A Busy Morning

It had been a month since Laura had come to live at Barrett estate and she had not regretted it for a single moment. Barrett residence had been a tomb versus this estate being full of life and laughter every day. She was more than happy here.

When they first arrived Mia had shown her to an empty suite of rooms that were bland beige and contained only a bed. She must have looked alarmed because Mia told her the space used to be her study, but she wanted Laura to make it her own, so she had her designers strip it of personality. Mia had told her the designers would meet her in the morning and she could turn the space into anything that made her happy. Laura realized then that they really were making space for her to be part of their lives and she threw herself into it with her whole heart.

Laura played chess with Sage, and he tried to teach her computer skills. With Ginger she played dolls, painted with every medium and listened to the tiny girl read her classics like Charlotte's Web. The children were brilliant and so far ahead of their age that they shocked her nearly every day.

With Timothy she spent time going over the problems between him, Mia, Shelly. And Sharon. He spoke to her for a while about Barrett residence and how he wished he didn't have to deal with any of those issues anymore. Tim was focused on this here and he was better for it. Laura very gently took the responsibility from his hands. She would worry about Barrett residence and its inhabitants from now on. Sharon wouldn't like the response if word came back to Laura about Sharon continuing to disrespect Mia and Tim.

With Mia, Laura attended several events at Aide Castle. When she learned that Aide Castle was Mia's resort she was floored. The place was impeccable down to the handles on the doors. It was a brilliant business design with top-notch service, and it was flourishing. Laura was so proud of her granddaughter, so she felt especially touched when Mia asked for her help in designing the new Aide Castle resort at sea.

The first of its kind would be a three hundred room cruise ship that would sail on three-day rotations to the islands around Norde City and would be bookable for parties and weddings to all high society. The venture was especially risky because there was nothing else like it, but it was a co-partnership between Aide Castle, Lane Group, Barrett Group, and Vestel Shipping Company. Laura buckled down immediately with Mia trying to account for every demographic and age range. They were nervous but excited. At nearly seventy-six years of age Laura's life was fuller now than it had been in her forties, and she loved every bit of it.

Pulling herself from her wayward thoughts Laura finished dressing and headed downstairs. Today was a big day and she wanted to make sure Mia didn't need any help. Laura thought her granddaughter worked far too hard for someone nearing the end of her first trimester of pregnancy. Laura wanted to make sure the woman had eaten before she got too busy to remember such things.

Mia sat on a stool at the breakfast bar in her kitchen eating an egg, ham, and cheese croissant sandwich, a banana, and a small bowl of yogurt with fresh berries. Chef May had grabbed her as she was walking past and threatened bodily harm if Mia did not sit down and eat. Chef May and Mia had become close since the woman started caring for the family a couple months back. Knowing about Mia's pregnancy caused her to keep track that the lady of the house had eaten adequate meals to stay healthy. Mia was thankful to her friend, but she was just busy today.

Mia had gotten dressed for the event first knowing things would be too hectic later to find the time and hadn't wanted to eat and risk her dress, so the chef had given her a towel and insisted. Mia laughed and sat to eat begging for a cup of coffee from the chef as well.

Mia's dress was a lavender floor length evening gown with a corset and off the shoulder chiffon neckline and was sleeveless. Mia had her corset custom made so that it ended about an inch above her natural waistline. Mia's hair was pulled back in an intricate bun and several curls hung down to frame her face. Mia wore a pearl choker and pearl drop earrings. She was the picture of elegance.

Mia had been surprised that her stomach was showing so much more with this second pregnancy. At roughly eleven weeks her stomach was already rounded. Luckily this dress was loose enough to hide her pregnancy unless one was specifically looking. The pregnancy would be announced but not for several more weeks.

Laura walked into the room wearing a plum-colored ankle length dress with a lace poncho style shawl that covered her from shoulder to waist. Her hair was in a thick bun, and she wore diamond and amethyst earrings.

