Chapter 76
Since Ken was still treating Suzy like a wary, stray cat and driving Izzy to school, she decided to get out of the house. From the garage, she called and asked the Halloween couple to meet one last time before their wedding. After they agreed on a place and time, Suzy drove on auto pilot.
Soon she settled into a booth at The Coffee Drip and sipped a cappuccino as Priscilla and Rodney walked in. The couple ordered soft drinks and joined her. Priscilla placed the straw on the far side of her mouth in order to drink her soda. Again, Suzy wondered if her bride regretted her forked tongue decision. She pondered whether it could be sewn back together but decided not to ask.
Suzy took out her trusty legal pad. “Morning, you two. The date’s getting close. Are you excited?”
The couple joined hands and jointly said, “Very.”
Suzy tapped her pad. “I thought of a couple more ideas I think you’ll love.”
Priscilla stopped mid-sip. “More ideas? Like what?”
Rodney glanced at Suzy’s notes. “Fire away.”
She grinned. “I have a fun idea for the punch.”
Priscilla wrinkled her nose. “We’re having old lady punch?”
Suzy shook her head. “No way. Hear me out. It’s punch with a gothic, witchy twist.”
The couple exchanged glances. Rodney said, “Dope.”
“To go with your theme, I think we should serve red punch in an oversized black witch’s caldron.
Priscilla clapped her hands together. “I love that idea.”
“I’ll get green surgical gloves, fill them with water, and freeze them. Then I’ll put one or two frozen hands in the punch. They’ll float to the top. What do you think?”
Priscilla’s mouth flew open. “That’s brilliant.”
“I can’t take full credit. I saw Martha Stewart suggest the floating glove as a Halloween party idea on The Today Show years ago.” She tapped her head with her finger. “I saved the idea up here. Somehow I knew I’d use it for a party or wedding.”
“Sweet. What flavor would the punch be?” Rodney asked.
Suzy poised her pen in the air. “Anything red—cherry, raspberry, strawberry. Whatever you want.”
“I love the hand in the punch idea.” Priscilla stuck out her tongue. “It’s almost as cool as this.”
Suzy peered closer. “Is it hard to eat with your tongue forked?”
The bride shrugged. “A little, I guess, but it’s totally worth it.”
“I’ve noticed it’s hard for you to drink out of a straw.”
“Yeah. I can deal.”
Rodney absentmindedly touched his horns. “I bet you’re curious about these too. My parents disowned me when I got them, so no need to invite them to our wedding.”
Suzy frowned. “That’s too bad. All parents—believe me, all of them—have kids who surprise them. I think you should invite them anyway. Maybe they’ll come around.”
He shook his head. “They won’t. It’s okay.” He nudged Priscilla. “We have each other.”
Priscilla reached for his head. “I love your horns.”
Rodney kissed her. “And I love your tongue.”
“Okay, kids. That’s enough.” Everyone laughed and Suzy was reminded this was exactly why she was in the wedding planning business.
“Just a couple more things.”
Priscilla exchanged glances with Rodney. “Remember, you almost need a magnifying glass to see our budget.”
Suzy wasn’t surprised since they were young and at least one set of parents wasn’t supportive. “Don’t worry. I can work within a small budget.”
“What else needs deciding?” Rodney asked.
Suzy studied her notes. “How do you want the flowers arranged?”
“Easy,” Priscilla said. “We want black roses on the cake table and a trail of black rose petals going down the aisle. That’s it except for the red ribbons the Artistic Blooms guy is throwing in.”
Suzy chewed on her pink pen. “Did you tell Marc, the owner of the flower shop, to dye the roses black? I assume you don’t want dead flowers.”
“Um.” Priscilla glanced at Rodney who shrugged. “Maybe we do. Are dead flowers cheaper?”
Suzy wanted to wrap her arms around the kids and tell them this was a once-in-a-lifetime memory they were creating but it was their day and their budget. “Why don’t you go to Artistic Blooms later and tell Marc I sent you. See if he’ll throw the rose petals in for free. I’ve seen him sweep dozens of them off his floor at the end of the day.”
Rodney perked up. “I’d sweep them up for him in exchange for the petals.”
Suzy winked. “That’s a great idea. I bet he’d love the help. What don’t you ask him?” Her phone vibrated on the table. She glanced at the screen. It was Jon. “Anything else we need to discuss?”
They both shook their heads. “Thanks again for the dope punch idea. I love it,” Priscilla said.
“I thought you would. In fact, I already ordered the witch’s caldron and will stop by my doctor’s office for some surgical gloves on the way home. I’ll fill the gloves and freeze them tonight.”
“You’re so good to us,” Rodney said.
“It’s my job.”
The couple scrambled to their feet. Rodney extended a sweaty hand and Priscilla faltered before flinging herself against Suzy. “You’re awesome. A real professional. We’ll refer you to all of our friends.”
Suzy hugged them both. “I always appreciate referrals.” She smiled to herself wondering what type of weddings their friends would want.” As they walked toward the door, she said, “See you very soon at the ceremony, kids.”