Page 13 of Bridesmaid By Chance
I set my phone on my lap and stare out the window with the phraseyou’re a moronplaying over and over in my head.
I can only imagine what Hardy is going to say…
After a few seconds of silence, Sloane clears her throat next to me. “Um, are we going to talk about what happened?”
“When we get to the office,” I say as my phone buzzes with a text.
“Okay, sure. Back at the office. Marvelous. I wanted to wait until then too.” She turns to look out her window while I answer my text.
Hardy: Jesus, you have my ass clenching. What did you do?
Hudson: To keep it short and simple, I told Archie Wimbach and his fiancée, Sheridan, that Sloane would be more than happy to fill in as a bridesmaid for them without her consent.
Hardy: Ummm…why the hell would you do that?
Hudson: Desperation.
Hardy: Is that what that smell was that passed by?
Hudson: I don’t need your fucking jokes right now, asshole. I’m in some trouble.
Hardy: Yeah you are. Why the hell would you do that to Sloane? Is she okay with it?
Hudson: From her deer-in-the-headlights look, I would say no. But haven’t talked to her yet.
Hardy: Dude, that’s really shitty.
Hudson: I know! I feel fucking awful. Also, Archie told me that his soon-to-be father-in-law, who owns 10 percent of the company, doesn’t trust us after what we did to Dad. So nowI have to go out to London for a few weeks and suck an old man’s ass.
Hardy: Fuck, the visual on that. Take Chapstick.
Hudson: And the worst part, he reached out to Dad to see if he wanted to work with them.
Hardy: The fuck!
Hudson: Yeah. Not only am I having to deal with this business bullshit, but I also have to train Sloane in Regency ballroom dancing.
Hardy: Uh, wait, hold on a second. Where did the Regency shit come in?
Hudson: It’s part of the wedding. Doesn’t matter. I’m fucked. Oh, and the best part, Terrance, the father-in-law, loves hanging out at the Mayfair Club. Archie thought it might be good for me to hang out with him there.
Hardy: Did Archie get the impression you were married? Because pretty sure that’s the only way to get into that club.
Hudson: I don’t know, I didn’t get into it. Either way, if Dad gets wind, you know he’s going to want to join the club, especially if I’m not able to.
Hardy: He’s tried to join before, never got in. It’s one of the things that has plagued him for years and that I’ve relished.
Hudson: Really? Why didn’t I know that?
Hardy: I don’t know. But yeah, that was the club Dad was desperate to join. Imagine if you got in and he didn’t. I think that would be the day hell froze over for him.
Hudson: Probably right about that. Either way, how fucked do you think I am?
Hardy: Well, the buyout situation sucks but nothing you haven’t dealt with before. The Sloane thing, that’s a different ball game because not only are you disrupting the peace in theoffice that you have with her, but you also know how protective Jude is of his sisters. A pissed-off Jude is not something you’ve faced before and I don’t think it’s something you ever want to face. I saw him crack an egg in his fist the other day. Made me shiver.
Hudson: I don’t think Sloane will tell him.
Hardy: You don’t? What about Stacey? If Sloane tells Stacey and Stacey tells Jude, I could see your face meeting his fist in the near future.
