by Gina Wilkins
“Brandon McCafferty certainly thought so,” the final bridesmaid, Lucy Dixon, a cousin to BiBi and Corinna, remarked. “He couldn’t take his eyes off you all day yesterday, you lucky girl. He’s so cute.”
A wave of pink touched Corinna’s cheeks. “He is sort of cute,” she admitted. “A little young for me, of course.”
Lucy blew out a dismissive breath. “He’s all of a few months younger than you. Not even a year, right? I know he was only a grade behind you back in school. He had a crush on you back then, too.”
Corinna bit her lip for a moment, then reached determinedly for the glass of orange juice and champagne a server had just placed in front of her. She jumped to her feet. “Looks like everyone’s here. BiBi, hang up the phone and come join your guests. Whatever glitch you’re fretting about now can wait until after breakfast. I’m going to start things off with a toast.”
Looking torn between irritation with the interruption and responsibility to her guests, BiBi disconnected the call she’d been on in one corner of the sunroom and hurried to her place at the table between her mother and mother-in-law-to-be.
“I was just talking to Jason,” she admitted. “I wanted to tell him to make sure Justin’s at the rehearsal later this afternoon. I know Carl’s already given instructions, but I just wanted to make sure…”
“We’re not talking about problems—or potential ones—now,” Corinna cut in insistently. Some of the charming pink had left her cheeks now, and Madison didn’t know whether to attribute it to her exasperation with her sister or the mention of Jason’s name. Maybe a little of both, with emphasis on the latter.
As Corinna began a somewhat rambling toast to her older sister, Madison made a pretense of listening, her own mimosa in her hand in preparation for lifting it toward the bride. She found her thoughts drifting backward a few hours, to a perfect, intimate moment in Jason’s arms. A flood of warmth filled her in response to the thought, making her moisten her lips and long for the cool drink waiting in her hand.
She wondered if Jason was listening to a wordy toast at the groomsmen’s breakfast, thinking of her and remembering a few perfect moments.
She couldn’t help wondering somewhat wistfully if she would ever know that sort of perfection again. At that moment, she couldn’t imagine discovering such ecstasy with anyone but Jason. That unwelcome thought was enough to make her gulp her mimosa a bit too urgently when the toast ended, causing her to cough and sputter into her napkin.
Both BiBi and Corinna looked at her oddly, but she kept her expression bland, commenting lightly that the drink had gone down the wrong way. If she was going to get through the next day and a half without any repercussions to her friendship with BiBi, she was going to have to make a concerted effort not to think about Jason at all.
That would definitely not be easy, she thought, taking another, more careful sip of her drink before reaching for her fork with a bright smile for her table mates.
Chapter Seven
BiBi’s wedding planner had the personality of a hardened drill sergeant, Madison decided later that afternoon. Her name was Phyllis Crumble and her round, pink face was deceptively innocuous. She gave instructions in a sweetly musical voice, but the moment someone stepped out of line, she barked corrections in a firm, don’t-mess-with-me tone that would have made any schoolteacher proud. Even BiBi seemed a bit intimidated by the woman she had hired to ensure the wedding went smoothly.
Phyllis worked with the ushers first, giving them instructions and then insisting that each one escort her down the aisle, and woe to them if they didn’t ask, “Bride’s side or groom’s side?”
Madison had to hide a smile when young Justin D’Alessandro gave his brother a harried, what-did-I-get-myself-into look after his training session. Apparently, he’d accidentally escorted Phyllis to the wrong side of the church when she’d asked to sit on the groom’s side, and he’d been sternly reprimanded. And then Phyllis patted his cheek and told him he’d done a wonderful job before she turned to the next nervous usher.
If it took this long just to drill the ushers, Madison couldn’t help wondering how long it would take until Phyllis was satisfied with the rest of the wedding party’s performances. It had already been a rather long day, and it was far from over.
