* * *
Josie woke early on Friday morning, eager to get started on the wedding plans. She feathered soft kisses on Sam's face. His eyes flew open and he raised an eyebrow quizzically. "To what do I owe this delightful wake-up call?" he asked as he rolled her onto her back.
"I just can't wait to get started," she said.
Sam cut her off with a soul-searing kiss. "I have something else on my mind right now," he teased as his hands roamed over her curves. "I was having the most amazing dream�" he said as he kissed and licked his way down Josie's body. She gasped as she realized his final destination.
Josie moaned as his tongue continued its tantalizing caress. Her body shuddered in an earth-shattering climax. "Sam," she cried.
Sam trailed kisses back up her body. Their eyes met, both still dark with passion. He entered her, thrusting deep into her. Passion ignited, this time bringing them both to a blistering release.
Sam gently rolled them onto their sides. He reached over and tucked a stray lock of hair behind Josie's ear. "I love you, Josie Geller."
"I love you, too, Sam Coulson."
An hour later Josie sat at her kitchen table making a list of gardens to check out. Sam stood at the stove, whistling as he flipped pancakes. Showing off a little, he flipped one high in the air, holding a plate out to catch it.
"Impressive," said Josie.
"You should see me make pizza�I had a job at a pizza parlor when I was in high school."
"How did you have time for a job? You got good grades�played hockey and probably a bunch of other sports�had a band�and I'm assuming there were probably some girls in there somewhere�" she teased.
He looked at her seriously. "There weren't a lot of girls, Josie. One that I dated in high school�platonically�one crazy two-week fling freshman year�some casual dates�and then, Lara."
Josie was touched by his honesty. "I wouldn't let myself fall for anyone after the Billy Prince debacle, even in college when I wasn't�hideous�anymore. I went on a few blind dates to make my friends happy�yet the moment I met you�something inside me melted�and all the walls I'd carefully built up over the years tumbled down."
Sam handed her a plateful of pancakes, which she slathered with butter and syrup. Sam placed his own plate on the table and sat down. As he lifted a forkful to his mouth the telephone rang.
"I'll get it," said Josie. "Hello."
"Josie, hello!" came Sandy Smart's cheery voice. "Is Sam there with you?"
"Yes, he's here."
"Great�he'll want to hear this�"
Josie motioned to Sam. He stood beside her and Josie held the telephone between their ears.
"Well, guys," said Sandy, "looks like everything's a go."
"You're kidding," they yelled in unison.
"Yep, it's all yours. Mortgage is approved. Mrs. Woods, the seller, she was thrilled to sell it so quickly. She'd like to make settlement as soon as possible, I assume that would be okay with you?"
"When�I mean�how soon?" asked Sam, still reeling from the news.
"She's hoping by the end of the month. She has to come out here then to sign some other estate papers."
"I think we can work that into our schedules," Josie joked.
After making an appointment for the following week with the realtor, Josie hung up the phone. Sam picked her up hugged her.
"I can't believe it," Josie said incredulously.
"I know," Sam said, "it's so unbelievable."
Their first stop was Osaka Gardens, a serene Japanese garden on an island. It was a beautiful setting, but unfortunately was already booked for their chosen date. Reluctantly, they headed to their next destination.
Josie liked the idea of marrying in the Shakespeare Garden on Northwestern's Evanston campus. It had been a favorite spot of hers during her time there and Shakespeare always made her think of Sam. The only problem was its size; Sam had a feeling it might not be big enough. Josie sadly agreed.
They ended up back at Grant Park, wandering the pathways through its many gardens with Jack, the park's special event coordinator. He explained the benefits of several lovely spots as he flipped through his calendar to check availability. They ended up in an area overlooking the lake, not far from the site of their first date. There was a beautiful spot for the ceremony and a large grassy area where they would be able to set up the tent for their reception.
Josie looked at Sam. Without speaking, they reached an agreement.
"This section is available on the 14th of August, isn't it?" Josie asked.
Jack checked his book. "Yes, it is. If you'd like I can put a tentative hold on it."
Sam fought to be practical. "How much?"
Jack quoted a figure higher than they had anticipated. Sam paled. Josie grabbed his hand and pulled him aside.
"What's wrong?" she asked.
"I think it's a little more than we can afford�with the house�"
Josie looked up into his eyes and smiled. "Sam�my parents have been saving since I was born for this�I am their only daughter, you know and they'd about given up hope."
Sam relaxed. "I hadn't thought of that. I guess I do remember my folks spending a small fortune on Abby's wedding." They walked back over to where Jack was waiting.
"We'll take it."
"Do you think we can leave the caterer and the cake until next week?" Sam asked as he hung up the phone. "We have a DJ," he said triumphantly.
"Excellent. My turn�I have bridesmaids to recruit."
Her first call was to Anita.
"Sun Times classified department, Anita speaking."
"Anita�it's Josie."
