First Date - [Bridesmaid's Chronicles 01]

by Karen Kendall

  Bottle in seventh grade, when we thought you'd swallow Kristi Snow's entire tongue." He laughed.

  Oh, hell. Sam had been a witness to his impulsive behavior. Of course he'd just had to kiss Sydney in a public place, idiot that he was.

  "Hi, Sam. Didn't see you come in for the shift change."

  "So who is she?" Sam wiped down the bar with a clean towel and waggled his eyebrows like a wicked Groucho Marx. "I've never seen her before in my life, and I thought I knew every cute girl in town."

  "She's an import," Alex said. He really didn't want to go into detail.

  "An import." Sam began to restock the peanut bowls. "Well, that's descriptive."

  "What d'you want me to say?"

  "Well, for starters, she's a chick, not a Japanese car. Then there's the fact that she's not your usual well-endowed blonde. And finally, there's the hilarious twist that she just ran away from you, dude." Sam picked up the towel again and snapped it at Alex. "And I find that just comical. Headline: Redhead runs from local Don Juan. What's that about? Was Kiki right, all those years ago, or is it your breath?"

  Alex shot him the finger and laid some bills down to pay for their beer. "Guess I'm running low on animal magnetism today."

  He ignored Sam's guffaw and headed for the door.

  He looked up and down Main Street, only to find no trace of Sydney. He still wasn't sure why he'd kissed her, and it bothered him that he'd enjoyed it so much. She'd been first shocked, then tentative, then wonderingas if she'd never found pleasure in a kiss before. But once she'd started to enjoy it, her response had been volcanic.

  Today Sydney'd smelled like his mother's favorite vanilla candles, chased by something floral. Was it her skin? Her hair? A perfume? Her scent had driven him crazy.

  But what drove him crazier was that she'd run. What was that about? He wanted to find out.

  Sydney Spinelli was a bundle of contradictions. She could obviously be a supreme pain in the ass witness the hard time she was giving her sister. But her motivation seemed to be love and concern. She was also intelligent and funny. And she'd been so sweet and so warm with his mother.

  She was aggressive both in her business thinking and in her desire to "fix" Julia's life, but had turned tail and run when he kissed her. He could have handled it if she'd slapped himbut nobody had ever run from him. Alex didn't really think of himself as a Don Juan, but since that brief Kiki-induced dry spell senior year, he'd certainly never lacked for a date. And not one but two women had actually proposed to himone brazenly and one abashedly. He'd turned them both down.

  Sydney's surprising vulnerability intrigued him, especially since she'd struck him as such a cynic.

  Sydney returned to Marv's Motor Inn with clear polish on her short nails and a renewed sense of purpose. She hadn't gotten much more information out of Thelma Lynn, since the evil slime had to be rinsed out of her hair, revealing an even more terrifying shade of orange. But they'd parted with a vague date to have coffee sometime, so maybe she'd have another chance to pump her for information. Of course, Thelma Lynn's objective was the sameshe wanted the inside scoop on Julia.

  Syd said a tentative hello to her sister upon entering the motel. Is she still mad at me for exposing her to the pregnancy rumor ?

  Julia looked up from the computer. "Oh, hi, Sydney. Marv is looking for you" She stopped. "What is that all over your face?"

  "What do you mean?" Syd tried to see her reflection in the glass door, but the light wasn't cooperating.

  "You've got some kind of rash or something around your mouth and on your chin."

  "I do?" Puzzled, Sydney went around the corner to check in a large wall mirror. Sure enough, she looked like a kid with cherry Kool-Aid stains. What is that ?

  And then it dawned on her: whisker burn! Alex had kissed her very thoroughly in the bar, and had left his mark on her. The rest of her face reddened, too, from mortification.

  I sat in the salon and had a manicure looking like this ! And nobody had said a word to her, probably out of politeness since they didn't know her well.

  Julia followed her around the corner. "See what I mean? You know, that looks a lot like"

  "It's an allergic reaction," Sydney said quickly. "To, uh, this skin cleanser I tried."

  Julia looked skeptical. "You only wash the lower half of your face?"

  "Well, that's where I started, and then it burned, so I washed it off. I didn't realize it would get red like this."

