Page 25 of Bridesmaid Undercover
I chuckle. “Whatever the bride wants, the bride gets.”
“Good answer.”
Just then, Everly walks through the door of the café. She glances around for a moment, but when she spots me, a beautiful smile passes over her face before she waves.
Yeah, I said beautiful.
It’s no secret that Everly is a very attractive woman, especially dressed in a tight black skirt that reaches just above her knees, a black, tucked in button-up shirt, and heels. She’s always put together, professional, and ready for business. Sometimes I wonder what she would look like if she took her hair down from that tight bun, if she wasn’t so buttoned up, but actually let loose. Because every time I’ve seen her, she looks like she’s ready for any sort of professional experience to land on her lap. Not that it’s a bad thing.
I stand as she approaches, and when she reaches me, I place my hand on her side and press a quick kiss to her cheek—like I greet almost everyone. When I pull away, I gesture toward Polly. “Everly, this is Polly. Polly, this is Everly…” I pause and wince. “Well, hell, Everly, I don’t know your last name.”
She chuckles and holds her hand out to Polly. “Everly Plum. It’s very nice to meet you.”
“Plum?” I ask. “As in Professor Plum?”
“Yes, a great-uncle of mine,” she jokes before taking a seat. She also has a great sense of humor, something I was surprised to find out when I initially started talking to her. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long. Finding parking around here can be a real nightmare.”
“Tell me about it,” Polly says. “Sometimes I wonder how Hardy can live in Nob Hill.”
Everly looks up at me with those crystal green eyes, a color so soft and different that I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on another person. “You live around here?”
“I have an apartment,” I say. “I also have a place out by the farmland as well. I split time, but at the moment, it seems like I’m spending more time in the city.”
“And you’ll be spending even more time out here now that we’re getting married in the next two months.”
“Two months?” I say, feeling just as surprised as Everly looks, as her eyebrows shoot up.
Polly nods. “Yes, we had a bit of a change in plans. We were planning for a longer engagement, more like a year, but then Ken’s sister’s husband got orders to Germany, and they leave in a little over two months, so we’re speeding up the timeline. I hope that’s okay.”
“Not a problem at all,” Everly says, her face smoothing out as she opens up her notebook and starts taking notes. “We can work with that. I’m assuming you’re going to want help with the bridal shower and bachelorette party?”
“Yes. My mom said she would take care of the parties, but I know Maple doesn’t want that. She wants to be able to have a hand in planning. She just needs assistance.” Polly pauses. “The thing about Maple is that party planning and social events have never been important to her, which is totally fine, but now that she’s taken on the role of maid of honor, she’s starting to panic that she won’t be able to throw a good enough party for me. I told her it doesn’t need to be elaborate, but I’m sure you can imagine her not agreeing to that. So, I think having you here to mentor her will be a great help. Plus, I think it would be nice for her to enjoy the event, rather than having to work the whole time, if that makes sense.”
“Completely,” Everly says, her hand moving quickly over her paper, which I find fascinating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone take notes as fast as her. “Are you going to be having a joint bridal shower, or will it just be the ladies?”
Polly looks over at me. “You know, it might be fun to have a joint one. Ken likes to be acknowledged, and I’m sure he’d love to be the belle of the ball at the party.”
Everly chuckles. “We can do that. I can talk to Maple and see what she wants to do, if she wants a theme or not. Would you like Hardy included in the planning? Since he’s the best man?”
I shoot Everly an appreciative look—she’s already bringing me in to have moments with Maple. She’s good.
“Um, that’s okay, he’s busy I’m sure,” Polly dismisses me.
Smiling brightly, I say, “I don’t mind helping. Might be fun to give some insight on the kind of things Ken might demand to honor him.”
Polly’s eyes narrow. “No, let’s just leave this to Maple and Everly.”
Not wanting to push her, I say, “Well, if you end up needing help, I’m here. I want to help out as much as I can. It’s not every day your best friends from college get married.”
“Wow, what a best man,” Polly says in a sarcastic tone, probably understanding exactly why I want to help.
Ignoring the staring contest Polly and I are engaged in, Everly asks, “Would you also like joint bachelorette and bachelor parties?”
“Yes,” Polly says. “We already spoke about that and would like to celebrate together, but not the night before the wedding—maybe we could do the weekend before. That way we’re not all puffy and hungover the next day.”
“Of course. I always suggest planning a night of debauchery a week before the wedding. That way, you can spend the night before the wedding with family at the rehearsal dinner.”
“Love that idea,” Polly says.
