you, sweetie!" Vivianne exclaimed joyously. "It's as beautiful as I'm sure it'll be tasty. Victoria's such an amazing chef after all. The cakes are a delicate vanilla bean pound cake, but Joe's tiers are filled with coconut cream, while Oliver's have a citrus curd. I do hope they enjoy them."
"I'm sure everyone will, Mom." Juliette grinned. It was such a treat seeing her mother so happy. At one point she thought that her mom would never get over the grief of losing her father.
After glancing at her daughter, and taking in her gaudy costume, she said wryly, "I see you've given yourself some leeway with the fictional character costume theme."
"Well, Olivier's only entertainment outside his music is playing Super Mario videogames. He wanted to dress like Mario, and I thought I could pair up with him. Unfortunately, Princess Peach is not ready for a beauty pageant!"
"You didn't want to dress as a duo with Franco?"
"Mom, it's too early for that," Juliette said averting her gaze.
"Juliette…," Vivianne's tone was a tad condescending.
"Mom…," Juliette's sigh denoted frustration.
"You have to let someone in at some point…give yourself the chance to love again."
"I know, Mom, but you have to let me do this at my own pace."
Vivianne only wanted the best for her daughter. Of course, she didn't want Franco to break her heart, but she had to start somewhere. Juliette had to get herself out there and live!
"Hello, ladies, you both look wonderful!" Joe interrupted as he greeted Vivianne with a tender kiss on the cheek.
It was sublime to watch how wonderful her mother and Joe were together. She knew her mom wanted her to be as happy as she was. Juliette got it, it wasn't a stretch to understand her mother's motivation. But Joe was in a league of his own. Oliver as well. Could Franco be up to that standard? She wanted the heat, but she wanted the romance, the tenderness, the bonding, and the transcendent love as well. Franco certainly had the heat, but what about everything else? She guessed only time could tell.
Juliette forced herself to quell her thoughts. She chose to focus on Vivianne and her boyfriend. "Joe! You look amazing! You guys are too cute beyond words." They were dressed in 50's style clothing, emulating the most famous Pink Lady and T-Bird of all time.
"Thanks, sweetie! I can't wait to dance to Blue Moon with your mother tonight!" Joe was pumped for a good party and grabbed Vivianne and twirled her around.
"Joseph! I still need to take care of a few details!" Vivianne protested, but she laughed and let herself be spun, relishing the moment.
The doorbell rang and Juliette walked over to open the door. When she did her heart plummeted and skyrocketed all at the same time. There stood Franco in all his resplendent glory, clad in high waisted black pants, a flowy white shirt with its buttons only half done, his bronzed, muscled chest exposed. He had a black cape with red lining on, his longish hair was tousled, and he had even darkened his eyes slightly with black eyeliner.
"Good heavens! Are you supposed to be Don Juan?" Juliette's jaw had fallen to the floor.
Franco smiled smugly, enjoying the reaction of his princess in her puffy gown. "The one and only, mi querida Juli." He had taken a liking to that nickname, "who-lee", as it is pronounced it in Spanish. Juliette hadn't mustered up the courage to tell him that she adored how her name sounded on his lips; his ridiculously sensual accent never failed to do a number on her!
"You look gorgeous, dear Juli."
"As gorgeous as you can look in this garish poof of a dress!"
"You could wear a garbage bag and still be the most beautiful woman in the room."
Oh dear, there comes the smolder. Juliette swallowed.
"As I am sure you would look like Aphrodite herself with nothing at all." He took her hand and brushed his lips over her knuckles.
Juliette turned a brilliant shade of pink that rivaled her dress. Thankfully she was saved by the birthday boy's entrance. She rapidly pulled her hand from Franco's grasp.
"Oliver! Shane! You look amazing. Please, do come in… happy birthday Oliver!" Juliette's voice sounded strangled. She had never been more thankful to see people walk into her mother's house.
Shane, yenta that she was, noticed the electric frissons between Juliette and Franco, and had even overheard that terrific snippet of a nude Aphrodite. While she knew that all of Juliette's alarms had gone off in her head, this was quite the development! She made a mental note of talking to both of them, separately of course, to see how she could gently nudge them along.
