Her fingers kept straying to the massive amount of chocolates from Sage’s. If she kept going like this it wouldn’t be Polly that wouldn’t fit into her bridesmaid dress – Lisa would have to replace her entire closet.
Or it could be that this was Thursday and Adam would be picking her up for dinner in the next few hours.
Any one of these things could be responsible for the ten thousand butterflies that were flapping around her stomach right now.
She glanced at the clock again. Ruby and Polly had an appointment yesterday, but after Lisa had waited around for three hours, Nancy’s PA had finally phoned to say they couldn’t make it and could they come today.
Two hours past their appointment time today and they still hadn’t shown. Lisa was getting mad.
Her black lace dress hung in the storeroom at the back of the shop – ready for her to slip it on before Adam came to collect her. What had possessed her?
There was something about him. First, he wasn’t a cowboy. She’d sworn off them since the Joe Talbot fiasco. And that was the trouble with Marietta – it was full of cowboys. Once they’d been taken out of the picture the dating pool kind of narrowed.
Adam was new. She was kind of surprised that he hadn’t been snapped up already. Single men could be a premium around here.
And there was something about being around Adam that made her feel…sexy again. Probably the way he looked at her with those dark brown eyes, as if he were already undressing her. It had been a long time since her body had reacted to anyone. A long time since she’d even contemplated going there again.
Someone new to the town was appealing. They hadn’t grown up together and gone to school together. He didn’t know about her two sisters. He wouldn’t ask questions about an ex-fiancé.
Adam seemed like an interesting kind of guy. Just as long as he didn’t have skeletons in his closet.
The door swung open and Polly and Ruby burst into the shop mid-argument. “I’m sick of you,” Polly shouted. “And I’m sick of this backwater town in the middle of nowhere. How on earth could Nancy stand living in a place like this?”
Ruby folded her arms across her chest. “Well, if you ask me, you fit right in here.” She sneered at Polly. “Doesn’t it just seem like your old trailer park?”
Polly hissed and jumped towards Ruby, who’d cleverly just put Lisa between them both. Lisa held out her hands. “Stop it. Stop it now. If you two want to fight you’ll need to take it out on the street.” She gritted her teeth. “People in Marietta don’t behave like that.”
Polly tossed her head and thumped down into one of Lisa’s vintage chairs with such a ferocity that Lisa was surprised she didn’t end up on the floor.
Ruby flicked her hair and walked over to look at the bridesmaid dresses again, the sneer still present on her face.
Lisa decided it was time to take the bull by the horns. She picked up two mink halter-neck dresses with diamantes sparkled across the bodice. She handed one to Polly and one to Ruby. “Try these, ladies. A dressing room each.”
Her voice was more commanding than usual. Lisa wasn’t usually bossy, in fact, in her shop she was anything but. She looked back to the door. “Isn’t Nancy joining us today?”
“Hrmph,” came the noise from the first dressing room. “Jared rolled into town last night. You won’t see Nancy for the next two days.”
Polly stuck her head out from behind the other curtain. “Don’t mind her. She’s in a snitch. Nancy’s wardrobe for the new series of Sultry Suburbs arrived last night, and we’re not allowed to see a single thing.”
“Really? Why on earth not?”
Ruby pulled back the curtain. “It’s ridiculous. I mean, why on earth hide the clothes from us? We’re her friends.”
Lisa was fascinated. She’d never heard anything like this before. “What’s the big deal? The clothes on Sultry Suburbs are gorgeous. Wouldn’t they want everyone to see them?”
The second curtain swept back. Polly stood with her arms folded across her chest and smirked at Ruby. “People outside Hollywood know nothing.” She gave a shake of her head and a little laugh as she strode out of the dressing room and into the middle of the floor. “It’s part of her contract. The clothes. Every designer wants their clothes on Sultry Suburbs. Every single item sells out within minutes of being on the show. That’s why it’s all such a secret. Nancy sometimes has to shoot a scene in more than one outfit before they decide which one they’re actually going to use.”