"Man�do I miss you! I can't believe you're not gonna be working here full-time any more."
"I'll miss it, but it just makes more sense to work from home. I'll still be coming in a lot, though. So�how are things with Gus?"
"He's at least talking to me. I did what you said�toned things down a little. He actually brought me a cup of coffee this morning�exactly the way I like it, with lots of that French Vanilla creamer."
"That does sound like progress."
Anita laughed. "Man�you should have seen him yesterday after you and Sam dropped off that little bombshell of a column�he was going nuts! And when he figured out that I knew�"
"Not happy, huh? So�I was wondering�would you be my maid of honor?"
"Really? You want me?"
"You are my best friend�other than Sam, of course."
Anita sniffled. "I'd love to."
"Are you crying?"
"Maybe a little. I've never been asked to be in a wedding before. I've been the reason one or two didn't happen�"
"Who knows�maybe I'll be able to return the favor," Josie teased.
"I don't know, Jos�I'm not usually considered commitment material."
"Don't sell yourself short. You've just been dating the wrong people�"
"Hang on a sec, Jos�Gus is standing in my doorway�oh�gotta go�staff meeting. Hey�thanks again for asking me. It means a lot."
Josie pressed the button on the phone to obtain a dial tone and punched in Aldys' number.
"Hello?"
"Aldys�it's Josie. How are you?"
"I'm terrific. So�how are you?"
"I'm incredibly happy. Thanks for being there with me the other night. It meant a lot. Actually, I was hoping for another favor."
"What can I do?"
"I was wondering if you'd be a bridesmaid. If it's not too weird, I mean, being in your teacher's wedding."
"After what you did for me�I'd do just about anything for you."
"That's so nice of you to say. Umm�I should warn you�I'm going to ask Kirsten, Kristen and Gibby�I hope that doesn't bother you."
"They apologized�and they've been really nice to me since they found out Guy asked me out. High school's over�I think it's time we put all that petty crap behind us�"
"I was hoping you'd say that. The wedding date is August 14th�"
"That's the week before school starts�"
"We thought of that when we set the date. By the way�are we still on for Monday?"
"Yep�one o'clock, right?"
"Yes�see you then."
Josie braced herself for the next call as she dialed Gibby's cell phone number.
"Gibby's phone, Kirsten speaking."
"Hey, Kirsten. It's Josie. Are you all there?"
"Of course�when are we not together?"
"Let me guess� you're at the mall?"
"Where else would we be? We all got summer jobs at The Gap. So�what's up?"
"Well�" Josie held the phone away from her ear, "�I was hoping you three might be available August 14th�I want you to be bridesmaids�"
They shrieked. Sam, sitting in the living room, laughed. "Ohmygod, Josie�that is just so cool," said Gibby.
"We weren't sure you'd still want to be friends with us after the prom�" said Kristen.
"Well�I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. You did apologize to Aldys�and to me�and I heard you at the baseball game last week, cheering�I know that you were there to support me. Besides you did help me with that secret mission�"
"How did Mr. Coulson like his surprise?" asked Kirsten.
"He liked it just fine. So�I'll be in touch�hopefully we can do the bridal shop thing sometime next week�I'm relying on you girls and your fashion sense, you know."
"We won't let you down. We'll help you find a gown that'll really wow him."
"Great�I'll talk to you later."
Josie cradled the phone for a moment and leaned over the counter into the living room. "This is going pretty well, so far. What's Abby's number, again?"
Sam recited the number to Josie as she dialed. Abby's answering machine picked up.
"Hello. You've reached the Callahan's. Bill, Abby and Emma can't come to the phone right now, but if you leave a message at the beep, one of us will give you a call back. But probably not Emma, since she has a tendency to call Japan�anyway�leave a message�"
BEEP
"Hey, Abby. It's Josie. I have something I need to talk over with you�so if you could give me a call back, that'd be great. Bye!"
"That's weird," said Sam. "Abby's always home at this time of day."
"Maybe she had errands to run. I'm sure she'll call back when she's free. One more call�then the phone's all yours�"
Josie dialed the work number of her college roommate, Miranda.
"Randi?"
"Josie, is that you?"
"Yes. How's life in Bethesda?"
"Honestly�I've barely been outside the lab for two weeks. This human genome project is amazing�"
"You really should get out once in a while. You used to be such a wild and crazy girl!"
Miranda laughed. "You should talk�still sitting at home knitting every Friday night?"
"Funny you should ask. Remember I told you about that undercover assignment?"
"Yes�how's that going? I still have a hard time picturing you undercover."
"Actually�it's over. Have you seen the news recently?"
"Like I said�I've been working�"
"I need a favor."
"Anything, Jos�you know that."
"Great than you'll be one of my bridesmaids? The wedding's August 14th."
"Excuse me?"
"I said the wedding's August 14th!"
"How�who?"
"My English teacher."
"Come again?"