Though the time in the spa had been intended to be relaxing, it hadn’t been overly successful, as far as Madison was concerned. BiBi seemed to be growing more stressed as the wedding drew nearer, which rather surprised Madison. BiBi had seemed so blissfully happy when the long weekend began. Madison couldn’t imagine that her friend was getting cold feet about the marriage itself, so she wasn’t sure why BiBi was being so obsessive about the wedding details. Every little glitch sent her into another frenzy of phone calls and pacing, and glitches were inevitable with plans as detailed as BiBi’s. While it hadn’t surprised Madison at all that BiBi was being such a perfectionist this weekend, she had thought her friend would handle the setbacks better than she had thus far.
Madison had been waiting for a chance to speak to BiBi in private, but that opportunity hadn’t yet presented itself. Either BiBi had been surrounded by other people in the spa or at the luncheon following, or she’d been on the phone or in a frantic discussion with her mother or wedding planner. Now that rehearsals were underway in the church only a few blocks from the hotel, there was certainly no way to pull BiBi aside.
As directed by the wedding planner, Madison stood at the back of the church with the other bridesmaids, mothers of the bride and groom, and the flower girl and ring bearer while the ushers were being trained. Carl and his groomsmen were grouped at the front of the church waiting to be herded to the side room where they would listen for their cue in the ceremony.
“That will do,” Phyllis finally pronounced. She made a note in her ever-present notebook, dismissing the ushers. Justin and the other three ushers quickly escaped to sit in a tight clump on a pew at the back side of the church where they seemed to hope she couldn’t see them.
Phyllis raised her voice so that everyone in the church could hear her clearly. For a small woman, she projected very well. “Once the guests are seated, the soloist will perform before the grandmothers and mothers are escorted into the church.”
“Maybe I should have chosen that other song I was considering,” BiBi fretted from behind Madison. “What do you think, Mother? Should I have Lorelei sing them both for me again? She said she would be happy to sing either.”
“She didn’t say it was okay for you to change your mind twenty-four hours before the wedding,” Corinna countered. “She and the pianist have already practiced several times. That song will be fine.”
“I think that’s my decision, not yours,” BiBi snapped.
Madison knew that tone. Her friend was on the verge of a hissy fit. BiBi didn’t let her temper get out of control often, but when she did…well, suffice it to say that was one reason Madison had been so cautious that weekend. She loved BiBi, knew her to be a loving, generous, warmhearted woman, but she had learned years earlier to avoid BiBi in full-on diva mode.
“The song is beautiful, BiBi,” their mother interceded swiftly, also familiar with her older daughter’s sometimes capricious moods. “And you said it was special to you and Carl. I think you should keep it.”
BiBi nodded shortly. “Fine. We’ll keep it.”
“Is there a problem back there?” Phyllis inquired, looking up from her notebook, obviously displeased at not having everyone’s full attention.
“No problem,” Tina replied cheerily. “Carry on.”
“Thank you.” Phyllis cleared her throat. “After the soloist performs…”
“I heard she used to teach junior high before switching to wedding planning,” Hannah murmured to Madison.
Madison stifled a laugh. “That doesn’t surprise me at all,” she
whispered back.
She stood back and watched as Phyllis sent the groom and his attendants to the side room. “Listen for your cue, now,” she warned them. “We’ll practice your entrance a couple of times before the bridesmaids rehearse.”
Carl and his friends turned obediently to obey her instructions. Jason glanced casually toward the back of the church as he filed out, and Madison spun quickly away before their eyes could meet. She’d had little chance to interact with him that day. They’d sat at different tables during lunch and had arrived separately at the church for the rehearsal. Yet she had been acutely aware of him whenever they’d been in the same room, even if they were facing opposite directions. He’d been equally careful not to give any indication that he noticed her, but she suspected he was aware of her, too. How could they not be focused on each other, considering the connection they had formed during the night together?
She looked toward the ushers, noticing that Corinna had slipped over there and was now giggling animatedly, if very quietly, with Brandon McCafferty. Corinna had to be flattered by the fascination on Brandon’s face when he looked at her. He seemed to be enthralled by her every word and gesture, and what woman wouldn’t respond to that, especially when another man had recently made it clear that he wasn’t enchanted by her?
