“Oh, that would be great. Thanks.” They stood there in the darkened parking lot for another minute. “Anyway, thanks again, Max. I’ll see you Friday.”
“Have a good night, Becca.”
As she walked back into the boutique, she couldn’t help but smile. Guys like Max restored her faith a little in the male species. He seemed to be very nice and she felt comfortable talking with him. He was good looking and an interesting mix of nerdy hipster and just a little bit sexy. And she had no doubt that she wasn’t his type in the least. Good looking guys like him…well…good looking guys in general never worked out for her. Look at what had happened with Danny. If Max had simply been a nerdy hipster she might have considered flirting a little – that would have made him safe in her mind - but dammit, he was too nice to look at.
With a sad sigh she made her way around the room and spotted Hailey and Logan putting chairs away. They were laughing and smiling and knowing how much Hailey was crushing on Logan, she decided to find something else to do. Turning around, she bumped into Jack. “Oh! Sorry.”
He didn’t even make eye contact with her. He was too busy staring at Logan and Hailey. “No problem,” he murmured.
Stepping around him and making her way toward the dressing rooms, she found where the girls were busy hanging up gowns and silently stepped in to help them.
Three
“So he never texted you back?” Hailey asked the next day over lunch.
Angie shook her head.
“Oh…so…how do you feel about it? I mean…are you happy? Sad? Relieved?”
“Honestly,” Angie began, “I’m kind of disappointed. It’s one thing to think you don’t mean a whole lot to someone, but it’s quite another when it’s pretty much confirmed.”
“Well that just sucks,” Ella said as she reached across the table and helped herself to some of Becca’s french fries.
“At least I can say I have closure. Sort of.”
Becca held up her hand. “Maybe he was just taking you at your word and figured you really did have to go. You can’t get mad at him for respecting your request.”
All three of her friends stared at her like she had grown a second head.
“What? What did I say?”
“I got this,” Hailey said before Angie could speak. She turned to Becca. “While I think it could be okay if he was simply being polite, the fact is that was a week ago and he hasn’t tried to contact her since. If he was being sincere and genuine in wanting to talk to Angie, he would have tried to get in touch with her the following day.”
“Or any of the following days,” Angie added and then sighed. “Just forget it. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like Sean’s the one or anything.”
“How do you know?” Ella asked.
Angie snorted with disbelief. “Because I know.”
“Yeah but…how?” Ella asked and then looked at Hailey and Becca for back up. “I knew after the first time Dylan kissed me that he was it for me.”
“For crying out loud,” Angie muttered. “You were in the sixth grade!”
“But I knew!” Ella cried and then lowered her voice. “All I’m asking is…how do you know for certain that Sean isn’t the one?”
“Other than the fact that he dumped me, disappeared, blew me off and…oh yeah…hasn’t tried to contact me again? Is that what you’re asking?”
Ella slouched down in her seat. “Never mind.”
“Okay, we’re all getting a little cranky about this,” Hailey said diplomatically. “Personally, I don’t think it’s the same for everyone.” She turned to Ella. “You looked at Dylan and knew he was it for you. The majority of the population would not know at that age or even be thinking about the possibility of forever with someone, at least not realistically. You’re just lucky.” Then she turned to Becca. “You thought Danny was your ideal when you met him in the tenth grade. And it took you years to actually start dating him and after everything you built up about him in your mind, turned out not to be true. Correct?”
Becca nodded.
Lastly, Hailey looked at Angie. “You felt something for Sean almost from the get-go. And if we forget about the current negative situation, how did you feel about him before that? Did you think he could possibly be the one?”
“This is ridiculous,” Angie said as she waved the waitress over and asked about the dessert specials.
“Avoiding the question isn’t going to make it go away,” Hailey sang.
Once the table was cleared and they all ordered dessert, Angie looked at her friends and glared. “Okay, fine. If we’re basing this on Sean’s pre-desertion days, then yes. There was a…possibility…of him being the one. But that changed! Why is it okay for everyone to see that Becca was wrong about Danny and I’m not allowed to be wrong about Sean?”
