Free THAT MAN 4 (The Wedding Story-Part 1) by Nelle L'Amour

power of two would work. My mother was a force to be reckoned with, and Jen had only gotten a little taste.
    I kissed my bride-to-be good-night and wished her a very happy birthday.

Chapter 11
    Jennifer
    B lake managed to set up a meeting with his mother on Monday at lunchtime. We left together from work and drove to Hillcrest, the exclusive country club the Bernstein family belonged to. Not far from Conquest Broadcasting, we drove into the gated property down a long tree-lined road to the entrance where a valet took Blake’s Porche.
    Although the Bernsteins had a tennis court on their property, Helen preferred to play tennis at the club where she socialized with her society friends. She had agreed to squeeze us in after her game. I’d learned from Blake that his mother had a very full life—every minute of the day was scheduled from the time she woke up to the time she put her sleeping mask back on. In addition to playing tennis and bridge, she chaired and sat on numerous cultural and philanthropic boards. The galas she organized were the talk of the town and raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the charities they supported. Her other standing appointments included weekly visits to her hair stylist/colorist, manicurist, and facialist. She was so busy, Blake joked, that his father had to schedule sex with her. I believed him.
    Helen was already seated at a linen-covered table when Blake and I, hand in hand, breezed into the club’s busy, posh restaurant. Straight off the court, she was still in her tennis whites and wearing a visor. Her face brightened when she glimpsed us coming her way.
    “Hi, Mom,” said Blake, embracing her.
    “Hello, darling. And hello, Jennifer,” she added while Blake pulled out a chair for me. He then sat down next to me. A waiter came by with menus and told us about the specials. The poached salmon sounded good.
    “I had a wonderful match with Lenore Waxman. I won both sets. Six-three.”
    “That’s great, Mom,” Blake said, studying the menu.
    “She’s so excited about the wedding. She even postponed her trip around the world to attend it.”
    Not wasting a second, Blake closed the menu. “Mom, Jen and I are having some issues with the wedding.”
    Helen’s eyes grew wide. Like Enid, she couldn’t lift or knit her eyebrows together. They probably went to the same skin doctor for Botox.
    “I’m surprised to hear that. I just spoke to Enid who told me things are going swimmingly. No pun intended. The underwater theme is divine.”
    I built up the courage to open my mouth. “I mean, it’s very creative and everything, but I’d like something simpler and more understated.”
    Helen fluttered her eyelids as if she’d just heard her best friend had died.
    Blake came to my rescue. “Mom, this is Jen’s special day. She should have the wedding she wants.”
    “Blake, darling, it’s a little too late. Jennifer should have spoken up.”
    Yeah, right. Dragon lady would have fried my ass.
    Helen continued. “With the wedding less than two months away, Enid is moving at a very rapid pace. She’s already started to design the invitations—the idea of encrusting them with pearls and delivering them in simulated seashells is positively divine—and she’s ordered bolts of coral Thai silk for the tablecloths and tent draping from her vendor in Bangkok. And what do you think of this? She’s lined up the U.S. Olympic Synchronized Swim Team to perform in our pool while our guests enjoy pre-wedding hors d’oeuvres and oyster shooters.”
    Blake and I shot each other an oh-my-God look. I was only kidding when I mentioned that possibility. A sinking feeling settled in. I was swimming up a stream without a paddle. No laughs. No pun intended.
    Blake tried to reason with her again. “But Mom—”
    I cut him off. It just wasn’t worth it to create friction with his mother. I got it. Helen’s way. Or no way. Things could get ugly quickly.
    “Blake, we’ll work with the theme. The