  Julia stared at her. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you've been making out with some guy."

  "Don't be ridiculous. I'm not the man-eater that you are."

  Julia put her hands on her hips. "Just because I've dated a few guys does not mean I'm a man-eater."

  "True. You just chew on them for a little while before spitting them out. You've gone through dozens of them," Sydney reminded her, eager to move the topic of conversation away from her "rash."

  "Roman's different! I swear it. I've never felt about anyone the way I feel about Roman." Julia's eyes shone and she grabbed Sydney's hand.

  "Come on. I want to show you some of the dresses

  I like. I'm thinking of ivory, instead of true white, with a full bell skirt and lots of petticoats. But I'm not completely sure, since I also loved that Narciso Rodriguez gown that Carolyn Bessette wore when she married JFK Jr. That's a whole different look: totally simple, body-hugging, very sexy and sophisticated.

  "Of course, there's also the possibility of a really fun, short flapper dress with a dropped waist. So unusual and very chic. I'm thinking opera-length pearls for that, and a fabulous, accented sling-back sandal. Silver polish on my toes, in that scenario, since my ring is set in platinum"

  Or so you think . Sydney eyed the obscene rock on her sister's hand as she followed her to the reception desk, where Julia swept the invoices aside and replaced them with six different bridal magazines.

  The emerald-cut stone sparkled madly under Marv's fluorescent lighting. Would a fake catch the light like that? Of course it wouldcubic zirconia littered the country, and they were hard for even a jeweler to spot without a loupe.

  How could she get the thing to a jeweler without Julia knowing? As her sister rattled on about fabrics and styles and designers and samples, Sydney briefly contemplated cat burglary. But Julia probably slept in the thing. She wouldn't be surprised if she showered in it, too. Hmmmm that gave her an idea.

  "So have you taken that ring off since you got it?" she asked, her voice teasing.

  Julia looked sheepish. "No. Not once. I haven't wanted toand to be frank, I'm afraid I'll lose it if I do. That mess with Somers taught me a lesson."

  "It's probably covered in soap scum and hair spray," said Sydney. "Let me see."

  Julia held out her hand and the ring for inspection.

  "Oh, yeahlook at that. See, it's all cloudy on the sides. Do you want me to take it and have it cleaned for you?"

  Julia gave her an odd look. "Syd, if you want to try it on, just say so. You don't have to come up with some elaborate scheme to clean it."

  "I wasn't"

  Julia slipped the ring off her finger and dropped it into Sydney's palm. Sydney stared at it, heavy and winking in her hand.

  Nobody's ever offered me one of these, fake or not. I ivonder if anyone ever will ? She pushed the thought away. She didn't want a tiny leash that meant she had to answer to some man. Who was she kidding?

  All her married friends complained about their husbands: Donna's snored and left the toilet seat up; Cindy's was a scrooge with money and Lana's never did anything around the house. Who wanted a husband? She'd rather have Humphrey for company. Sydney hoped Marcella wasn't vacuuming him every single day.

  "Go ahead and try it on," said Julia.

  "No, nothat's okay. But it really does need cleaning." Sydney tilted it under the light.

  Julia sighed. "Okay, fine. We'll go over to Jeep Collins on Main and see if they'll put it in their sonic cleaner thingy."

  Yes ! Syd
ney could have the jeweler there take a look at it while they had it in the back.

  "Syd?" Julia said tentatively.

  "Mmm?"

  "Don't you worry. You'll meet the right guy some day soon."

  Was it pride or defensiveness that sent the heat back into her cheeks? You're one to talk, as the girl who's met the ultimate wrong guy .

  But she had the grace not to say it aloud. Sydney quickly returned the ring to her sister. "I'm not looking for Mr. Right. Not remotely. Marriage doesn't interest me at allMarv and Ma provide enough dysfunction for one family."

  "Just because Marv and Myrna have a warped 1950s marriage doesn't mean that we have to repeat the pattern, Syd. Don't you want kids someday?"

  Oh, sure, if I can hold a man's interest long enough to produce them . Sydney shrugged. "I don't know. Right now I'm happy with my freedom. You can have the kids and I'll be the auntie who spoils them rotten." She smiled and changed the subject. "So show me these dresses you were talking about."

