Page 135 of Bridesmaid Undercover
I roll my eyes. “The man is built.”
“I know, that’s what I keep telling him, but he’s still fragile. This morning he told me he’s only eating carrots for the next two days to get lean again.”
“And how long did that last?” I ask, knowing Brody well enough now.
“He sent me a picture of him eating a donut about an hour ago.”
I chuckle. “That’s what I thought.”
“Oh, she’s here. Be cool,” Maggie says just as the front door to the office opens and in walks a woman in a matching pantsuit—just not the politician-style pantsuit you’re probably thinking. This was tailored for her. Long, flowy pants with a short, cropped suit top. She’s wearing three-inch heels, and the red of her lipstick is so sharp that I find myself staring at it longer than I probably should.
She’s put-together.
She’s stylish.
And she’s everything I strive to be.
“Scarlett,” Maggie says as she walks up to her. “I’m so excited you’re here.”
Scarlett flashes straight white teeth in a beautiful smile as she walks up to us and holds her hand out. “Maggie, nice seeing you again.” She turns to me. “You must be Everly. It’s such a pleasure to meet you.”
“You as well,” I say. “Maggie has been telling me amazing things about you.”
“Oh, please.” Scarlett waves her hand in dismissal. “If anything, Maggie was singing your praises during my interview. The Bridesmaid for Hire branch is probably one of the most intuitive and unique programs I’ve ever read up on. Genius. I foresee it being copied all around the country.”
“The goal is to make sure it isn’t, thatwecan provide the bridesmaids across the country,” I say.
“Very smart,” Scarlett says.
“Well, come, sit down,” Maggie says. “I thought we could start this with a company meeting and talk about goals and expectations. Does that work?”
“Of course,” she says. “Can I just use the bathroom quickly? I’m trying to get my water in for the day and it’s running right through me.”
Maggie chuckles. “Of course, down the hall and to the left.”
“Thanks,” she says, her heels clicking down the hallway.
“I’m going to check on her desk one more time, make sure it’s set,” Maggie says.
I nod and pull up my phone so I can check my email.
I scan through it, seeing a few interest forms for the soft launch of the Bridesmaid for Hire program, a few here in San Francisco. We want to test out our services, make sure we are viable, and then once we establish ourselves, we plan on branching out farther, eventually operating across the country, like I told Scarlett. Might be slow, but we want to do it right.
I scroll past them shamelessly because that’s not what I want to read, not when I see an email from Hardy.
I’ve become so accustomed to opening my email and looking for his name, so when I don’t see it, I can’t help but feel a pang of sadness. His emails have fed my addiction in a way they shouldn’t. But today? Today, though his name is right there, in my inbox, my joy is muted. I’m not as keen to open this email, as it might be the one reporting his success with Maple.
The email that confirms I will officially need to back away from Hardy.
I click on the email and read it.
To: Everly Plum
From: Hardy Hopper
Subject: Checking In
Hey Everly,
