He Followed Me Home

Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

"Why are you nervous?" Janice scolded as she pulled back the sides of Francine's dark curly hair so she could weave the black iridescent beads that Gretchen had brought with her into the strands.

"What if he changes his mind?" Francine asked, tapping her French manicured fingernails on the living room table nervously.

Janice laughed, "Fran, he does everything for you. Coffee runs, flowers, cooking, dancing, bar fights... Hell he even came back to life for you! Why would you think he would change his mind about marrying you now?"

"Be careful what you say! My mom will hear you," Francine warned. Janice shook her head, "She's running around like a crazy woman on that phone. She wouldn't hear a nuclear blast go off right now."

As if on cue, Gretchen came breezing through the room with the phone glued to her ear as she went on and on with someone about the fact that her daughter was wearing a black dress. She had accepted all of the other strange details of Francine's wedding but she was having a hard time accepting the fact that her only daughter wasn't wearing white on her wedding day.

"Her hair looks beautiful like that!" Gretchen exclaimed with a thumbs up at Janice and then she disappeared back into the kitchen.

"See what I mean?" Janice asked with a raised brow. "Anyways, Wyatt loves you and your wedding is going to be perfect and he's not going to change his mind. Now look in this mirror at your hair and make-up and tell me what you think."

Janice handed her the small hand mirror and Francine stared in awe at the magic her best friend had worked. Francine's dark curls were full and soft. The beads caught the light and shone. Several long tendrils of curls framed her cheeks which Janice had left make-up free. It was well known that Wyatt loved Francine's freckles and so she hadn't wanted to cover them with make-up. Her dark eyes were framed by light shadow and mascara and her lips were shiny with gloss. It had to have been the least make-up anyone had ever worn for their wedding but Francine knew that it was what Wyatt would want.

"Casper will be speechless and he'll just fall even deeper in love with you thanks to my super skills," Janice said with a wink. Francine smiled and felt a tear fill her eyes. "No crying!" Janice exclaimed waving her hand in front of Francine's face. "You'll ruin all my hard work."

"It took twenty-five minutes and twenty of those were spent on my hair," Francine reminded her with a laugh.

Janice shrugged, "Just because I'm fast doesn't mean I'm not good." She glanced at the clock, "We better hurry up! We only have forty-five minutes before you are due at the theater and you're not even in your dress yet!"

"Let's go then!" Francine exclaimed as she jumped to her feet and the two women ran back toward the bedroom. "Mom are you going to help me put on my black dress?" Francine called out with laughter.

"I don't know why you can't just wear a white dress like a good girl. You could do that much for your mother couldn't you?" Gretchen asked as she hung up the phone and followed after them.

"I'll tell you what momma, you divorce daddy and find yourself a new husband and I'll let you wear my dress," Francine offered.

Gretchen laughed, "My left leg wouldn't fit in your dress my darling. Not anymore. Now let's get you dressed so we can get you married to that hunk of a man that's waiting at the church."

***

"I've never been a coward but right now I'm damn nervous," Wyatt admitted as he wiped his sweaty palms on his black trousers.