“Girl,” he said under his breath. “When did that rabbit die?”
Her eyes widened as she stared up at him. “How did you know?”
He chuckled. “You think you’re the first mommy-to-be I’ve had to camouflage? Happens all the time,” he said before he spun her in her chair to face the mirror and went to work.
He had worked magic by the time he was done. She no longer looked pale or washed out. Her skin glowed. Her eyes sparkled. He had given her a dramatic look to compliment the stark modern lines of her designer dress.
He worked on me next, but there was precious little that could be done with the puce nightmare. Indeed I had lost enough weight to fit into a smaller size, as far as my waist and hips were concerned anyway. My chest remained large and in charge, forcing me to wear an ill-fitting dress that drooped over my lower body. Jorge turned to Lucy. “Please don’t tell me you did this to her.”
Lucy shook her head. “You’ve met my mother.”
He nodded as he turned back to me. “I can’t promise anything, but I’m going to do my best to give them something other than the dress to look at.”
I nodded and allowed him to transform me as best he could. When he was done, my makeup was immaculate. It was the most beautiful I had ever looked, if you didn’t count the dress.
He leaned toward me to say into my ear. “That’s the best I could do without a wardrobe change. Go with God and pray for a miracle.”
“Like what? Tearing the dress off the minute I walk down the aisle?”
He rested his hand on my shoulder. “Darling, it could only be an improvement.”
At least someone in this wedding thought so, I thought to myself.
It was around four o’clock when we all piled into the waiting limo to ride to the church in downtown Los Angeles. Champagne flowed like a river, but I kept Lucy’s glass filled with sparkling cider instead, using her ‘flu’ as the reason.
I, on the other hand, chugged champagne like it was going out of style. After all, I wasn’t pregnant, so it didn’t matter if I got raging drunk.
Honestly, I wished I had a joint on hand. Something. Anything.
We arrived at the church a little before five, where we could put the finishing touches on our makeup and take preliminary photos of the wedding party. I felt it every single time the camera snapped a frame, immortalizing me forever in this horrible dress, ultimately publicizing this awful look all over the country thanks to the notoriety of the wedding guests, myself included.
By six we were ready to take our place just outside the doors of the packed outdoor venue. I met Oliver just as the wedding party prepared to walk down the aisle, to the sound of Pachelbel’s Canon in D. It reminded me momentarily of Devlin, but I didn’t have time to think about it or reminisce. Oliver appeared beside me, arm outstretched, so we could begin our journey down the aisle in front of hundreds of people.
I knew Devlin would be one of those people, I just had no idea that he wouldn’t be sitting in the pews like other guests. Instead he was sitting at the piano down front, so handsome in his tux, as he played that song he played weeks ago in Vegas.
I wasn’t sure how Lucy had talked Sylvia into using him for the musical accompaniment. Maybe it wasn’t Lucy at all, but Margot, who sat toward the front of the church with Caz Bixby’s arm wrapped around her. He wasn’t exactly subtle as he grinned at me from where I sat, watching me walk down the flower-strewn path with Oliver. I wrenched my eyes away from him to spot Devlin, wondering if he was upset that he had to watch me walk down the aisle with another man.
Instead his eyes were closed as he lost himself in the music.
I was the last to join the other bridesmaids just as music faded. I expected Devlin to rise from the piano and take his seat with the other guests as Lucy made her grand entrance to a traditional wedding march. Instead, he launched into Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, which seemed to take a lot of the guests by surprise at first. The minute he started singing, however, so did many of the guests, until the entire place thundered with Lucy’s unintentional song.
After that, he played the wedding march and down the aisle she walked, hand in hand with her mother on one side and her father on the other. I watched out of the corner of my eye as Devlin discreetly made his way down from the podium to join the Cabots in the first row. My father smiled at him and patted his arm, likely to show his support that Devlin had made the Cabots proud with his flawless performance.
