The Wedding Wager

by Rachel Astor

  “Thanks,” I blubbered.

  Mattie just sat with his hands crossed on his lap, looking uncomfortable and waiting for me to finish my breakdown.

  I gasped and gulped and snorted and sniffed until finally I resembled something of a human being again.

  Mattie cleared his throat. “Well, that was nasty. Just in case you were wondering, you are not one of those people who look cuter when they’re crying.”

  “Oh, thank you so much,” I said. “And there is no such thing as people who look cuter crying.”

  He bowed his head and shook it, as if wondering how on Earth I’d ever made it this far through life. “Um, hello. Have you forgotten about Audrey Hepburn, Meg Ryan, or the cat from the Shrek movies?”

  I burst out laughing, and boy did it feel good. I mean, the cry was cleansing and all, but a good belly laugh certainly never hurt anyone. “Oh pardon me, I guess you’re right then.”

  “So, are you going to call him, or what?”

  I was suddenly more nervous than I had ever been in my life. I mean, I was McMaster the Disaster, after all. The chances were quite good that I would screw it up again. “Uh, maybe I’ll just send an email.”

  “Josie, this is the love of your life and you’re scared of calling him, aren’t you?”

  I nodded, feeling a tad bit sheepish.

  He sighed. “So sad.”

  “I know, I know, but I don’t know what to say.”

  “Fine, email him then. At least let him know there’s still a chance for you two before the poor boy goes and throws himself off a bridge.”

  I rolled my eyes and started typing.

  Dear Jake,

  I’m sorry I haven’t responded to any of your emails or calls. I haven’t actually been checking my messages for a while now. I’ve basically been holed up in my apartment trying to figure out my life.

  I’d really like to see you.

  Love,

  Josie

  “That’s all you’re putting?” Mattie asked, aghast as I hit the send button. “All the things going on in your head and that’s all you’re going to say?”

  I turned to glare at him as he snooped over my shoulder. “I told you, I didn’t know what to say, geez.”

  I glanced back at the computer, thinking I’d put it away for a little while and not try to check it too compulsively when a new message popped up.

  I’ll be there in fifteen minutes.

  Jake

  “Oh shit,” I said, my eyes wide, turning to Mattie.

  “You cannot let him see you like that,” he said, his own panic creeping into his voice.

  “I know!” I yelled, jumping up off the couch and spinning in a full circle, which of course, accomplished exactly nothing.

  “Get to your vanity table!” Mattie yelled, above the crazy weird noises that were coming out of my mouth. “I’ll find something for you to wear, but you have got to get some makeup to cover those red eyes and nose!” He was beginning to flail something fierce.

  I had no idea if it was right or not, but I jumped to attention at Mattie’s command and high-tailed it to my bedroom.

  I jumped over to my vanity, scrambling to find the right foundation and cursing myself for keeping such a huge collection of them. I mean, I didn’t even wear them all, and half of them weren’t even close to the right color for me.

  Of course, I never thought I’d be in a situation where foundation was practically a matter of life or death either.

  Panicking, I started tossing bottle after bottle into the garbage, suddenly needing to get rid of the old clutter, a sense of claustrophobia coming over me. In my out of control state, I knocked one of the bottles over, a huge mess seeping over my white dressing table. I froze, my mind going blank, still emotionally unable to deal with a new crisis, no matter how small.

  “Josie, what are you doing?” Mattie asked, charging out of the closet with a few items of clothing in his hands.

  “I don’t know, I can’t get anything straight, I have to get rid of some of this junk. I’m a total mess.”

  Mattie crouched down in front of me. “Josie, it’s going to be okay, just breathe. Don’t worry, he obviously wants you back.”

  “But…” the tears started threatening again. “What if he can’t deal with this?” I asked, motioning to my mess of a self. “I can’t be in perfect makeup and perfect hair every day all day.”

  “Josie, I’m sure Jake doesn’t care about all that.”