Ruby nodded and walked over, standing next to her and lifting a few chocolates from the bowl. “Every crew member on Sultry Suburbs has to sign a nondisclosure contract.” She flicked her blonde hair over her shoulder. “But I don’t see why we can’t see the clothes. It’s not as if we’d tell anyone.”
Lisa tried to hide her smile. It was written all over their faces. The second either of them saw a glimpse of that wardrobe they would pull out their phones, snap pictures and buy the clothes themselves the next day. Subtlety wasn’t their strong point.
Lisa walked over to one of the freestanding mirrors and turned it towards both of them. “Look. What do you think of this style? It looks good on you both.” She walked out from behind the mirror and stood behind them, making a little tweak here and there. “There still needs to be adjustments.”
It was the first time they’d ever worn the same dress. And it looked surprisingly good. The halter neck style both enhanced and detracted from their large bosoms. Showing cleavage but keeping everything in place. The diamantes and figure-skimming satin showed a little class. The pale color enhanced their tanned skin.
Ruby lifted her hands to untie the neck. “This is ugly. Ugly! There’s no way I’m wearing this!”
Polly wrinkled her nose. It was the only part of her face that wasn’t botoxed. “Finally something we agree on.” She walked over the rail and picked off a purple dress. “I’m going to try this one.”
Ruby walked over and picked up an emerald green dress, flouncing in the other direction. “Well, I’m certainly not wearing that color!”
Eyes flashed. Hands poised on hips. It was like a Mexican standoff.
Lisa sucked in a deep breath and glanced at the clock.
By the looks of it – this could take all night.
*
Adam was pacing. He didn’t like pacing. It wasn’t making things better – it was making them worse.
Why hadn’t he arranged to meet her at the restaurant? At least that way if she wanted to stand him up, he wasn’t in view of the whole town, pacing up and down outside her store.
He glanced at his watch again. 7:20 pm. She’d said to pick her up at seven, but it was obvious she was still working. The lights were on in the shop and there was a flurry of multi-colored dresses streaking past the window. Something didn’t seem quite right.
He’d always thought a wedding salon would be quite a nice place – not that he had any experience. But every now and then a high-pitched angry voice came filtering through the air. Things sounded fraught in there – which is why he had no wish or desire to go inside.
A few seconds later the door was flung wide and two angry blondes stomped out, both ignoring the waiting car at the sidewalk and disappearing in different directions – one directly into the pizza parlor next door, the other heading off in the direction of Grey’s.
Adam hesitated. Should he go inside? Was it safe?
He poked his head warily inside. It was like a scene of epic destruction. The floor was littered with a rainbow explosion of colors and a variety of satin-padded hangers. On top of the color was a wide variety of white and cream scraps of material – probably masquerading as wedding underwear. One dress was even dangling from the crystal chandelier, and in the midst of it all stood Lisa, looking like she might burst into tears any second now.
“Lisa?” he said quietly.
She blinked. “Adam.” She looked around as if she could barely believe it. “I’m sorry.” She held out her arms. “Things got a bit
out of hand here.” Her voice was starting to waver.
His reaction was automatic. He reached up and gently removed the navy blue dress snagged on the chandelier. “Can we rename that pair the Terrible Twins?”
“Oh, I can think of a whole lot of other names. None of them that polite,” shot back Lisa. She picked up a hangar, slipping the dress onto it and putting it on the nearest rail. Her hand ran down the crumpled fabric and she gave a sigh.
She shook her head. “It’s the disrespect,” she said slowly. “Some people spend their whole lives saving to buy their wedding trousseau. A lot of my stock is expensive. Some of these dresses cost more than a thousand dollars and they’re throwing them around as if they’re from the dollar market.”
She picked up a pale yellow strand and fingered a thin strap that had come away from the seam. “They seem to think it’s okay to behave like a pair of toddlers having a tantrum. That might be okay in Hollywood – but it’s not normal in Marietta.” She was starting to get mad. The more she picked her dresses off the floor and inspected them for damage – the angrier she became.
