Elly In Bloom (33 page)

Elly was surprised. “Keith? What are you doing up? It’s 2 am!”

Keith stepped inside and took off his cap and coat. “I saw your light on and figured you were working on that big wedding you have coming up. I thought you could use some hearty substance to work through it.”

Elly looked hungrily at the bag. “Do I smell a roast beef and cheddar on wheat in there?”

Keith grinned. “Your nose is incredible. I like a woman who knows her scents.”

Elly couldn’t be sure, but she thought she saw Keith’s eyes run appreciatively over her tank top and pajama pants. “Uh, would you like to come sit in the back with me? I’m sorting Swarovski crystals into table settings.”

“I have no idea what any of that meant, but sure.” Elly laughed, and Keith followed her to the back.

The entire floor of the storage area was covered with the multi-faceted crystals, and when the door swung open tiny twinkles of light spun and danced over the walls.

“Wow,” Keith breathed. “This is…” he paused, searching for the right words. “Really girly.”

Elly pushed some crystals over with her foot so Keith could sit down, sending scatters of light over his face. “Yeah, it was really magical for about the first five minutes, then I just felt like I was going crazy. It makes it hard to count when the light is shimmering around like some sort of pixie rave.”

Keith chuckled and plopped down and pulled out a large dill pickle as Cadbury plopped into his lap heavily. “Oof. I forgot how much he weighs.” He shifted under Cadbury. “So how’s it going?”

Elly sighed and pushed her hair back from her face. “It’s going. I’ve still got a long way to go, but I think that I’ll get it all done before she walks down the aisle.” Elly paused, a cynical look on her face. “I hope she trips.”

Keith crunched the pickle loudly. “Mmm…me too.” He raised his pickle to Elly. “To the bride falling on her face.”

Elly toasted his pickle with hers. “Cheers!”

“What do you have left to do?” Keith asked, wiping his hands on his jeans.

“Well, next week I’m picking up the last of the materials with Kim at the wholesaler, which is in the flower market near Soulard. There are so many tiny details to get for this wedding: rhinestone bouquet bracelets, pearl pins, extra beading, gilded ribbon...”

The confused look on Keith’s face made Elly laugh out loud. “You have no clue what I’m talking about, do you?”

Keith shook his head. “Honestly, not at all. But that doesn’t mean that I’m not interested in learning. Tell me, what matter of thing is a bouquet bracelet?”

Elly took a bite out of the pickle and closed her eyes in ecstasy. “Oh my gosh, that is good.” Elly let the tangy taste dance on her tongue. “Don’t worry about it. I drive myself crazy thinking of these stupid, insignificant things on top of everything else. Not only is this Aaron’s wedding, but this is also the biggest wedding we’ve ever done.” Elly picked up the crystal strands and resumed sorting as she spoke. “I spent about twenty minutes tonight fretting about different shades of pale yellow. Lemon chiffon or canary? Light cream or frosted buttercup? It’s like I’ve lost my mind in addition to getting my heart ripped out.”

Keith eyes met Elly’s. “Don’t worry about the wedding – I know you’ll do fantastic. On the other hand, how is your heart these days? What’s new with the hippie guitar player upstairs?”

She laughed. “You mean Isaac?” Her heart skipped a quick beat. “He’s good. He’s…very involved with his music and his band, otherwise, he’s everything a girl could want.”

Keith raised his eyebrow at Elly. “Everything a girl could want, or everything a woman could want?” Without warning, he reached out and brushed the tip of her cheek with the tips of his fingers. “You cut yourself here. What happened?”

Elly felt a palpable change in the warm air, which was suddenly simmering with tension. Something stirred from deep within her – a tingling, a fire kindled from the smallest of sparks. Keith’s eyes shimmered and spun with the reflection of a million tiny lights as he stared down at her. Elly couldn’t breathe.
What is happening?
She quickly stood up and brushed her hands off, trying to seem at ease.

“Thanks for the grub. That was very thoughtful, and it will be adding to my waistline all week. I should probably head to bed.”

Keith pushed himself to his feet. He seemed bashful and embarrassed after his forward comment. “I wanted to know if you needed any additional help on the wedding day. My niece is getting christened that day in Kansas City, but I could stay behind if you need an extra hand…”

Elly was touched, but busied herself pushing crystals above the doorway. “I think I should be good. I have nine people on board with the workers you recommended. You are gracious for offering, and thank you for letting us use your van. You don’t think our flowers will smell like sandwiches, do you?”

Keith laughed. “Be honest. You would like that.”

Elly smiled, in spite of the fresh awkwardness in the room. “I would like that. Thank you again Keith.” She held the door open. Keith gathered up his bag and coat and slowly walked down the steps. He took two steps out, and, thinking better, took a quick two steps backward, and leaned into the door as Elly pulled it closed.

“He’s not right for you,” he said with surprising boldness. “You know that, I think.” He looked at her with intensity. “Maybe someday you’ll see who is.” And with that, he pulled his cap over his eyes and strolled into the cool night.

Elly closed the door tightly after him and walked quickly to the back room. She lay down on the crystal covered floor, ignoring the Swarovski jabbing into her butt cheek, and tried to calm her breathing. What just happened? Keith? KEITH?!
WHAT?!
She had never even thought of him in that way. Sure, he was attractive and kind and generous, but Keith? The sandwich guy?
Oh, his sandwiches were so good
….Did she have feelings for him? That day in the garden, she was sure that she had felt a warmth flowing from him, but she had figured it was just friendship. Elly shook her head, trying not to remember the feelings his touch had ignited within her. NO. She could not deal with this. Not this, on top of Aaron and Isaac and Lucia and Sunny. Most days it seemed that she was barely holding everything together – and if she loosened her hold on these strings, she would be completely undone. Elly could see her sanity dwindling away with each approaching hour, and she didn’t always feel the inner strength needed to summon it back.