  * * *

  Jeep Collins displayed a treasure trove of beautiful baubles through huge plate glass windows and doors. Sydney couldn't imagine working in such a placeshe'd never bring home a dime of any paycheck, and would end up selling her body for the pair of emerald and diamond dangle earrings she was currently drooling over.

  Of course, selling her body required someone who wished to sample her meager charms, so maybe that wasn't a good option. Alex Kimball's face popped into her mind, but she knew very well he'd only been playing around. And she still couldn't figure out whymaybe just because she presented a challenge. He was probably seeing if he could get a rise out of her.

  "Hi," she said to the saleslady, "I just spoke to someone on the phone about having my sister's ring cleaned."

  The woman nodded, her eyes darting back and forth between Julia and Sydney. "Oh, yes, I remember."

  Julia slipped off her diamond and held it out.

  "My goodness, what a gorgeous stone! Yes, we'll clean this up for you right away. Would you like to see anything while you're waiting?"

  The woman took the ring to a back room and gave it to an older gentleman. When she returned, Julia tried on a couple of bracelets and a pair of earrings that she thought might look fabulous with a wedding gown. She lingered over a dressy watch. She chuckled at an outsized cocktail ring that nobody but Elizabeth Taylor could carry off.

  Sydney tore herself away from the emerald and diamond earrings and asked the saleslady if she could use the bathroom.

  "Yes, of course. Come behind the counter, here, and go to that door in the back, hon. Then it's on the left-hand side."

  "Thank you." Sydney did as she was directed and found herself in the working studio behind the retail space. The older gentleman looked up from his bench and fixed a kindly gaze on her. "Facilities are right there, ma'am."

  Her heart beating faster and blood rushing to her face, Sydney said, "I actually came back here to ask you a favor. Could you possibly take a good look at that stone in my sister's ring? I think it might be a fake."

  The gentleman's brows knitted and he stared at her. "Young lady, I know that ring very well. I've seen it dozens of times, on the hand of Olga Sonntag before she died. What you're suggesting is preposterous."

  "II'm sorry," Syd told him. "I know you probably think I'm crazy, but please humor me. I need to know."

  He shifted on his bench, which creaked, and just frowned at her. "Miz, uh, Spinelli, is it?"

  This was a small town. They all knew her sister's name. She nodded.

  "Miz Spinelli, the Sonntags are a very old, well-respected family around here. The ring has been handed down for generations. Your sister is an extremely lucky young lady, do you understand?"

  That remains to be seen . Sydney said, "I'll be happy to pay you to do whatever testing you need to do."

  "I'm telling you, I don't need to test that stone! I know the history of the thing. It came straight from Brussels with old Ercel's brother about a hundred years ago. Talk of the town, my grandfather said it was, when Ercel put it on his Helga's finger.

  "After her death, it went to their son's fiancee, OlgaRobert's mother and Roman's grandmother. And she wore it 'til the day she died. She never offered it to Roman's mama, who was attached to her own ring from Robert anyway. So, young lady, that ring has been in a bank vault for years now, until young Roman signed it out."

  Uh-huh. And how easy would it have been for him to switch out the diamond for a nice CZ, using the proceeds to fund his vineyard?

  "That's a lovely story," Sydney told him. "And I realize that it's very unlikely that the stone is a copy. But please, will you just humor me?"

  He pushed back from his bench with a creak and a grumble. "Does your sister know you're doing this?"

  After a split second, Syd nodded. "Yes. She's the one who has doubts. You don't really think I'd have the gall to" She coughed slightly and reddened under his piercing stare. These Texans weren't stupid, were they?

  He limped a bit as he moved to the sonic cleaner which held the ring. "I'm going to take a look, Miz Spinelli, just to prove your suspicions are unfounded. As for your sister, I've never seen a girl more in love. So don't tell me any tales, hrnmmm? You should be ashamed of yourself."

  She gulped. "Yes, sir." And Sydney darted into the restroom, closing the door behind her with relief. She felt sick to her stomach.