It made me feel even worse about my dress. This was supposed to be the day that we showed Father our progress in making me a more attractive representative of Cabot fashion. Instead I felt every saggy inch of the ill-fitting dress drag down my spirit even more.
I focused on the bride and groom as they exchanged their vows (again.) It was much more formal this time around, a truly religious service like my father wanted for Devlin and me. I personally didn’t see what the big deal was. I didn’t consider them any more married by the time they shared a chaste kiss and turned to walk down the aisle, announced officially as husband and wife to everyone in attendance.
The wedding party fell in line behind them, and I ended up walking back down the aisle with Oliver on my arm. I could tell by the way Devlin glared our direction that he didn’t like it one little bit, but there was little any of us could do. Like he had said before, we all had our parts to play.
The bridal party finished taking photos as the guests were whisked away to an elegant historic hotel downtown, where a separate reception waited. I accompanied Lucy upstairs to the suite her mother had rented so she could change into her “party” gown. Immediately Lucy brightened the second the door shut behind us. “Hallelujah, the hard part’s over!” she said as she peeled away the first wedding dress as quickly as she could. “I didn’t know that Devlin would be performing! Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I didn’t know,” I responded as I helped her out of her first dress and into her second.
Lucy picked up on all the things I couldn’t say, like only a best friend could. “What’s wrong, Ceece?”
I shook my head. I wasn’t going to burden her with my problems. Not today. She deserved to be happy, and that was what I was going to give to her. “Nothing we need to fix tonight,” I assured her.
She looked uncertain but didn’t argue. Instead I assisted into her beautiful beaded gown. “I love this dress,” I told her as I zipped her in.
“Me too,” she said. “It’s just a damned shame you don’t have another dress. That monstrosity is embarrassing.”
I sighed. “What can you do? Your mother has spoken.”
“True,” Lucy said with a nod. “But thankfully she wasn’t done talking.”
I watched as Lucy opened up the closet and withdrew a large box. “What is that?”
She grinned as she placed it on the bed and took off the top. Inside was another dress, in the desired puce, with a chiffon skirt and beaded bodice, with black beaded fringe all its own around the dramatic halter neckline. I gasped when I saw it.
“Lucy!”
She smiled as she helped me pull the dress from the box. “Your husband had it delivered yesterday morning just so Mother could approve.”
“Why would she do that?” I pondered aloud before I changed into the new dress.
“I told her that maybe it was unfair to keep us all in our stuffy formal wear for the party. So she agreed that all the bridesmaids could change into something a little zippier for the reception.”
I threw my arms around my friend. This was exactly what we needed to prove to Father that design mattered to all kinds of women with all kinds of body types. I knew before we left the hotel room that I was about to stop the show downstairs, every bit as much as the beautiful bride at my side, even if the size-14 dress fit a little more loosely than before.
I guess I had lost weight. I’m sure that would get tongues wagging downstairs as well, starting with my dear ol’ dad.
And of course the paparazzi snapped photo aft
er photo as we headed down to the ballroom where the party was already in full swing. Our official photographer was quick to grab us for more photos, this time around the hotel.
I didn’t even see Devlin until I entered the room just a hair before Gus and Lucy. He sat with the rest of the Cabots, which included Father, Margot, Aubrey, Oliver and Margot’s date for the evening, Caz Bixby. All of the men aside from my father stood as I approached. Before anyone could say anything, Devlin took me into his arms for a possessive kiss that melted me right to my core. We turned together to face my father, who looked my dress up and down to see how much better it flattered my unique figure, even if it wasn’t exactly the right size.
“You look beautiful, CC,” he said, so I reciprocated his kindness by giving him a kiss.
“Thanks, Dad,” I whispered against his cheek.
I sat between Devlin and my father as we waited for the announcement of Mr. and Mrs. Dunleavy’s arrival. After that, the affair was in Sylvia’s hands. Naturally she had it scheduled to the nanosecond. After they were announced, they were whisked away to the dance floor, to dance for the first time as husband and wife. Or so anyone thought, anyway. Only Devlin, Gus’s sister Mattie and I knew the truth. We shared knowing smiles between us.
