by Amber Crewes
Mrs. Sheridan’s face darkened. “I saw Frank talking to another woman at the skating rink,” she muttered as a lock of her silver hair got caught on her glossy lips. She batted at it in annoyance. “She was flirting with him, and instead of walking away from her, he kept talking to her?”
Trudy raised an eyebrow. “Who was it? Did you know her?”
Mrs. Sheridan shook her head. “Haven’t the slightest idea,” she told them. “But if my man is going to make eyes at another woman, I’m going to dress in a way that ensures his eyes will stay on me. I know I look good, so I am going to flaunt what I have, ladies!”
Pamela leaned in to whisper to Meghan discreetly. “My mom would kill me if I left the house looking like that,” she said. “Mrs. Sheridan looks like she took a long walk in the Red Light District in Amsterdam.”
“Pamela!” Meghan gasped. “How do you know about the Red Light District?”
Pamela winked. “I may be young, but I know a thing or two, Meghan.”
Meghan frowned. “You’re too young to be talking about these kinds of things. Go back to the kitchen for now until Mrs. Sheridan leaves. I want you to start rolling out the dough for the cinnamon cookies.”
“But…”
“No buts!” Meghan said firmly. “Go!
Pamela shot her a look, but she obediently trudged back to the kitchen. Mrs. Sheridan was now sitting on one of the little white iron tables, her legs crossed in a salacious fashion. Trudy looked alarmed as she glanced back and forth between Mrs. Sheridan and the customers sitting at a nearby table.
“Don’t you think I look good?” Mrs. Sheridan crooned as Trudy’s eyes widened.
“You look great,” Meghan hurriedly assured her, wanting to minimize the scene Mrs. Sheridan was making in the bakery. “Why don’t we all go back into the kitchen? I think we should have some snacks.”
She caught Trudy’s eye, and the two women nodded at each other, both knowing it was imperative to get Sally Sheridan out of the dining room and out of the view of their customers. Meghan even placed a hand on Mrs. Sheridan’s shoulder to gently guide her out of the room.
They entered the kitchen, and Meghan was pleasantly surprised to find her friend and business partner, Jackie, waiting for her. “Surprise!”
Meghan grinned. “What are you doing here?”
Jackie’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “I wanted to hear all about the wedding plans,” she gushed as she embraced Meghan. “You said that you and your mama had started some of the planning, and as your Maid-of-Honor, I need to be in the know.”
Meghan smiled weakly. She knew that Jackie was not going to be her Maid-of-Honor; she had so many sisters that she would likely just make all of them her Maids and Matrons-of-Honor, but she did not want to rile Jackie up when Mrs. Sheridan was already a loose cannon in her kitchen.
“There’s not a lot to talk about,” she admitted sheepishly. “We’re getting married at my parents’ house this August, but other than that, I don’t have a lot of details.”
“Am I invited?” Mrs. Sheridan interjected.
“We haven’t started our guest list,” Meghan said nervously. “But yes, you will be invited.”
Mrs. Sheridan flipped her hair. “I should start thinking about my outfit now; I’m sure you’ll have plenty of pretty little bridesmaids for Frank to look at, so I need to make sure my outfit for your wedding is over the top. I am going to go shopping right now! Bye, ladies.”
Meghan sighed as Mrs. Sheridan hobbled out of the bakery. “What was that about?” Jackie asked.
“You don’t want to know,” she replied. “Let’s catch up in the dining area now that she’s gone; the customers won’t be staring at you.”
She led Jackie out to the dining room and they sat at one of the little white tables. “What’s new with you?” Meghan asked.
“Not too much,” Jackie said, folding her hands. “Things are fine at the salon, and the reservations at the barn are nice and steady despite the cold weather.”
Meghan smiled, happy to hear the news about the barn. She and Jackie had bought and renovated a historical barn together last year, and now, it was a popular place to hold events. The barn had seen its fair share of weddings, baby showers, family reunions, and parties, and it was a nice source of side income for both women.
“You look great,” Meghan complimented. “I love that shade of violet; it really brings out your eyes.”
