Page 52 of Bridesmaid Undercover
“Do I seem nervous?”
“You’re really fidgety,” he says, looking me up and down. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen this side of you. I don’t like it.”
Brody is Maggie’s man. When Haisley was getting married, he introduced us to Maggie, who then stepped in as a bridesmaid. Brody was also working for my dad at the time and, well, I won’t get into the details, but let’s just say, Brodyworks for us now and he’s quickly becoming one of our biggest assets. He has this innovative idea of turning old, abandoned storefronts into pop-up stores and event spaces. Hudson and I jumped on it, and now he and I are standing in one of the spaces, taking in the potential that’s surrounding us.
The idea is that the store is a blank space to rent, and the renter can use it for whatever they want. Business meetings, a temporary storefront, party venue—you name it, we offer it. And this is one of my favorite finds. We call it The Courtyard for obvious reasons. The front of the store is airy with white brick walls and large street-facing windows and some false walls to break up the space from being too loft-like. But as you move toward the back, it opens up into a decently sized courtyard with vines climbing up the brick walls and a painted cement floor that doesn’t take away from the space, only adds to it. The courtyard has plenty of room for eight to ten round tables with chairs, and a space for a head table. I think it would be perfect for the bridal shower and if not that, then definitely the bachelor/bachelorette party.
“I’m a little nervous. Should I not be nervous?” I ask.
“I don’t know.” He shrugs. “You tell me.”
“I don’t know,” I say. “I’ve never been in this situation before.”
“Because you’re so charming and wonderful that why would you ever be in an awkward situation with a girl, right?” Brody asks as he rocks on his heels.
I look him up and down. “You know, I don’t like how comfortable you’ve become with me.”
He lets out a roar of a laugh. “Because I’m not up your ass seeking your approval anymore? Sorry, I can go back to that if you’d like.”
“I might.” He chuckles some more and then grips his stomach on a wince. “You okay?” I ask him.
“Yeah, just been dealing with a stitch all day. Went a little hard on the running.” He pats me on the back. “Everything with Maple will be fine. I’m sure when she sees you it won’t be awkward at all, more like she’s coming home.”
“That might be stretching it,” I say just as Everly walks through the front door.
Dressed in all black once again, with her hair slicked back into her signature tight bun, she chose a pair of dress pants and a blouse this time. Her heels click across the painted cement floor as she takes in the space.
“This looks amazing,” she says as she walks up to us. I meet her halfway and greet her with a kiss on her cheek. When I pull away, I catch her brilliantly green eyes studying me for a moment before she turns to Brody. “Hey, Brody.”
He stays put and waves. “I’m not cultured enough to pull off the cheek kiss as a greeting.”
Everly smirks. “I think that’s a smart decision.”
He taps his temple. “Not just a hat rack.”
“Apparently. Maggie is a lucky lady.”
“I’ll be sure to tell her that, because after what happened this morning, I’m not sure she’s considering herself very lucky at the moment.”
“What did you do?” Everly deadpans.
“Well, did you know that her very expensive hair straightener is not supposed to be used to iron my clothes?”
“Oh my God, Brody,” Everly says.
He holds his hands out in defense. “It was just the collar of my shirt. It was a quick zip of the iron, but she got angry and told me not to touch her things. I then asked her what qualified as her things because I planned on kissing her and if she considered her lips her things, then I wouldn’t be able to kiss her, even though I consider her lips to be mine. Anyway, let’s just say I had to chase her down the apartment hallway to get a kiss goodbye.”
“How are you with someone?” I ask.
“Got me,” Brody says, shrugging casually. “I marvel at my ability to have landed Maggie every day.”
Turning away from him, I address Everly. “Is she coming?”
“She is,” Everly says. “It took a lot of coaxing, but I convinced her that it would be easier to get the initial meeting out of the way before the actual bridal shower. She agreed, but do not come on too strong, Hardy.”
“I won’t,” I say.
“And don’t try to talk to her. Just…a simple nod of the head, maybe a curt hello. Don’t try to ask her out.”