"Jeez, Randi�for a brilliant genetic scientist�you're a little slow today. Okay�here's the abridged version. We met when I was undercover at high school. Sam was my English teacher. You following so far?" Josie glanced at Sam. He was shaking his head and laughing.
"Uh, huh."
"Despite the fact that I was undercover and Sam thought I was seventeen, we fell in love. Then just as I was about to come clean, I blew my cover and broke his heart. I almost lost my job, too, by the way. So, I wrote a story�about my two high school careers�and I told all of Chicago that I was in love with him. I asked him to very publicly give me my first real kiss. And, he came, he forgave me, he kissed me. The next day he proposed."
There was silence on the other end of the line.
"Rand�you still there?"
"Are you sure you're Josie Geller? You've known this guy what, a couple of months?"
Josie laughed. "So�can I count on you?"
"This I wouldn't miss for the world."
Sam only had one call to make. He planned to ask Jon, Matt and Rob at the softball game tonight and his brothers and Andy tomorrow.
Sam dialed Adam Christiansen's number. Adam had left for a camping trip the day school let out. Sam wondered if he'd be as clueless as Josie's friend Miranda.
"Adam�its Sam."
"Hey, Sam�you feeling better? You looked like hell that last day of school. I still can't believe that whole scene at the prom. Who would've believed Josie Geller was an undercover reporter."
"Actually�that's sort of why I'm calling."
"You did seem�pretty shocked!"
"That doesn't even begin to cover it. Listen, Adam�I have some news. I'm getting married."
"I thought you broke up with that witch Lara."
"I did. I'm engaged to someone else."
"That sure happened fast. So who is she?"
"Actually, Adam, you know her."
"What�are you engaged to Marilyn Knox?" Adam joked.
"Not even close."
"C'mon, man, you're killin' me. The lunch lady?"
"Uh, uh."
"Oh�I've got it�that wacky new art teacher?"
"Not a chance." Satisfied he'd tortured Adam for long enough, Sam blurted out, "I'm engaged to Josie Geller."
"The prom queen? The undercover reporter? So�you must have known all along she was a reporter."
"No�I didn't. I believed what everyone else believed."
"Sam�this is a little hard to swallow. You're the last person I would imagine messing around with a student�even one as pretty as Josie."
"Nothing happened Adam�I swear. We just�connected�somehow. I was going to be her friend and wait until she wasn't a student anymore before I told her how I felt. It's not something I planned�it just�suddenly there it was."
"So as soon as you knew she was really twenty-five, you took the plunge?"
"Not quite. Do you get the Sun-Times?"
"Yes�I have a weeks worth sitting on the floor."
"Pull out the Sunday Life and Style section."
Sam heard Adam rustling through the newspaper. There was silence as he read the article.
"Wow�that took a lot of guts."
"Yes, it did."
"I have a feeling you're an incredibly lucky man, Sam."
"You have no idea. So�are you available August 14th? I was hoping maybe you'd be a groomsman."
"I think I can handle that."
* * *
They won their softball game. Josie, playing right field, made the game winning catch. Rob knocked in three runs, but Sam hit a home run.
Afterward, they went to a pub for burgers and beer. Sam pulled Jonathan aside and asked him to take on the duties of best man. "What about Matt and Andy?" he asked. "We've all been friends forever."
"Yes," said Sam, "but you and I have been friends the longest."
"Hey, Matt, Rob," Sam called, "I need to ask you guys something."
"What's up?" asked Matt.
"I just asked Jon to be my best man. I was hoping that the two of you would stand up with me, too."
Rob high-fived him.
"Can I take that as a yes?"
Matt punched him in the shoulder. "As long as I get to help with the bachelor party, I'm in."
The phone was ringing as they walked in the door. Josie answered it while Sam stored their equipment in the closet. "Hello."
"Hey, Josie�it's Monica. So�I hear you've been really busy. I couldn't believe it when I turned on the TV and saw my shy little cousin kissing some totally hot man."
Josie laughed. "I've changed a little bit in the past couple of months."
"I'll say. I hardly recognized you. You look amazing by the way. The whole gang was here when the story was on�they were so shocked! So, tell me about this man of yours."
"I don't know quite where to begin. He's smart, funny, athletic, sensitive, incredibly handsome�and my best friend. But I guess you know what that's like, huh, being in love with your best friend. How is Chandler, by the way?"
"He's great. We just got back from Vegas. You'll never believe what happened there. Ross and Rachel got drunk�then got married!"
"No way! So�Ross is on marriage number three now. How's that one going for him?"
"Already in divorce court. Poor Ross, things are just not going his way."
"Wonder how he'd feel about coming to a wedding, then?"
"Who's getting married?"
"Sam and I. August 14th. Think the gang would be up for a trip to Chicago?"
"Are you kidding? We'll be there."
"Great! Come out a day or two early so we can all hang out."
* * *