Page 196 of Bridesmaid for Hire
“No, I’m a mess. I keep crying and I honestly don’t think I could visit your house—you have too many pictures of Brody hanging up.”
“I can take them down.”
“No, it’s fine. I’m just going to curl into a ball and cry on the couch, maybe eat some ice cream, possibly attempt to do some laundry.”
“Want me to come there? Or Patricia?”
“Thanks, but I’m okay. Hattie just left, and I think I need some time to myself for now.”
“Okay…well…give me some time. I promise I’ll help you figure this out.”
“Thanks, Gary,” I say before we both say bye and I hang up the phone.
I drop it to the side and then cover my eyes as a new wave of tears hits me all at once.
BRODY
Gary hangs up the phone and I struggle beneath him. He’s sitting on my chest, pinning my arms and body down while Patricia holds a dish towel over my mouth, nearly gagging me with the pressure.
“Grrrmmmmpff,” I say as I struggle against them.
Patricia releases the towel and I let out a big breath before. “Was this necessary?”
“Yes,” Gary says as he gets off me. “You were going to give us away.”
“Well, you nearly suffocated me.”
“We would have revived you,” Patricia says as she sits on the couch.
I scramble to my feet and push my hand through my hair. “What the actual fuck is he thinking? He wants to put my girl out of business?” I point to my chest.
Gary holds up one finger. “Technically, she’s not your girl anymore.”
I swat his finger away. “She’s my fucking girl. She will always be mine.”
“Oh look, the real Brody is starting to show up again. Maybe we should have called Maggie sooner.”
I pace the living room, trying to figure out how I can fix this. “Do you know what the problem with people like Reginald is? He thinks because he has money, he has power, and with that power he can make people bend and break to his will. Well, it’s not going to fucking happen. Maggie has put her heart and soul into her business, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to let him destroy it.”
“What are you going to do?” Gary asks. “Talk to Haisley yourself? Don’t you have a relationship with her?”
“I do, but Maggie was right, we want to try preserve things between her and Reginald, even though he’s clearly trying to fuck up any relationship that he has. I need to think of…” And then it hits me.
“I think a lightbulb just went off in his head, did you see that?” Patricia asks.
“I think it did. I’ve never seen that happen in person before,” Gary replies. “What is it, what did you think of?”
“Jude,” I say. “He came to my bungalow on his wedding day, gave me his card, and told me to call him if I ever needed anything. He was there, at the bachelor party. He believes it was wrong the way I was treated. Said he’d back me up. He’s my in. He’ll help me.”
“Why didn’t you think of that in the first place?” Patricia asks, tossing her hands in the air. “It would have saved us all those hours of you weeping on the couch.”
“Because I was heartbroken,” I shoot back at her. “I wasn’t thinking straight.”
“Clearly.”
“We really should have called Maggie earlier.” Gary rubs his chin. “That’s on us.”
Ignoring them both, I run off to the guest bedroom and grab my wallet, pulling out Jude’s business card. I take a seat on the bed and typehis phone number into my phone. Not sure where he is on his honeymoon, I decide to send him a text instead of calling.
