The Undercover Bridesmaid

by Montpetit, Kimberley

  “He was smitten with you last night. No doubt about it.”

  “He’s very nice,” Chloe admitted.

  “What did you two talk about? It looked like you were hitting it off.”

  Had she and Brett taken to each other immediately? Chloe wondered. Or was it because she had been trying to make Liam jealous? She wondered about her own motivations, despite the lovely idea of a romantic weekend in Savannah.

  “We talked about all kinds of things. Savannah, mostly.”

  “Are you going to visit him?”

  Chloe gave her cousin a wide-eyed gaze. “He has to officially invite me first.”

  “Well, that’s not going to be a problem,” Mercedes said knowingly.

  “You two looked adorable together when you were dancing,” Katey added.

  Mercedes grinned. “I overheard Mark and Gary and Brett talking about you this morning in the breakfast room.”

  “Oh, great. In what capacity? How klutzy I am falling into a swimming pool while dancing?”

  “Not at all. Brett’s interested and would like to get to know you better.”

  “Hmm,” Chloe said. “I think I’d like that, too.”

  “And I think you’re done,” Margo said. She sprayed Chloe’s hair with a ton of super holding mist. “Gotta make sure your hair doesn’t fall if we get humidity tonight. You’re going to be partying for hours, I hear.”

  “Not me,” Chloe laughed. “At midnight, I turn into a pumpkin.”

  “I’ll forgive you,” Mercedes said. “I know you’re not completely well yet.” She reached over and squeezed Chloe’s hand. “Thank you for being here with me. Now that today is here, I knew I couldn’t have had any other bridesmaid.”

  Forty-five minutes later, their makeup was finished, too. It was after four and the wedding party had to dress no later than five-thirty.

  Chloe’s phone buzzed with a text message from Brett Sorenson.

  Since there’s still a couple hours before the ceremony, would you care to take a drive with me for half an hour? I’m downstairs, and I’ll wait.

  Chloe gulped, turning to Mercedes. “It’s Brett. Did you put him up to something?”

  Her cousin assumed an innocent look. “Who, me? No, silly. He likes you, Chloe. Go enjoy some time with him before the wedding starts. Mark told me that Brett has to take the red-eye flight out tonight, so this is your only chance to get to know him without a hundred people around.”

  “Well, when you put it that way.” Chloe typed out her response. Sure. I’ll meet you in the driveway in ten minutes.

  “Just don’t drive with the windows down,” Margo warned. “You’ll ruin your hair.”

  “Duly noted,” Chloe assured her.

  She was downstairs in one minute flat. The main floor was quiet. Everyone was either resting in their rooms or showering. This was her last chance to examine the diamonds before Mercedes put them on.

  In ten seconds, the safe was open. Holding up the necklace in both hands, she zeroed the UV light and the microscopic loupe on each stone, glancing down at her list of angles and imperfections. Every single one checked out perfectly. As did the tiara and the earrings.

  “Genuine as can be,” Chloe whispered. “The real deal.”

  Except for last night, the weekend of the diamonds had gone smoothly. Not a single stone has been pried loose or swapped out.

  She locked everything up tight again, checked the quiet, empty sitting room, and moved swiftly through the foyer without bumping into anyone—except for Uncle Max.

  “Hi, Chloe,” he said. “You look ready for the ceremony. Have you girls been doing your hair?”

  “I’ll bet my teased hair was a dead giveaway,” she said with a grin.

  “Everything good down here?” her uncle asked, subtly referring to the safe in his office.

  “All good. We’ll put them on Mercedes when I return in thirty minutes.”

  “I’ll slink about the halls and keep watch,” he assured her.

  A smile lit up Brett’s face when Chloe walked out to the driveway. He gave a low, admiring whistle. “You look beautiful.”

  “Amazing what a professional can do to transform an ordinary girl, huh?”

  “You’re not ordinary. Anything but,” Brett said, taking her hand in his as they walked to his rental car, a midnight blue Mustang. He opened the door for her and Chloe slid inside, running a hand along the pristine leather seat. She had never expected to meet a man this weekend. It was proving to be full of surprises.