Jackie blushed. “That’s what Dan said. He said the violet hair added more spark to my look.”
“Dan? Who is Dan?”
Jackie batted her eyelashes. “It’s a new thing,” she admitted. “It isn’t serious yet, and we are taking it slow, but we’ve been spending a lot of time together, and I really like him.”
Meghan grinned. “I’m happy to hear you’re taking it slow,” she told her friend. “But I haven’t seen you smile like that in a long time. Dan might be a keeper!”
Jackie’s cheeks turned even redder. “I hope so,” she replied. “I want to find someone. I want to be happy like you and Jack. I want a wedding!”
Meghan chose not to mention that Jackie had been married before and had a wedding, so instead, she nodded politely.
“You said the wedding plans aren’t finalized, but what about the other events?” Jackie asked, changing the subject to Meghan’s relief.
“Other events?”
“The bridal shower, the engagement party, and the bachelorette party?”
Meghan shrugged. “I don’t love attention… you know that,” she stated. “I don’t know if I want any of those events. I think a wedding will be enough for me.”
Jackie’s jaw dropped. “You’re telling me you don’t want a bridal shower, engagement party, or bachelorette party?”
Meghan nodded. “I’m sure those would be fun times, but I have so much going on with the bakery, the barn, and wedding planning, and it would be too stressful to plan everything.”
Jackie’s eyes brightened. “I have an idea,” she told her. “What if I plan your bachelorette party? I am such a good event planner, and I know how to make any gathering a good time. I’ll give you the best bachelorette party you could imagine!”
“I don’t know,” she said nervously. “I’m not thrilled with the idea of going away again, especially since I just got back from Texas. I don’t have the time or energy right now.”
“Meghan, you will only get married once,” Jackie countered. “This is a time in your life you will never get to do again! What if you give up on having a bachelorette party and regret it later? Is that what you want? Regrets?”
Her stomach dropped; she sensed she would not regret skipping out on a bachelorette party, but what if she was wrong? What if she looked back in five years and wished she had celebrated properly? Was Jackie right?
“You want to go! I can see it on your face.”
Meghan bit her lip. “Between us, Jack and I were thinking about getting married earlier,” she whispered. “Jack wants us to elope sooner rather than later; he thinks it would be romantic and help take the pressure off of our wedding in Texas. If we do that, I don’t think I can spare the time or money for a bachelorette party, Jackie.”
Jackie winked at her. “Enough said. I can tell that you want to have a party, and it’s official. I am taking control and planning your bachelorette party, and that is that! Don’t you worry ‘bout a thing. Leave everything to me, almost-Mrs. Irvin. I will make this a bachelorette party you will never forget!”
3
T hree weeks later, Meghan found herself waiting in the security line at the Sandy Bay Airport. It was a damp, rainy morning, and she was in a terrible mood as she glanced at her watch. It was five-thirty, and Meghan was not a morning person; she wondered why Jackie had chosen an early flight to kick off her bachelorette party, and she hoped this was not a sign of how the rest of the weekend would go.
As she glanced out of the floor-to-ceiling windows along the corridor, she saw flashes of lightning
that made her feel nauseated; what if her plane got caught in a storm? Meghan usually didn’t worry about flying, but with the storm raging outside, she felt the knot in her stomach grow.
“I got the coffee you wanted,” Jackie greeted her as she rejoined Meghan in line.
Meghan thanked her and took a sip of the drink, but she immediately knew Jackie had made a mistake. “Jackie! Does this have dairy in it?”
Jackie nodded. “It’s your usual drink, Meghan. A full-fat mocha latte.”
Meghan spat out the drink, not caring who saw her. “Jackie, I told you. I am lactose intolerant. The doctor confirmed it when I was home in Texas. We talked about this, and I reminded you before you went off to grab the coffee.”
Jackie huffed. “It’s not my fault your diet is complicated!”
“It isn’t a diet,” Meghan growled. “It's intolerance. That is completely different.”
“Well sorry,” Jackie replied with an attitude. “Sorry, it wasn’t good enough for you.”