The toasts came next. I managed to mumble my way through yet again, only this time I managed to both acknowledge my husband’s performance during the wedding and thank him for giving me my happily ever after, so that my bestie and I could share yet another life milestone together.
The words choked in my throat when I realized she was going to go a few steps ahead without me, steps I didn’t even know I wanted until a few days ago. But I didn’t mention anything about babies before I toasted the happy couple.
After the toasts were completed, dinner was served. Father turned immediately to Devlin. “I have you say that you’ve outdone yourself, Devlin. That dress is beautiful. I take it this is the designer you’ve decided upon for our new clothing line.”
Devlin nodded. “I honestly think she can make any of your customers feel beautiful and glamorous, everything that your grandmother, Hettie, wanted your customers to feel.”
Father nodded. “I dare say I agree. So who is this magical designer?”
Devlin cleared his throat. “Darcy Masters. My sister.”
Father regarded Devlin with a wide-eyed stare. “What?”
“Honestly, she’s been providing most of what Coralie has been wearing lately. My sister is a larger woman, so she understands the variances in body type. She designs clothes to make everyone feel beautiful. Mostly she does it for local folks who hire her in Vegas. It took meeting Coralie for her to think about something bigger and more ambitious. She found an investor to help start her company, so she can have a full line for you by the fall.”
My eyes slid to Father, who took it all in wordlessly and stoically. “I see.”
“She’s in town for the weekend,” Devlin went on to say. “We have several pieces you could consider, this gown among them,” he said as he pointed to the heavenly number I now sported.
Father nodded, but didn’t say much. I somehow got the feeling that Devlin saving this little tidbit of information for this wedding reception had been strategic, much like their springing Devlin’s secret project for me at the restaurant had been. They wanted to avoid a scene. I could tell that my father wasn’t especially pleased about the apparent nepotism Devlin was demonstrating, but I also knew he couldn’t deny just how fabulous the dress really was.
It didn’t hurt that several people stopped by our table to brag about my miraculous transformation and find out who had created my remarkable dress. “Darcy Masters,” Devlin answered with pride to each and every one. And if that wasn’t enough to tie Father down and make a decision, Dev openly admitted to everyone that Darcy was being considered for her own special line at Cabot’s.
Again, Father merely observed and said nothing at all, but I could tell that he hadn’t missed one manipulative trick up my husband’s sleeve.
Finally the food was eaten and the party swung into full gear as a DJ spun some tunes to get people on the dance floor. Devlin grabbed my hand and pulled me into the fray of bodies, holding me tightly to his hardened silhouette. Those incredible green eyes drilled into mine. “You look absolutely amazing, Coralie,” he said.
“Thank you,” I said softly. “So do you.”
He swung me around as if we were alone in our own little world. “I’ve missed you,” he admitted as he held me close. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed hard.
“Me too,” I said, fighting to hold back the tears that had accumulated over the past emotional few days.
I felt his body respond to mine. “I was an idiot to leave,” he confessed softly against my ear. “I knew it the minute I saw you. You’re my home, Coralie. You’re everything I want. Tell me you still love me and we can start over.”
“We don’t need to start over,” I told him. “We never ended. And we never will.”
His eyes darkened as he stared down at me. “Tell me you love me.”
“More every day,” I confirmed with a nod. His mouth slowly descended towards mine for a possessive kiss for the whole room to see.
He cupped my face with both hands. “How long do we have to stay?”
That was a loaded question. I wasn’t sure how Father felt about things, now knowing that Devlin was jockeying for his sister to design clothes for Cabot, but I sensed it wasn’t good. Maybe he thought he was being played, and technically speaking, he was.
