Magic on Changeling Mountain
Chapter 53

The next few days flew by and before she knew it, the week was over. She and Colin had visited the printers and picked out lovely invitations. She had talked to Tammy who helped her set up a spreadsheet for everyone’s names and addresses and a blank space for recording the guest’s gift. It was going to make sending the invitations and later the thank you cards a breeze.

She, Tammy, Sarah and Angela had made a day trip to Asheville where they had gone shopping for party favors and decorations for both the church and the reception hall. Carolyn was beginning to worry about the expenses that she was racking up on her credit card.

The clinic had been rather slow this winter so her income to pay things back was not as healthy as it usually was. She started to ask Randy if he could work more at his other job so that she could cut down on his wages but he mentioned that the pizza parlor had been slow as well.

She knew he was saving for school and she wished she could give him even more hours but as it was, she was barely managing to keep him paid and the lights on. If something didn’t turn around soon, she was going to have to tell him she could only afford to have him come when they had appointments that she needed his help with to handle larger animals. She didn’t want to worry Colin about it but she was already beyond a level of debt that she was comfortable with and it was making her snappy.

He came over on Saturday night to take her to the movies and she was already so irritable that she almost told him to forget about it. As it was, the ride into town was done in silence and she stayed on her side of the bench seat of his truck with her arms tightly crossed in front of her.

“Are you cold?” Colin asked.

“No!” She snapped.

“Are you hungry? Would you like to get something to eat before we go to the movies?” He tried again.

“No! I’m not hungry.” She snapped again.

“Ok. What’s wrong?” Colin asked. He purposely drove around to the back of the theater so that they could have some privacy.

“What makes you think something is wrong?” Carolyn snapped, her eyes flashing, almost daring him to argue with her.

“Well, for one thing, you are snapping my head off and as far as I know, I’ve done nothing wrong. So what’s up?” Colin said as he put the truck in park and turned to face her.

She looked at him and then realized he was right and she was immediately contrite. “I’m sorry. It’s just that I’ve been burning up my credit card with all the stuff for the wedding and the clinic has been really slow this month and I’m worried about how I’m going to pay for all of it.” Carolyn admitted.

“Hey, you are not the only one getting married, you know. I’m willing to put in my share. I’ve been saving for months for this. How much do I owe you?” Colin asked.

“It’s not that you owe me but I wouldn’t say no to you contributing to some of the expenses.” Carolyn admitted. “And while we are on the subject, we need to talk about our finances for the future.”

“Yeah, I was reading an article in the waiting room the day I took my mom to the eye doctor that said finance problems can end a relationship and while I don’t think it would end ours, let’s not let things like that grow until it becomes an issue that will cause an argument.” Colin said.

“You were reading Cosmo?” Carolyn smiled at him.

“There are not a lot of men’s mags in doctor’s offices!” Colin grinned back at her. “So how much has it cost so far?”

“Wedding expenses so far have come up to about $4000.00. I just thank God that Lucinda gave me my wedding gown or I’d be getting married in jeans and a T-shirt.” Carolyn said, trying to ease the blow.

“That’s not so bad. I was getting worried that you were talking more like the price of a new car or a down payment on a house. Remind me to write you a check later. And promise me that if there are any more wedding expenses, you will let me know my share. Ok?” Colin said.

He was really wondering what in the world she had spent $4000.00 on but considering that she was now smiling at him instead of biting his head off, he was almost afraid to ask. He decided that he definitely needed to get involved in what was going on for the wedding from now on.

“So where’s your list?” Colin asked.

“List?” Carolyn asked.

“The list you’ve been living by for the last 2 months. What’s done and what still needs to be done? I want to help!” Colin said, adding the last to get himself out of the hole he was quickly digging for himself if he didn’t word this right.

Carolyn grinned and pulled the list out of her back pocket. She had already had to tape it together because she had folded and refolded it probably a hundred times and it was weak at the creases. She had written the amounts she had spent on things along the border and Colin’s eyes opened wide on the amounts for some of it. He had been there the day they ordered the invitations, the cake and the food but all of the other stuff he had left up to her to take care of. “Wow, flowers are expensive!” He blurted out when he saw how much of the money was going to that.

“Well, since we are not having it outdoors anymore, we have to order flowers to be brought in to decorate the church and for the tables and other decorations at the reception.” Carolyn said.

“Although now that I think about it, I don’t know why we can’t bring the flowers from around the mountain and do the decorations. That would cut that amount way down. All I will have to pay for now is the bouquets and boutonnieres. Oh, I definitely like your ideas better than our mom’s. They wanted to take over the food prep!”

“No, let’s keep the caterers. I want them to enjoy our day with us, not stuck off in the kitchen.” Colin said, trying to remember what she had told him before. He had a feeling that testing her emotions right now would be a very bad idea.