  After putting the car in gear, Brett pulled out of the circular drive and glanced both directions, his gaze landing on Chloe’s face and pausing. “You really are a beautiful woman. I wanted to come to the hospital, but didn’t want to disturb you or the doctors while they were getting you back to perfect health.”

  “I think I’m almost there. Perfect health, that is.”

  Turning in his seat, Brett brushed a hand against Chloe’s cheek, and her face flamed. “Last night was pretty frightening.”

  “Let’s not talk about it or I’ll get the heebie-jeebies. Buy me a drink, Savannah boy.”

  “Deal.” He pulled onto the narrow road and reached over to take Chloe’s hand again, enclosing it tightly in his. “Got any druthers?”

  “Actually, just a Coke will do. Is there a Sonic drive-in close by?”

  He laughed. “I have no idea, but I think I can afford something better than sitting in a car at Sonic.”

  “We only have thirty minutes before I have to get dressed and walk down the aisle. With you, as a matter of fact, Best Man.”

  In a few minutes, Brett pulled into a small, upscale sandwich shop. “It’s probably quiet right now.”

  Once inside, a waitress showed them to a booth and Brett seated himself next to Chloe, placing an arm along the seat’s high back cushion in an intimate gesture.

  “Since we don’t have much time, is Cokes and fries okay?” When Chloe nodded, he added, “I don’t normally take a girl out for plain old fries on a first date.”

  “Is that what this is—a date?” she teased.

  Brett’s expression was apologetic. “I hope so, because I have to catch my plane tonight.”

  “That’s what Mercedes said.”

  “It’s too bad, but I hadn’t planned to meet a gorgeous woman this weekend,” Brett agreed. They chatted about jobs and hobbies and favorite vacations for about twenty minutes, and then he said, “Will you consider coming to Savannah so I can wine and dine you?”

  “Perhaps,” Chloe flirted in return, speaking vaguely.

  He leaned in closer. “I’d love to get to know you better.”

  “Are you always this fast and flirtatious with someone you’ve recently met?”

  “Only when I’m captivated. Which doesn’t happen very often.”

  “You are a flirt.”

  “Hey, don’t call me a liar. I mean every single word.”

  Late afternoon dusk was descending and the restaurant was quiet, especially in their corner booth. Brett Sorenson leaned in closer and brushed his lips softly against Chloe’s lips. Her breath caught, and he pressed more firmly, putting a hand behind her head. When he tried to part her lips, Chloe pulled back slightly, but not enough to put him off.

  “That’s enough for a first kiss the day after meeting you, Best Man.”

  He lifted his shoulders boyishly. “What can I say? You’re irresistible.”

  “I have to get back,” she said softly. “Bridesmaid duties call.”

  “Of course.” He scooted out of the booth and helped Chloe to her feet. Holding her hand, he walked her back to the car and opened the door. “Thanks for a quick getaway this afternoon. Now it’s showtime, huh?”

  “I’ve got to run inside to dress, and so do you. Did they give you a closet somewhere in the house to change?”

  “Mrs. Romano—your aunt—gave me a room for my suitcase and tux since I already checked out of my hotel.”

  “They’re a great family.
Mark is lucky.”

  “He is.” Brett gave her a meaningful smile. “I hope I’m just as lucky one day.”

  Chloe shook her head at the innuendo in his words, but took his arm as they walked up to the front door. “See you at the opening notes of the Wedding March, Mr. Sorenson.”

  He gave a quick salute when they parted ways at the upstairs hallway junction.

  Chloe glanced at her cell phone. Forty-five minutes to dress and get down to their starting positions. She checked herself in the mirror. Her hair had hardly moved, and her makeup was mostly intact, even after Brett’s kisses.

  She reapplied the lip color the makeup girl had given her for touch-ups during the evening. Then she pulled the bridesmaid dress off its hanger and slipped into it.

  The dress was a smooth sheen of burgundy satin chiffon with a neckline in a sweetheart cut that was flattering on her. Not too much cleavage, more like a hint that was romantic without being too sexy.

