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We disperse to our rooms and get dressed. It’s our first night with the whole bridal party together, and a girls’ night is in order. I'm excited to get to know the girls, and to let loose a little.
The past couple of months have been crazy at work. My boss just about killed me with a workload three people should be doing, but I allowed it because there was no one to go home to.
Being able to pull it off is what made me decide to strike out on my own. If I can do it for my boss, I can do it for myself.
I pull on a white dress that looks and feels as casual and summery as everything else does out here. It flares from my hips and hits me mid-thigh. My skin is bronze after a handful of sessions at a tanning salon—Stacey and I have been going together and it makes me feel good in my own skin.
I barely put on any makeup, and I leave my dark blonde hair down to fall over my shoulders and down my back. I put on ballerina flats and opt for silver jewelry—nothing too flashy, but I still need to dress up a little bit. There will be paparazzi around, and I want to look good if they’re going to pinpoint me as the wedding planner. This could very well be the start of my future as a wedding coordinator, if I decide that’s where I want to go.
I don’t know yet, but I want to keep the option open.
The other girls are dressed in similar pastel dresses. We all had the same idea. When we leave the hotel in a cab that takes us to the bar, the excitement crackles in the air around us, and I already feel intoxicated.
The bar is on the beachfront, with lanterns hanging at intervals, and the music provides an exotic harmony to the waves, beating the shore again and again.
Stacey walks to the bar and we join her, huddling around her. She orders cocktails before we make our way to an open table that gives us equal views of the bar and who might arrive and the beach.
“Have you seen some of the guys around here?” Kelsey asked. “They’re hot.”
“Aren’t you dating?” I ask with a giggle.
“Hey, that doesn’t mean my taste disappears. I’m allow to window-shop.”
“As long as you don’t try anything on,” Nina teases.
We all laugh.
“What’s Jim doing tonight?” Stacey asks Kelsey, referring to her boyfriend.
“He’s flying in later—he had to work—and then he’ll probably sleep.” She rolls her eyes. “Every flight is a reason to use jet lag as an excuse. I’m starting to think he’s just lazy.”
Nina giggles. “Trouble in paradise already?”
“I think the honeymoon phase is wearing off.”
“You’re not married, though, are you?” I ask.
Kelsey shakes her head. “No, and at this rate, I don’t think I’m going to be. Jim is full of shit.”
We all burst out laughing.
“You’re the lucky one,” Kelsey says to Stacey. “You found the perfect guy, and you’re about to have the perfect wedding. Followed by—”
“The perfect marriage?” Nina teases.
Kelsey shoots her a look. “Yeah, and that’s totally a feat these days. Guys are assholes. What happened since we were in school? Did the good ones up and leave?”
“They got married to someone else,” Nina says.
Kelsey rolls her eyes again. I stifle a laugh.
“Come on, guys. Quit being so bitchy,” Stacey says. “It’s my wedding; you can’t fight.”
“We’re not fighting,” Nina says innocently. “Yet.”
Stacey swats Nina, and I burst out laughing.
“Let me set the record straight,” I say, jumping in. “Men were not better back in the day. We were just too stupid to see they were dicks, and we let them break our hearts.”