  “But look at me, I’m a disaster. I mean, that’s my friggin’ nickname for God’s sake. I’m going to screw stuff up.”

  The buzzer went and my eyes went wide.

  “Oh God, he’s early,” Mattie said. “I’ll try and stall him.”

  Stall him? I thought. Is that what I was doing? Just stalling the inevitable?

  Jake had never seen me the way I was then. No makeup, grungy clothes, red eyes. What if he wasn’t willing to deal with the real me?

  Jake burst through the door, Mattie close on his heels. “I tried to stop him from barging in but…”

  I waved him away. “It’s okay Mattie.”

  He nodded and backed out the door, closing it behind him.

  Jake rushed over and knelt in front of me. I’d never felt so exposed in my life and tried to hide my face in my hands.

  “Josie, what are you doing?” He pulled my hands away.

  I turned my head and caught a glimpse of myself in the mirror. It was worse than I thought.

  My hands instinctively tried to go to my face again, but Jake held on to them.

  He sighed. “I’m so sorry Josie. I don’t know what got into me, I think maybe I just got scared or something.”

  “I know,” I said, fighting tears as hard as I could. “Life around me can get pretty scary.”

  “No, it’s not that. I think I was scared of everything. It sounds so stupid and cliché but I think I was scared of the commitment, of everything moving so fast.” He put his hand to my face and wiped a tear I hadn’t even known had fallen. “Not of you. Never of you.”

  “But look at me, I’m such a mess.”

  “I’ve never seen you look more beautiful.”

  And with that, I burst into tears, laughing and bawling at the same time.

  “Josie McMaster,” Jake said, wiping my tears with a tissue. “Will you please… please marry me?”

  I let out a sort of cry laugh and nodded. “Yes… please,” I said between gulping breaths.

  “Oh dear God, we’ve lost so much time,” a voice came from the hallway.

  Jake and I turned and looked, realizing that Mattie hadn’t completely closed the door behind him after all. He gave us a sheepish look, then started fanning himself, pacing up and down the hallway.

  Jake and I burst into giggles.

  CHAPTER 21

  The next several weeks went by in a huge blur.

  As per usual, I attempted to panic approximately once every few minutes, but everyone told me not to worry about a thing.

  It wasn’t that I was so busy with wedding planning, it was that no one would even let me help. They said it was all a big surprise and I would love it. If it weren’t for Jen constantly taking me to the spa, out walking, and trying to get me to concentrate on my writing, I might have become a complete basket case.

  Oh, who was I kidding? I was totally a complete basket case.

  ~ ~ ~

  The big day arrived and a strange calm came over me. Whatever was going to happen, would happen.

  I was chauffeured to a huge white tent, which the car drove right into. Memories of being a bridesmaid in Emma Van Horn’s wedding flooded back. The photographers, the decorations, the dresses… it would all be here again, only this time it was for me.

  Okay, and Jake.

  The drone of a helicopter, muffled only by the sound of the tent added to the excitement.

  Still in my regular clothes, I was ushered through the tent quickly, then through hall after hall after hall and I couldn’t hel
p but wonder if my wedding was going to be in a funhouse. With Mattie involved, one could never rule anything out. All the while, the people whisking me through kept rushing me.

  “What’s the hurry, anyway?”

  “Can’t risk seeing the groom,” a large man said, looking in every direction, then pressing his hand against his ear as if listening in an earpiece.

  All this just so I wouldn’t see the groom? I thought. It had my mother written all over it. Of course that would mean…

  I couldn’t help but be the teensiest disappointed that they had negotiated to do Mom’s wedding. I mean, it was going to be beautiful of course, but I couldn’t help but think Mattie’s whimsical one suited me just a little bit more. I could only imagine what my mother had to do to make it happen. Probably pay poor Mattie off or something. Or, perhaps poor was the wrong word, at least if he’d been bribed. I hoped he’d still come to the wedding. I couldn’t imagine the most important day of my life without him.