“They had the nerve to suggest that people in Marietta weren’t as good as people in Hollywood. At least the people in Marietta know how to conduct themselves in an appropriate manner. I don’t what standards they live by but–”
“Hey.” Adam’s hand closed over hers. She looked down. Her fist had closed around one of the dresses, clenching the delicate grey fabric.
Her eyes met his as he gently released the dress from her grasp and hung it on the rail.
“Who is the bride again?” Maybe he should have paid more attention to all this.
“Nancy Parsons. The star of Sultry Suburbs.” She shook her head. “But she wasn’t here today.”
“And you know her?”
“Well – yes. She was a few years below me at school.”
“Then call her. Tell her. She’s from Marietta, isn’t she? She didn’t come back here to be embarrassed. I imagine she came back here to show people how well she’s done.”
Lisa stopped for a second and took a few breaths. They could see the floor now. The bridal store was finally starting to look tidy again. There were still a few pieces of bridal underwear adorning chairs and counters but he didn’t really feel like retrieving all those.
Lisa nodded slowly. “You’re right. I know you’re right. I just couldn’t believe it when two grown women started acting like a pair of brats. It took me a few moments to actually get my head around it.” She glanced at her watch and realization swept her face. “Oh, Adam. I’m sorry. We’re late for dinner.”
He smiled and shook his head. “I think we’ll be okay. I don’t expect the Long River Cookhouse to be so busy we can’t get in.” He paused for a second. “Are you sure you still want to go?”
She looked around. “Of course I still want to go. But this place is still a mess.” She looked down at herself. “And I haven’t even got changed yet.”
He stepped forward, close enough to put a hand on her hip. “You’re getting changed?” She was wearing a black skirt and slim-fitting black shirt. The look was…professional.
She nodded and tipped her head towards him, looking kind of rueful. “I brought a black dress to wear to dinner.”
“A black dress?” He couldn’t wipe the smile from his face.
“Yep.”
He held out his hands around him. “How about you pick something else to wear?” He took a few steps towards another rail. These dresses weren’t full length. There was a whole variety of colors and style. He lifted up a strapless knee length red dress. “How about this one? This color would look gorgeous on you.”
Her instant reaction was to pull back a little then she stepped forward and touched the fabric. Like all her dresses it was gorgeous.
“Adam, are you trying to tell me what to wear?” There was a tiny edge to her voice.
She was standing right next to him. Shoulder to shoulder. He rested his hand at the bottom of her back. “I want you to wear whatever you feel comfortable in. If that’s the black dress you’ve got hidden somewhere then I’m sure you will be gorgeous in it.” He gave a little shrug. “I’ve just never seen you in anything colorful. How do you feel about breaking a habit?”
She threw back her head and laughed. “After today? That’s not all I could break.” She reached over and grabbed the dress. “You know what? I’ll give this a try. I might hate it. But if I don’t try, I’ll never know.”
She disappeared behind one of the curtains. Adam walked slowly around the salon. It was bigger than he’d expected, with a huge amount of bouffant white and cream dresses. Everywhere he looked there was sparkle, flounce and lace. On an old-fashioned coat stand in the corner was a whole host of glittering veils. A shelf on the wall held a multitude of tiaras and on another, a whole variety of shoes and sandals. He gave a little smile. This shop was really every guy’s nightmare.
He’d never really bought into the old wedding day fiasco. A few women he’d dated could have spent his million dollars on a wedding alone. But Lisa’s shop held a little more than wedding products. On a white noticeboard she had lots of photos of happy brides – who he expected, were all wearing her dresses. He moved closer to take a look. He had to be fair. There wasn’t a bad bride amongst them.
A hand reached up and touched his shoulder. Lisa was right behind him. She leaned around a little. “That’s Sage Carrigan. And that’s Bailey Jenkins, she got married in October, then there’s Payton Hollis and McKenna Douglas.” She gave a little laugh. “McKenna decided to change her dress up a little. But they’ve all come here for their dresses. I love having pictures up of brides in dresses I’ve helped them choose. Every one of them is beautiful.”
