Back on Blossom Street (Blossom Street #4)(77)

“And say what?” she snapped. “How can you possibly explain what you’re doing?”

“We have everything ready to mail. The notice states that we’ve decided on a private ceremony with only our family and a few friends in attendance.”

His mother shook her head vehemently. “You can’t do that. Jordan, don’t you see what’s going to happen?” Her eyes widened with alarm. “If you cancel a church wedding at the last minute in favor of a private ceremony, people are going to talk…. It’ll hurt you. Alix,” she said, changing tactics. She turned to face her. “Is that how you want to start your married life, with speculation and…idle gossip as to why you and Jordan are marrying in…in secret?”

“Susan,” Jacqueline urged a second time. “Let it go, will you?”

“People can talk all they want,” Jordan said, discounting his mother’s concern. “Alix and I have nothing to hide. If there are rumors, they’ll go away soon enough.”

“Does your father know about this?” she asked next.

Jordan shook his head. “Alix and I plan to talk to Dad this afternoon.”

“What about the reception?” Jacqueline inserted.

The thing that bothered Alix most was the expense her friends had gone to on her behalf. “I’ll reimburse you, Jacqueline,” Alix promised. She had no idea how long it would take, but she was determined to pay back every dime the Donovans had invested in this wedding.

“Nonsense,” Jacqueline said emphatically. “It’s my own fault. You didn’t ask me to set this up at the country club. As Reese was more than happy to remind me, I brought it on myself.” She leaned back against the sofa. “Do you remember the time I decided to give you a makeover?” she asked, and the memory brought with it a look of sheer amusement. “I took you to my French hairdresser and it was a catastrophe.”

Alix rolled her eyes. Jacqueline had made a serious attempt to turn her into a beauty queen, with disastrous results. It’d all started when Jordan had asked her out to dinner; it was their first date and Alix had so badly wanted to look pretty for him. In her inimitable way, Jacqueline had decided to help. Not only was the hairstylist deeply offended by Alix’s lack of appreciation, but being forced to try on designer outfits of Jacqueline’s choosing had been a nightmare. Thankfully, Tammie Lee had come to the rescue.

“Jordan,” Susan Turner said, turning to her son as if Alix wasn’t there. “Despite what Jacqueline says, I can’t allow you to do this. I can’t. I know you love Alix and so do I. We all do.” She spoke as if this was a foregone conclusion.

But if that was the case, Alix found it odd that Jordan’s mother had shut her out of the conversation.

“I just can’t let you throw away all our hard work. Don’t you realize Jacqueline and I have slaved on this wedding for weeks?”

“If only you’d asked me,” Alix implored, answering for Jordan, “then none of this would be necessary.”

“Okay,” Susan said, throwing her hands in the air. “I should’ve listened. Now that I think about it, I do recall your objections to certain aspects of the wedding. I agree we didn’t listen as well as we should have, but Alix, that isn’t any reason to flush all our hard work down the toilet.”

Alix was grateful Jordan’s mother remembered her small protesting voice, although she’d ignored all her wishes at the time.

“The only reason I went ahead with our plans,” Susan went on, “is that I have a lot of experience with weddings and I hoped…I believed you’d be interested in what I had to say.”

“I was interested, but we didn’t want the same things,” Alix said.

His mother released a deep sigh. “All right, then, I apologize. Nevertheless, it’s been done and while we can certainly make some changes, a lot of what’s already been decided will need to stay as it is.”

“No, Mother, it doesn’t,” Jordan broke in. “Alix and I have made new arrangements. We spent the weekend creating our own wedding invitations. There are about twenty and each is handmade.” Jordan walked around the desk and passed one to his mother, who stared down at it stupefied.

She looked it over, then glanced up, her expression carefully neutral.

Jacqueline took it out of her hand and studied it. “You made these?” she asked.

Jordan nodded. “Actually, Alix did most of the work. I helped where I could.”

“They’re exceptional…Alix, I had no idea you were capable of something like this. I love the way you’ve incorporated the hand-knitted lace. What a lot of work!”

“She’s baking the wedding cake, too.” Jordan looked pointedly at his mother. “It’ll be a three-tier traditional white cake, decorated with real flowers.”

“Okay, fine.” Susan Turner pronounced the words slowly and distinctly as if dragging them through her teeth. “Since you’re so set on this, the only thing left to do is compromise.”

“Mother,” Jordan said, more sternly this time. “Alix and I have made our decision. I’m sorry it isn’t one you like or approve of, but—” He shrugged. “That’s the way it’s going to be.”

“It doesn’t mean we can’t compromise,” Susan tried again.