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Cold ones.
“You’ve got a fridge in there?”
“A small one built in. It’s convenient. And . . .” She twisted the top on her bottle. “Efficient.”
“Hard to argue.” He saw her eyes slide over to her phone, had to smile. “Go ahead. No point in you being distracted.”
“I promise our brides round-the-clock availability. And even if I didn’t,” she added as she walked over to pick up the phone, “some of them would call whenever they got an itch. A wedding can and does take over the world when it’s yours. Clara Elder, both times,” she said when she checked the display. She switched to voice mail.
He heard her sigh, watched her close her eyes as she sat on the bed.
“Bad news?”
“Hysterical, weeping brides are never good.” When she listened to the second message, she opened the drawer of her nightstand, took out a roll of Tums, thumbed one off.
“What’s the problem?”
“She had a fight with her sister, who’s also her maid of honor, about the dress she wants her to wear.The MOH hates it, and according to Clara, the groom took the sister’s side, resulting in another big fight with him walking out of their apartment. I have to return her call. It may take a while.”
“Fine.” He shrugged, glugged down some water. “I get to see how you fix it.”
“Appreciate the confidence,” she replied, then hit the key to return the call.
“Want something stronger than water?”
She shook her head. “Clara, it’s Parker. I’m sorry I couldn’t get to the phone quicker.”
She lapsed into silence during which Malcolm could hear the hysterical bride’s voice if not the words. High-pitched, full of angry tears.
So, he concluded, the strategy was to let her vent it out, pour out the anger and tears to a sympathetic ear.While Clara vented, Parker rose to open the terrace doors. Cool air blew in, lightly scented with the night. Malcolm appreciated the way it fluttered Parker’s robe.
“Of course you’re upset.” Parker all but cooed it. Cool air, he thought again, over hot temper.“No one can really understand the stress of all the decisions and the details but you. Naturally you were hurt, Clara. Anyone would be. But I think . . . Um-hmm. Ah.”
She continued to make soothing and agreeable noises as she closed the doors again, walked back to the bed to sit.And this time rested her head on updrawn knees.
“I understand exactly, and you’re right, it’s your wedding. It’s your day. My sense is that Nathan wanted to help—Yes, I know that, but let’s face it, Clara, men just don’t get it, do they?”
She turned her face, offered Malcolm a smile and eye roll. “And sometimes they just step in it, then can’t figure how to get out. I really think Nathan was trying to smooth things over with you and Margot because he hated for you to be upset. He just went about it clumsily.”
She listened again, and Malcolm could hear the bride’s tone clicking down several levels.
“It’s not that the details aren’t important to him, Clara, it’s that you’re more important.Anger and stress, Clara, on both your parts. You know he adores you, and he knows, too, how much you and Margot mean to each other. No.” She cast her eyes to the ceiling. “I don’t think you were wrong.”
She mouthed:
Yes, I do.
“I think emotions got the best of everyone. And, Clara, I know how much you’d regret it if your sister wasn’t standing beside you on the most important day of your life.Yes, the dress is important. It’s very important. I think I can help there.Why don’t we all meet at the shop next week? You, Margot, and me. I’m sure I can find something that makes you both happy.”
She listened another minute or two, adding soothing noises, directing the solution in easy tones.
“That’s right.Why don’t you call Nathan now? Yes, I know, but how happy are either of you going to be if you let this fester between you? The dress is important, but nothing’s more important than you and Nathan starting your life together . . . I know you will.” She laughed. “I bet. I’ll see you and Margot Tuesday. That’s what I’m here for. Good night.”
“Good job.”
Parker blew out a breath.“She wants her sister to wear celadon, which the sister hated. Said it makes her look sallow, and having met Margot, I’m sure it did.”
“What the hell is celadon?”
“It’s kind of a celery color. A good sister shouldn’t want her MOH to look sallow, but a good MOH sucks it up and wears what the bride wants. It’s basic wedding rules. So, huge fight, which continues via phone, drawing the MOB in, who wisely kept her mouth shut.Then the poor groom tries to defuse the situation, telling the furious bride that it’s no big, just pick another dress. It’s all about you and me, baby. To which the bride explodes, and so on and so forth.”
