Recap of Chapter 38: While Chloe and Penny were being pampered at the spa before the wedding, they were alarmed to hear the unmistakable sound of hail hammering the roof. They dashed back to the venue where they walked into complete chaos—the flowers in shambles and everyone scrambling to save anything they could. Standing amidst the dramatic scene, there was nothing to do but laugh.
When they came up for air, Penny and Chloe wiped their tears and moved tentatively toward the patio, now in shambles. Matthew’s mom, Betty, stepped out, blocking their path. She put her hands on Penny’s shoulders. “Now, I know this looks bad at first glance, but I’m here to tell you that we have a plan. You see, once the larger pieces have been removed and the tables and bar set to right, the bits of petals and greenery look almost deliberate—kind of like a wildflower bed after a strong wind.” She pulled Penny into an embrace. “It makes a path of beauty for the bride to come down. Don’t you worry about this.” She patted her back reassuringly. “Don’t you give it another thought. You just head on upstairs and concentrate on being the beautiful bride you’re meant to be and leave the rest to us.” She brushed a bit of hair off her face. “You might want to check for bits of mud while you’re at it.” And she winked.
Despite the looks of things, Penny actually believed her. Chloe nodded. “All right, then. Good plan.” She grabbed Penny’s arm to steer her upstairs. She snuck a peek behind her ear. “She’s right about the mud, by the way. Time to get you upstairs for a proper scrubbing.”
“ …with only one hour until the ceremony was to take place, she began to get nervous.”
Three hours and an entire bottle of champagne later, Chloe spied the Lucky Penny crew coming up the driveway. Penny joined her. She smiled at the sight of her dad. He was in his element overseeing the unloading of the van. He was taking the role of being in charge, giving direction to the crew with gestures and nods. The food was coming in, and lumpy-looking trash bags were going out. She didn’t want to think about what was too damaged by the hail to use. “Your dad sure is handsome,” Chloe remarked. “And he’s not even dressed up yet.”
“Can’t disagree with you there,” she said, silently hoping everything would work out okay with them seeing each other again. Penny was in a dressing gown. Her hair already styled—a simple updo with a thin silk ribbon woven through the folds. Her makeup was nearly done too. Avoiding the popular full glamour makeup, Penny chose an understated but polished look. It wouldn’t do at all for the groom not to recognize her coming toward him down the aisle. She wore her mother’s pearl drop earrings and a lovely dusty blue lingerie set that Chloe helped her pick out. The whole process made her feel very much the pampered bride. And now, with only one hour until the ceremony was to take place, she began to get nervous.
“You can’t possibly be having second thoughts!” Chloe remarked when Penny admitted having a case of the nerves.
“No. It’s not that. It’s just the nervousness that all the plans will go off without a hitch. I mean, we’ve already had a major hitch with the hail. I shudder to think how sparse it will look down there. I’m trying to practice not making a bad face when I see it.”
“Never mind all that. You’ll take one look at that handsome Matthew waiting for you and forget everything else. And wait until he sees you coming toward him looking so beautiful. He won’t be able to wipe the grin from his face. Trust me, once you two see each other, you’ll completely forget everything else.”
She glanced at the clock on the wall. “Shall we get you into that gorgeous gown? I think it’s time.”
Downstairs, the Lucky Penny crew had everything underway. The appetizers for happy hour were ready to go; champagne flutes sparkled on the long breakfront; the patio where the ceremony was to take place had been restored to nearly its former beauty, albeit a bit thinner in the flower department. Still, everything was ready. After rushing around trying to pull off a miracle, finally, the groom, his dad and the father of the bride declared their work done and ducked out to change. The ladies had already escaped to get ready. The bartenders sliced limes, curled orange peel, chilled wine and filled ice buckets under Jesse’s direction. But then he snuck away to change too.
Fully dressed, Penny peeked out the window once again to see guests begin to arrive. It was to be an intimate affair—less than 30 people. From the second story windows, it looked like they had all arrived. The sun was sparkling now from a brilliant blue sky; the fluke hailstorm nothing more than a memory. In fact, everything looked freshly washed and carried the lovely scent of grass after a good rain.
A soft knock at the door and Matthew’s mom and sister entered the room. They took one look at Penny and gasped. “You look picture-perfect!” Betty exclaimed. My Matthew is a very lucky man. Penny was pleased with the overall effect. She could only hope that Matthew did indeed feel like a lucky man to be marrying her. She’d find out soon enough.
Another knock at the door and Martin poked his head through. “Are you ready?” he asked. And then he got a good look at her. He sighed, his eyes brimming with tears. “Oh, my lucky Penny! How beautiful you are!” He swiped at his cheeks. “You look so much like your mother, God rest her soul. She would be so proud of you!” Penny smiled wistfully. Her mother had passed away when she was a little girl—just before her 4th birthday. She couldn’t say she’d missed having her at the milestones in life. She hadn’t known anything other than her dad. And he had stood by her through thick and thin. He never made her feel like he’d not been enough. Having him standing there, watery eyed, ready to walk her down the aisle meant the world to her.
They had hired a quartet to play while the guests took their seats, and when the music stopped, Martin held out his elbow. “That’s our cue. Shall we?”
They walked down the stairs and stopped just inside the patio doors, hidden from view. Penny stole a peek and saw Matthew talking with his brother who was standing at his side. He was smiling, waving and nodding at the seated guests.
When the first few bars of Vivaldi’s “Winter Song” played, Penny and Martin stepped into the doorway. Matthew’s expression in that moment meant the world to her. The guests stood and turned. Matthew was clearly moved by the sight of her in that beautiful dress heading down the aisle to become his bride. He wiped at his eyes. His brother nudged him in a playful gesture of approval. Martin squeezed her hand tucked into his arm. “You ready?”
“I sure am. With you by my side, I am.” She beamed at him as they reached Matthew. Martin pulled her close and kissed her cheek. He whispered in her ear. “I love you, my lucky Penny. With all my heart.” He placed her hand in Matthew’s, and then he stepped away, leaving his only daughter to marry the man she loved.