Then there was Caz. Now that Dev had effectively showed his hand, there was no way he could risk Father learning about the past. It was more important than ever to neutralize any threat that Caz might pose. I could tell by the way Caz watched me, with that amused smirk that suggested he knew all of Devlin’s dirty secrets that it was up to me to do it. He thought he could get something out of me because of all the information he knew. And maybe if he could stay focused on me, he’d leave Father out of it.
“Not for a little while yet,” I answered Dev’s question.
He growled in frustration as he leaned closer, his hand tangled in my hair as he said gruffly in my ear, “I just need to be inside you.”
I trembled. I wanted him to be inside me too. But I had also been off the pill for a few days. There was a lot we needed to talk about before we could fall back into each other’s arms again.
As we headed back to our table, he was stopped more than once by several people who wanted to praise his performance on the piano. I recognized Graham Baxter, the president of Baxter Mega-Worldwide Media Corporation almost immediately as the handsome man stopped us as we walked by. “That was a wonderful performance, Mr. Masters,” he said, and the lovely redhead at his side nodded. “Have you thought about playing professionally?”
Devlin beamed. “Not for a long while, Mr. Baxter,” he said, acknowledging the powerful man who stood before him.
“You should think about it,” Graham said before he withdrew one of his cards from his pocket to give to Devlin. “And then you should call me.”
“Yes, sir,” Devlin said. “Thank you so much.”
I curled further into Devlin’s arms as we headed the remaining feet towards our table, where Sylvia had stopped to speak to Father. She turned to me with a happy grin, pleased by my transformation. “That dress is lovely, CC,” she said. “Your husband is a very talented man.”
I looped my arm in his. “Speaking of which, I’d like to thank you so much for letting him play for the ceremony. That was a lovely surprise.”
“For us all,” Sylvia said. “But a friend of mine told me that I would be missing out if I didn’t employ his magical fingers.”
She stood back and we could see that our table had another guest, a beautiful blonde in what appeared to be her late forties, dressed to the nines, wearing big baubles of expensive jewelry on every single finger.
Devlin practically stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her
. I felt him stiffen immediately in my arms, so my eyes shot to his face. His jaw clenched tightly, and the hand I had been holding gripped me just as hard. Father smiled as we got into earshot.
“Devlin, Coralie,” he announced as he turned back to the blonde. “Suzanne Everhart, this is my daughter, Devlin’s new wife.”
The stunning woman unwound her body to stand at her full height of nearly five-foot-eight. She held out a hand for me, and when I took it she leaned close to kiss me on either cheek.
“Mrs. Masters,” she greeted. “So pleased to finally meet you.” I watched as she straightened to face Devlin, whose face was frozen in a mask as she reached up to greet him with similar affection. “Devlin,” she said. “So nice to see you again. It’s been too long.”
“Suzanne,” he managed.
“Please, sit,” Father encouraged, and we all took our places at the table. “Suzanne was one of Devlin’s early clients,” he explained to me, as if I had forgotten what his private investigator had uncovered about him.
Since Suzanne eyed my husband like a raw steak, I knew in that instant what kind of ‘client’ she was. And as one of the most beautiful women I had ever seen, I was sure Devlin didn’t even have to act when he seduced her. Her skin was tight and flawless, her hair soft and styled around her perfect face. Her eyes were crystal blue and her body showed the result of long hours at the gym. “Devlin is a miracle worker,” she told me. “I was one hundred and eighty pounds when we met. He whipped me right into shape,” she added with a smile that instantly made me sick.
Maybe it was a good thing I wasn’t pregnant. I would have likely thrown up all over her expensive dress.
“You did all the hard work,” Devlin managed. “How’s Harvey?”
She laughed rather gaily. “You know Harvey. Ever since he got elected to office he’s in Washington far more than Las Vegas.” Again she turned to me. “Harvey is my husband. He used to run one of the most successful casinos in Vegas, but got into politics several years ago. Devlin helped polish our image so that we could win the seat in congress.”
Masters for Life Page 15
