Page 124 of Bridesmaid for Hire
“What do you mean?”
Here we go, Maggie. Let her know your ideas.
“Well, the new trend right now is for bachelorette parties to rent out a vacation house and host the party in fun cities. Nashville is a big one. San Francisco as well. They rent the houses and then decorate them based on a theme. That’s where Everly, my assistant, came from. She used to work for a company that decorated for bachelorette parties. It would be a perfect marketing gimmick for your properties since they’re already themed so perfectly.”
“Wow,” she says. I can see her mind racing in her eyes. “I never even thought about that.” She meets my gaze. “You know, after this wedding, we might need to talk.”
Hope surges through me. “I’d love to, but let’s stay focused on the task at hand—getting you married. Which leads me to my next question: what are you doing the night before your wedding? I’m a bridesmaid, after all, and I wouldn’t be doing my job if I didn’t throw a bachelorette party for you.”
She chuckles. “Nothing planned, but I wouldn’t mind a little something. Just not too much heavy drinking.”
“And how do we feel about a stripper?”
She laughs out loud. “Favorable, but since my mom and soon-to-be sisters-in-law will be there, I’m going to have to say probably not.”
“Shame,” I say. “I could have really made Brody shake it.”
“It’s weird to say, but I truly believe you could.”
“You just let me know if you change your mind.” I tap my head.
“Hey,” we hear Jude call out, and we turn to see him approaching across the sand. My God, this man. When I say Haisley hit the jackpot, I’m not kidding. Jude walks over, dripping wet, droplets of water careening off his thick pecs and taut stomach. His hair is pushed back, but a fewstrands curl over his forehead, and when he reaches Haisley, he grips her chin gently and presses the softest of kisses to her lips.
“Hey, you,” Haisley says as she stares up at him, love beaming from every part of her body for her otherworldly fiancé. “What’s going on? Catch any fish?”
He nods. “Plenty.” He then turns to me. “How’s Brody?”
“Oh, I think he’s doing okay,” I say, then pause, confused. “Wasn’t he with you?”
Jude brings his arm around Haisley. “You didn’t hear?”
Oh God, what now?
“Hear what?” I ask.
He winces and scratches the back of his neck. “He tried spearfishing with Reginald and well, from what I heard, there was a fish between Brody’s legs that Reginald tried to spear. He missed the fish and hit Brody instead. I saw Hardy walking off with him.”
“What?” Haisley says, pulling away to look up at Jude. “My dad hit Brody with a spear?”
“I don’t know the details—I just know that your dad is mad he missed the fish and Brody was carted back to the boat.”
“Carted?” I ask, feeling sick to my stomach. “Like he was stabbed?”
“I don’t think stabbed, but I know he had to go back to the boat.”
“Here,” Haisley says, taking me by the elbow. “Let’s go check on him.”
Caught off guard and actually worried for Brody, I allow Haisley to guide me down the beach and back to the boat.
What is the luck with this man? Did Reginald really stab him? What was Brody doing to be in that position? Floating around from his loopy pills, trying to act like a fish? How does this even happen?
We hurry into the water and swim toward the yacht, not worrying about the dingy that brought us to shore, and reach the back ladder. When we step on board and start looking for Brody, Hardy appears.
When he sees me, he holds out a calming hand. “He’s okay.”
“What happened?” I ask just as a figure emerges behind Hardy.
Tall.