  She finally got herself zipped and arranged and stared into the full-length mirror. The dressmaker had done a great job, fitting it to her figure perfectly. It was flattering and snug without being too tight, so she could move around during the evening without fear of ripping out a seam.

  Tonight was going to be the perfect wedding. Exactly as Mercedes had always hoped and dreamed.

  Chapter 19

  Chloe poked her head into her cousin’s room. “What can I help you with?” She broke off at the sight of her cousin. “Oh my, you look stunning! That dress! I need the name of your dressmaker if I ever get married.”

  “You’re going to get married. There’s no question of that. I’ll bet within the year. How did it go with Brett?”

  “Good, good,” she said with a smile.

  “I can tell from the look on your face that he kissed you. He did, didn’t he?”

  “I’ll never kiss and tell,” Chloe said mysteriously.

  Mercedes twirled around the three-way mirrors in her suite, admiring herself from every angle.

  “That dress—and you in it—are simply incredible,” Chloe told her. “Once the diamonds are around your neck, you’re going to dazzle like no other bride ever dazzled.”

  Mercedes put her hands to her face, jumping up and down on her toes to let off the nerves. “I’m so excited I can’t stand it. Am I doing the right thing, Chloe? Promise me that I am. Mark’s wonderful, isn’t he?”

  “He is. I also love his professorial glasses.”

  “Oh, he’s brilliant,” Mercedes said with a laugh. “I love his glasses, too. But he’s also funny and sweet and kind. I’ve never swooned with any other man like I do when he kisses me. That’s when I knew he was the one.”

  “Okay, Ms. soon-to-be Mrs. Westerfield, let me do a quick check of you.”

  Chloe examined the zipper and hem and then helped Mercedes into her white shoes. She fixed a stray hair and helped her reapply lip liner and lip color.

  Finally, she opened the bedroom door and helped her cousin with the train of her wedding dress as they descended the curving staircase. Mercedes was chattering nervously about various wedding details while Chloe’s own thoughts ran wild.

  Kissing and swooning went together, huh? She had never thought about it like that before. Sure, she liked kissing a nice-looking man, but she wouldn’t have described it as swooning or melting into someone’s arms.

  As sweet as Brett’s kiss was this afternoon—was it only an hour ago?—Chloe hadn’t felt any sort of special jump in her stomach. Maybe she just didn’t know him well enough. It had only been two days since they’d met. Perhaps after a trip to his own turf in Savannah she could better assess her feelings for him.

  The downstairs foyer was empty, thank goodness. Uncle Max and Aunt Aurelia had already escorted the house guests and relatives out to find their seats.

  Faint music from the musicians drifted through the rear patio doors. The string quartet was playing romantic classical music as arriving friends, neighbors, and coworkers took their seats.

  After locking Uncle Max’s office door, Chloe smiled at her cousin. “It’s time to be a princess.”

  Mercedes’s smile was as wide as the Potomac while Chloe fastened the diamond-encrusted jewelry around her neck and ears. Then she clipped the tiara on her head just in front of the lace veil, fastening them together.

  Chloe held up a mirror she’d brought down from her room. “You, my dear, are wearing more than five hundred thousand dollars worth of diamonds.”

  The gemstones sparkled like a million bucks under the hanging lights of the office. Chloe could only imagine how they would shimmer and glitter under the fairy lights in the backyard.

  Mercedes’s jaw dropped, and she put a hand to her chest. “Seeing the entire set all at once is stunning. I can’t even describe it.”

  “Let’s go dazzle your guests. And Mark Westerfield, that lucky dog.”

  “Oh, Chloe, you have such a way with words,” her cousin laughed.

  Chloe shrugged, her lips twitching with humor. “I had a minor in English.”

  The joking helped calm the bride. It usually worked every time. Chloe had discovered that getting the bride to laugh just before walking down the aisle created a genuinely happy and relaxed bride. Nerves and stiffness disappeared.

  Tugging Mercedes’s hand in hers, she walked her cousin out the door and around the house, skirting the guests whose backs were to them while they met Brett, the twin girls, and Uncle Max down below the pool. The sky was dusky enough that nobody could have spotted them unless they knew just where to look.

