Best She Ever Had (9781617733963)
Page 30
“Are you with the bride or groom?” He gestured toward the pews. “On which side would you like to be seated?”
That was a tricky question. The bride hadn’t invited Leila to the wedding; neither had the groom. But Leila certainly knew the bride better. Paulette Murdoch, Evan’s sister, was someone Leila had once considered a friend—almost a little sister.
“Umm . . . uh, bride . . . I-I guess,” Leila finally answered.
They noticed her hesitation and exchanged a look that Leila couldn’t decipher. The woman behind the usher whispered into her headset again and waited a beat.
What? Leila thought with panic. What did I do wrong?
The woman stepped forward, plastering on a smile that seemed more forced than friendly.
“I’m sorry. Would you mind giving me your name?”
“Uh . . . why?”
“I just want to make sure you’re seated in the proper area.” The woman then pulled out a pen and pointed down at the stack of papers. Leila could see several names listed along with checkmarks next to each of them.
You’ve gotta be kidding me, Leila thought.
They actually had a guest list for the church! What did they think? Someone was going to sneak into the wedding?
“You are sneaking into Paulette’s wedding!” the voice in her head chastised.
But still, this was ridiculous! Leila wondered if the guest list had been Evan’s idea.
Wouldn’t want the unwashed masses to wander in off the street, would we? Leila thought sarcastically. Wouldn’t want the poor people to stink up the place! Only the best and the brightest for the M&Ms!
M&Ms, or Marvelous Murdochs. People had been muttering and snickering over that nickname for decades around Chesterton, using it to derogatorily refer to the Murdochs—one of the most wealthy, respected, and (some said) stuck-up families in town. Of course that was better than their old nickname, the “High Yella’ Murdochs.” That name had faded once the Murdochs became more equal opportunity and let a few darker folks like Evan’s mom into the family.
“Well, my . . .” She paused, wondering how she was going to get out of this one. She most certainly wasn’t on the list. “My name is . . . my name is, uh—”
“Leila! Leila, over here!” someone called to her. Leila turned to find her childhood friend, Colleen, waving wildly. Colleen sat in one of the pews toward the front of the church.
Saved by the bell!
“Come on, girl!” Colleen shouted, still grinning. “Sit by me!”
“I guess my ‘proper area’ is up there, then?” Leila asked.
The usher laughed while the woman with the clipboard continued to scrutinize her, not looking remotely amused.
“Go right ahead,” he said, waving Leila forward.
She walked down the center aisle to Colleen. As she did so, she ran her hands across the front of her pale yellow dress. It was an old ensemble that she had thrown on at the last minute after raiding her closet. She hadn’t worn it in years, certainly not since she had given birth to her daughter. It felt a little tight and she worried that it wasn’t very flattering. The ill-fitting dress only added to her already heightened anxiety.
“I haven’t seen you in ages, girl! I didn’t know you’d be at Paulette’s wedding,” Colleen cried, removing her heavy leather purse from the pew and plopping it onto her ample lap. She shifted over, causing an elderly woman beside her to glance at her in annoyance. Colleen then adjusted the wide brim of her feather-decorated royal purple hat. “I saw you come in but you didn’t notice me waving at you. What were you thinking about staring off into space like that?”
Leila pursed her lips as she took the seat nearest to the center aisle. “Just took a little trip down memory lane, that’s all.”
“Memory lane?” Colleen frowned in confusion. Suddenly, her brown eyes widened. “Oh, I forgot! This is the church where you got married too, isn’t it?”
Leila nodded.
“Eight years ago last month! Girl, I remember,” Colleen continued. “It was a beautiful day, wasn’t it? And you looked so pretty in your gown.” She patted Leila’s hand in consolation. “I’m so sorry to hear about you and Brad, by the way.”
“Don’t be sorry,” Leila assured.
I’m certainly not, she thought.
Not only had Brad broken her heart, like Evan had predicted, but that man also had put her through so much pain during the course of their marriage—between the lies, philandering, his get-rich-quick schemes, and his all-around bullshit—that he was lucky she hadn’t thrown her wedding ring down the garbage disposal in outrage. Instead, she had pawned it to pay for a hatchback she purchased for her move from San Diego back to Chesterton. She had to get a new car after her Mercedes-Benz was repo’d thanks to Brad neglecting to mention that he hadn’t made any payments in four months.
