Bette was free and clear to pursue her dream of opening the Bette Porter Gallery and having Maxine’s and Allyn’s artwork on permanent display as well as introducing new artists and rising stars to her distinguished clientele.

***

Since Kit was charged with working with the Wedding Planner on the venue, catering, and band Melvin wrote a check for $250,000 as a down payment and extended Kit a line of credit to cover the balance. With Peggy’s help they found a travel consulting firm to arrange everyone’s flight, ground transportation, and overnight accommodations as well as the honeymoon trip which was also fully paid for by Melvin.

It was now June and the couple had decided on a September wedding with approximately 50 guests in attendance at a unique ski resort located on the mountains of Sierra Nevada in South Lake Tahoe, California. The ceremony followed by a cocktail hour and reception would all take place on a private mountain top 2,000 feet above the lake. The brides and their guests would ride up to the mountain by aerial trams that offered spectacular panoramic views of the surrounding mountainside.

Kit didn’t need to lift a finger once the venue was selected. She was only responsible for booking the band and hiring a DJ. The wedding planner worked with the onsite venue coordinator to arrange the seating and the wooden arch for the ceremony. They were prepared with outdoor heaters and lap blankets if it got too cold. There was an outdoor option for the reception as well, but Bette and Tina opted for the indoor two-tiered ballroom where they would have dinner and cake cutting on one level and dancing on the other.

The catering staff took care of everything from customizing the food menu for their plated meal service to stocking specialty liqueurs, beer, wine, and soft drinks at the bar for the cocktail hour where the guests could relax before the reception.

They hired a professional photographer to memorialize the event with still and video photography against the breathtaking scenic backdrops that nature provided. Once the formal photos were done the bridesmaids and groomsmen would depart to several suites designated for them to change from their formal attire into comfortable evening wear for the party.

Bette and Tina would change in the honeymoon suite that was reserved for the wedding night. The next day Bette and Tina were booked to fly first class to Greece for 10 days.

It promised to be a fairy-tale wedding deserving of a beautiful couple and the special love that they share. All they had to do was sit back, relax and enjoy their special day.”

***

Bette and Melvin sat in Kit’s office at the Planet after the three of them had dinner together.

“Thank you, Daddy. You can’t imagine how much this means to us.” Bette expressed the sentiment for both her and Tina as they were going through the completed wedding and honeymoon package that Kit had just received.

“I told you Baby, I have a lot to make up for and I mean to do it. I have something else for you.”

“You’ve already done so much. I won’t have you spending any more money Daddy.”

“No Baby. This gift is priceless.”

He went to the closet and pulled out a framed canvas. Bette could only see the back of it, but then he turned it around to reveal a Maxine Wolff original oil painting. It was the one that he bid on at the charity event where he met her mother. It had hung in his office at the law firm since before Bette was born.

“Since I’ve retired it needs a new home, and I can’t think of anywhere else I’d rather hang it than your office at the gallery.”