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“Pierce had a stylist brought in for me.”
“That’s Pierce Benning?” one of the bridesmaids asked. “The billionaire?”
“We saw the yacht out on the water and looked it up,” another one said.
I guess the cat is out of the bag. “That’s Pierce Benning, yes. He hired me to be his surrogate. And… we’re kind of dating.”
“He’s your plus one?” Carly asked, surprised.
Two women hurried over to us. One of them said, “You’re the maid of honor? You’re already done.” She turned to Carly. “She’s already done.”
“I didn’t know she would have her own stylist,” Carly muttered.
“It’s fine! Less work for you to do. I’ll make sure you’re still compensated, it’s not a problem.”
“Your hair…” the second woman said.
“I had it done up! Just like Carly told me. Right, Carly?”
“Yes, but… I suppose it’s fine.” The stylist turned around. “Ashley. You’re up.”
I sat down with Mom and Carly while they had their makeup done. For a little while, we were all giggles and smiles and tears as we talked about Carly’s big day. It was so good to catch up with them after being away for months.
The other bridesmaids didn’t seem happy, though. I caught one of them glaring at me when she thought I wasn’t looking. What was their problem?
They’re probably jealous of Pierce. Not my problem.
A little while later, the wedding planner popped in and whispered something to Carly. “You have bodyguards?”
“Pierce does. Only four of them. I promise they won’t be in the way at all.”
“Bodyguards? Seriously?”
“It’s just a precaution. Trust me, they’re great at blending in. We hardly noticed them when we were in Milan.”
“Oh wow, Milan,” one of the bridesmaids said. “Thank goodness they blended in, or it would ruin the immersion.”
It almost sounded like she was making fun of me. But before I could say anything back, the wedding planner stepped up to me. “The father of the bride wants to say hi to you. I told him he’s not allowed in here.”
“Oh, right! I forgot to say hi to Dad!”
I hurried outside, where my father was chatting with none other than Pierce. “There’s my girl,” Dad said, wrapping me in a big hug and squeezing me tightly. “I’ve missed you so much, pumpkin.”
“Me too. Dad, that tux looks so good on you!” I glanced at Pierce. “I want to introduce you to someone.”
“Actually,” he said, becoming serious, “Pierce and I have already met.”
I waited for his reaction.
“I didn’t know Pierce Benning is the one you’re a surrogate for! We’ve been talking about college basketball. He’s a Dartmouth man, just like my uncle. I told him our loyalties lie with Brown these days, since that’s your alma mater.” He elbowed Pierce in the ribs. “But I can always be convinced to switch allegiances again!”
“Dartmouth’s winning the Ivy League next year,” Pierce insisted. “Get on board now, before March Madness begins. Brown will be lucky to finish ahead of Pennsylvania.”
“Apparently, Pierce knows the athletic director,” my dad bragged. “He called him five minutes ago and let me talk to him! Nice guy!”
“I made a donation two years ago. If you’re ever back on campus, pay a visit to the Benning Sports Medicine Building.” His phone rang. “I’ll be right back.” He walked off to answer the phone.
Dad grinned at me. “Can you believe that guy? Why didn’t you tell me you two were seeing each other?”
