Page 2 of Spotlight on Poppy

“Oh trust me, I got the speech in the bag.”

The door opened and Josie slipped back in. Even though her eyes looked watery and her breath smelled minty fresh, they all proceeded to get ready as nothing had happened.

Poppy slipped into her knee-length, emerald green dress. It hugged her curves and showed off her large chest. She fixed the daisy that was nestled in her hair and gave herself an appreciative once-over in the mirror. She looked good, and she knew it. Poppy was fat and was once self-conscious about her body. She had a big butt and a belly, but she also had a very large chest. Sometimes it was too large if she were being honest, but she learned to work with what she had been given. And with a best friend like Hannah, who you could share clothes with, it all seemed to work out.

There was a soft knock on the door. Hannah’s mother came in carrying the bride’s dress. Hannah slipped it on, and all three women turned and looked at her, all of them with tears in their eyes. It was a white knee-length gown, the top fitted and the bottom flowy with lots of sheer layers. She wore a beautiful sapphire pendant necklace that Graham had given her, and a beautiful crown of flowers sat atop her soft blonde waves. If anyone would have told Poppy last year that her urbanite best friend would be getting married on the farm wearing a flower crown, she would have laughed at you, but things changed when she found Graham.

“Hannah, you look so beautiful. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a more beautiful bride,” her mother said as she pulled her into a hug. She pulled her back looking at her, wiping her tears.

“Mom, stop. You are going to make me cry and I just finished my makeup,” said Hannah.

After they all finished getting ready, they made their way down to the field that had been set up with chairs and a breath-taking amount of flowers. Though Hannah had left the city behind for small town life, this wedding was a mix of small town charm and big city elegance.

All three of the girls and Hannah’s father were waiting to walk down the aisle. Graham stood under an arch overflowing with flowers. He looked handsome in his kilt. Hannah’s brother, Brett, and Poppy's brother, Sam, stood up with him. Graham had made fast friends with Poppy’s brother. Probably because they both enjoyed working outside and were a specific brand of laid-back but overbearing all at the same time.

Sam and Poppy grew up very close. That is what happens when you run a family business like the orchard. As infuriating as he was, he looked handsome standing up there next to Graham. After Josie made her way down the aisle, looking hangover free, it was Poppy’s turn. She made her way down the aisle looking for familiar faces, most of these faces were city faces and too fancy for their quaint little town, but then Poppy found a familiar face. A smiling face that was just about as comforting as a smile from her own family. Josh Turner’s smile always just seemed to feel like a warm hug, some things about Mystic falls had changed in her time away, but not him. Josh was just the same as she remembered him.

When it was Hannah’s turn to come down the aisle everyone turned and watched her walk, but not Poppy. One of her absolute favorite moments of a wedding happened when everyone turned to see the bride. She always made a point to be watching the groom standing up front. She had learned it from one of the rom-coms she and Hannah watched growing up, but it was true. There was something powerful about the moment when he set eyes on his bride coming down the aisle, it was often missed, but Poppy never missed it.

And Graham didn’t disappoint. At the exact moment Hannah came into view, his breath caught, his eyes teared up and his mouth fell open for a split second. He stood there in his kilt with his red hair tied back, momentarily frozen at the sight of his bride. Poppy had to wipe a tear from her own eye. That is what love looked like, and that is what Poppy wanted more than anything.

Poppy kept her eyes peeled during the ceremony for the woman who gave Hannah her love spell. If she came, Poppy was going to ask for a spell of her own. She was happy for Hannah, but she wanted her own happy ending.

About halfway through the ceremony, Poppy spotted her. There she was, a short round woman with wild, red hair with streaked with gray. Poppy decided she would find a way to talk to her during the reception.

When the ceremony was over, everyone headed to the reception. Poppy sat at the head table between Hannah and Josie and looked out over the people gathered. It was time for Poppy to give her speech, and she had spent so much time preparing what it was exactly she wanted to say. Sam had just finished his speech about finding a new friend in Graham and toasting to the love between them, and now it was Poppy’s turn. She took the mic from the DJ and stood.

“I look out tonight over this sea of faces all here to celebrate Hannah and Graham. Some of the faces are familiar. They are here to celebrate with a child they watched grow in the summers who is now a new member of our little town, and we are so excited to have Hannah and Graham here in Mystic Falls. Others of you know city Hannah, the tough-as-nails lawyer who doesn’t take any crap. I have had the privilege of knowing both sides of Hannah. In the past year she has spent here in Mystic Falls I have watched something truly magical. I have watched both sides of Hannah become one this year. She is country Hannah, the eight-year-old I used to play with in the creek that separates our houses, and she is city Hannah, the badass lawyer who is going to tell you exactly what she is thinking.

Part of the reason she was able to bring the two facets of her that exist into one amazing person is due to the love between her and Graham. I have watched their love from day one. I saw the way they argued when they first met, both of them have tempers.” A few knowing chuckles came from the crowd. “I’ve also seen the way they defend each other. I’ve seen the way they support each other. I’ve seen the look in each of their eyes when they think no one is looking, that look that says, ‘I am the luckiest person in the world.’

I think that is all any of us want. We want a love like theirs. We want a love powerful enough to move mountains, safe enough to truly be yourself, and fun enough that you feel so truly blessed that this person loves you. May we all someday find a love like Hannah and Graham.”

She raised her glass. “To Hannah and Graham.” taking a sip from her champagne flute, she looked to see tears running down Hannah’s cheek and a warm smile on Graham’s face.

She sat back down as the servers brought out dinner. “How’d I do?” she asked Hannah.

“Terrible. You made me cry,” said Hannah with a smile and hugged her. She looked over at Graham who just held up his glass to her with a warm smile.

After the dinner was over and the dancing started, Poppy tried finding the woman before she left. She spotted her slipping away and making her way to the parking lot.

“Hey!” Poppy called after her. The woman turned and gave Poppy a warm smile, slowing to allow Poppy to catch up with her.

“I was hoping to catch you before you left,” Poppy said.

“What can I do ye, deary?” asked the woman. She had a kind voice and a twinkle in her eye, much like she did the day she made the spell for Hannah.

“You're the woman from Ren Faire, right? Do you remember me? I was with Hannah when she bought the spell,” said Poppy.

“I remember ye, dear.”

“I know what you did for Hannah.” There was no use beating around the bush. Poppy wasn’t exactly the ‘beat around the bush’ type anyway.

“I’m not quite certain what you are referring to, lass,” she said with a knowing grin.

“Okay. Okay. I got you,” Poppy answered back playing along. “Let’s say, I wanted a spell like the one you gave Hannah. One to help me find my own hunky highlander. What should I do?”

“I’m afraid I don’t know a spell to bring you a hunky highlander, but I have been known to whip up a successful love spell in my day.”

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