  I shouldn’t have worried.

  The second we finally reached our destination, Mattie himself flung open the door, as if he knew we were coming, which I suppose he probably did, given the fact he had one of those fancy earpieces too.

  “What’s my code name?” I couldn’t help but ask.

  Mattie looked at me like I was crazy though I wasn’t sure if he was more surprised at the question, or the fact that I was holding him up.

  Finally, I supposed he thought it would be faster just to answer the question. “Cinderella.”

  A huge grin crept across my face.

  Which, of course, Mattie made a face at. “Your mother won.” He grimaced again.

  “What did you want?”

  “Alice.”

  “As in an old lady?” I was so not seeing the connection to me and an Alice.

  He scoffed. “No, as in falling down the rabbit hole Alice.”

  “Ahhh…” I said.

  He tugged on my arm as if to say the conversation was over; there were much more important things to do.

  I was happy to be dragged along though. It was, after all, the happiest day of my life. You know, unless he left big red welts on my arm, which I was actually getting a little afraid of.

  But no, even that couldn’t spoil it.

  For the next two hours I was effectively a makeup, hair, and wardrobe dummy. Dozens of people in and out of the room, all in one huge hurry. I didn’t have to do a thing by myself. Seriously, one lady even went into my mouth with a water pick. I was amazed and a little disgusted at the same time, though admittedly, my teeth had never felt cleaner.

  As the time neared for the ceremony—well, I could only assume, since no one had actually given me any sort of timeline—they sent me into a room by myself to get into the correct undergarments. I quickly changed and took a minute to sit down and wonder if this was what it was like for runway models at a fashion show. I took a deep breath and let it out slowly, the panic and stress of the past couple hours draining away.

  A smile spread across my face.

  I was getting married.

  Soon more people entered the room and a dress was wheeled in on a dressmaker’s dummy. It was spectacular. Very traditional of course, making me even more sure my mother had won out on the negotiations. Mattie was being such a good sport still agreeing to be the stylist even though all his ideas were obviously shut down.

  “You are such a good friend,” I said to him as I stepped into the dress.

  “Thanks hon,” he said, winking.

  Jen and Rosie came in after I was finally buttoned into the dress and both of them looked like they might cry. Rosie looked gorgeous in her shimmery taupe strapless dress, which showed off the paleness of her skin beautifully, and Jen looked just as amazing in it, the dress somehow almost hiding her baby bump and she had a glow like only a pregnant woman could have.

  Mattie handed me a bouquet of cream, beige, and the lightest of pink roses, an absolute perfect compliment to my bridesmaids’ dresses. He turned away quickly, thinking he would hide the tear in his eye, but he wasn’t fast enough. I decided to let it slide without comment though; he’d had enough to deal with, what with my mother winning out on the entire wedding and everything.

  As one last swipe of powder was administered and Mattie turned around the full-length mirror with a flourish, giving me the first look at myself.

  I looked so different I nearly cried. But in a totally amazing way.

  My hair was done in an up-do, which did make me pause, wondering what on Earth they’d put so many curls in for, but it looked spectacular. The dress was an absolute perfect fit, I had no idea how they got it that way without any fittings, but somehow it was like it was made for me. A strapless, sweetheart neckline in the simplest white fabric, though you could tell it was of the highest quality the way it draped.

  Long gloves finished off the effect and I could see then why they made my code name Cinderella. It was like I belonged in the wedding scene of the cartoon, without any of the cheese factor that went along with it. This wedding would have nothing but the best; my mother would make sure of it.

  And in that moment, as if she knew I was thinking of her, in walked my mother. One glance at me and tears actually came to her eyes. Tears! I was too stunned to talk.

  “You look like you belong in a storybook,” she said, hugging me, careful not to mess my hair or makeup.

  “Thanks,” I said, my own eyes threatening to spill.

