eyes were flaring. I couldn’t help laughing.
“What are you laughing at?” Enid seethed, gritting her teeth.
Rather than responding, I gave Grandma a hug. I loved this woman. She had chutzpah! Balls. Big ones.
Monique sprinted over to Enid. “Darling, are you okay?” she asked, flicking off bits of the dumpling from her lover’s chin as if they were deadly insects. The fashion designer shot Grandma a scathing look. “What the hell did you do?”
Grinning wickedly, Grandma scooped up another perfectly formed matzo ball. “Vould you like to try one too?”
With a gasp, Monique defensively shielded her face with her hand and turned to Enid. “Come on, darling. Let’s get out of here before this dangerous woman does something to me.” Wrapping her other arm around Enid, she ushered her out of the room.
“ Vhat is it vith those two?” Grandma asked after Enid and Monique were gone.
“There’s more than meets the eye.”
“Oy! They shtup vun another?”
“So I hear.”
“Vait till I tell Helen!”
Tell Grandma; tell the world. I had a hunch everyone in town would soon know about Enid’s dirty little secret. And it could be the talk of the wedding. With mild amusement, I took another sip of soup.
Grandma stood up. “Bubala, feel better. Time for me to get ready for the vedding. I’ve got a hot date.” She winked.
Luigi, Blake’s seventy-eight-year-old tailor, had recently become Grandma’s new friend with benefits. They were adorable together, and Grandma couldn’t stop talking about his Italian “salami.”
I thanked Grandma for coming to my rescue and gave her another big hug before she marched out of the room. I finished the rest of the soup while Monique’s assistants continued working on my gown. Grandma’s comic relief and the effects of her magical soup were short-lived. A stately grandfather’s clock chimed five times. It was five o’clock. My parents would be landing any minute. I silently prayed they’d be here soon. Unsettling nerves again mixed with painful spasms. I could barely stand up when one of Monique’s assistant asked me to take off my robe so she could help me into the altered gown. With effort, I managed. And with even greater effort, I stumbled back over to the tri-fold mirror. Yes, the taken-in dress definitely fit me more snugly, but the area where the skirt fanned out in a cascade of ruffles—it was like having a rope tied around my knees. Oh my God. I could barely take a step in the mermaid gown, which would make dancing at my wedding near impossible, let alone walking down the aisle. As I stared at my frightening bridal self, I felt like crying.
“Is there anything you can do to make it looser around here?” I asked the seamstress, tugging at the impossibly tight area.
She shook her head. “There’s not enough fabric or time.”
I grimaced. Not because of my disappointment but because of the relentless abdominal pain. It was getting worse. Like a hundred knives jabbing me.
In the mirror, I saw Monique’s other assistant coming toward me. She was holding a jeweled creation in her hand.
“This is your bouquet. Ms. Hervé wants you to get used to holding it.”
I eyed the so-called bouquet. It was a sparkling concoction of crystal starfish, pearls, and seashells. Not a fresh, fragrant bloom among them. The assistant handed me the arrangement. Grabbing it with one hand, I wasn’t prepared for the weight of it. Seriously, the clunker must have weighed ten pounds. Libby had better catch it because if I missed and hit her in the head, it was going to knock her out. I fucking hated it.
My cell phone rang again. “Could you please hand me my phone,” I asked the seamstress. Given how long it would take me to walk back to the couch in the constricting gown, I might miss the call. Fingers crossed, it was Blake letting me know my parents were en route. He’d arranged for a limousine to pick them up at nearby Van Nuys Airport.
“Are they on their
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