And now this?
Keith. A good friend, a good man. This complication, on top of everything else. For so long, it seemed that men might as well be in outer space they were so far from her. And now, she had Aaron’s emotional battalions blowing her to shreds, and Isaac scooping up what was left. And now there was Keith. Elly ran her hands through her hair. She knew what she had to do.

Lord, please help me deal with this
, she pleaded silently, p
lease don’t let me hurt Keith by pretending this didn’t happen.
Elly paused, remembering Keith’s deep blue eyes, penetrating her thoughts so easily.
NO
, she screamed at herself. Elly palmed the cool floor and pushed herself up.
I can’t think of this! I cannot deal with this!
She closed her eyes and began building a mental block around what had just happened. She took a deep breath, and then another.

With each contracting of her lungs, with each exhale, she pushed Keith out from her, out from her mind, her thoughts.

It took an act of exhausting will, but by the time the sun had pushed though the October morning, Elly had completely pushed Keith’s advances from her mind. His confession emptied from her heart, thought by conscious thought. Like a sieve, she had let every thought and feeling slide away from her as the night wore on. The spark was blown out.
It was done.
She told herself that she would worry about it after the wedding. Covered in the dust of a thousand of crystals, Elly climbed the stairs towards her bedroom, and hoped that she would find the peace that came with an empty mind.

CHAPTER

TWENTY-THREE

Elly struggled to steer the mini-van while sipping a hot chocolate and texting Snarky Teenager with directions to a small wedding. Kim rode shotgun and was eying Elly angrily.

“Can you please look where you are going? You are going to kill me, you and my unborn child if you keep driving like a maniac.”

Elly threw her phone down and took a quick sip of her drink. “I’m sorry, I know. She says she doesn’t remember how to get to the Coronado. How do you forget how to get to the Coronado? We did, like, twenty weddings there last year!”

Kim fiddled with the radio stations until she found the country station. Elly curled her lip at the guitar twang coming through the speakers as Kim apologized. “Sorry...it’s all the baby likes. You’ll live.” She closed her eyes and rested against her seat. “You should cut her a break on getting lost. Maybe she’s just been overwhelmed with all this wedding stuff. There are so many little details, I’m not sure how you keep them all straight.”

Elly grimaced. “It’s been hard. I’ve made to make room in my head by erasing other things.”
Like the other night with Keith
, she thought sadly. “I am literally counting down the days until it’s over, and I never have to hear the name Lucia again.”

Kim looked over at her pensively. “How are you doing with that? Snarky Teenager was really upset after talking to her.”

Elly bit the inside of her cheek. She had forgotten that Kim and Snarky Teenager were email buddies. “I felt so bad after that. I had no idea that Lucia would be so cruel. She was so mean to her. I’ll never forgive myself for that.”

Kim clutched the seat angrily with her hands. “I swear, if I see that woman before then, I am going to rip her red hair out…” Her face flushed with anger. Elly looked over at Kim, eight months pregnant, sweaty and all riled up, and she couldn’t help but laugh gleefully.

“Calm down! You’re going burst your water over there!”

“I’m heated about that!” Kim huffed. “I’m defensive of you!! You are my Elly.”

Elly smirked “I think I handled myself pretty well.”

Kim looked over at her quizzically. “Didn’t you tell me that you almost fainted?”

“Well, there was that.” They both giggled until Kim yelped in pain and put her hand over her belly. Elly almost swerved the van into a storefront. “ARE you okay??”

Kim groaned and doubled over. “Yeah, it’s just Braxton Hicks, but they feel like they’re ripping my stomach apart!”

Elly tried to keep her eyes on the road. “Kim, I can take you home – I don’t need you to go the wholesaler with me, seriously!”

“No, I want to get out of the house. I’ve been looking forward to this all week – you know how I love the wholesaler. Plus, I really want to feel like I’m a part of this massive disaster.” She paused, lowering her voice. “And I miss you…you’ve been so busy.”

Elly looked over at her friend, radiating beauty, even now as she propped her feet up on either side of her belly. Her long blond hair hung down over her face, and her eyes were closed in a Zen like state.

“Um, are you going into labor right now?”

Kim opened one eye. “I’m not. But even if I am, you will still take me to the wholesaler because I need some new vases for my mantle.”

Elly smiled. Kim lived for the wholesaler. Every type of vase and candle, house plant, and silk orchid was held in high esteem at St. Louis Wholesale. Every time Elly headed in that direction, Kim tagged happily along and dropped hundreds of dollars on whatever fit her fancy.

Kim let out a long breath. “Keep driving. I’m fine.” Elly nodded and drove silently towards downtown St. Louis, guided by the giant arch looming against the skyline.

Entering the wholesaler was like stepping into a literal retail jungle. Aisle after aisle of clear vases radiated in the sunlight, reflecting back shadows and light across their transparent faces. Each tall shelf was lined up the sides with wreaths of every shape and color: Christmas wreaths with candy canes and red velvet ribbon, lemon leaf wreaths decked with pale green sugared pears, yellow forsythia wreaths, pink cherry blossom wreaths, and Elly’s personal favorite: a simple lavender wreath, tied with a petite purple bow.

Kim sighed in ecstasy and grabbed two shopping carts. “If you need me…” she trailed off in the direction of the decorative pillows. Elly pulled out her intimidating shopping list for the Kepke wedding and groaned dramatically. She needed 150 mirror and gold antique glass votives, 17 bejeweled candle holders for the ceremony, ribbons in gold, canary and pale pink, seven wreath holders, 250 metal embossed and rimmed tags, 10 rolls of white satin… Ugh. Elly leaned on her shopping cart and headed for the wall of candles.