Consequences

meet at the airport or do they need to be picked up?” When she hung up she thanked Tony. This was wonderful and unexpected. She handed him back his phone.
    The plane ride was joyous with talk of the wedding and excitement over Claire’s dress. The merriment continued when she exited the fitting room as all the ladies went crazy about the dress and how beautiful Claire looked. A few minute alternations needed to be completed. Eric hadn’t been available to join them on their excursion, so they traveled by taxi. Claire liked that. Having all of them pile into one cab reminded her of her past life.
    At noon they arrived at King’s Carriage House, a wonderfully quaint English-style restaurant located in a brownstone on the Upper East Side. They had reservations and were taken to the second level, where the walls were painted a deep rich red and large chandeliers glowed. The intimate tables were richly arranged, very girlie. It exuded the shower feeling and alone would have thrilled Claire, but the real surprise was seeing Emily sitting at their table. She ran to hug her and asked how she knew. She explained that Claire’s good friend Courtney planned the entire thing. When Claire hugged Courtney, Courtney whispered in Claire’s ear, “Tony gave me her number.” Claire had a marvelous afternoon!
    After the luncheon Emily accompanied them back to the boutique, where they all saw her in her matron-of-honor’s dress. She was surprised by Claire’s gift of a pair of black Jimmy Choo satin pumps with a jewel bow. They were perfect for the dress and the wedding. However, it was as Claire came out of the dressing room in the wedding gown one last time, completely altered and ready, that everyone, even Ms. Springhill, applauded. Claire was elated with the final result. She felt so pretty .
    The five ladies flew back to Iowa with Claire’s gown, shoes, undergarments, including slip and veil. Emily would arrive on Wednesday evening. It was a great afternoon and they ended it with a bottle of champagne and some snacks on the plane home.
    When Tony entered the suite that evening, she sprung up and encircled his neck with her arms. “You are awful!” And she kissed him hard.
    Surprised, he replied, “Okay, remind me to be awful more often. What did I do?”
    “Only assist in giving me the best bridal luncheon ever, which included my sister!” He looked at her. She quickly replied, “Oh, don’t start. Courtney told me that you were the one who gave her Emily’s number. You, who acted like you didn’t know anything about others joining us. You’re really rotten. And I love you more every day.” She kissed him again. He grinned and returned the kiss.
    He asked to see her dress. She told him, “No.” He expressed astonishment at her denial. “You can’t see it until next Saturday.” He conceded to see what she would wear under her dress.
    Claire grinned. They were alone in her suite. Seductively she began to unbutton her blouse, one button at a time. Tony didn’t mind the consolation prize, at all.

 
Love one another, but make not a bond of love,
let it rather be a moving sea between the shores of your souls.
—Kahlil Gibran
     Chapter 30
    Emily arrived on the Wednesday evening before the wedding. Tony sent his private plane to pick her up in Albany. John, however, was involved in a hearing and wouldn’t be available until Friday. He apologized to Claire for the mix-up but couldn’t change the trial date. Claire decided it would be nice to have Emily all to herself. However, she worried about her reaction to the private plane as she sat in the back of one of Tony’s cars at the airport waiting for the jet to arrive. The interior of the BMW was warm and permeated the smell of leather. It was significantly better than the cold Iowa chill outside the windows.
    Once the door of the jet opened and stairs descended, Claire got out of the car, feeling the brisk air. It snowed the past three days, and everything was brilliantly covered with a beautiful clean white blanket. Claire wore jeans, a furry jacket, and snow boots to stay warm. Keeping her leather gloved hands deep in her pockets, she watched the crew clear the runway and the pavement as the snow continued to fall.
    Emily descended the stairs and hugged Claire. “Hi, sis, are you by yourself?”
    “Carlos drove me here, but Tony is still at work.” They got into the warm car while Carlos retrieved Emily’s luggage and placed it in the trunk. Emily