Madison was pretty sure there was a new appreciation in Corinna’s eyes for Brandon, who really was a very attractive man. Not as gorgeous as Jason—but then, not many men were, she thought with a ripple of wry exasperation with herself.
She hoped Corinna and Brandon hit it off—not because Madison wanted Jason for herself, but because Corinna deserved to give her heart to someone who wanted it, and who was eager to give his own in return. Whatever suspicions Corinna might have had about Madison earlier had seemed to fade during the day. She had been relaxed during the spa time and lunch, as polite as ever toward Madison. Either she had convinced herself that nothing was going on between Madison and Jason, or she’d decided to move on from her unrequited crush. Whatever the reason, Madison was relieved, and even more convinced that discretion had definitely been the right decision for herself and Jason.
Madison noticed that BiBi was nearby and for once not talking on her phone or conversing with anyone else. Madison took advantage of the opportunity to ask, “How are you holding up, Beebs? Getting a little stressed?”
“Why? Are you saying I look stressed?” BiBi frowned and whirled to study her image in a gilt-framed mirror on the foyer wall. “Oh, damn, I look terrible. Bags under my eyes, and my skin looks yellow.”
Everyone within range of her plaintive complaint hastened to assure her that she looked as beautiful as ever. Fluttering around her daughter anxiously, Tina shot Madison a look of reproof, as if Madison had deliberately upset the anxious bride.
Madison sighed, losing patience. “BiBi, could I talk to you for a minute?”
“There’s no time for a talk now,” Tina said, tapping her watch. “Phyllis is going to want to start rehearsal for the procession as soon as the men know their places. And we don’t want to annoy Phyllis.”
Everyone nodded as if that were a given.
“Excuse me.” Phyllis spoke loudly enough to draw all attention to herself as she faced the front of the church. “Where is the third groomsman?” She glanced at her notebook. “Jason D’Alessandro?”
Madison followed Phyllis’s disapproving glare. Carl stood in place in front of the altar, flanked by his best man, his older brother, Curtis. Their cousin Allen stood beside Curtis, and there was an obvious gap between Allen and the remaining three groomsmen.
Carl cleared his throat. “Umm, Jason’s on the phone. A call from a patient.”
Phyllis crossed her arms. “We’ll wait.”
Carl shook his head. “He warned it could take a while. He said he’s been a groomsman before, so he knows what to do.”
“Seriously?” BiBi threw up her hands. “Jason’s blowing off the rehearsal? I cannot believe this.”
“He’s not blowing it off,” Carl argued, dividing his wary attention between his fiancé and the wedding planner. “He’s a doctor. He had to take the call.”
“He’s off duty,” BiBi snapped back. “And he has partners who are supposed to be covering for him. If he couldn’t take time off for our wedding, he shouldn’t have agreed to be a groomsman.”
Justin started to rise from his seat with the other ushers. “Jason wouldn’t interrupt everything with a call unless it was important,” he insisted loyally. “You know he takes his responsibilities seriously—to his patients and to the commitments he makes to his friends.”
Phyllis clapped her hands imperiously. “We must move on,” she said firmly. “I’ll have to trust that the rest of you men will direct Jason into position when the time comes. Now, we must line up the processional, flower girl and ring bearer first, followed by the bridesmaids in the following order.”
Consulting her notebook, she barked names and each attendant moved quickly into position. Madison found herself standing between Hannah and Lucy. Corinna followed Lucy, after which BiBi would enter. Which made Madison the third bridesmaid. She would be walking out of the church with Jason, she realized abruptly. She didn’t know whether to be more pleased by the coincidence or concerned about the potential awkwardness.