“So it is final then?” Colleen asked. “It’s over between you two?”
“Almost. The divorce should be finalized in a few months, I guess.”
Leila certainly hoped it would. But frankly, there was no telling with Brad. He had been dragging his feet on the divorce, saying that his focus instead was on his criminal case. He faced charges for fraud and money laundering because he and his partners had bilked several wealthy clients in southern California out of more than twenty million dollars with some elaborate Ponzi scheme.
Thanks to Brad, his lawyer, and the California court system, Leila’s life was still in limbo. She felt like she was still swimming her way out of the whirlpool Brad kept sucking her into.
“Well, I’m glad you came back here,” Colleen said. “We missed you. I know I certainly did. I’m sorry your divorce is the reason why you came back, but . . . you tried your best, right?”
Leila nodded, then turned away to stare at the front of the church, wishing desperately that Colleen would drop the topic. She didn’t want to think about Brad right now. She had enough on her plate today.
“You put up with more than most wives would,” Colleen continued, oblivious to Leila’s growing discomfort. “It’s a wonder you lasted as long as you did. I know I wouldn’t have!”
Leila’s smile tightened.
“All that lying and cheating—and now that pyramid-scheme nonsense! That man has dragged you through the mud, Leila. Right on through it!” Colleen shook her head ruefully. “Girl, I would have taken a frying pan to the back of that man’s head years ago!”
It was bad enough to have a wreck of a marriage, to find out that you were sharing a bed every night with a liar and a hustler. But it was ten times worse knowing that everyone in town also knew—and Chesterton was a town that loved its gossip. She was sure her failed marriage and Brad’s criminal charges had been gossip du jour in every beauty salon, church gathering, and coffee shop in Chesterton for months.
Of course, Evan had discovered the truth first, but he didn’t need the town gossips to tell him. He had figured it out himself. He had seen through the varnish and spotted the shoddy workmanship underneath. He had seen the real Brad back when she met the smooth-talking Casanova her junior year in college. Though Brad had blinded Leila with his sweet talk, worldliness, and charm, Evan had called him on his bullshit. But she had been too naïve and lovesick at the time to listen to her then best friend. She wished now that she had. It could have spared her a lot of disappointment, agony, and heartbreak in the long run. It could have spared her from severing ties with Evan and the humiliation she was suffering today.
“The flowers are beautiful,” Leila said with a false cheeriness, trying to change the subject from Brad. She looked around her again, taking it all in.
Paulette Murdoch was probably deliriously happy with how the decorations had turned out. The décor fit her to the letter.
“I knew everything would be this nice though,” Leila said. “Paulette’s dad never spared any expense, especially when it came to his little girl. I’ve been away for a while, but even I remember that much.”
Colleen shook
her head and leaned toward Leila’s ear. “Not her father, honey,” she whispered. “All this was arranged while he was sick in the hospital and after he died seven months ago. It’s Evan who dished out the money for this wedding. He controls the purse strings now!”
Of course he does, Leila thought sullenly. Evan controlled everything. He held all the cards, which was why she was here today.
The last note of the melody the string quartet had been playing ended and the violins started to play Pachelbel’s “Canon in D.” The chatter in the sanctuary ceased as the church doors opened. The groom and his six groomsmen strolled toward the front of the church, near the pulpit, in single-breasted tuxedos with pink calla lilies pinned to their lapels.
The groom was a handsome man. He stood at six feet, had ebony-hued skin, and wide shoulders.
Just Paulette’s type, Leila thought.
Leila remembered the day when Evan’s little sister had described her ideal man. She had done it more than a decade ago as Leila painted the teen girl’s toenails bubble gum pink. The groom couldn’t have fit Paulette’s description better if she had drawn him herself.
Leila watched as the bridesmaids began the processional. They were all wearing satin gowns of various designs, but in the same shade of lavender. They clutched bouquets of hydrangea, freesia, and roses. Leila went from a pained to a genuine smile as she watched the adorable ring bearer and the flower girl make their way down the center aisle. The little girl reminded her of her own daughter, Isabel.
