Page 25 of Bridesmaid for Hire
“Daddy.I don’t want to bother her with this since she’s on vacation.” Haisley tugs on his arm.
“A very important bridesmaid. Have you ever dealt with something like that?”
“Oh yes,” Maggie replies. “On a few occasions.”
“What have you done?”
“Really, we shouldn’t be bothering her with this,” Haisley says.
“It’s fine,” Maggie says, waving her hand in dismissal. “I live for problem solving. With one wedding, they just left her out and the bridal party was uneven, but one of the girls walked with two guys. Another time there was a relative that filled in. Thankfully the dress was the same fit.”
“Ah, I see. Fill in,” Reginald says, thinking on it. “You know—”
“Daddy, I’m going to stop you right there,” Haisley says but Reginald just puts his arm around his daughter.
“You know, Maggie, since you have experience in the wedding business, it would only be fitting if you are able to take her place.”
Wow, okay. That’s an ask.
Haisley turns toward Maggie. “Please, don’t think that he’s serious.”
“Oh, I’m very serious. We need to fill the spot or else the party will be uneven and that’s not something I’ll compromise on. Three men, three women. If we don’t ask Maggie…we can ask Beatrice.”
Now that is something I’d like to see.
Beatrice or Marion—literally shivering in my linens.
“But Daddy, the twins said one of them would step down and then we could just have one less person on each side.”
“And not have both your brothers in the wedding?” Hopper shakes his head. “No. That won’t do. Maggie here will help us out, won’t you?”
Ooh, this is how the rich ask for something. The request coated in the possibility that said rich person is actually giving you an option, when in reality you have no choice in the matter at all.
“I would be honored,” Maggie says, which brings me back to reality because…holy shit, Maggie just said she’d be one of Haisley’s bridesmaids, meaning my “girlfriend” is in the Hopper wedding.
“Oh, you don’t have to say that. We’ve put you on the spot.” Haisley waves her hand at Maggie.
“Not at all.” Maggie smiles brightly, and I can almost feel her eating up this entire moment. “Trust me, I have plenty of experience where bridesmaids are concerned, and I’ve filled in before—at one of the weddings I planned. You’d be surprised how common it is. Consider it a new arm of my company—I’ll call it Bridesmaid for Hire, although I won’t charge you.” Maggie runs her hand over my arm. “I’d do anything for the things important to this guy.”
Shit, I’d gag from that load of crap if not for present company.
“Then it’s settled,” Hopper says with a clap of his hands. “We won’t talk about it for the rest of the night so we can enjoy the evening, but we’ll be in touch.” Hopper winks and then lends his hand out to me for a shake.Oh, don’t mind if I do.I gladly take it, grateful at least one thing seems to be going my way.“You’re very lucky, McFadden.”
I can feel just how fake my smile is by the way my skin stretches across my face. “So lucky.”
Practically humming with arrogance, he leads his daughter and Jude around the room. Haisley glances over her shoulder and mouths, “Thank you,” before directing her full attention to the other guests.
Well, that was…not what I was expecting.
Slowly, we both turn toward each other and when I meet Maggie’s eyes, all I can see is just how smug she is.
“You’re very lucky.” She rocks on her heels, repeating what the old man just said.
“Clearly they haven’t seen you in the morning. Pretty sure they’d change their tone.”
“As if you’d know what I look like in the morning. You ran scared before you could find out.”
Yup, I believe I deserve that jab.