Adam gave a little nod. It was odd but he could see exactly what she meant. The brides didn’t just look happy. They glowed. Adam gave a shudder and a little laugh. This wasn’t him at all.
He spun around and his breath caught in his throat. Lisa Renee was beautiful in black. Professional, somber it did suit her. But in red…she was a knockout. The color enhanced her skin tone, darkened her hair and made her eyes stand out even more.
“You should wear red every day,” he said quietly.
She looked down, obviously still a little unsure. “You think? I don’t know. It just seems so…so…,”
“So what?” He was amused. The color was making her self-conscious – even though she didn’t need to be.
She smiled again. “So…out there,” she finished.
He spun her around towards the free-standing mirror. “Well, I think you look perfect.” He crooked his elbow towards her. “Let’s go. Long River Cookhouse awaits.”
*
The two mile journey didn’t take long and Adam was a careful driver. She should have expected that from a doctor really. But she was finding it difficult to relax and kept tugging at her red dress as it crept up her thighs while sitting in the car.
The sound of melodic tunes met them as they pulled into the parking lot. The cookhouse was one of the classiest places around. Plate-glass windows overlooking Marietta River, a permanent piano player and yellow roses on every white-covered table. The seating was more relaxed than traditional restaurants with comfortable upholstered chairs at every table.
They were shown to their table and the waiter left them menus. Adam obviously wasn’t accustomed to the fare around here, his eyebrows shot upwards. He peered around the menu at her and smiled. “So, it’s ribs then?”
She laughed. “Or you can have ribs if you prefer.” She leaned over and flicked through the pages. “Ribs are the specialty here and all the ingredients are locally sourced. There are other food options closer to the back. Chicken, steak, fish. It’s all there.” She sat her menu on the table. “But I’ll be having the ribs.”
“You make it sound like a challenge.”
She glanced down at her red dress. “Oh believe me, it will be.” She wrinkled her nose. “I guess ribs aren’t really a fi
rst date kind of food.”
“Is that what this is? A first date?”
Heat flooded her cheeks. Oh no. Had she totally misread the situation? He was staring at her with those brown eyes of his. Totally unreadable.
The skin on her shoulders and arms felt as if a thousand little caterpillars were stomping all over it. “What do you think it is?” Even her voice sounded awkward. She didn’t even want to contemplate what her stomach was currently doing.
Adam’s face broke into a smile. “I guess it is. It’s been a little while since I played the whole dating game. I think I’m out of practice.”
“The dating game? Is that what this is to you?”
The waiter had just appeared. He put a jug of water on the table along with some glasses and made a hasty exit.
She tried not to smile as she watched him shift in his seat.
“Well, no, I didn’t quite mean that. What I meant was–”
He caught sight of the expression on her face and relaxed back into the seat. “You’re joking, right?”
She laughed as she reached for the water jug. “I just wanted to see you squirm for a second. See how you handle pressure.” She filled her glass and his and lifted one towards him. “Not bad, Dr. Brady. Not bad at all.”
His fingers brushed against hers as he took the glass. “Do you want some wine?”
She nodded. “With ribs? No way. I want a beer.” She glanced at the napkin laid across her lap. “You do realize I’m going to have to tuck this into the top of my dress? This might not be the most glamorous date in the world.”
Their gazes meshed. “You’re wrong,” he said quickly. “I think this is going to be the most glamorous date I’ve ever had.”
*
Two hours later she’d drunk one beer, two sodas and did her best to eat ribs without getting sauce on her chin or in her hair. She hoped she’d succeeded.
Adam Brady was intriguing. He talked freely about his work and medical training, but was cagey about his past. Not the kid stuff. Just the adult stuff. It made her wonder if he was trying to hide something.
The Fairy Tale Bride Page 5
