Desserts & Dramas

Chapter 25

"I do," Alice repeated to the mirror for the fourth time.

Sofia rolled her eyes.

"I don't think you'll forget how to answer at the wedding, Alice, you don't need any more practice."

"I'm just cheking how my expression looks. Can I put on the dress now?"

"Not yet, it's about another half an hour dear, you don't want to wrinkle it," answered Marta.

"I can't wait."

"We know," Sofia, Marta and all the other women in the group of bridesmaids answered in chorus.

"No need to be rude." Alice sat back down on the sofa and crossed her arms in front of her body.

"Honey, this is one of the most important days of your life, I understand how you feel, I've been there. But once you start, you will see how quickly it will all go by."

Marta was in a long dark green dress, with embroidery on the hem that disappeared as it got closer to the waist, suitable for a sunset wedding, followed by dinner.

"You weren't that anxious at your graduation. That was also an important day in your life," Vivian commented.

"At my graduation I was concluding a stage of my career, and mine alone. Today I am involving someone else in my decisions, it's a different kind of responsibility."

"There's still time to cancel everything if you have doubts," Sofia ironically remarked. She knew how much Alice and Tomás loved each other, the wedding was just a gesture to make official a love that went on strong regardless of any ceremony.

"It's not a bad idea, Sofi. This way the two of us can grow old together with five cats each." Alice showed up her tongue to her sister " Will we one day see you in my place?"

"Of course," Marta was quicker to answer than Sofia herself, and she chose to remain silent.

It was hard to rationalize with Alice's romantic side, without adding to her mother's recurring insistence. All this on the day of an event that was one of the greatest symbols of love surely made the battle lost. It simply wasn't worth the effort. Love was going to come to her when it came, if it came, and she was more than happy to take care of her sweets. Desserts in particular that she needed to check on in a moment.

"No," Marta said to Sofia, "I know you well enough to know that you are running away from our conversation and thinking about checking the dessert table."

Alice and Vivian laughed at how quickly Marta figured Sofia out. She was really predictable.

"For your information, I wasn't thinking of that. I have a team to take care of everything. We're all ready."

Sofia went to get the dress and the others preferred to leave the subject aside. After Vivian finished Alice's dress with the veil, they all left the suite they were in.

The hotel garden, where the ceremony would take place, was a profusion of white flowers and golden details. The classical architecture of the building complemented the fairy"tale look and provided the princess wedding that the romantic Alice had imagined. The golden light of the approaching sunset made everything more magical. The men in their dark suits and the women in dresses of the most varied colors transformed the atmosphere into pure joy and expectation, as if the court had come to meet its royalty. There was no nobility. However, many important guests from Tomas' family were present, among them politicians, diplomats, and big businessmen.

In contrast to all the pomp that Barbara Hurst would have liked for her eldest son's wedding, the ceremony was simple and moving. The looks between the bride and groom left no doubt that it was true love and that was the most important.

Dinner also went smoothly, with delicious dishes of baked salmon with capers, small ravioli filled with brie and apricots in white sauce, mignon in red wine, and a profuse variety of salads, appetizers, and antipasti that preceded dinner. Sofia was delighted with the food at the buffet, and she was a chef. The quality and speed of the service was impressive, Barbara or Alice would accept no less.

Sofia even managed to stay away from Gabriel and not spill drink on anyone. She was also having success in staying away from Arthur, who had stalked her in some rehearsals. However, she knew that her peace would be interrupted sooner or later.

She made the most of every moment of the party after the ceremony and tried to disconnect from her inner chef, which was not easy. She observed all the details, seeking inspiration and knowledge in the way companies executed everything. The more party experience she had, the easier it would be to please her clients at events. Of course, she only provided the desserts. But understanding a little about the decor and the organization could be the difference between being hired or not. A quick comment here and there would be indispensable to show that she knew what she was doing.

"I finally found you, Sofia," Arthur exclaimed." Would you like a drink?"