Meghan crossed her arms in front of her chest. Irritated didn’t even begin to describe how she felt; she wanted nothing more than to be home in her own bed, not in the airport at five-thirty in the morning for a bachelorette party she didn’t even want.
“Who else is coming?” she asked Jackie. “And where exactly are we going? I didn’t realize we were going this far out of town.”
Jackie raised an eyebrow. “That information is a surprise,” she scolded her. “You will just have to wait to find out.”
“MEGHAN!”
Meghan squinted through her sleepy eyes and saw her friend Karen from across the room. Karen was one of her dearest friends in Sandy Bay; they were close to fifty years apart in age, but Karen was the most athletic and spirited person Meghan knew.
“It’s time for your little getaway!” Karen shrieked as she approached them. She was wearing a matching lavender tracksuit and her white-blonde bob bounced on her shoulders. “Are you excited, Bride-to-Be?”
Meghan hugged her friend, thankful Karen had been included. Karen was pragmatic and reasonable, and Meghan was happy to have someone with a good head on their shoulders invited to her bachelorette weekend.
“I’m sleepy, and Jackie is getting on my nerves,” she whispered to Karen as they embraced. “Where are we going?”
Jackie marched over and tapped Meghan on the shoulder. “I heard that! Don’t ask the girls where we are going; this is a surprise, Meghan!”
“Hi ladies.”
The three women turned to see Trudy walking toward them. She was wearing a flamingo-print beach shirt with pink pants and a pink visor. “I’m ready for our trip.”
Meghan smiled. “I’m glad you are here,” she greeted. “You look like you are ready for the beach. Are we going to the beach, Jackie?”
Before Jackie could reply, Meghan spotted a familiar face in the crowd. It was Myrtle, her younger sister! Myrtle was twenty-one, but despite their age difference, she was Meghan’s favorite sister. Myrtle was funny and kind, and she and Meghan looked like twins.
“What are you doing here?” she exclaimed.
“Jackie invited me,” Myrtle grinned. “We have a three-day weekend at school, so I zipped up here to fly with you to your party.”
Meghan felt tears brimming in her eyes. She turned to Jackie. “Thank you,” she said sweetly, forgetting how frustrated she had been earlier. “Having my sister here means so much to me. Thank you for getting her here.”
Jackie beamed. “I want you to have the best time, and I knew you would want Myrtle to be here!”
Meghan kissed her sister on the cheek. “This is perfect,” she admitted. “All of my girls.”
“Well, not all of them,” Jackie told her. “There is one more guest coming.”
“Who are we missing? Is Mama joining us? Or my other sisters?”
“Yoo-hoo!”
All the women looked over to see Sally Sheridan sashaying toward them. She was dressed in a red velvet mini-dress and matching heels. “It’s me, girls!” she called out. “I’m ready to party!”
Meghan stared at Jackie. “Why did you invite Mrs. Sheridan?” she hissed. “She’s already causing a scene and we haven’t even arrived at the party.”
Jackie glowered at her. “Don’t be rude,” she scolded Meghan. “She is your friend.”
Meghan pasted a smile on her face as Mrs. Sheridan walked up to them. “So good to see you,” she said as she kissed her cheek. “I am so happy you are coming.”
“This old gal is ready for a grand time,” Mrs. Sheridan gushed as she pulled a newly bedazzled cane out of her purse. “I even have the accessories for this party; look at my new cane!”
Jackie’s lips turned up in a huge smile. “That cane is ready to hit the scene in our destination.”
“Should we tell her where we are going?” Trudy asked mischievously.
“I think we should wait until we get there,” Karen teased.
Meghan glared at them. “Come on, ladies,” she urged. “Just tell me where we are going. I can’t stand the surprise any longer.”
Jackie nodded. “Let’s all say it on three,” she ordered. “One... two... three….”
“WE’RE GOING TO LAS VEGAS!” the women cried.
Meghan’s face paled. “Las Vegas?”
“Aren’t you excited?” Karen asked. “I love Las Vegas! The weather is superb, and there are gorgeous mountains to go running in.”
Trudy agreed. “And the bars and casinos aren’t bad either!”