“I know I’ve left all of this up to you and I’m sorry. How about we go back to the cottage and go over everything and I’ll write you a check to cover what you’ve already spent and we can discuss how we are going to handle things going forward?”

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather go to the movie?” Carolyn asked.

“Well, we can if you want but I think we need to be on the same page and if I know you as well as I think I do, I know you will spend the whole movie going over in your head everything that still needs to be done and worrying about how we are going to pay for it so let’s go deal with it and we can see the movie another night. OK?” Colin said so reasonably that she couldn’t argue.

“No wonder I love you so much!” Carolyn said and leaned across the seat to kiss him.

“Now if you start that, going back to the cottage might not be such a good idea.” Colin teased her.

“Ok. I promise. No more kisses.” Carolyn teased him back. “At least not until we have everything resolved.” She added taking pity on the disappointed look on his face.

They drove back to the cottage and she let them in. “Want something to drink?”

“Sure. What you got?” Colin said.

“Soda, juice or water or I could make some cocoa or coffee.” She replied.

“Cocoa sounds good. Coffee will keep me up all night.” Colin said. He watched her move around the small kitchen as she made the cocoa and he fantasized about what it would be like in a few weeks when he would be living here. “Is this kitchen big enough for you?”

“Well, I sometimes wish I had more counter space but for just me, it’s usually enough.” Carolyn admitted.

“I know I told my mom that we wouldn’t be living up there but I said that without asking you and that was wrong of me. I just assumed that you would want to stay here.” Colin admitted.

“Well, for now, I would. It’s so much more convenient for me to get to and from the clinic and so long as it’s just us that will be living here, this works out fine. When we start having kids, this place will quickly become too small and then we can consider your parents’ house if they are not going to be living there.” Carolyn said.

“Would you rather we just expand on this place?”

“No, it’s not just the kitchen that would become too small. Only having one bathroom, even the living room would quickly become too small. We will eventually need a bigger house and your parents’ place is nice. I just don’t want them to be without a place to come back to.” Carolyn said.

“They would, if we keep this place.” Colin said.

“Yeah, I guess that would work. But my folks might have something to say about it. They haven’t mentioned building a place for Donna yet.”

“Well, if it became necessary, we could build an in-laws suite for them if you don’t mind living with them.”

“Colin, I barely know your parents, especially your dad, so I can’t say if I would mind or not. I do know that it would take some getting used to and also that it could cause some issues. I know that I couldn’t move back in with my parents. Are you sure you could move back in with yours?”

“No, probably not. I’m too used to being on my own. They have rules that I’ve outgrown. Like being able to stay up late. They go to bed really early. They also have rigid rules about when they have meals. I eat when I get hungry. Things like that.”

“I know what you mean. My folks are very much the same. I think we may become like them some day but in the meantime, I prefer we stay here. Are you ok with that?”

“Definitely.”

She handed him a cup of cocoa and then pulled her wedding list out of her pocket. They sat down at the table and she went into more detail about what she had accomplished already and what she thought needed to be done.

“I can’t believe it’s less than 4 more weeks until the wedding. The invitations should be here tomorrow. Tammy has been working on getting the guest list put on the computer and so far we have over 200 people coming. I’ve told the caterer to prepare for 250 just to be sure we have enough food. Any leftovers, our parents can take home and either eat or freeze.”

“So what kind of flowers do you want?”

“Well, we have ordered white roses and delphiniums for our bouquets. The men will have white roses for the boutonnieres.”

“Well, I know what white roses look like but I have no clue what delphiniums are or look like. Do they grow on the mountain?”

“Maybe in someone’s garden but not in the wild. At least none I’ve ever seen.” She said as she walked over and got her laptop. She quickly looked up delphiniums and showed Colin the picture.

“Very pretty and you are right. I’ve never seen them growing wild on the mountain either.”

“I think I’m going to get some seeds and plant them in my flower beds in the spring.”

“That will be nice.” Colin said, not sure what else to say.

They talked about all the other things that had been done as well as went over things that still needed to be done. “Well, let me know where and how I can help and I’ll do what I can. My big question is where do you want to go for our honeymoon?”

“Hahahahaha! Tammy is right. Men don’t care about the actual ceremony. All you guys are concerned about is the honeymoon or rather the wedding night!”

“Well, I won’t say that I’m not looking forward to that but she’s wrong about me not caring about the rest of it. I want you to have whatever makes you happy. It’s a memory we will share for the rest of our lives and I want it to be a very special day.”

“And I want it to be special for both of us, too. As for the honeymoon, Tammy said she would apparate us anywhere we want to go. I’m open to suggestions.”

