Rebecca's Little Secret

“I was just telling Rebecca that I thanked you for taking Chelsea to dinner last night.”

“But I told you you didn’t have to thank me. Chelsea was a lot of fun.”

“And you like French food?” Jeff asked.

“Oh, we didn’t go to that restaurant. I took her to a good steak place.”

“Chelsea refuses to eat at a steak house,” Jeff said, frowning.

“Well, I really didn’t give her a choice. I had no intention of eating strange food while some snooty maître d’ stared down his nose at me. It would give me heartburn.”

“I’m glad you enjoyed your meal,” Jeff said, still frowning.

Rebecca turned back to her work. She didn’t want to know if Chelsea threw a temper tantrum.

Jeff stood there, his hands on his hips.

“She didn’t complain?” he asked Bill.

“Sure she did. But I teased her out of her bad mood.”

“I guess I never tried that.” Jeff shrugged his shoulders.

“No, because it’s easier to give in. You’ve got to think about how things will be after you marry Chelsea, Jeff. Are you sure you’re doing the right thing?”

Jeff ran his fingers through his dark hair. “Bill, I can’t discuss my marriage with you.”

“Okay. Well, you don’t owe me thanks for last night. I enjoyed myself.”

JEFF PICKED CHELSEA UP at nine o’clock, as promised. Or, at least, he arrived at that time. She wasn’t quite ready, and he was invited in to have a cup of coffee with Chelsea’s father.

“You know, Jeff, I’m so glad to have Chelsea’s future settled. She’s not one of these career types. She’s like her mother. She’ll run your life for you, which will do wonders for your career.”

Jeff suppressed the urge to tell Mr. Wexham that he didn’t want Chelsea running his life. Just then, Chelsea bounced into the room, a huge smile on her face. “Sorry I’m late, Jeff.”

She looked about sixteen, dressed in overall shorts and a T-shirt. In fact, Jeff had never seen her look so casual. Or so happy.

Once they were in the car, he observed, “I should take you to the zoo once a month if it makes you this happy.”

“Silly, it’s not the zoo. We, Mom and I, went shopping for my wedding gown yesterday and I fell in love with one. Mom said I could have it. Dad almost swallowed his teeth, but it’s worth every penny. After all, it’s a Vera Wang.”

“Um, is the groom allowed to ask how much it cost?”

“Probably not, but I don’t mind telling. We got a bargain. It was just under twenty!”

“Twenty dollars?”

Chelsea stared at him. “You’re joking, right?”

“The only other thing that fits is thousand and that would mean—you spent twenty thousand on the wedding dress!”

“Well, it is the most important part of the wedding. The wedding cake is second, of course, and we put our order in as soon as we got engaged.”

“Six months ago?”

“Oh, yes. There’s only one decorator who makes the best cakes. Mine will have blossoms that spill down the five layers. It’ll be the most beautiful thing, almost too pretty to eat.”

“And it’s going to cost, what, a couple of hundred?”

“No. The main cake itself is seventy-five hundred, but we’ll need additional cakes to serve all our guests, so it’ll be about ten thousand.”

“And I don’t suppose you considered cutting the guest list?”

“Actually, I did. The caterers were outrageous!”

“I thought we were serving cake?”

“Well, of course, but you have to have real food, too. Nowadays, you have stations. A roast beef station, a shrimp station, a roast-of-lamb station. Some weddings divide their stations by carrying different ethnic foods. Greek, Mexican, French, American, but I don’t think that’s as elegant. And of course, at each station, you have a mix of vegetables and finger foods.”

Jeff wasn’t quite grasping what Chelsea was saying. He was too preoccupied with arriving at Rebecca’s home. “We’re here. Do you want to come in or wait in the car?” Jeff was glad to change the subject. The thought of the cost and planning of the wedding was making him sick.

“Oh, I’ll come in. I had no idea they lived so well.”

“This is Vivian Greenfield’s house, Chelsea, not Rebecca’s.”

“I should’ve known.”

Jeff raised his eyebrows. He didn’t hold out much hope for the day ahead of him. When he rang the doorbell, Betty answered, but Joey was right behind her.

“Hi! We’re ready. We’re going to see lions, Betty!”

“I know, Joey. You’ve been growling at me all morning. Come on in, Mr. Jacobs, you and your friend.”

“Betty, this is my fiancée, Chelsea Wexham.”

In response, Betty smiled and offered a hand in welcome. Chelsea stared first at Jeff and then at Betty’s hand, as if she didn’t know what to do about it. Finally, at the very last minute, she barely shook Betty’s hand.

“Have you had breakfast, ’cause I can fix something real quick. It’s best to start out with a full stomach,” Betty offered as she led them to the library.

“We’ve eaten, Betty, thank you. How about you, Joey? Have you eaten?” Jeff smiled at the little boy who was dancing around in excitement.

“I ate twice. First, when Betty fixed my breakfast. Then I helped Mommy eat her breakfast.”

“That was mighty good of you. Did Mommy say thank you?”

“Yes. But she said I mustn’t eat too much or they might want to eat me up!”

“Who might want to?”