Page 70 of Bridesmaid Undercover
Everly:Love was blasted in the air, that’s what happened.
Ember:You know, you were never this lovesick when we were young, but I think being in the wedding planning business has changed you. When have you ever fawned over a man like this? Seeing others in love is starting to make you insane.
Everly:Perhaps, but ughhhhhh, are we sure I can’t sabotage the whole undercover bridesmaid thing, show him how perfect I am for him instead?
Ember:Everly…
Everly:I know…I know. Ugh, okay. I just had to get that off my chest. Everything is fine now. I’m moving on.
Ember:Good, now how do you plan on doing that?
Everly:Showing up at Hardy’s office, naked, offering him my body.
Ember:EVERLY!
Everly:I’m kidding…partially.
Ember:Do I need to be concerned about you?
Everly:I want to say no…but maybe be on standby.
Ember:Good God.
Chapter Twelve
EVERLY
“Wow, there is no way I can do that,” Maple says as she looks at the cute yarn pom-pom centerpiece I made for the bridal shower.
“Trust me, it’s so easy.”
“I’m really not crafty at all,” Maple says as she pulls her legs up on the couch in our new storefront. We still need to decorate and there are touch-ups that need to be made, but I asked Maggie if it was okay to meet Maple here to work on centerpieces and she approved. Thank God, because doing this in my tiny apartment would not have been ideal.
“You don’t need to be crafty. The least crafty person can do this thanks to these.” I pull out two different sized pom-pom makers, ridged plastic disks that will make this a breeze for her. “Think you can wrap yarn?”
“Yeah, I can do that,” she says, looking hopeful.
“Then you can make pom-pom centerpieces. Look.” I pull out one of the pom-poms from the bouquet. “We make the pom-pom, and then we just glue the stick to one end. We do this inall different lengths and sizes and then put them all together. All I need you to do is help me with the pom-poms and gluing the sticks, then I can do the arranging.”
“That doesn’t seem that hard,” she says.
“I promise, it won’t be hard at all.” I then dump a bag of yarn between us, all different shades of pink and salmon. “Let’s get to work.”
I give her a quick tutorial on how to use the pom-pom maker and it takes her a second to get used to it, but once she figures it out, she smiles to herself. I can see the pride in her eyes. And this is what I love, right here, helping someone do something for someone else. Not sure I ever thought this would be part of my career, but I enjoy being able to step in and be the essential behind-the-scenes person.
“I really like that we’re making these instead of using real florals,” Maple says. “Because you said you can save them and use them for another event, right?”
“Yup,” I reply. “We have a large storage room in this building for this exact reason, so we can help supplement events with décor. It’s a very eco- and budget-friendly model that is not only important to me and Maggie, but to the cooperative as well. The Cane brothers are big on sustainability.”
“What’s the cooperative?” she asks as she continues to circle yarn over the maker.
“Oh, that’s the company that Hudson and Hardy started with the Cane brothers. Not sure how in the know you are, but Huxley, JP, and Breaker are the Canes, and they were direct competition with Reginald Hopper. Because things went sour between Hudson, Hardy, and their dad, they decided to join forces with the Canes. I won’t get into details because that’s not my place, but you can google the joint venture. It’s been all over the business forums.”
“Oh…interesting,” Maple says. I watch her twist her lips for a second and a little piece of me—okay, a big piece of me—is hoping that doesn’t intrigue her, but when she looks up at me I know that’s not the case. “He seemed different the other day.”
“Oh?” I ask. “How so?”
“Well, he just seemed, nervous, fidgety, unlike himself. I’ve never seen him so unbalanced. In college, he was always very confident and sure of himself. Hardy from the other day was a far cry from college Hardy.”