"Good, you are eating. I came to make sure." Laura told her granddaughter with a quick smile then thanked the chef who put a plate of eggs, ham, and toast down for Laura and added a glass of orange juice and a cup of coffee.

"You're a gem Chef May." Laura told the woman also having taken a liking to the no nonsense woman.

Laura began to prepare her toast and turned to Mia. "What is on the agenda this morning?"

Mia was eating her yogurt but paused mid-bite. "I need to check the preparations and the staff we borrowed from Aide Castle and make sure everything is in hand for Jasmine and Caleb's big day. Once I know that everything will proceed as expected it will be time to start greeting guests. I expect people will begin arriving around two for the pre-wedding reception. The ceremony will begin at three. Cocktail hour will run until five. That will be when everyone takes their seats for the reception dinner. Dinner will be served by course from six to seven. Then we will have an open bar along with the wedding events until eleven. Hopefully, the guests will all be headed home by midnight."

Laura nodded at the timeline they had been over it before. "Everything will be perfect for our dear friends you will see. How many of the one-hundred-fifty guests RSVP'd?"

Mia laughed. "All of them. Whether they wanted to attend the wedding or see Barrett estate and Sage remains to be seen. It is nerve-wracking having so many people come to your home." Mia sighed at the thought and quickly dismissed it.

Twenty minutes later both Mia and Grandma Laura had finished their breakfast, and they went outside to start a walk-through of the venue. They checked with the valet booth first for those that came with their own car. With four parking attendants and not that far to go things should stay well in hand. Next, they found the event coordinator from Aide Castle and checked on the number of staff available for all parts of the event. Things seemed well in hand with the staff as well.

Mia and Laura went to the catering truck from La Bella and viewed the preparations and the servers that were being prepared for the early portion of the event. Everything looked impeccable. They checked on the cake and were happy to see that it was in its own refrigerator unit awaiting the time to be brought out. It was a six-tier buttercream and sugar flower masterpiece. The flowers looked so real that it was nearly impossible to tell that the flowers were made and edible.

The early reception area was in an open part of the garden that had been filled with white tables and chairs where the guests could sit and enjoy luncheon style mini sandwiches, tea, and lemonade as well as drop off presents for the happy couple. The floral and ivy of the area made it naturally pretty without much embellishment needed but to spruce it up. A high canopy made of hundreds of strings of crystal beads had been hung circus tent style over the area. The effect was eye catching.

The ceremony would take place in a courtyard in the center of the rose garden. Stone tiles made up the courtyard floor and the edges of the area were white marble columns and arches. The seating was white wooden chairs with lavender satin sashes and bows of ivy and white roses ran along the aisle with a white runner down the center to walk on.

The seating area was surrounded by hundreds of white rose bushes that also ran behind the wedding arch that was the location where the bride and groom would stand for their vows. The arch was intricate and hand-carved and had been carefully decorated in white roses as well as sprigs of ivy. The gardeners had carefully gone through the rose bushes this morning ensuring every petal was perfect for the wedding.

Laura was in awe of Mia's attention to detail. This was something out of a fairy tale. Mia had this knack for making things beautiful, special, and knowing how to bring people joy. They continued to the cocktail hour venue and Mia gave explicit instructions on the limits for alcohol before the reception. Mia didn't want anyone drunk and belligerent and ruining her friends night.

Finally, they made it to the reception tent and Laura was surprised that the roof was a clear mesh. She asked Mia about it, and she explained that since there was no rain forecast it would be nice to be under the stars but without the bugs. Laura couldn't help laughing at that. All the stars with none of the bugs sounded nice.

Mia checked the china and the stemware. She checked eat bit of fabric for stains and even made sure the silverware was highly polished. Mia walked from table to table checking centerpieces and seating arrangements before finally declaring that the venue was ready for guests. Laura was in awe of Mia. She had designed all of this, and it was impeccable. Mia had an eye for detail that turned an event space into something that would become a cherished memory.

Mia turned to Laura. "It is time to check on the bride before guests start arriving." Together the pair made their way back to the house.