‹ Prequel: Almost Easy
Come Back To Me
IX.
Hollis sped to Panera, knowing that she was late for lunch with her mother and knowing that her mother would not forget to tell her that. She lucked out and found a spot right in front and walked in to see her mother sitting in one of the two large armchairs beside the fireplace.
She hurried over and sat down, putting her briefcase on the floor beside the chair and sitting down with a sigh.
"Sorry mom, the meeting ran a little past the scheduled time."
"Well you could have at least called or texted, I thought you had forgotten."
"I'm sorry. I was in a meeting I couldn't just call you or anything. But I'm here now so let's just get started okay? Do you want to get food first while I get my planner all organized?"
"All right. What do you want?"
"Um...the half and half. Broccoli cheddar soup and a caesar salad. And a bottle of water please."
Her mom nodded and walked up to the counter to place their lunch orders. Hollis pulled the planner from her briefcase and began to flip through it, looking at what they had yet to go over. She assumed that her mother had brought pictures of the dresses like she promised and besides that there wasn't much left to plan, which made Hollis very happy. The sooner she had everything planned out the sooner she could throw herself into her paper. It wasn't long before her mother returned to their table placing a plate in front of Hollis and sitting down, placing her own plate on her lap.
"I never get tired of Panera" Hollis said with a smile, eating a spoonful of her soup.
"Me neither" Her mother said, although her voice was altered by the mouthful of salad she had just eaten, causing both of them to laugh.
"All right. Did you bring the dress pictures?"
"Yup. Aren't you proud I remembered?" She asked as she handed Hollis two pictures. Hollis looked down at the pictures and was very proud of her mom for picking very nice dresses. Her mother's dress was gorgeous and Hollis knew that her mother would look amazing in it. But what truly took her breath away was the dress her mother had chosen for her as her maid of honor. The dress was a deep red and Hollis knew that it would look amazing with her new hair color.
"Mom these are gorgeous."
"Why thank you. And they are all ordered all we need to do is get them fitted in a month when they come it. So you can check that off in your encyclopedia and tape those pictures right in there."
"All right. What else?" Hollis mused to herself thumbing through her planner, "We've already called and booked the church and the reception hall. Are you going to walk down the aisle by yourself?"
Her mom shook her head, "Nope. I was planning on surprising you. If everything goes according to plan, Ben's tour ends the seventh. So he is going to give me away." She said with a beaming smile.
"Really?" Hollis' eyes lit up, "Mom that's amazing. The whole family will be together." She said happily as she wrote that down unable to stop smiling at the thought of seeing her brother again.
"I knew you'd be happy. Now I talked to the caterer already, we just have to go over the menu for the night" Her mom began and although Hollis was busily writing down everything she was saying, her mind kept floating back to her brother coming home. It had easily been ten years since shed actually seen him and couldn't wait to see him again once he came home.
They sat in Panera for over an hour after their lunches were finished before they both decided to call it a day and Hollis returned home to catch up on some long overdue paperwork. She popped a bag of popcorn in the microwave as she changed into her sweats, not planning on going out for the night. As she poured the popcorn into a bowl and settled down at the dining room table, putting the TV on for background noise. Midway through her pile of papers her blackberry beeped, telling her she had a text message. She popped some more popcorn in her mouth as she reached for her phone and scrolled through her inbox until she reached a her new message.
New Message from: Unknown.
He's going to call you to come over tonight. And if you do. Tell me ahead of time so I can not be there.
She hurried over and sat down, putting her briefcase on the floor beside the chair and sitting down with a sigh.
"Sorry mom, the meeting ran a little past the scheduled time."
"Well you could have at least called or texted, I thought you had forgotten."
"I'm sorry. I was in a meeting I couldn't just call you or anything. But I'm here now so let's just get started okay? Do you want to get food first while I get my planner all organized?"
"All right. What do you want?"
"Um...the half and half. Broccoli cheddar soup and a caesar salad. And a bottle of water please."
Her mom nodded and walked up to the counter to place their lunch orders. Hollis pulled the planner from her briefcase and began to flip through it, looking at what they had yet to go over. She assumed that her mother had brought pictures of the dresses like she promised and besides that there wasn't much left to plan, which made Hollis very happy. The sooner she had everything planned out the sooner she could throw herself into her paper. It wasn't long before her mother returned to their table placing a plate in front of Hollis and sitting down, placing her own plate on her lap.
"I never get tired of Panera" Hollis said with a smile, eating a spoonful of her soup.
"Me neither" Her mother said, although her voice was altered by the mouthful of salad she had just eaten, causing both of them to laugh.
"All right. Did you bring the dress pictures?"
"Yup. Aren't you proud I remembered?" She asked as she handed Hollis two pictures. Hollis looked down at the pictures and was very proud of her mom for picking very nice dresses. Her mother's dress was gorgeous and Hollis knew that her mother would look amazing in it. But what truly took her breath away was the dress her mother had chosen for her as her maid of honor. The dress was a deep red and Hollis knew that it would look amazing with her new hair color.
"Mom these are gorgeous."
"Why thank you. And they are all ordered all we need to do is get them fitted in a month when they come it. So you can check that off in your encyclopedia and tape those pictures right in there."
"All right. What else?" Hollis mused to herself thumbing through her planner, "We've already called and booked the church and the reception hall. Are you going to walk down the aisle by yourself?"
Her mom shook her head, "Nope. I was planning on surprising you. If everything goes according to plan, Ben's tour ends the seventh. So he is going to give me away." She said with a beaming smile.
"Really?" Hollis' eyes lit up, "Mom that's amazing. The whole family will be together." She said happily as she wrote that down unable to stop smiling at the thought of seeing her brother again.
"I knew you'd be happy. Now I talked to the caterer already, we just have to go over the menu for the night" Her mom began and although Hollis was busily writing down everything she was saying, her mind kept floating back to her brother coming home. It had easily been ten years since shed actually seen him and couldn't wait to see him again once he came home.
They sat in Panera for over an hour after their lunches were finished before they both decided to call it a day and Hollis returned home to catch up on some long overdue paperwork. She popped a bag of popcorn in the microwave as she changed into her sweats, not planning on going out for the night. As she poured the popcorn into a bowl and settled down at the dining room table, putting the TV on for background noise. Midway through her pile of papers her blackberry beeped, telling her she had a text message. She popped some more popcorn in her mouth as she reached for her phone and scrolled through her inbox until she reached a her new message.
New Message from: Unknown.
He's going to call you to come over tonight. And if you do. Tell me ahead of time so I can not be there.
♠ ♠ ♠
Pretty much a filler and it took me a while to get it out because I hate writing fillers. But a couple things happened that needed to. So yeah. Thanks so much to those of you who comment and if you read but don't comment...I would really appreciate it and I always write back!