She could still hear BiBi muttering behind her when the music started and they prepared to begin their evenly paced walk up the aisle. Over to the side, Justin still glowered in response to the criticism of his brother. Madison hoped the call was really important enough to warrant this tension. As unreasonable as BiBi had been at times that day, Madison could almost agree with her on this point. After all, Madison was also a doctor, and yet she allowed herself to turn off her phone occasionally when she was away from work. Even physicians were allowed to have a personal life, though not all of their patients always agreed with that sentiment.
Remembering BiBi’s comments about the complaints Jason’s last girlfriend had made about his overdeveloped commitment to his family and his practice, Madison told herself it was just as well she wasn’t expecting anything from him after this random weekend. From the day she’d entered medical school, she had vowed that her career would not completely rule her life, and she couldn’t imagine trying to have a relationship with someone who did live that way. Since Jason hadn’t made any big changes to salvage his relationship with his ex, either he liked his life exactly the way it was, or he didn’t want to add yet another commitment to his already demanding schedule.
Their wedding weekend fling must have been as relaxingly appealing for him as it was to her, she mused, pretending to hold a bouquet as she responded to a nod from Phyllis and began the measured walk up the aisle. Enjoy, have fun, then walk away unscathed and unfettered. Whatever Jason’s motivations, this was entirely the wrong time for her to add complications to her own life. Including, she thought with a glance over her shoulder, a clash with her longtime friend.
Phyllis ran them through the procession twice before she was satisfied. Once everyone was in place at the front of the church, she studied them critically before giving a nod. “Fine. Now, let’s rehearse the walk out. Bride and groom, you will turn toward your guests while the minister presents you as a married couple. Bride, retrieve your bouquet from your maid of honor…”
Corinna pretended to pass invisible flowers to her sister, who smiled a bit tightly.
“…and you begin your walk down the aisle, followed by the ring bearer and flower girl. Micah, offer your arm to Nicole the way I showed you earlier. Yes, that’s lovely. Now, follow the bride and groom to the exit. Not too fast. All right, best man, offer your arm to the maid of honor. Now, next couple. And the third…oh, dear. Well, Madison, you’ll just have to pretend.”
Stifling a wry smile, Madison fell into step behind Lucy and Allen. It wasn’t hard to pretend that J
ason was at her side. She could imagine him next to her in a variety of interesting poses. With only a bit more effort, she could almost feel him touching her again, making her pulse race in a manner that was probably unbecoming for a bridesmaid.
Jason waited for them in the church foyer, his expression penitent as he stepped toward BiBi. “I’m very sorry, BiBi. If the call hadn’t been important, I never would have…”
“It’s okay, Jason,” Carl said hastily. “It’s not like it’s hard to just walk out and stand there, especially since you’ve done this before.”
BiBi gave her fiancé a stern look. “Well, since you find everything so easy, there was really no reason for us to rehearse at all, was there?”
“Now, honey…”
“BiBi, I’m really sorry…”
BiBi shook her head at both men, drew a deep breath, then turned determinedly toward her wedding planner. “Was that rehearsal sufficient, Phyllis, or should we run through it all again now that everyone has joined us?”
Jason winced, and everyone else, like Madison, seemed to hold their breath, hoping Phyllis would call it enough. The flower girl was beginning to whine a little, plaintively informing her mother that she was hungry. The planner seemed tempted to begin again, but a glance at her watch had her shaking her head. “No, that will do.”
After a collective sigh of relief, the members of the wedding party began to gather their things in preparation for leaving the church. There was still a formal rehearsal dinner to be followed by the groom’s family’s gala, which meant yet another change of clothing.
Madison was beginning to wonder if BiBi would make it through the remainder of the day without suffering a meltdown. What on earth was going on with her friend? She’d seemed fine yesterday.
As the church cleared, Madison couldn’t help noticing that Corinna frowned at Jason before turning to be escorted from the church by Brandon. Was Corinna, too, irked with Jason about missing rehearsal? Maybe she was beginning to agree with his ex-girlfriend that as good-looking and charming as he was, it took too much effort to compete with all the other obligations in his life. Especially when Corinna had totally attentive Brandon there to compare to Jason.