  Mattie fluttering around me like a bee, tissue in hand for any possible tear incidents.

  “Everything is perfect,” I said to my mother, pausing to glance at Mattie with an ‘I’m sorry’ look, but he was being the perfect gentleman and had taken a few steps back, pretending he wasn’t listening.

  “I’ve dreamed of this day since you were born,” Mom said, holding my hands, and in that moment I felt bad for all the times I’d been impatient with her, for all the times I’d fought with her, for all the times I’d avoided her calls.

  Then her brow crinkled. “This wasn’t the shade of lipstick I chose,” she said, grabbing my head with both hands, craning my head from side to side so she could get a better look.

  “It’s time,” Mattie said, rescuing me and dabbing the corner of my eye with a tissue, careful not to mess up my makeup.

  My stomach leapt practically out of my body and I hoped momentarily that I wouldn’t puke all over my gorgeous dress, but it settled as quickly as it came and I realized it was only excitement and maybe a few jitters.

  Most of the people cleared out of the room, including my mother, who’d regained her composure from the lipstick incident and blew me a kiss on her way out.

  I smiled. Some things would never change.

  I took a deep breath and let it out slowly through my mouth in a zen calming sort of way.

  “Okay, here we go,” Mattie said, opening the door.

  I could only hope it wouldn’t be as far of a walk to wherever the ceremony was being held because the heels I was wearing were not the type for hiking across a building that seemed to be as big as a stadium.

  But it’s not like I was going to complain or anything.

  Thankfully, we walked only a short distance to a service elevator. It took a minute or two to get my bridesmaids, Mattie, and my entire dress into the bloody thing, even though the capacity was twenty-two people. The dress, needless to say, was the real task.

  The doors opened and I half expected to be inside the hall area, but all it was, was another hallway.

  Mattie whispered, “Cinderella has arrived for the ball,” touching his earpiece and in about fifteen seconds, Here Comes the Bride began to play.

  Even I rolled my eyes at that one, my mother was nothing if not predictable.

  Rosie went through the door and started her decent down the aisle and I strained to catch a glimpse of the decorations, but the curtain covering the door closed much too quickly. Jen’s cue came and she was off, again the curtains drew shut before I could catch
much but a burst of flowers.

  And then it was my turn.

  The fabric parted and I took my first step into what could have been a church if I hadn’t known better. All the people I knew, and some I’m pretty sure I didn’t know, stood, their chairs in perfect lines, just like the pews in a cathedral. Every chair had a shimmery cover over it, and the ceiling was draped in droops of flimsy, silky fabric.

  I was so busy taking everything in—the hundreds of candles, the floral and spicy scent, and what must have been several thousand roses, in vases, petals on the ground, and the huge topiaries that my mother and I had gone to check out ages ago—that I’d nearly forgotten the eyes of the crowd were on me and I was supposed to be doing something.

  Like, you know, taking the biggest step of my life.

  Luckily, a big step like that required that I only take a few small steps in order to get down the aisle. And they were some of the shakiest steps I’d ever taken in my life.

  Fear surged through me, but not as much as excitement did. My head spun and my stomach flipped. I tried to focus on the people in the crowd, I wanted to remember who had come to my wedding obviously, but it was impossible to pick out even one person in the waves of smiling heads.

  Then I looked ahead.

  And saw Jake.

  My vision tunneled and my head stilled, my heart calming to a completely relaxed state. He looked at me and smiled, his eyes glistening just a bit. Nothing else entered my mind. My focus was clear. Jake. Nothing but getting to Jake.

  He took my hand and the whole world fell into place. I knew then that nothing could be more right than in that moment, in one of the most beautiful rooms I had ever seen.

  It was weird, I noted, that the room was so tiny. Given the size of the building, I figured the place would be massive, but I supposed maybe Mother hadn’t rented the entire thing. I didn’t give it much thought because the priest or JP or whoever he was started to speak.