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“That sounds wonderful, Maria. I should thank Maverick for his input, too,” Stacey said.
“You and Maverick have done your jobs beautifully for this wedding,” Caleb complimented her. And I can’t thank you enough for it—you especially. You’ve done so much to keep Stacey calm while we’ve been planning.”
“That’s what a maid of honor is for, right?”
We all laughed as I made my way to the table. I sat down and then started thinking about what I wanted to do for the rest of the day. The rest of the week was the bachelor/bachelorette party, getting the church ready for the ceremony, the rehearsal dinner, and the ceremony itself.
I was one of two people who wasn’t returning home on Sunday, so I had an extra day to relax after the wedding. Whatever I didn’t do today, I could do on Sunday, I supposed. But what would I do? I had already gone to the one place I had wanted to try out while in Boise that had nothing to do with the wedding because we had gone yesterday.
“So, what are you planning to do today, Maria?” Stacey asked as she sat down next to me.
“I was thinking I’d like to see Mom and Dad this morning if they’ll be around and then maybe head over to Meridian to The Village. From what I saw online, there are a few shops that I’d love to check out.
“Emma said she wanted to go to the mall too. She’s got a car. So, the two of you could go together?” Stacey suggested. “But give Mom a call first to see if she and Dad have some time this morning. I’d like to join you if you don’t mind. I’ve already spent some time with them, but Caleb and I have nothing planned for this morning, so I can drive us over and then bring you back here if Emma wants to wait a little bit.
I nodded and walked over to the table where the bridesmaids had congregated. It didn’t take long for the rest of the bridesmaids to decide they, too, wanted to go to The Village. If Stacey and I could be back by 11:30 or so, that would work out just fine. Give them time to relax and get ready.
I gave Mom a quick call. “Hey, Mom, how are you? Do you and Dad have some time this morning to have coffee with your daughters? Stacey said that the four of you have full schedules all week long with not only wedding things but fun things, too,” I asked with a smile in my voice.
“We sure do, hon,” Mom replied. “We have been busy, but the four of us have plans for lunch today and a leisurely mountain drive this afternoon. But we’d love to see both of you this morning. Come on over!”
My day was planned, and it was going to be a good one.
****
The day was fun all around, and the other gals and I enjoyed The Village so much that we didn’t get back to Eagle Falls until nearly nine thirty that evening.
The front door was locked, and believe it or not, none of us had a key. But I had noticed a light on in the kitchen, so I was sure someone was awake. After knocking on the door, I waited, about ready to knock again, and suddenly the door opened. It was Maverick. “Glad you made it back safely,” he said.
Chapter seven
Maverick/Maria
Thursday came around, and I was excited to be getting ready for dinner. After careful consideration, I was glad that we had decided on a four-thirty reservation this afternoon. With twenty people, we were going to have a large party, and it would take time to get us seated and get all our orders in. The sooner we could do that, the sooner we could enjoy our dinner.
Since we were also going dancing and gaming afterward, I decided to wear a pair of slacks and a good shirt. I didn’t want to overdress, but I also didn’t want to feel underdressed. I didn’t know what the other groomsmen had packed, nor did I know what the bridesmaids had packed. All I knew was that I wanted to at least look presentable in a nice restaurant but comfortable for the entertainment center after dinner.
Once I got upstairs, I found that most of the men had also been in the same vein of thought as me: slacks and a nice button-down top, but a few had also grabbed a tee shirt to wear, probably for the entertainment place. Maria, the only bridesmaid staying here, had decided to wear a pleated, flowery, flared skirt that stopped at her knees and a beautiful pink tube top with thin straps. She looked great.
“Well, if we’re all ready, I think we should head on over to the Black Key. We’ll be meeting everyone else there,” I said.
“Sounds like a plan to me. It’ll take us about fifteen minutes to get there, and if we get there a little earlier than our reservations, no harm,” Caleb piped up. “Shall we? Maria, who are you riding with?”
“If you don’t mind, I’d like to ride with Maverick,” she said. “Stacey wants me to get there with all of you so that at least one of the bridesmaids is already there in case there are issues with the card. She, myself, and Elliott are all on that account.”
Caleb nodded. Without a word, we all divided up. I ended up with Maria, Elliott, Jason, and Caleb in my truck – with Caleb squeezing between Jason and Elliott in the back. He didn’t seem to care, though. We talked about just general things about our lives as we drove.
We arrived at the Black Key at four twenty-five on the dot. So, about five minutes earlier than our reservations. When I checked us in at the host stand, they had a table ready. Maria texted Stacey to tell her to ask for the party of twenty to be led back to the table, and then, we were seated. Our drinks got started, but we opted to wait for everyone else before ordering anything. They arrived about ten minutes later and joined us at the table.
The restaurant itself had a great atmosphere. The Black Key was known for its steaks, so many of us ordered steaks. Some of the women ordered the restaurant’s popular salmon dish. The food was delicious, and everyone expressed how glad they were that we came here for dinner. We didn’t end up ordering any dessert, as Maria had learned the entertainment place offered quite a few dessert options. If we got hungry later, that would be a good time for dessert.
Maria decided to ride with Stacey to the entertainment place. My truck was a little roomier on the way there, which was nice but not necessarily needed.
As for the rest of the night, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had the best time at the dinner, and I could have easily called it a night and headed back to the Airbnb. But the entertainment center was a part of the plans, and I wasn’t going to be a spoilsport. Yet I wasn’t much of a game player and didn’t dance very often, so while everyone else was either finding a game to play or enjoying the music, I sat at the table watching all the people – and Maria. She seemed to be having a lot of fun dancing.
About an hour into the evening, one of the bridesmaids broke the heel of one of her shoes and joined me. But then, Maria joined us at the table too.
“Come on, Mav. You’ve been sitting at the table the entire time we’ve been here,” she said as she tugged on my arm. “It won’t kill you to have just one dance, will it?”