“It’s not that we’re saying you’re not allowed to be wrong,” Ella said.
“And to be fair, you all warned me Danny was a douche from the very beginning,” Becca said with a grin.
“We may have only met Sean a handful of times, Ange, but he seemed like a really nice guy. Maybe you need to hear him out and see why he pulled back,” Hailey said.
“Need I remind you how you and I had this conversation that night,” Angie snapped at Hailey. “You know why I didn’t want to get on the phone with him and the fact that he hasn’t tried to contact me since that night only adds to my pissed-off mindset! How am I supposed to pick up the phone and call him now when I feel even more anger toward him?”
“She has a point,” Becca said. “And she does have a temper. There’s a good chance she’ll start yelling at him and scare him off.”
Ella nodded in agreement. “She scares me.”
“This isn’t helping!” Hailey interrupted.
“No, it is,” Angie said sadly. “It really is. Obviously I need to clear the air with him otherwise I’m never going to be able to move on. And whether or not I move on with him or without him…well…that remains to be seen.”
“But you’d totally rather move on with him, right?” Ella asked hopefully, a huge smile brightening her entire face.
For a minute, Angie could only stare at her. “What the hell is it like to be that happy all the damn time? Honestly, it’s got to be exhausting.”
Ella blushed.
“No picking on Ella,” Hailey said and thanked the waitress who was putting their desserts down on the table. “We should all be so lucky to be like her. She’s the only one of us who has her shit together.”
“Who? Me?” Ella asked, wide-eyed.
“You were a total rock star Wednesday night,” Becca said with a chuckle. “The way you stood up to your mom? That was epic!”
After Ella had stepped out of the dressing room wearing the gown of her dreams, her mother had immediately begun to criticize. For a few minutes, she let her speak. Then Judith stepped in and—very diplomatically—explained how she’s dealt with situations like this before and the importance of the bride getting to wear exactly what she wanted.
It took all of five minutes before Ella spoke up and unleashed her pixie-like wrath. “Enough!” she’d cried. “In case anyone has forgotten, Mom, this is my wedding! Mine and Dylan’s! For years I have dreamed of my perfect day and so far you have taken over those dreams and turned them into something I no longer recognize! You see this dress?” She had fisted the satin skirt in her hands and shook it in her mother’s direction. “This is my wedding dress. I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but you’re not wearing it. I am. And you know what? Dylan happens to love this style on me and his is the only opinion other than mine I’m worried about!”
“Is your mom talking to you yet?” Hailey asked carefully, bringing them all back to the present.
“Yeah. It took her until yesterday to pick up the phone and call. I didn’t reach out to her. I needed her to see that I was serious. It was hard to confront her like that, but it had to be done.”
“Does this mean she’s going to ease up on the ot
her wedding stuff?” Angie asked.
“I’m not sure yet. One thing at a time. That’s all I can handle.”
“What did Dylan say when you told him about it?”
Ella chuckled. “He said he was sorry he’d missed it. He likes when I get feisty.” Then she blushed. “He thinks it’s sexy.”
“Oh…yuck. Just…no,” Angie said. “We don’t need to hear anything beyond that.”
They ate their desserts in silence for a few minutes before Becca spoke up. “I gave Max all of the photos last night at the show. He said he’ll have a video put together for us to preview by next weekend.”
“Mom is going to be so surprised,” Hailey grinned. “There were a lot of pictures there. Do you think he’ll need more?”
Becca shook her head. “He didn’t seem to think so.”
“I had wanted to talk to him about it last night but everything was so chaotic. I can’t remember the last time a show went like that,” Hailey said.
“That’s because the weather sucked and people were late,” Angie added. “Hell, even we didn’t get to sit and hang out like we usually do. Thank God for our Saturday date or we’d all still be in the dark about how the week went.”
