Jane gave him a slitty-eyed sideways glance. "It is." "Call me when you have their luggage out the door, and I'll cruise around until I find you."
Jane opened the passenger door in a distinctly huffy manner and was muttering as she walked into the airport. "Is your cell phone charged?" Had Mike, a full-fledged adult in law school, decided that his mother was becoming a bit dotty?
She had no ticket and wasn't allowed to meet her parents at the plane. So she went down to the baggage area and took a paperback mystery novel out of her purse. Luckily, the plane was on time, and she kept looking up at intervals watching people coming down the escalators. Soon she spotted them and raced to the right baggage carousel. Stuff was already coming off as she hugged and kissed her mother.
She's gone gray, Jane thought, and it suits her with that short curly hair. Her dad waited until his wife and daughter finished hugging and gave Jane a big bear hug. "You're looking good," he said. "Are you a nervous bride?"
"Not nervous, but a bit harassed. You got my e-mails about Thelma trying to trick me and then going to a nursing home and dying?"
"That must be a huge relief to you," her mother said.
"It was. But I had to go to the funeral with Ted. Dixie wouldn't go and I thought he needed a woman along to defend him from the church ladies."
"Oh, here comes our luggage, Michael. Can you find a trolley to get it outside?"
In a minute or two, Jane's dad was back. And Jane realized that they'd brought an enormous number of bags stuffed to brimming and even two medium-size trunks.
She didn't dare ask until they were in the car. She called Mike and said, "We're taking the luggage outside right now," and in a whisper, added, "There's a whole lot of it."
Mike pulled up, opening the back door of the Jeep, and hugged each grandparent. Then he started loading up the back section of the Jeep. He was half afraid it wouldn't all go in but managed to wrestle it in after moving a few things around twice to make them fit.
"Michael, you ride in front with Mike, and I'll ride back here with Jane," Cecily said.
As they pulled out onto the highway, Mike asked, "Why are you guys so loaded down with luggage and trunks?" Michael turned his head and winked at Cecily.
"Should we tell them now?"
"Why not?" Jane's mother said. "It wasn't meant to be a secret. Michael and I are officially retired. Now we can finally settle down somewhere, and we thought Chicago would be perfect."
"I'm thrilled to hear this,"Jane said. "House or condo?" "Condo," Cecily said. "Neither of us has ever mowed grass and we don't want to learn how to."
Michael said, "We're starved. All we ate today was a bag of potato chips on the plane from New York.""Let's stop off on the way home," his grandson said.
"A good Mexican restaurant, please," Cecily said. "The Danes aren't hot on Mexican food and I'm longing for some."
Jane was sorry she hadn't brought her bottle of Turns along. And felt a tad gaggy at the thought of Mexican food after all she'd eaten the night before. Maybe she could make do with chips and a mild queso.
Chapter
TWENTY-THREE
J
ane, Mike, Cecily, and Michael were waiting in the lobby of the hotel for Katie to arrive. Jane had explained to her parents that she'd booked them into a two-bedroom suite because Katie wanted to stay with them.
When Katie arrived with a rather large suitcase, she set it down and rushed across the lobby. "Mom, they picked me up in a white stretch limo as if I were a celebrity."
She set down the suitcase with a thud and embraced her grandparents and then her mother. Mike edged away from a hug.
Jane said, "Someday you will be a celebrity chef." "Right now I'm starving," Katie said.
Jane had a bellhop take Katie's monster suitcase up to the suite and they all went into the deli restaurant in the hotel.
When they'd picked out sandwiches and chips, Katie asked, "So what's the plan?"
"The rehearsal dinner here tonight. A civil wedding tomorrow morning. Just family. Then Addie's wedding at five the next day."
"What do you mean by Addie's wedding'?" Katie asked. Jane explained.
"That's stupid. She's not the bride's mother," Katie complained. "She's Mel's mother."
"As I've already pointed out to Mike, it saves me the money," Jane said with a laugh.
"Wait until you guys see what Mom's doing to her house, speaking of spending money."
Cecily asked, "What are you doing, Jane?"
"Adding an office for Mel in back of the dining room," Jane said.
"I think that's nice," her father said.
"Thank you, Dad. Mike doesn't like it."
"Yes, I do," Mike objected. "I just think you're spending too much money."
"Mike, it's my money, and Mel is moving from an apartment where one bedroom was his office. He needs one at our house when he moves in."
"We need to all take a rest and then dress for the rehearsal dinner," Jane said. "It's in this hotel somewhere. I'll go ask where and when."
Jane was back in moments with printed instructions for finding the right place and time. She gave one copy to her mother and kept the other one.
They were all on time for the rehearsal dinner in the hotel. Addie had brought along her two daughters, Alice and Emily, and their husbands, who were also introduced. Mel was introduced last.
Jane then took her turn, "My parents, Michael and Cecily Grant. My son Mike, my daughter, Katie, and my son Todd. And this wonderful gentleman is my honorary uncle, Jim Harding."
The whole time Jane was speaking, and pointing out the family members, Addie had her eyes on Cecily with an expression that was a mix of envy and hostility.
My mother is prettier, nicer, and more sophisticated than you are, and you know it, Addie, Jane was thinking.
Addie finally tore her eyes away from Cecily and said, "I have labels on the table by the door. Please put your names on them so anybody who didn't catch all of them will know you."
Drinks were served with trays of appetizers, while the hot food was being brought in from the kitchen. The food was ordinary and rather sparse but tasty, despite coming from the hotel kitchen. There wasn't a vegetarian choice of meals. Addie apparently didn't care much about food — at least for this meal intended for family.
There was a choice of two desserts, both of which contained walnuts, which Jane herself hated, so she passed. There wasn't even a groom's cake.
Altogether it was boring food, and the only people who seemed to be enjoying themselves were Jane's own kids. Even Addie merely picked at her plate. Jane put her left arm on her lap and looked at her watch. An hour and a half wasted. Mel, sitting next to her, patted her right hand and whispered, "It's almost over. Fifteen minutes and we'll be out of here."
He proved to be right. He stood up and announced that he and Jane had enjoyed themselves and graciously thanked his mother for a nice dinner. He stood up and took Jane's hand to depart. Everyone else bolted out right behind them, except for Addie, who was actually tipping the employees.
Almost all the same people attended the civil ceremony the next morning, even though they weren't part of the wedding party. Jane had only invited Mel's mother, her parents and her kids, Uncle Jim, and Shelley. Addie had forced her daughters and their husbands to attend as well, which put the participants cheek to jowl in the small room. It only took fifteen minutes to say the vows, and sign the wedding certificate.