  Suze Perry appeared and thrust the bride’s bouquet into Mercedes’s hand and another, smaller bouquet into Chloe’s fist.

  Uncle Max took his daughter’s hand. “Are you ready, sweetheart?”

  Nodding her head tightly, Mercedes managed to gulp out a whispered “Yes.”

  Brett had been gazing at Chloe with a soft smile, and now he stepped forward to take her hand in his while the wedding party walked closer to the starting point.

  “You ready, too?” he asked in a low voice.

  Chloe nodded, squeezing his hand in the excitement of the moment while they listened to the opening notes of Pachelbel’s Canon. Out of all the wedding marches she’d ever heard over the many weekend weddings she had participated in, this was her favorite, especially when it was played by an on-site string quartet.

  While she walked up the grassy aisle, her hand tucked into Brett’s elbow, Chloe smiled at her beaming family eagerly turning in their seats to watch the procession.

  Once she was standing at the front with the minister and Mark and Brett opposite, the flower girls were next, tossing handfuls of red petals up into the air like a rain shower of roses. The audience loved it, while the young girls’ laughter charmed the guests.

  Finally, Mercedes appeared at the end of the aisle on the arm of Uncle Max. The guests literally gasped when they rose to stand and watch.

  She was a vision of loveliness, sparkling like the glittering diamonds she was wearing. Chloe knew the sight of her cousin would be imprinted on her eyes forever.

  Soft murmurs rose at the sight of Mercedes in her sleek white satin dress with a bodice that molded her hourglass figure. The lace train was exquisite, and the blindingly beautiful diamonds sparkled under the fairy lights.

  Chloe could tell Mercedes was loving every gasp and murmur, even as she had eyes only for her groom, who was mesmerized by the sight of her, too.

  When she and her father reached the dais, Uncle Max kissed his daughter’s cheek before releasing her to Mark, who looked like he wanted to sweep Mercedes up into his arms and ride off into the sunset.

  They held hands, unable to stop smiling at each other while the minister greeted the audience. “We are gathered here today in this beautiful spot on God’s earth, to unite these two hearts in the bonds of holy matrimony. Into this sacred bond, these two now come to be joined together.”

  He spent a few moments talking about the power of love and
the eternal nature of marriage that God ordained in the beginning of time.

  “Before Mark and Mercedes speak their vows, they would like to say a few words to each other,” the minister finally said. “Mark, you’re first up.”

  When Chloe sneaked a peek at her family on the front row, Aunt Aurelia was wiping tears away with a handkerchief while Granny Zaida’s face split with a wide grin of joy and pride.

  Mark lifted Mercedes’s hand to his lips and kissed the back of it. “When you walked into my life, Mercedes, love walked in. It was a magical moment that I will treasure forever. I promise to walk side by side with you for the rest of our lives. To always cherish and honor you, my beautiful wife.”

  Mercedes clenched her groom’s hands with both of hers, her eyes fixed to his face. “I enter into this life with you without reservation, without fear or confusion, but with a clear and trusting heart. I love you with all my heart, Mark Westerfield.”

  The minister cleared his throat and led Mark and Mercedes through the traditional wedding vows. For a moment, Chloe began daydreaming about her own wedding. Wondering how long it would take to find Mr. Right and if she’d be pushing forty before he showed up with unconditional love and a ring.

  All at once, Mercedes hissed from the corner of her mouth, “Chloe, the ring.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Chloe took the wide gold band off her finger and passed it to her cousin. Then she watched the two of them exchange rings.

  The minister then concluded the ceremony. “Mark Westerfield and Mercedes Romano, by the authority vested in me, I announce with great joy that you are now husband and wife. You may seal your vows of love and fidelity with a kiss!”

  Mercedes raised her arms around Mark’s neck, her bouquet of white lilies high in the air, while her husband gathered her close and kissed her passionately. The audience burst into enthusiastic applause.

  Behind the groom where he’d been standing, Brett gave Chloe a wink. It took her off guard, and she gave him a faint smile in return, not sure what the wink meant, exactly, but it was all in good fun, right? Everybody loved it when the bride and groom kissed each other with more passion than just a peck on the lips.