Friday Night Brides

by Samantha Chase

  “No, no, no. That’s not what I’m saying,” Becca quickly amended. “You should wear something you’re comfortable with. And that definitely sounds like an outfit you’re good with.”

  “But it’s lame,” Hailey said. “Right? It’s totally lame.”

  “Nobody said that,” Ella said. “I think it sounds perfect for you and Logan.”

  “What does that even mean?” Angie asked, turning in her seat.

  “Logan looks like he just walked off the pages of a J. Crew catalog,” Ella said. “He is always dressed impeccably. So the dress Hailey chose will work perfectly. They’ll be very balanced.”

  Angie groaned. “They’re having sex, not posing for a yuppie photoshoot.”

  “What would you suggest she wear?” Ella snapped, losing some of her composure. “A leather skirt, crotchless panties and hooker heels? Sheesh!”

  “A thong could work,” Angie said calmly. “That would be…”

  “Enough!” Hailey yelled. “I am already freaking out about tonight and I don’t need all of this yammering about my choice of panties!”

  Everyone grew quiet. When they pulled off the interstate at the exit for their hotel, Becca spoke up. “Okay, we’re almost there so everyone needs to play nice and get along.”

  No one answered.

  By the time she parked the car and they all got out, it was as if nothing had happened earlier—they were all chatting about the show, the hotel and what they were having for dinner. The absurdity of it all made Becca chuckle.

  ****

  “This is going to be so much fun!” Ella said, bouncing on the bed. “You and I never have a room to ourselves!”

  Angie rolled her eyes. “Easy there, Tinker Bell. Don’t go getting all excited. We’re simply sleeping in here tonight. No pillow fights, no telling ghost stories.”

  Ella frowned. “Do you have to put me down all the time? Geez. Can’t you—just for once—be pleasant about something?”

  Now it was Angie’s turn to frown. “Okay, fine,” she sighed, sitting down on her own bed. “Look, I don’t mean to say things like that all the time, but it just comes out naturally.”

  “Yeah well, you should work on that.”

  “Sean says the same thing.”

  Ella instantly perked up. “Really? Like recently? What did he say? Are you going to see him soon?”

  “This is the kind of thing I’m talking about!” Angie cried, pointing a finger at her. “Do you have to be so…perky? Can’t we just have a normal, non-excitable conversation?”

  Crossing her arms, Ella muttered, “Fine.”

  Angie sighed. “Okay, so we talk every day. And that’s not an exaggeration. He calls me every night when he knows I’m just sitting alone, just me and Trampus, and doing nothing. It’s…” She stopped and shrugged. “It’s kind of nice. We didn’t do that before.”

  “So it seems like he’s really trying. I’m sorry he couldn’t make it this weekend.”

  “Me too,” she replied, sighing again. “And he is—he’s really trying. And…I don’t know…he’s doing all the right things and saying all the right things and yet…”

  “You still don’t trust him.”

  “Exactly.”

  “There’s going to come a time when you’re going to have to get over your fear and decide if you really want to move forward with him or not. He’s not going to wait forever.”

  Angie’s eyes went wide. “Ella Gilmore, did you just give me a reality check? Like a for real reality check?”

  Ella grinned. “I am capable of that every once in a while.”

  “Yeah but you’re usually more of the rainbows-and-unicorns type where everyone is always happy and everything works out.”

  She shrugged. “Sometimes they don’t. And sometimes you have to have the guts to make that decision.”

  Angie got more comfortable on her bed and smiled. “Oh there’s a story there,” she said. “Come on. Out with it.”

  Ella didn’t even pretend not to understand. “Dylan and I moved up the wedding date.”

  “No!”

  Ella nodded. “And we broke the news to our parents last night.”

  “How did it go?”

  “How do you think? My mother cried. Dylan’s mom told us how disappointed she was…it was like a giant soap opera. You would have thought we said that we’d broken up. It was crazy. But we stood our ground and took control of our wedding back.”

  “And how do you feel now that you’ve done it?”

  “Honestly?”