“So it’s all about celery.”
She laughed. “The celery is the MacGuffin. It’s about power, control, emotions, stress, and family dynamics.”
“You got her to agree to a different dress and call the guy all without telling her she was stupid.”
“That’s the job. Plus she wasn’t stupid so much as too focused on the minutiae, which she should leave to me.”
“And the minutiae is why you keep Tums in the nightstand?”
“They help when furious, crying brides call at night.” She pushed her hair back over her shoulders, studied his face. “I have to get up early.”
“Do you want me to go?”
“No, I don’t, but if you stay, you need to know I have to get up early.”
“It’s handy because so do I.” He set the water down, then reached out to pull her hair back over her shoulders. “Why don’t we take round two a little slower?”
She linked her arms around his neck. “Why don’t we?”
HE HEARD THE BEEP, OPENING ONE EYE TO THE DARK. HE FELT Parker stir beside him then reach over to turn off the alarm.
“I should’ve asked you to define early,” he mumbled.
“Full plate today, and I want to get my workout in before it starts.”
He opened both eyes to read the clock. Five fifteen. Could be worse. “I wouldn’t mind a workout. Next time I’ll bring some gear.”
“I’ve got extra gear if you want to use the gym.”
“I don’t think yours’ll fit me.”
She turned the light on low as she rose and, swinging on the robe, walked to an adjoining door. “Just a minute.”
In just about that minute, while he contemplated catching another half hour of sleep, she came in carrying a gray T-shirt, gym shorts, and socks.
“Del’s?”
“No. I keep a supply of various things for guests.”
“You keep clothes for guests?”
“Yes.” She dropped them on the bed. “And as you can see, it’s a useful habit. Unless you were just making noises about a workout.”
“Give me five minutes.”
She took little more than that to change into a sexy red tank and pants that hit just above her knee. She pulled her hair back into a tail. And hooked her phone on her waistband.
“How many days a week do you put in on that body, Legs?”
“Seven.”
“Well, from my perspective, it’s worth it.” He gave her ass a quick pat that had her blinking. “In memory of Uncle Henry.”
Laughing, she guided him to her gym.
He stopped in the doorway. He’d seen their setup at their beach house in the Hamptons, but that was small change compared to this.
Two treadmills, an elliptical, a recumbent bike, Bowflex, free weights, a bench press—not to mention the huge flat-screen and the glass-fronted fridge holding bottles of water and juice.Towels, he noted, neatly folded, alcohol wipes, killer view.
“Convenient,” he said, “and efficient.”
“For years it’s mostly been Laurel and me using it, with Emma and Mac making the occasional visit. But recently it’s been getting a lot more traf
fic. I think we’ll add another elliptical and bike, maybe a rower. So.” She took a towel from the pile.“I catch up on the morning news while I do a couple miles, but there are a couple of iPods if you want music.”
“Of course there are. I’ll take a run with tunes.”
Different world, he thought as he set himself up on a treadmill. It beat the hell out of the setup he had at home. Classy, sure, but it damn well was efficient. He had a fondness for efficiency.
Plus it wasn’t a hardship to take his run while Parker took her strides beside him.
He put in a solid three miles before moving on to the free weights. While she used the Bowflex, they sweat in companionable silence.
He hit the fridge for water while she unrolled a mat and started some sort of yoga deal and seemed to flow from one tricky position to another.
“You’ll have to show me how that works sometime.”
She rose from basically bending herself in two and moved into some sort of long, fluid lunge.“I’ve got a really good instructional DVD for beginners.”
“Of course you do, but I think I’ll let you do the instructing. You’re fucking beautiful, Parker. I’m going to grab a shower, okay?”
“I . . . Sure. I’m going to be about fifteen minutes.”
“Take your time.”
He walked out, his mind full of her, then spotted Del, dressed in sweats, heading toward the gym. Del stopped, an almost comical freezing of motion.