Suddenly, the music changed again. This time it was Vivaldi’s “Spring.” Everyone took their cue and rose from the pews in anticipation of the bride’s entrance.
Seconds later, Paulette stood in the church doorway, and she took Leila’s breath away.
Leila couldn’t believe this was the same unassuming teenager she had last seen ten years ago. This woman was beautiful and regal. Her long, dark, glossy hair cascaded over her bare burnt-copper-toned shoulders. Her curvy figure was accentuated by the mermaid cut of her strapless wedding gown, which was decorated with Swarovski crystals and lace. A cathedral-length veil trailed behind her dramatically.
Paulette looked so beautiful, so stunning, so absolutely—
Perfect, Leila thought as she stared at her in awe.
And holding Paulette’s satin-gloved hand was Evan. Being the new family patriarch, it only seemed right that Evan would give the bride away today. Judging from the grin on his strikingly handsome face, he seemed proud and happy to play the fatherly role.
Evan hadn’t aged much in the past decade, but he certainly looked more handsome and distinguished than Leila remembered. He had the same coppery skin as his sister and was even taller than the groom. The glasses he had often worn during childhood were gone. Leila was happy to see he had finally given them up for good. She had always thought he had the most soulful dark eyes that shouldn’t be hidden behind thick, plastic lenses.
As the brother and sister walked down the center aisle toward the altar, a lump formed in Leila’s throat. Her heart ached a little. This was the man whom she had once called her best friend. Once they had been so close. She had been able to turn to Evan in her darkest moments, to confess to him her worst fears. Now he wouldn’t even return her emails or phone calls. He hadn’t met her daughter. He had gotten married five years ago and she had found out about it months later. She hadn’t even met his wife!
Leila stared at the front pew, looking at the faces of the folks who sat there, wondering if his wife was among them.
She and Evan were practically strangers now. What the hell had happened to them?
Time . . . distance . . . silence, she thought.
But they could still make it right, she told herself, filling up with the warmth of the moment. They could put the past behind them. They could make amends. The guy standing in front of her didn’t seem petty or angry. Maybe she had just misunderstood him. Maybe they just misunderstood each other. Once she told Evan why she needed his help, he would listen. She knew he would!
As Paulette and Evan drew closer, Leila’s smile returned. She grinned at the bride whose loving gaze was focused solely on her husband-to-be.
Meanwhile, Evan’s eyes drifted to the wedding guests. He nodded at a few in greeting. Finally, he noticed Leila standing in the pews near the center aisle.
“Hey, Magoo,” she mouthed before giving him a timid wave.
Magoo. It was the nickname she had given him back when they were kids. Whenever he hadn’t worn his glasses, he had squinted like the cartoon character, Mr. Magoo. His nickname for her had been “Bugs” after Bugs Bunny, thanks to her bucked rabbit teeth that were thankfully corrected over time by a good set of braces.
When Leila waved at him as he walked past, Evan did a double take. Leila watched, deflated, as his broad smile disappeared. His face abruptly hardened and his jaw tightened. The dark eyes that she had once admired now snapped back toward the front of the church. Evan looked more than irritated at seeing her standing there in the church pew. He looked downright furious.
The warm, mushy feeling that had swelled inside of her abruptly dissolved. Her cheeks flushed with heat. Her heart began to thud wildly in her chest again.
“There goes that fantasy,” the voice in her head scoffed.
She should have known it wouldn’t be easy. Evan was obviously still angry at her and even more so now that she had sneaked into his sister’s wedding.
Fine, she thought. Be that way, Evan.
But she wasn’t giving up. She was still going to find a way to talk to him today—or yell at him or plead with him, whatever was required. She would find a way to plead her mother’s case.
DAFINA BOOKS are published by
Kensington Publishing Corp.
119 West 40th Street
New York, NY 10018
Copyright © 2015 by Shelly Ellis
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publisher, excepting brief quotes used in reviews.
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ISBN: 978-1-6177-3395-6
eISBN-13: 978-1-61773-396-3
eISBN-10: 1-61773-396-2
First Kensington Electronic Edition: January 2015