  Angie nodded.

  “It…it didn’t offer the relief I thought it would.”

  “Uh-oh…”

  Ella nodded. “I know.”

  “So there’s something else bothering you.”

  Ella nodded again.

  “Well…? What is it?”

  Tears began to well in her eyes. “I thought it was the pressure of the wedding that was making me stressed. Then Dylan and I talked and agreed that we would downsize and change the date.”

  “But…?”

  “But now he’s talking about us starting a family right away.”

  Angie’s eyes widened. “Like…right away, right away? As in…now?”

  Ella nodded.

  “Shit. That’s a little out of the blue.”

  “I know. And part of me is completely on board and then I look at you and Becca and Hailey and…I feel very alone.”

  “Seriously? We’re together all the time.”

  “Not alone like that,” Ella huffed. “It’s more like I’m alone in all of this—just me and Dylan. We’re getting married and having kids and all of my friends aren’t.”

  “I hate to break it to you, El, but we’re all not ready to run out and get married. And that’s not a bad thing.”

  “I don’t know…I always pictured this happening for all of us at the same time. Then our kids would all be friends and we’d all be going through the craziness of figuring out how to be grown-ups together.”

  “We are. But we’re all growing into different adults. And again, it’s not a bad thing.”

  Ella’s shoulders slumped. “I know. Sometimes I just feel like maybe I’m missing too much.”

  “We’ve been over this before,” Angie reminded her. “The stuff you’re missing? It’s not that great. I wish I were in a relationship that was stable and secure with someone I knew I could trust. Do you have any idea how lucky you are that you get to go home to Dylan every night and know he loves you?”

  “I do. I know I’m sounding ungrateful…”

  Angie shook her head. “It’s not ungrateful. You’re getting ready to take a huge step, El. It’s okay to be scared.”

  “You’re the only one who thinks so. Everyone teases us about how nothing is going to change because we’ve been together for so long. And maybe they’re right. Maybe I’m freaking out over nothing.”

  “Don’t ever let anyone belittle your feelings. I know I do that sometimes—and most of the time I’m joking—but…you have a right to feel the way you do. And yeah, maybe a lot of things won’t change for you and Dylan once you’re married. But there are going to be changes. You’re going to have kids and you’re going to buy a house and neither of those are small things. But know this, El, it doesn’t matter how long the two of you have been together. Your journey is really just beginning.”

  Tears freely flowed down Ella’s cheeks. “Dammit, Ange,” she said, standing and walking to grab some tissues from the bathroom. “That was…that was exactly what I needed to hear.” She came out of the bathroom and walked over and hugged Angie. “Thank you.”

  “Yeah well…don’t tell anyone about it. I kind of enjoy being the hardass of the group. If you let it out that I have a sensitive side, I’ll have to kick your tiny, pixie ass.”

  Ella pulled back and chuckled. “Duly noted.”

  “Okay, let’s go downstairs and grab an early dinner. Then we can come up here and do our hair and makeup in the room rather than
downstairs in all of the chaos. What do you think?”

  “Sounds like a plan. Let me just go and fix my makeup.” She turned to walk back into the bathroom. “Should we call the girls to join us?”

  Angie shook her head. “Becca’s meeting up with Max and I’m thinking Hailey needs the time alone to get her head in the game for tonight.”

  “Do you think she’s really going to go through with it?”

  “I don’t know. I think she wants to go through with it, but I have a feeling it wouldn’t take much for her to chicken out.”

  “Oh, don’t say that. I want to believe she’s going to do this and that she and Logan will work out.”

  Angie was checking her own reflection in the mirror. “You don’t think there’s a chance that Logan’s not going to be interested?” she asked casually.

  Ella froze and met Angie’s gaze in their reflection. “Why wouldn’t he be? Hailey’s beautiful and they seem to get along great. Why would you even think that?”

  “Honestly, I don’t think he’s the one for her.”

  “Oh really? Why?”

