Out of Time by April Sadowski Page A

She took a sip of her drink.
    “Hey, do you want to go dress shopping with
me tomorrow? I know you don’t have much time here and I don’t know
when you’ll be able to come back and visit.” Sasha asked.
    “That would be awesome!” Mandy said, nearly
choking on the beverage.
    “I already have an idea of who I want to make
the cake. Très Fab. Their cakes are absolutely delicious and always
beautiful. Maybe I can schedule a tasting?” Sasha said, licking her
lips at the thought of such a delicious dessert. It probably wasn’t
a good idea to think about food while hungry and waiting for dinner
to arrive.
    “What about the flowers?” Mandy wondered.
    “I haven’t decided on that yet. I don’t want
some place that uses an online vendor like FTD.” Sasha said. She
looked over a Simon who was taking his old sweet time on his iced
tea. It was probably too strong for him.
    “Why not?” Mandy asked. “Won’t they still
look the same?”
    “I’m concerned about the freshness factor.”
Sasha explained. “If they go through a company like that, do they
also bump up the prices?”
    “I see your point.” Mandy mentioned with a
nod.
    “I’m going to have a money-conscious wedding.
I don’t want to splurge on stuff.” Sasha told her. Relying on one
income for the immediate future put a damper on big wedding plans,
and they had just committed to a larger apartment together.
    “Don’t I deserve it though?” Simon snickered
sarcastically, crinkling his nose at the taste of his drink.
    “I thought men didn’t care about that.” Sasha
giggled, giving Simon a playful shove.
    “Yea, I just wanted to see what you’d say.”
Simon said. “Boy this drink is strong.”
    “Tease.” Sasha said. “I kind of figured as
much from the speed you’ve taken to drink it.”
    “Probably wasn’t the best idea. I wondered
what it would taste like. Mandy’s mom likes them.” Simon said. He
couldn’t get used to calling her Sasha’s mom either.
    “Hey, here’s the food!” Mandy said excitedly.
James came over with a tray laden with steaming food, apart from
Sasha’s salad.
    “Spinach salad.” James said as he handed each
plate over one by one. “Roasted chicken with mashed potatoes and
beans. Grilled pork with beans and potato soup.” He put the tray
down to his side and shifted his feet. “Is there anything else I
can get you?”
    “I think we’re fine. Thanks.” Simon told the
waiter who dismissed himself. Simon looked down at the plate. There
was some kind of sauce that was covering the pork and spreading
down into the beans which were glistening. The soup smelled lovely
and seemed to be the perfect temperature. “It looks great.”
    “Oh my gosh, it tastes great!” Mandy said
through a bite of roasted chicken. “How is yours Sasha?”
    Sasha picked through her salad. “I don’t know
about the cheese with the dressing. I should have gone with a
vinaigrette I think.”
    “I’m sorry.” Mandy consoled her and offered
her some of her chicken which she refused.
    “I can ask for an exchange.” Simon offered.
Sasha dismissed him.
    “No, it’s all right. I’ll eat it.” Sasha
said, spearing some greens with her fork.
    “I can’t wait for tomorrow now.” Mandy said,
stopping to pull out her cell phone and punch in the details on her
calendar for the next day.
    “It’s going to be fun. You should try on
dresses too. You won’t object to being my maid of honor?” Sasha
asked and Mandy shook her head violently.
    “Oh hell no!” Mandy exclaimed, putting her
phone away.
    “I’ll get your — our parents — fitted for
stuff after you leave.” Sasha said, although the back of her mind
thought, Even though they adopted me, I don’t think I’ll ever
get used to calling them Mom and Dad. Helen and Bill is so much
more comfortable.
    “Do you want Mom to come tomorrow, though?”
Mandy wondered. It was customary for the mother of the bride
to join in with the dress shopping.
    “I think she