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Dil’s grin said it all.
—
Laine paused outside of the suite. Within, she could hear the hum of the bridal party in full consolation mode. Good luck to them, she thought, hearing the high pitched lash of the bride’s temper. Great.
Bridezillas like Melinda Langdon were not the reason Laine got into the nuptials business. Not that it mattered. Blissful Brides was contracted to do a job, and every bride deserved a perfect day. So regardless of Melinda’s extreme nasty factor, Laine was determined to give her the day she always dreamed of.
Pushing through the door, Laine had the sense of entering a world of snarky, back-biting, silver-wrapped Hershey’s kisses. The bridal party, shimmering in matching metallic gowns, bustled around, whispering insincerities and unfriendly speculations, while the bride-to-be sniffed loudly against the “something borrowed” heirloom lace hanky her mother had loaned her.
Laine planted a near maniacal smile on her face and broke through the crowd. She would read as happy and confident. It was damage control time. Cutting through the swarm of formal wear, Laine widened her eyes and, at risk of severe cheek cramp, beamed an exaggerated smile.
“Mel, the most incredible news. Jason Henley, the owner of the hotel, is having a fabulous new cake brought in just for you. I can’t believe it; he’s never done anything like this for a bride before, but he’s gotten his favorite bakery to make something special… just for you!” The giddy squeal at the end was as key to the sell as the mandatory “just for you” business, so she put everything she had into it before letting her delighted expression fall into faux concern. “Oh, my God, Mel,”—they were like sisters now—“has something happened?”
Melinda’s shellacked lower lip stuck out like a roost for a small bird. “My… my special day… it’s ruined!” She screeched, burying her face against Laine’s bare shoulder, leaving a cold, wet trail of what, God willing, was tears and tears alone. Melinda’s words choked off into unintelligible sobs, and suddenly she was just a girl with a lifelong dream on the verge of falling apart.
Laine’s mind stopped running in business mode, and her body softened as Melinda quaked against her. Smoothing back the bride’s neat curls so they wouldn’t be crushed between them, Laine shushed out a long breath. “Come on now,” she soothed. “It’s all going to be fine. We’ve got the cake taken care of. But some silly cake isn’t what’s going to make this day special for you. It’s the beginning of your happily ever after. You and Ed are going to be man and wife. This is just one big party to celebrate… love. It can’t be ruined.”
Melinda sniffed loudly; her body settled. Her small voice sounded stronger as she spoke over Laine’s shoulder. “But… this is my special day. What will my wedding be without my cake?”
Of course. So much for that. “Okay, honey. The cake will be here and better than ever.” She ticked off her mental to-do list: Dry clean hanky for mother of bride, makeup artist asap, order cucumbers for the bags, make sure the bar watered down the groom’s drinks, ream florist for the thorn in the bouquet, ream Jason for … the hell of it. The last thought made her smile. She’d keep a reaming slot open for him—something was bound to come up. She couldn’t believe he’d asked her to dinner.
Melinda pulled back, her lips all puffy.
“Oh, stop it this minute, Mel.” Laine pushed Jason from her mind and put on her best grandmother voice. “Nothing is ruined except this makeup, and there is no law against the beautiful bride getting a touchup. Now give me a smile.”
Behind them the suite door opened to a chorus of Oohs and Ahhs. Laine spun around to see Jason smilin
g at the bridal attendants as though each were the vision they dreamed of being. A natural charmer. Finally, his gaze settled on Melinda, his eyes showing nothing but approval. The man had a game face all right. Pushing through the crowd, he walked up to the splotchy bride and dropped a chaste kiss on her cheek. “Beautiful.”
Jason popped the cork on a bottle of champagne and toasted the bride. He was an operator, but he’d added to the calm of Bridezilla, so Laine was on his side.
At the risk of looking like she had a tic, Laine offered up another wink. “I’m going to go check on some details. You girls enjoy a glass of champagne, and we’ll have everyone ready to walk down the aisle with time to spare.” She had a cake to confirm, a groom to check up on and crystallizing snot to chisel off her shoulder, so she needed to move.
Jason turned to her and offered up a phony smile to top all others. “Ms. Malone, I’ll accompany you out. Enjoy the preparations, ladies!”
Outside the suite, Laine turned on him. “What gives? Is there a problem with the cake?”
“It’ll be here in fifteen minutes.” He extracted a white hanky with a flourish and sopped up the bit of gunk Melinda left behind on Laine’s shoulder.
“Thank you.”
He nodded, offering an exaggerated wink just to get under her skin. She couldn’t help but laugh.
“My pleasure,” he said, guiding her by the elbow down the narrow hall. “How many attendants does the boo-hoo bride have in there?”
“Eleven maids, four juniors and two flower girls.”
Jason’s brow arched. “Wow, is this the biggest bridal party you’ve handled?”
She stole a sidelong glance at Mr. Chit-Chat and rolled her eyes. “Yes, professionally, anyway.” Way to add the qualifier. It was an open invitation. She could have slapped herself.
“That’s right; you’ve got a slew of married sisters. Six? What was the biggest bridal party?”
“Sixteen maids.”
“Bet your dad wished he’d had some boys in the mix.”
Laine knew he was just trying to fill the dead space, but talking about Malone weddings wasn’t the most soothing experience for her.