  She shrugged and then turned and leaned against the vanity. “First of all, he’s not a motivated guy like we know Hailey wants. Logan’s a nice guy and all, but if he’s a slacker now at his age, it isn’t going to change when he’s older.”

  “True.”

  “Then there’s the fact that he’s pretty.”

  Ella chuckled. “And what’s wrong with that?”

  “He’s the kind of pretty that requires maintenance. That will eventually grate on Hailey’s nerves.”

  “I don’t think so. She’s known him long enough to figure that out and it hasn’t stopped her yet.” She applied some lip gloss and turned to Angie. “What else have you got?”

  “You know what…it’s nothing. Don’t mind me. I’m sure it’s going to go great,” Angie said swiftly and walked out of the bathroom to grab her purse.

  “Come on,” Ella said, hot on her heels. “There’s more! And you badgered me to tell you all my stuff so…out with it!”

  “First of all, I didn’t badger you.”

  “Whatever. Now tell me!”

  Angie sighed. “Don’t you think it’s odd that he’s never brought a date to any of the events Mrs. J has? Or any of the shows? We’ve all done it at one point or another. But Logan’s always alone. And he flirts with everyone.”

  “So…?”

  “So maybe it is a red flag that he’s not looking for a relationship. Hailey is! Hailey is the poster child for wanting a relationship. She may think she can do this fling thing but I think if Logan were to tell her it’s all he wants—right to her face—she’ll bail.”

  “And forever wonder…”

  Angie nodded. “Exactly.”

  “Well that sucks.”

  “You should have just let me drop it.”

  “Yeah well…curiosity and all that.”

  “You know me, I tend to think of the worst-case scenario in everything. She’s going to be fine. But I think it would be helpful if I don’t talk too much around her tonight. I don’t want to scare her off.”

  “Good point.” Ella grabbed her purse and room key. “So let’s go and eat and when we see her later on downstairs for the show, let’s keep the conversation neutral or show-related.”

  “I hope I can keep my mouth shut.”

  They walked out of the room, the door closing behind them. “Then pick on Becca. We know she’s having a sexy dinner with Max right now. And really, I’m doubting food will be involved at all. If you feel the need to talk about anyone’s sex life, go to hers. She’ll turn twenty shades of red and that should help you get your mean-girl fix.”

  Angie laughed. “You know what, Ella?”

  “What?”

  “I think I may have underestimated you all these years. Behind your tiny Tinker Bell exterior, you’re a little bit of an evil genius.”

  Ella beamed. “Coming from you, that is definitely a compliment.”

  ****

  The fashion show was its usual success.

  Everyone was happy and excited and planning to meet up for drinks down in the hotel bar.

  Hailey felt like she was going to throw up.

  Up in her room she checked her reflection for the tenth time. Everything was perfect. She looked—if she did say so herself—stunning. Her hair was perfect. Her makeup was perfect. And her dress, paired with a pearl necklace, was the perfect balance of sweet and sexy.

  Perfect.

  Yeah, she needed to work on her vocabulary because right now the word perfect also felt boring.

  A quick glance at the bedside clock showed it was almost eleven. The show had ended a little over an hour ago and she knew everyone would have had time to go back to their rooms and do what they needed to do and be down in the bar by now. She had purposely waited to go—she wanted to make a bit of an entrance. Smiling one last time at her reflection, she took a steadying breath and let it out slowly before grabbing her purse, which contained condoms and her room key.

  After the show, the girls had asked her if she wanted them with her, but she had said no. They were all a little surprised by the admission. Something like this was huge and normally they would all be around for emotional support. But Hailey had looked at Becca—who was wrapped in Max’s arms—and knew the two of them had better things to do than come and watch her hit on Logan. Ella was yawning and Angie had briefly mentioned in passing how Sean was supposed to call her tonight. So yeah, it was the right thing for Hailey to be going solo.

  Her heart was beating frantically on the way to the elevator and she was seriously glad she had ten floors to ride down to calm it. Looking down at her white shoes, she frowned. Maybe I should have gone with something a little less bold, she thought. Something a little less stiletto and more kitten. The doors rang as they opened and when she looked up, she gasped.