There was no time for that at the moment, however, because everyone wanted to say hello, congratulate the men of the hour, and talk about the costumes. When Rita and Norman came in, Shane couldn't help but giggle. Renita Hayweather and Mr. D'Lorman! Norman admitted that Rita had finally let him read her book in its entirety. He considered it her 700-page love letter to him. Shane whispered to Oliver how proud she was of both Rita and Norman, and how happy she was for them. They truly brought out the best of each other.
Guests continued to trickle in. Hazel came as Winnie the Pooh, looking adorable and funny all at the same time. Fellow postal workers came in dressed like the characters from The Office, Lester Kimsickle thinking himself high and mighty dressed as Michael Scott. Vivianne had invited fellow workers at Happy Paws, so even Valentino's groomer was there. They had arrived in assorted costumes inspired by various Disney movies.
Off to one side, Oliver noticed Caitlin Castellucci making her arrival. "Hello there, Caitlin," he said jovially, walking over to greet her.
"Oliver! Happy birthday! Looking dapper as always," she said, giving him a friendly warm hug.
"That's a beautiful costume, Caitlin. Is it period-piece inspired?" She looked lovely in a long light blue skirt and a dainty, lace-detailed blouse. Her hair had been fashioned into loose curls, pulled back from her face with barrettes. Delicate earrings dangled on her ears.
"Thank you, and yes! This whole costume idea was to humor Joey," Caitlin chuckled.
"Where is Joey?" Shane asked as she approached with Vivianne by her side.
"He's parking the car. He should be here shortly."
It didn't take long for Joey to join them. Just a few seconds after Caitlin spoke, he made his entrance. It was a jaw-dropping moment for both Shane and Vivianne.
"Hello ladies! Oliver, man of the hour!" Joey grasped his hand and shook it firmly. "You know we always wish you the very best. Thank you for inviting us, Dr. Dupont," he nodded towards Vivianne who was still staring incredulously.
Caitlin couldn't suppress her laughter.
"I seem to be at a loss here," Oliver said, his expression blank.
"Don't you see it?" Vivianne whispered to Shane.
"Oh, yes I do!" Shane replied, her voice strangled.
Joey tilted his head, pursed his lips, and looked at his wife. "See what you started?"
"Well, you jumped all over the costume idea when you found out the theme of the party!" Caitlin retorted.
"You're the schoolteacher and the Mountie!" Vivianne finally exclaimed. "Ohmygosh, I love the frontier life on the prairie show!"
"Joey, you're the spitting image of the Mountie!" Shane cried out. She was still trying to get her bearings.
"I told you fangirling would happen," Caitlin smirked at her husband.
Oliver's facial expression was something to be reckoned with. There was a mix of disbelief, amusement, with a touch of bewilderment. "This has to do with all those shows you watch on that love channel, doesn't it?" Oliver asked, looking at Shane judgingly.
"Oliver, the love channel is a source of joy!" Vivianne exclaimed.
"What's wrong with some comforting escapism, Oliver?" Shane crossed her arms over her chest, doing her best to raise an eyebrow at him.
"Erm…. Nothing?" Oliver realized he'd put his foot in his mouth.
"Are you suggesting that successful, intelligent women shouldn't watch the love channel?" Shane was about to go on of her tirades.
Trying to change the subject, Oliver grasped at straws. "Does Dad know?" Oliver asked, the deep timbre to his voice hardly noticeable, the words tumbling out in a near squeak.
"Oliver, darling, the three of us watch together and we absolutely love it." Shane said with a deadpan face.
Vivianne and Joey successfully held their laughter, but Caitlin lost it, getting a fit of the giggles.
"You guys are too funny," Caitlin said, wiping away the laughter tears.
"Come on you guys, let me offer you something to drink. I can tell you about my horse, Sargeant Newton," Vivianne winked at Shane while she whisked Caitlin and Joey towards the open bar.
Oliver took Shane's hand and closed the gap between them. He kissed her temple and whispered in her ear, "I think I may have to get on my knees tonight and beg your forgiveness."
Replying in kind with a smile that was pure mischief, Shane said, "Promise?"
This Author has it on good authority that the party is just getting started! There might a surprise guest, or two, that hasn't shown up yet. There might also be a surprise announcement, or two, or three, that should be revealed in due course. Stay tuned, gentle reader, because love does not only reign supreme, it reigns rampant!