“A deserted island somewhere warm and sunny where we can run free and maybe do some skinny dipping!”

“Hahahaha! Well, maybe we can do both. I’m sure Tammy won’t mind. She and Stuart are trying to decide between Hawaii and Europe. I think Hawaii is winning though.”

“Has Tammy said anything about when they are planning on having their wedding?”

“I think Tammy wants to be a June bride but since that’s the month of Father’s Day, she’s kind of worried that her father might cause issues.”

“What is up with her parents? Tammy seems like a strong independent young woman who has done well for herself, considering how she grew up, until she gets around them. Then she acts like a timid mouse.”

“That’s just it. They weren’t around to see her grow up and in their minds she is still just the child they abandoned and it’s driving her up the wall.”

“Well, if you ask me, they should have come back before now if they were that worried about her.”

“If it were me, I never would have abandoned her in the first place. I would have stayed and protected my child no matter who was after us.”

“Well, I’m sure they did what they thought was best at the time. But back to us. So I tell you what, let’s write down our three top picks each and then have Tammy draw us a winner. Sound good?”

“Sounds good. Here, write down your top picks on this and I’ll write down mine and then we’ll put them in this.” She said as she reached for an empty basket that she had been using to collect things for the fairies.

They each wrote down 3 places they would like to go and tore the pieces apart, folded them up and tossed them into the basket.

“Will we leave the night of the wedding or the next day?”

“When would you like to go?”

“That night. I don’t want to take any chances of anyone interrupting us once we are totally alone.” Colin said and made her laugh when he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“You are outrageous and absolutely have a one track mind.”

“Hey can you blame me? I’ve wanted you since high school. The wedding is just a formality and for legal purposes in my mind. I want you to be mine and only mine from that day forward.”

“Colin I’ve been only yours since the day you proposed. Actually since before that I’ve never even considered being with anyone else.”

“But you still want to wait?” He asked hopefully.

“Sorry but yes. Everyone has told me that a woman’s wedding day is the most memorable day of her life because it’s the day when I give my hand to the man I love and my virginity to my husband.”

Colin kissed her then until she almost reconsidered but fortunately the phone rang and she had to smile when she pulled back and saw the dazed look on his face. She reached out and picked up the phone receiver and said “Hello?”

“Hey, I thought you were going to the movies?” Tammy said.

“Well, we decided to wait for another night and have been talking about wedding stuff. What are you up to?”

“Just bored out of my mind but if Colin is there and you guys are talking about wedding plans, I’ll let you go. Call me when he goes home?”

“Sure. Shouldn’t be much longer. It’s getting late and he has to work tomorrow.” Carolyn said with a quick glance at the clock on her stove.

Carolyn hung up and Colin asked “What’s up?”

“Oh, Tammy is bored now that she’s home by herself. I take it Stuart is working tonight.”

“Yep. And you were right about it getting late. Time always seems to go by faster when I’m with you. But I really should go home and get to bed. I have to get up earlier since I’m staying on the mountain tonight. I don’t like the idea of leaving my mom up there by herself at night.”

“Why? There’s nothing or no one on the mountain that would hurt her.”

“I know. It’s just me, being overprotective I guess. I just wish my dad had come back with her.”

“Well, it’s only another couple of weeks and he will be here. Stop worrying. Your mother is a full grown woman and she can handle herself.”

“I know. Well, I’d better get going and let you get to bed. I wish I could come with you.”

“In about a month, you will be!” Carolyn smiled at him and then gave him a quick kiss. “Now go home and get some sleep.” She said as she opened her front door to find Tammy standing there with her hand raised.

“Hi. Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt but if I stayed in my apartment one more minute I was going to scream.” Tammy said in apology.

“No problem. I’m just leaving. You girls have fun! I’ll see you tomorrow.” Colin said as he let her enter before he started to step outside.

“Wait. Here Tammy, draw a piece out of here.” Carolyn said and held the basket out to her. Tammy put her hand in the basket, swished around the small pieces of paper and then selected one. It was one Colin had put in and she opened it and read “Europe”, and then looked at both of them to see big smiles on their faces.

“I take it you couldn’t decide on where to go for your honeymoon?” Tammy smiled at both of them.

“No and I will admit I had Europe written on two of my pieces.” Carolyn admitted.

“Hahahaha! Me too. I mean Hawaii sounds nice and all but I’ve always wanted to go to Europe. Now the trick will be deciding on which countries to visit. I can take two weeks off but if we don’t narrow our choices down to two or three countries, we won’t get to see much of anything. But we still have time to work out the details. For now, I’m going to go and let you girls have your girl talk time.” Colin said and then with another quick kiss for Carolyn he said “Goodnight” and left.

“Good night. Drive safe.” Carolyn said and closed the door behind him.

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