“Sarcasm?” Becca asked with a laugh.
“Just a little,” she replied. “So Max is going to put together this video DVD thing, huh?”
Becca nodded. “He’s pretty psyched about it.”
“That’s so nice of him,” Ella said. “I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”
“He’s going to give us a copy to review before he finalizes it. This way we can tell him if we want to change anything.”
Hailey frowned. “Did I scare him off or something?”
Becca shook her head. “I don’t think so. Why?”
“I just don’t understand why he won’t talk to me about it.”
“I don’t know,” Becca replied with a shrug.
“Does it really matter?” Angie asked. “He’s doing something nice for your mom and it involves all of us. What’s the big deal?”
“None I guess,” Hailey sighed.
“So I saw you and Logan together after the show,” Becca said, hoping to cheer her friend up. “Anything new to report there?”
“No. I’m telling you, other than just blurting out that I’m in love with him, I don’t know what else to do!”
“Maybe he already has a girlfriend,” Becca said.
“No, no, no, “Angie said. “We’ve all been working together and socializing together long enough that it would have come up in conversation or we would have met the girl. Maybe he’s gay.”
“Not you too,” Hailey mumbled.
“What? What was that?” Angie asked.
“Jack keeps saying the same thing and I think you’re both crazy. I spend a lot of time with Logan. I think I would know if he’s gay.” She looked worriedly at her friends. “Wouldn’t I?”
“I’m just saying…it’s a possibility.”
Hailey groaned. “I don’t know which part of that bothers me more—the fact that Logan could be gay or that Jack could be right.”
****
That thought stayed with Hailey all day and she knew she needed a distraction. Lunch with the girls was always great, but right now she needed to call in the big guns—her mom.
When she walked into the boutique Sunday afternoon, she was surprised to find her mom alone in her office reading a book.
“So this is what you do when no one’s looking?” Hailey teased as she walked in and sat down.
Judith smiled. “Sometimes rainy days are a blessing. No one feels like going out and I get a chance to put my feet up and relax.”
“I wish you’d let one of your assistants work for you on Sundays so you can do that relaxing at home. You know you don’t have to be here all the time, right?”
“But I enjoy being here,” Judith said simply. “Believe it or not, this isn’t a job or a chore for me. I created the kind of environment here that I happen to find very tranquil.”
“You could make a space like that at home. I’m sure Dad wouldn’t mind.”
Judith frowned but quickly put her smile back in place. “What brings you out in this miserable weather? Everything okay?”
For a minute Hailey wanted to discuss the brief change in her mother’s demeanor, but decided to let it wait. “What do you think about Logan?”
“I think he’s a very nice young man. Polite. Handsome. He makes a very attractive groom,” she added with a sly smile. “I know you think all those things too so…why? Why are you asking my opinion?”
“I’ve spent a lot of time with Logan at the shows and…” She shrugged. “I think I’ve been kind of obvious about how I feel about him, but he hasn’t said or done anything. I had hoped he would ask me out by now, but he hasn’t. Does he have a girlfriend I don’t know about? Am I throwing out some kind of vibe that’s telling him to back off? I don’t understand what’s happening to make things…you know…not happen.”
Standing, Judith walked over to her mini-fridge and took out a couple of bottles of water. She handed one to her daughter.
“What am I doing wrong, Mom? Do you think I’m acting too desperate?”
Judith sat back down and reached for one of Hailey’s hands and squeezed it. “I don’t think you’re acting desperate, sweetheart. Maybe Logan’s just a little…shy.”
Hailey made a face. “Mom, he’s definitely not shy. He socializes with everyone before, during and after each show.” She sighed. “I guess I’m just not his type.”
“That’s a very real possibility, but if you want to know for sure, you’re going to have to come out and ask him directly. Otherwise you’re just going to keep torturing yourself.”
“Maybe.”