  She took her time, brushing her hair, applying some lip gloss, and patting the shine off her nose with a little powder. She was still stalling, reaching for a tube of hand lotion, when she heard the jeweler exclaim, "Well, I'll be a son of a gun."

  She emerged quickly to find him staring at Julia's ring, an expression of disgust and surprise on his round, jowly face. He leaned both worn hands on the surface of his workbench, shaking his head.

  Reluctantly he met Sydney's gaze. "I have never been more shocked than I am right now. This stone is a high-quality copy of the original."

  * * *

  Chapter Thirteen

  "So are you happy now? My ring is clean." Julia couldn't help admiring it in the sunlight and Sydney wanted to throw up. She'd achieved her objective: She now knew Roman Sonntag, Creep Extraordinaire, had given her sister a fake engagement ring. It confirmed her suspicions that he didn't love Julia, but just wanted access to her money and Marv's money.

  But acting on the knowledge was a completely different ball game. Julia stared lovingly at the ring and tripped along blithely in her Claudia Ciuti sandals, the glowing picture of bliss.

  How could Sydney pass along this information and explode her happiness? She felt like an ogre. True, she wanted Julia to reach her full potential and not lose herself in some man. But she didn't want to make her miserabledidn't want to see her break down in the tears of betrayal.

  Anger began to rise in Sydney along with the nausea. She could kill Roman with her bare hands right at this moment. Choke him with that snooty silk tie of his, or with one of his precious grapevines. She could brain him with a bottle of his finest. Why should she be the one to hurt Julia, when he had orchestrated the whole catastrophe?

  Her sister would go into total denial first. And then she'd hate Syd for being the messenger.

  Syd's hands clenched into fists. No. Roman had popped the question. If she had to hold a gun to head, Roman, now, would take responsibility for bursting Julia's bubble. Sonntag would have the pleasure of explaining how and why he'd gotten down on one knee to give her a piece of glass, certainly an apt token of his "love." And he could explain his behavior to the entire town of Fredericksburg, too.

  While Sydney dreaded making her sister cry, she now burned with the desire to confront Roman Sonntag.

  "Sydney, what is wrong with you? The expression on your face is frightening." Julia waved a hand in front of her.

  "What? Oh, nothing. I was just thinking about" She cast about for something. She could hardly tell her sister that she was fantasizing about cutting off parts of her fiance's body and force-feedin
g them to him, slowly.

  "I was thinking about ways to market and distrib ute this Emulsion face cream that Alex Kimball's Aunt Susie makes. I'm going to put him in touch with Donna"

  Julia looked at her and laughed. "Syd, you never change. You've been in town now for what, three days? And you're already questioning my marriage, micromanaging my life to the point of making me clean my ringand trying to run Alex and Ted's business. You are something else."

  Stung, Sydney opened her mouth to refute her sister's words, but she couldn't. Honesty demanded that she acknowledge the truth. She closed her mouth.

  "Syd, don't get offended. I know you're only doing it because you care."

  "I do care, Julia. I'm not trying to come in and boss you around. I just want you to really think things through and make sure Roman is the right guy for you. Again, how do you know after only a month?"

  Julia took a deep breath. "Syd, you just have to trust me. Roman and I click on so many different levels and we just know that it's right. I want to spend my life with him. He wants to spend his with me. That's all there is to it."

  Syd bit her lip and twisted her ring. Her fingers had swollen with the heat, and the gold dug into her flesh. She forced herself to keep her tone mild. "Will you just consider delaying the actual wedding? You know, have a year-long engagement first. What's the rush?"

  "Sydney, we are going forward with the wedding." Julia's smile was sweet and tolerant, but firm. "I'm telling you, I know what I'm doing."

  Yeah, just like a toddler knows what she's doing when she runs into traffic.

  Sydney sat on the horrid brown and mustard bedspread in her room, number 239, and put off confronting Roman by checking e-mail first.

  To her surprise, there was a private one to her from Vivien, Julia's best friend.

  Subject: Your little sister has gone crazy! Date: XXXXXXX From: vshelton To: numbersgeek

  Sydney, I cannot tell you how concerned I am that Julia is marrying some cowpoke that she's only known a month. What is up? Have you met him? What's he like? Must fly. I have a deposition. Viv