“It sounds incredible,” Chloe said. “And you’re making me hungry. Is it lunchtime yet?”
With a satisfied smile, Suze said, “Guests at this wedding will gain five pounds by the time they call a taxi to go home.”
“We’re not going to have drunk guests on the lawn, are we?” Mercedes asked, horrified at the thought. “Chloe, you need to make sure we do not have any inebriated guests making a spectacle of themselves.”
“That would be a good job for Katey and the best man,” Chloe suggested.
“Oh, right,” Mercedes said, winking at Chloe. “Because of the you-know-what.”
“What are you two talking about?” Suze demanded, frown lines crossing her forehead.
“She’s my special bridesmaid,” Mercedes replied quickly. “I have special tasks only for her.”
“You two are being very mysterious.” Suze did not look happy at being left out of any intimate secrets, even if it didn’t concern her.
“Are you doing anything with the swimming pool?” Chloe asked, gazing at the shimmering blue water down the sloping hill. It was rimmed with stone and had a waterfall that looked tempting to stand under, as if the pool was on a tropical island.
“That goes without saying,” Suze said huffily. “We’re adding floating flowers and lights around the perimeter since it’s such a focal point. Mercedes will walk up the length of the pool before entering the aisle between the guests. It’s going to be spectacular.”
“What if the evening turns colder than we expect?” Chloe asked.
Mercedes nodded. “Since it’s early October, that was one of my worries, but we’re setting up heaters around the reception and dancing area so guests don’t get chilled.”
“Sounds perfect,” Chloe told her. “I think Suze is right. It’s going to be the wedding of the decade. Everything is simply beautiful.”
A look of satisfaction crossed Suze’s face. “Of course it is. Mercedes was wise to hire me.”
Chloe gulped down a laugh. She found Suze Perry more amusing than annoying, although she was pretty sure the woman would be exasperating to work for.
The wedding planner led the way around the water fountain and strode back to her clipboard of shipping manifests, checking off each item as they came off the trucks.
Watching the activity of at least fifteen men unloading high-end rentals, silk curtains, china, and real silver platters, Chloe’s mind couldn’t help adding up the high-ticket items in her head. The ten grand she’d contemplated threatening Mercedes with last week on the phone for her undercover bridesmaid services were a drop in the wedding budget bucket.
The wedding jewelry was scheduled to be delivered this afternoon. A niggle of anxiety swept through her, thinking of her first round of diamond inspection coming up in a few hours. That was the easy part, actually, now that Chloe had been trained in all the various methods of how to spot a fake.
But how did Chloe learn the truth about Mark Westerfield, let alone catch him in the act of criminal activity? The chances of that were almost zero.
Mark appeared perfectly harmless with his professor glasses and disarming smile, although appearances could be deceiving. In addition, Agent Esposito had explicitly told Chloe not to confront the thief—if the thief actually showed his face.
So how were they supposed to apprehend them and prove a theft?
The apprehension of the unknown caused Chloe to sweat. Was there something Liam hadn’t told her yet? Her training at Quantico had prepared her for the endgame of a mission, not just the scheme’s setup.
Chapter 11
After a quick lunch from the dining room sideboard, the dressmaker arrived for Mercedes’s final fitting. The wedding dress was created from a spectacular satin with scalloped lace and ornate beading that dripped all the way down the three-foot train.
“Not too long, but not too short,” Chloe told her cousin when she tried it on. “The gown is even more gorgeous when you’re wearing it.”
The dressmaker was a quiet woman with a tape measure, her lips pursed with an array of straight pins that Chloe hoped she didn’t accidentally swallow. “A few small tucks—I always make it larger—so much easier to take in than to take out.”
Chloe was next, trying on the floor-length bridesmaid dress in a burgundy chiffon that fell with an elegantly sophisticated drape. “Thank you for not putting me in yellow or orange,” she told Mercedes.
“I would have gone on strike,” the dressmaker said drily.
Mercedes glanced at Chloe, trying not to giggle. “The red color will match the changing maple leaves around the backyard—although I actually didn’t plan it. I just now thought of it.”
“You’re a little taller than I thought,” the dressmaker mumbled as she pinched and poked at Chloe. “But I think I can take the length down another half an inch.” She turned to Mercedes. “The dresses will be fixed, pressed, and delivered later this evening. Call me if you have any trouble with them tomorrow when you dress for the ceremony.”