“How about I pair you up with somebody different this week for the show?” Judith suggested as she sat back and opened her water.
“What good would that do?”
“I think you could observe him a little bit. See if he’s flirting with any of the other girls—not our girls,” she added with a wink. “Or you might see how he interacts with everyone. I think you’re too close to him during the shows and maybe aren’t seeing things as they really are.”
Frowning, Hailey asked, “What does that even mean? How are things?”
“Hailey, you have a tendency to over-romanticize everyone and everything. All I’m saying is maybe you’ve built Logan up in your mind into the person you want him to be without really taking the time to get to know who he really is.”
“Well I would get to know him if he’d ask me out!”
“Or you could ask him out.”
“I’ve thought about it,” Hailey admitted. “I guess I just hoped he would eventually do it.” She groaned. “I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”
“No, you’re not pathetic. Dramatic? Yes. But not pathetic,” Judith said with a chuckle. “So how about I pair you up with Jackson for Friday night?”
“Ugh…no. Anyone but him.”
Judith’s eyes widened slightly with surprise. “What’s wrong with Jackson? Most of the other girls love getting paired with him. Some weeks there are fights about it.”
“Seriously? Over him? That’s crazy.”
“I’m sensing there’s a story there so you might as well spill it.”
“I hate that you know me so well,” Hailey whined.
“I’m your mom. It’s my job.”
“Fine,” she said with a pout. “He’s…obnoxious. Every time he comes near me, it’s to say something rude.”
“Somehow I doubt that, but go on,” Judith encouraged.
“And why doesn’t he ever get a haircut?” Hailey cried as she jumped to her feet and began to pace. “Would it kill him to brush his hair once in a while or maybe stop getting so many tattoos? Honestly, mom, I don’t know how you let him in the shows!”
“Well, to be fair…”
“He told me I’m cute. Cute! In my entire life, no one has ever
called me that!”
“I don’t see…”
“It didn’t sound like a compliment,” Hailey interrupted. “I think it was a complete put-down and it was insulting.”
“Okay, but…”
“A puppy is cute,” she went on. “Or a teddy bear. Grown women are not cute!”
Rather than try to interrupt a fourth time, Judith just sat back and watched and listened while her daughter rambled on.
“And on top of that, he makes fun of Logan! He calls him ‘pretty boy’ in that same condescending tone he calls me cute in. I hate it! Of course I shouldn’t be surprised, he clearly doesn’t have manners. I know there are a lot more male models out there we can hire who are far better looking and with better manners than Jack!” With a loud sigh, Hailey collapsed back down in her seat and looked at her mother. “Promise me you won’t use him in any more shows. Please.”
Shaking her head, Judith gave her a sympathetic smile. “No can do, sweet pea. You are the only one who has an issue with Jackson and that isn’t a reason for me to let him go. The other models like him, the guests and clients like him. Hell, I like him! You’re just going to have to learn to deal with him.”
“I could deal with him just fine if he’d leave me alone. Or maybe just not speak when I’m around. Or make himself look presentable,” she murmured.
“I never knew you to be such a snob.”
Hailey sat upright. “Excuse me?”
“You heard me. A snob.”
For a minute, Hailey simply sputtered and tried to form a retort, but Judith cut her off before she could find one.
“For the record, he prefers to be called Jackson and I’ve never seen or heard him be anything but polite and respectful to anyone. His mother and I are in the same yoga class together and we’ve become good friends.” She gave Hailey a pointed look.
“So you’re saying this is about me? That I’m the problem?”
“Well…I wouldn’t say that exactly…”
“And yet you are!” Once again, Hailey jumped to her feet and looked around until she found her purse. “I can’t believe you’re taking his side over mine!”
“I’m not taking sides at all,” Judith said wearily, placing her water on the end table and standing up. She wrapped her daughter in her arms and hugged her. “I just think you have quite a few…issues…right now that are making you a little more sensitive than usual.”
Friday Night Brides Page 6