Meghan fought back tears. She had never had a desire to go to Las Vegas; she had never been a big partier, and the thought of trooping across the country to sit in loud bars and casinos sounded like torture to her. She had envisioned a relaxing weekend by a pool or ocean for her bachelorette party, and now, that dream was dead.
“I can tell she isn’t happy,” Jackie pouted as Meghan took a long breath. “I did all of this work to plan a perfect weekend for her, and she’s upset.”
Myrtle shook her head. “She’s fine,” she told Jackie brusquely. “She just isn’t a morning person. Give her some time to wake up and she’ll be good as new.”
The group shuffled closer to the security line, and before Meghan knew it, she was on an airplane bound for Las Vegas.
A few hours later, she found herself shuffled into a van. “It’s the complimentary shuttle to the hotel,” Jackie explained as the woman climbed into the brown van. “It will take us there for free!”
Trudy beamed as she retrieved a pair of fake designer sunglasses from her patent leather purse and leaned back against her seat. “This is the life,” she breathed. “Being chauffeured from the airport in a private van? Jackie, this is great!”
They drove for five minutes until they reached a street corner. Meghan squinted as the sun crept into her face. “Why are we stopping?”
Jackie shrugged. “For gas? I don’t know.”
The driver exited the van and threw open the sliding door. A crowd of middle-aged women crowded inside. “What are you doing?” Jackie cried. “This is our private shuttle to the hotel!”
The driver raised an eyebrow. “This isn’t a private shuttle,” he corrected her. “This is a public van. You paid online for the reservation, remember?”
Jackie’s face turned beet red. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she protested, but it was clear to the group that she was lying.
The driver helped the last middle-aged woman in and slammed the door shut.
“What are you in town for?” Karen kindly asked one of the women.
“My divorce was finalized last month,” a curvaceous raven-haired woman explained. “My girls and I are out on the town to celebrate!”
“How lovely,” Meghan grumbled. “We’re in the company of middle-aged divorcees to celebrate my last few weeks as a single lady,” she thought to herself.
“What are you in town for?” the newly divorced woman asked. “A conference? Gambling?”
“It�
�s her bachelorette party,” Myrtle explained as she pointed to Meghan. “My sister is getting married soon and we are here to celebrate her!”
One of the middle-aged women scoffed. “Ugh, girl, take my advice: don’t do it. Marriage is so overrated.”
“Yeah,” another chimed in. “Marriage is for fools. Getting married the first time was the worst mistake of my life.”
“What about your second time?” one of the others teased.
“That time was good,” she winked.
Meghan crossed her arms over her chest. She was tired, cranky, and ready for a nap after a long morning with Jackie and the girls.
Thirty minutes later, they arrived at a shabby motel. “This must be where the ladies are staying,” Myrtle whispered to her. “It looks gross. You’d think they would have chosen a better place to stay for her divorce party.”
The driver opened the door and beckoned to Meghan. “Alright, Bride-to-Be, here is your castle for the next three nights.”
Meghan’s jaw dropped. “This is where we’re staying?” she hissed at Jackie as she surveyed the dilapidated motel. It was a two-story stucco structure with a drained swimming pool out front. A group of motorcyclists clad in leather pants and jackets sat by the empty pool, each with a cigarette in their hands. “This looks scary, Jackie. What is this?”
Jackie frowned. “It was a great price,” she explained. “And it’s walking distance to The Strip. The reviews online were fine, and I had a coupon I won at an auction a few years ago…”
Karen bit her lip, but ever the optimist, she smiled. “It is close to everything,” she reassured Meghan as she glanced around. “And there is a lot of natural light by the pool!”
“The pool doesn’t have any water in it,” Meghan grumbled.
“Maybe we can fix that!” Myrtle added. “Why don’t we go check-in? Jackie, lead the way.”
Jackie guided the women inside to the main office. It was shabby and dark, with peeling green wallpaper and musty carpet. “Can I help you?” asked the receptionist as they trudged over to his desk.
“We’re checking in,” Jackie informed him. “This is the Truman Bachelorette Party.”
