and dancing?”
She pursed her lips and thought about a solution. “What if we line the walls with the tables? If we put flowers and loads of candles on the tables, it will be beautiful. After the ceremony, we ask everyone to move their chair to a table.”
“It could work.”
“It’ll have to.” Because The Program wasn’t set up to host elaborate weddings, the chairs and tables were a hodgepodge of desk chairs, rolling office chairs and folding chairs. Jill thought she might’ve spotted a beanbag chair among them. “Then the dance floor can be in the center of the room. There’s not a band, right?”
Emma laughed. “No. Chase volunteered to be the DJ. There was no time to get security clearance for a band to come on the campus or for a caterer or a florist. Hence why it’s a DIY wedding.”
“Why wasn’t there time? Did they suddenly decide to get married?”
“No, they’ve been engaged for several months,” Emma said. She flushed and mumbled something about helping Thea tie ribbons and hurried off.
Jill frowned after her for a second, wondering why Emma had seemed embarrassed, but didn’t have time to wonder for long, since someone suddenly announced the time and they all realized they had two hours left before the ceremony. Less, if they wanted to head to their apartments to shower and dress for the wedding. Which they did.
She swallowed her sudden disappointment she hadn’t been invited to the wedding. She’d love to see Loren’s reaction when she saw the gymnasium converted into this beautiful wonderland, ripe with twinkling lights and lush flowers. She was being a brat. She barely knew Loren and Adam, and it was ridiculous to expect to be invited to the wedding. Still, it felt a bit like being the odd kid out in a middle school cafeteria at lunchtime.
“What are you wearing?” Emma asked Thea. “Do you have a fancy maternity dress?”
Thea smiled. “I do. I tried to fit into Danielle’s, another woman on campus, but that was a joke, as I’m several inches shorter. I ended up buying one.” Her glowing happiness said she didn’t mind spending money on a dress she’d likely only wear once.
Jill turned away with the pretense of fiddling with a bow, not wanting the other women to see her sudden sadness. Thea’s direct question forced her to turn back. “Um, no, I don’t have anything to wear, but it doesn’t matter since I wasn’t invited.” She forced a smile and a small shrug trying to hide her feelings.
Both women laughed. “Don’t be a dummy. No one got an invitation. Of course everyone on campus is invited,” Emma said.
She looked from one woman to the other. “Really?”
They nodded.
“Besides,” Emma continued, “you’re with Rowan, which makes you practically a relative.”
“Oh, Rowan and I…” She stopped before she blurted anything private about Rowan and her. The truth was, she didn’t know what she and Rowan were. They lived together and in some ways were more intimate than she and Jack had ever been. But they hadn’t had sex yet. Sometimes she felt enough desire to overcome her fears about getting naked and horizontal with a man. She’d progressed to the point where she knew that someday she’d be ready, which was miles ahead of where she’d been a few weeks back when she couldn’t imagine ever being with a man again.
“You and Rowan, what?” Thea asked curiously.
“Uh, me and Rowan hadn’t talked about the wedding, so I wasn’t sure what the plan was.”
Emma pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. “We have one hour to shower and dress before we need to be back here.”
Thea tugged on Jill’s hand. “Follow me back to my house. I have something you can wear if you need.”
She let herself be tugged. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. The dress wouldn’t fit me now, and it’ll look great on you.” She stopped suddenly, and Jill had to sidestep to avoid crashing into her back. “Unless you already have a dress,” Thea
She pursed her lips and thought about a solution. “What if we line the walls with the tables? If we put flowers and loads of candles on the tables, it will be beautiful. After the ceremony, we ask everyone to move their chair to a table.”
“It could work.”
“It’ll have to.” Because The Program wasn’t set up to host elaborate weddings, the chairs and tables were a hodgepodge of desk chairs, rolling office chairs and folding chairs. Jill thought she might’ve spotted a beanbag chair among them. “Then the dance floor can be in the center of the room. There’s not a band, right?”
Emma laughed. “No. Chase volunteered to be the DJ. There was no time to get security clearance for a band to come on the campus or for a caterer or a florist. Hence why it’s a DIY wedding.”
“Why wasn’t there time? Did they suddenly decide to get married?”
“No, they’ve been engaged for several months,” Emma said. She flushed and mumbled something about helping Thea tie ribbons and hurried off.
Jill frowned after her for a second, wondering why Emma had seemed embarrassed, but didn’t have time to wonder for long, since someone suddenly announced the time and they all realized they had two hours left before the ceremony. Less, if they wanted to head to their apartments to shower and dress for the wedding. Which they did.
She swallowed her sudden disappointment she hadn’t been invited to the wedding. She’d love to see Loren’s reaction when she saw the gymnasium converted into this beautiful wonderland, ripe with twinkling lights and lush flowers. She was being a brat. She barely knew Loren and Adam, and it was ridiculous to expect to be invited to the wedding. Still, it felt a bit like being the odd kid out in a middle school cafeteria at lunchtime.
“What are you wearing?” Emma asked Thea. “Do you have a fancy maternity dress?”
Thea smiled. “I do. I tried to fit into Danielle’s, another woman on campus, but that was a joke, as I’m several inches shorter. I ended up buying one.” Her glowing happiness said she didn’t mind spending money on a dress she’d likely only wear once.
Jill turned away with the pretense of fiddling with a bow, not wanting the other women to see her sudden sadness. Thea’s direct question forced her to turn back. “Um, no, I don’t have anything to wear, but it doesn’t matter since I wasn’t invited.” She forced a smile and a small shrug trying to hide her feelings.
Both women laughed. “Don’t be a dummy. No one got an invitation. Of course everyone on campus is invited,” Emma said.
She looked from one woman to the other. “Really?”
They nodded.
“Besides,” Emma continued, “you’re with Rowan, which makes you practically a relative.”
“Oh, Rowan and I…” She stopped before she blurted anything private about Rowan and her. The truth was, she didn’t know what she and Rowan were. They lived together and in some ways were more intimate than she and Jack had ever been. But they hadn’t had sex yet. Sometimes she felt enough desire to overcome her fears about getting naked and horizontal with a man. She’d progressed to the point where she knew that someday she’d be ready, which was miles ahead of where she’d been a few weeks back when she couldn’t imagine ever being with a man again.
“You and Rowan, what?” Thea asked curiously.
“Uh, me and Rowan hadn’t talked about the wedding, so I wasn’t sure what the plan was.”
Emma pulled out her phone and glanced at the time. “We have one hour to shower and dress before we need to be back here.”
Thea tugged on Jill’s hand. “Follow me back to my house. I have something you can wear if you need.”
She let herself be tugged. “Are you sure?”
“Absolutely. The dress wouldn’t fit me now, and it’ll look great on you.” She stopped suddenly, and Jill had to sidestep to avoid crashing into her back. “Unless you already have a dress,” Thea
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