  Jack.

  “Well, look at you, Princess,” he said with a smile. “Hot date?”

  Stepping inside, she mentally groaned. Ignoring him for a moment, she hit the lobby button. “Just going down for a drink.”

  Beside her, Jack smiled and nodded as he moved a little closer, his hands clasped in front of him. He inhaled deeply. “Where are the girls? They meeting you down there?”

  Why wouldn’t he just shut up? “No, actually. They all had plans. I just thought I’d go and meet up with everyone from the show and have a glass of wine.” She glared at him. “That’s allowed, you know.”

  He held up his hands in mock surrender. “I never said otherwise.” Then he studied her. “You sure put in a lot of effort for the hotel bar. You sure you don’t have a date waiting for you?” he teased.

  Hailey couldn’t help it. She rolled her eyes. “Why are you so interested? And what are you doing roaming around the hotel? Don’t you have some place to be?”

  Jack nodded. “Same as you, Princess. Hitting the bar for a night cap.”

  Well damn, she thought. There wasn’t time for a snappy comeback; the doors to the lobby opened. Jack motioned for Hailey to go first and she could feel him staring at her back. Unfortunately, there was no way to get rid of him now and that meant he was going to be watching her hitting on—and hopefully leaving with—Logan.

  They walked in the direction of the music playing and at the door to the lounge, Hailey stopped and looked around, clutching her purse in her hands. It didn’t take long for her to find Logan. He was standing near the bar talking to a couple of guys—one was another model from the show, but she didn’t recognize the other one.

  Jack had stopped beside her and seemed to know who she was looking at. He let out a low chuckle.

  “What? What’s so funny?”

  “You’re down here for Logan?” he asked incredulously, unable to hide his grin. “That’s what this is all about? The dress, the heels…” He motioned to her entire body. “Whatcha wearing under your dress, Princess? Silk or lace?”

  Her eyes narrowed at him. �
�You know what? You’re incredibly crude,” she snorted. “And you know what else? It’s none of your business. Logan and I talked earlier and he mentioned he’d be down here. And if you look around, so are a lot of people from the show.”

  “And if you’ll notice, most of them are dressed casually. You’re the only one who looks like she’s going to a cotillion and not a bar.”

  “I’m not…” She snapped her mouth closed. He had her there. Maybe it would have been smarter to go casual, but it was too late now.

  Jack leaned down and whispered in her ear, “You are and trust me, you’re wasting your time.”

  The feel of his breath on her skin had her tingling unexpectedly. Hailey pulled back and stared at him.

  Jack nodded. “Look, you’ve got no reason to believe me, but…believe me. If you’re thinking of going in there and hitting on Logan, you’re going to be disappointed.”

  Every fiber of her being told her to believe him, but he had said it with just a hint of condescension that had her spine stiffening. With a forced smile, she simply walked away and made her way to the bar.

  “Logan!” she said as she got closer.

  “Hailey!” he replied, beaming at her. “Look at you! Beautiful as always.” He wrapped her in his embrace and for a minute, Hailey felt like all was going to be right with the world. When he pulled back, he kept one arm loosely wrapped around her waist. “Let me buy you a drink.”

  She smiled back at him. “Thanks, I’d love a glass of white zinfandel with a twist of lime. Please.”

  Logan ordered for her and then turned to his friends. “Hailey, you already know Jimmy,” he said, motioning to Jim Miles, who had been modeling for Enchanted for two years now. “And this is George.”

  Hailey reached out and shook his hand with her smile still in place. “It’s nice to meet you, George.”

  “You too, Hailey. Logan talks about you all the time,” George said.

  “Really?” she asked sweetly. “All good stuff, I hope.”

  “Of course,” Logan said, hugging her close again. Then he looked a little beyond her. “Jackson! Good to see you! I thought you were heading back upstairs?”

  Jack shrugged and gave Hailey a smirk. “I was thinking about it, but then I spotted Hailey and decided to have one last drink.”