Page 17 of Without a Hitch
I laugh at her absurdity. “I don’t think so, Del. This is definitely a one-off. Who in their right mind will pay me to keep bridesmaids from cutting each other off at the knees?”
“Have you learned nothing from Preston or Colton these last few years?” Eli wrenches the phone from Delaney’s grasp. “While those two are mostly normal, the people they associate with are freaking nuts! One of Preston’s friends spent forty-five thousand dollars on a vase. A vase, Tilly. You don’t think they’d shell out big bucks to make sure the most important day of their lives is perfect?”
“No, I don—” The alarm goes off on my phone. “Shit, E. I have to go. I’m supposed to be in Jenna’s suite in ten minutes.”
“Okay. Love you. Go get those bridal baddies,” Delaney cheers.
“You’re both ridiculous.” I can’t help but laugh though.
“Would you prefer malicious maids? Oh, oh, or maybe mismannered maids? Gah! You can name your company The I Do Crew!”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“No, Till. I’m serious. Just hear me out.”
“I really have to go. I’m late. Love you both.” I hang up before she can add anything else.
Grabbing my dress, shoes, and anything else I think I’ll need, I hurry to Jenna’s suite. I unlock the door with the key card she gave me and am immediately assaulted by a shouting match.
“I know you did this, Olivia. I know you did.”
What the hell did she do now?I hurry to hang up my dress, then round the corner just in time to find Melinda holding up her dress with a slice down the center.
“Holy hell. What happened?”
“This crazy psycho bitch shredded my dress. I saw her putting the scissors in her purse.”
I glare at Olivia.What the fuck is wrong with this girl?She has the gall to shrug like we’re wasting her time. All right, Olivia. Game fucking on. No one is going to ruin a wedding on my watch. Not when they’re so magical and special. It’s your one day to betheprincess.
“Not today, Olivia,” I mutter under my breath and cross the room wearing my best angry face. Granted, my sisters have always told me I’m the least scary person alive, but I put as much venom into my expression as I can muster.
“Remember how I told you I work in PR?” She rolls her eyes. “Well, I also run a blog. A very successful blog that routinely goes viral, and since I owe you nothing, I have no qualms about blasting this to the world.”
“My father would sue you for everything you have,” she replies flippantly.
“Stepfather,” Melinda mutters.
“Funny thing about that. I have a contract with Jenna that says I can use any piece of her wedding for publicity purposes.” I’m totally bluffing, but Melinda cuts in to bail me out.
“And since we all signed a similar disclosure, granting Jenna and Tyler permission to post, share, and publish our involvement in the wedding, you included, your behavior is fodder for a lot of stories.”
Jesus. Did they really? Rich people are nuts!
Olivia pales but says nothing.
“So, this is what you’re going to do,” I say. She turns a hate-filled glare my way, but I don’t back down. “You’re going to go to your room and get ready. You will follow whatever guidelines Jenna requested for hair and makeup. You’ll do it with a smile on your face and without uttering a single word. Then you’ll meet us in the ballroom ten minutes before the ceremony starts, and not a second before. I will start the media blast if I even catch a whiff of you trying to cause trouble. Do I make myself clear?”
Holy geez! Who the heck am I? If I could high-five myself right now, I totally would.
“Who are you?” she hisses.
That’s a great question. I’m miles away from my comfort zone, and my insides are trembling from nerves. The only explanation I can come up with for my behavior is that my love for weddings outweighs my instinct to hide. “Just call me a baddie bridal wrangler.”
Jenna chokes on something behind me, but Olivia storms off, slamming the door on her way.
“The baddie bridal wrangler?” Melinda gasps through a fit of full-body laughter. “Where did you come from?”
A wretched flush heats my cheeks, and I’m sure the embarrassment is clear even through my darker complexion.Freaking Delaney.
