Jill, Kim, and Joe helped get the home in its polished entertainment grandeur. Ashley was the last to work on finishing up getting ready for the events starting early in the evening. There was a knock on the front door, and the group downstairs looked at each other. A few things were odd. Nobody they knew well would knock, let alone on the front door. Also, the gate at the end of the driveway didn't open unless you knew the code or someone from inside used the phone to unlock it. Joe got up and answered it. He called out that Kim had company.
She padded to the foyer in her bare feet and sundress to see what was up. Jill and Jasmine startled when they heard her scream. "Mommy! Daddy! I thought you wouldn't be here until dinner."
The other two girls raced each other to the foyer.
Kim's mom hugged her daughter. "Cindy got us an earlier flight to surprise you."
Kim looked around her dad who took his turn to hug and kiss her, and sure enough, Cindy was walking up the steps from her car. Kim mouthed her thanks, to which Cindy smiled and nodded. The couple greeted Joe warmly with congratulations, and Kim's father caught Jill, then Jasmine when they jumped to hug him.
Her mom kissed them all and looked around. "The house is bigger than I remember, but just as pristine." She looked at Jasmine. "Great job, as usual."
"Thanks, but I had a lot of help today."
Her dad looked at the girls all dressed similarly to Kim, only in different colors. "You ladies look great, do you have a chart to coordinate what to wear?" he joked.
"No, it just happens this way," Jill answered.
"Kim, you shouldn't have let this one get away. This all could have been yours."
Her eyes darted at him. "Daddy, don't start."
Her mom chimed in. "We've already had this fight with her, Bill. Let's not repeat it."
"What? I'm just saying that if they had hung in there until college, she might still be with Joe."
"I certainly hope not!"
The heads all turned toward the voice descending the stairs visible through the den behind them. Dressed in a white blouse unbuttoned low to display the familiar pendant, a black and silver paisley vest, black slacks and matching pumps, the redhead glided toward them confidently with the grace the two parents had only seen from Jill.
"You must be the famous Ashley that Kim's been telling us about," the mother said as she reached her arms out to the bride to be.
"Indeed I am," Ashley smiled as she accepted the embrace, and moved on to accept one from Kim's dad. "Welcome, and thanks for coming," she said graciously.
They congratulated her on the upcoming wedding, and she invited them to sit in the media room. Joe sat next to her on one of the couches after his drink offer was refused. Ashley whispered something in his ear to which he nodded. He asked about their flight, and the conversation led to everybody catching each other up. After a while, she tapped his knee as a reminder and he told the other three girls that they would be leaving in a few minutes. They excused themselves to fetch their shoes and other necessities.
Ashley graciously fulfilled the couple's curiosity about her. Before they left for his job, they only knew her as a new girl on the cheerleading team. Since then, their information was tinted through Kim's eyes. They immediately saw why Joe fell in love with her, and Kim adored her. Ashley's charm drew them into her as well. Lively chatter announced the other three girls' return, and they loaded up two cars to meet Ashley's parents at the church.
Ashley made the introductions between the parents, then quickly excused herself when she saw Reena walk in. Kim's folks got to see the giddy side of Ashley when she squealed and bounced excitedly with her band mate. They calmed down and Ashley led her up to the organ, asking if Reena could play it, or if she was bringing her keyboard. Reena powered up the large electronic device, clicked some buttons, punched in a few knobs, and played a forceful Bach's Dorian Toccata in D minor.
The group heard Ashley say, "I guess that qualifies as a yes."
Reena pulled out her books, and went over music with Ashley for the ceremony, occasionally playing snippets, so that the bride could get a feel for the overall ambiance the selections would make with each other. While that was going on, Cindy met the florist at the door and collaborated with Jasmine as to where the arrangements were to be placed. Ashley's parents paid for the flowers, and Joe was surprised that they were being delivered in two van loads. There was nothing for him to do, so he sat and chatted with the two sets of parents, plus Jill and Kim.
The priest came in and summoned everybody to him. He went over the order everything would take place in, and then led a walk-through. Ashley was sent to the back of the church while the bridal party was being arranged on the altar steps. Being left alone for a bit, she got bored, and to fight boredom, she usually got playful, and this was no exception. Finally, she was instructed to walk ceremoniously up the aisle, and she started her slow pace. The priest said that was good, and she could walk up normally now to save time. She turned and did one of her effortless back walkovers before dancing her way up the aisle. The rest of the group laughed as she did the 70's shuffle and point. The priest coughed to choke off his chuckle and reminded her that this was still a sacred place, even though no ceremony was going on. Ashley settled down after getting scolded, and the rest of the rehearsal proceeded as planned.
At the end, Joe took out his and Ashley's violins to practice what was to be their duet. The others sat to watch while the two rested against pew arms across the aisle from each other. It was Joe's turn to be playful, and he picked out the first part of Dueling Banjos. She gave him an 'oh really' look and played the other part to take up his challenge. Both played their heart out to keep up with the other, and when the last note together was played, Joe lightly tapped Ashley's head with his bow out of affection. Even the florists stopped what they were doing to watch them and joined the small group's applause. Joe turned serious then, looked up at Reena in the choir loft and she started her accompaniment to their duet. The tiny audience was moved by the piece, and they wondered where it would be worked into the ceremony.
Ashley's parents took them out to a lakeside restaurant, where their dinner conversations were spirited and fun. Joe was so affectionate with her that Ashley wondered what she had been worried about to begin with the night before. Their shared jokes, laughter and cuddles made it obvious to Kim's parents that even if they had stayed in town, there wasn't a doubt as to who Joe would have ended up with. After dessert, Joe and Ashley walked hand-in-hand alone around the lake, enjoying their last moment together before the ceremony that would make them one. She pitched an idea she had, but he doubted he could go through with it. She asked that he think about it, and then kissed him goodbye before leaving with her parents to stay at their house for the first time in months, and last time ever.
Cindy was at the house early the next morning, pleased that the "kids" were already up and taking care of last minute details. Jasmine had taken the early lead, instructing Joe, Kim, and Jill where to place the furniture so that the media room was opened up for dancing. Cindy took over and sent Jasmine outside to start rearranging the planters by the pool. The professionals arrived shortly later, and while Cindy took charge of orchestrating the interior decorations, Jasmine managed the outside setup. Joe finally had a leadership assignment in getting the caterers working in his commercial kitchen.
It struck Jill that the house had become just a building to entertain guests in without Ashley there. When Ashley was present, it felt more like home. Not just a home, but the idea of home. She hadn't realized it as it was happening, but Ashley worked to ensure that Jill, Jasmine, and Kim all felt that this was where they belonged. The house was definitely missing something now that she wasn't there, even for a day.