After the woman left, Mercedes gave Chloe a list. “Can you please run these errands? I’m out of my favorite nail color and I’m not loving any of my lipsticks. Plus, get me two extra pairs of pantyhose in case I run one of them. Lord & Taylor is the store that carries my favorite brand.”
“Pantyhose?” Chloe was surprised.
Mercedes made a face. “I don’t usually wear them, but I want the tummy tucker style. Banish the tummy pooch! Our photographs must look perfect—and that starts with a perfect bride.”
“There’s always Spanx,” Chloe said with a wink.
Mercedes groaned. “I can never get the blasted thing on, and then my thighs ache afterward. I want to be able to walk after my wedding is over,” she added demurely. “We’ll be on an airplane to the beaches of Italy Sunday afternoon.”
“Swim a lap in the ocean for me,” Chloe told her.
“I’m not sure I’ll be thinking about anybody but Mark on Sunday.”
Chloe reached out and smoothed the worry wrinkles across Mercedes’s brow. “It was a joke. You shouldn’t be thinking about anybody but your new husband.”
Her cousin gave her a weak smile. “I’m trying not to freak out, but I feel it coming on.”
“You’re allowed, and I’ll talk you off the ledge,” Chloe promised. “Okay. Keys to a vehicle? Taxi?”
“What?” Mercedes looked confused.
“I need transportation to get to the mall and various department stores. Unless you have a chauffeur hiding somewhere around here. Or do you want to send Katey, although I haven't seen her today.”
“Oh, right. Errands. I’m losing my mind already. Katey is at my office finalizing some paperwork for the estate sale I finished two weeks ago.”
“That makes sense.”
“I had no idea how difficult it is to put on a wedding while working full-time. Weekends are my busiest days. I swear I’d lose my arm if it wasn’t attached,” Mercedes added. She rummaged through a couple of handbags and pulled out a set of car keys. “My car is in the right side of the garage. The two-seater Mercedes-Benz convertible. Try not to run it over a curb.”
“Aye, aye,” Chloe said with a salute. “I passed my driver’s test with flying colors.”
Mercedes glanced at the wall clock and nearly had a heart attack. “Is it almost 1:30 already? We still have our facials to do before dressing for the rehearsal dinner at six.”
Chloe took her cousin by the shoulders and gazed into her face. “You lie down and take a rest. The next two evenings are going to be late. You don’t want to be exhausted for tomorrow.”
“I’m too nervous to nap!”
Chloe took Mercedes by the hand and led her to her bed. She pulled off her shoes and forced her down on the pillow. “I’m drawing the blinds. Just close your eyes. Even if you don’t actually sleep, you’ll feel better when you get up in an hour. Think happy thoughts. Think about the lingerie you’re going to wear for Mark tomorrow night.”
“I’l
l have to lie on my back so I don’t get wrinkles on my face from the pillow.”
“That’s the least of your worries. Pillow wrinkles are gone within two hours. Trust me, I’ve timed it before.”
“You know so many interesting tidbits about weddings, Chloe.”
“Mais oui. It’s what I do for a living.”
“At first I wasn’t sure if I believed you, but I do now.”
While Chloe ran downstairs to the garages, she glanced at the list Mercedes had scribbled down. Could she get back in an hour, especially with Friday afternoon traffic?
She ended up multitasking, making the phone call to the photographer while she maneuvered the sports car through McLean’s streets. Yes, the photographer assured her, she would be at the rehearsal dinner early. Mercedes’s assistant, Katey, had already called her twice that week.
Chloe rolled the luxury car into a parking space before dashing into Lord & Taylor. The beauty department was out of stock on the lip color her cousin wanted, but she hurriedly tried half a dozen others that looked close and made a wild guess. Mercedes would probably yell at her, but at this point she didn’t have a choice. Pantyhose were next. Then she paid for her purchases with the credit card Mercedes had given her, scrawling a fake signature on the dotted line.
Thank-you gifts for Katey, Suze the wedding planner, and the photographer were next. This was the most time-consuming, and Chloe was gnashing her teeth by the end of it. Small baskets of fine candies and a jeweled box were tucked inside tissue and flowers. She also picked up some embossed stationary for the thank-you notes, which she would draft and Mercedes would sign sometime Saturday morning.
Chloe had already printed Saturday’s schedule with copies to hand out to the wedding party. The only problem was that it kept changing slightly, so she was redoing her phone calendar and sending alerts out to Mercedes and Mark.
It was almost three by the time Chloe returned, hauling in the shopping bags from the car and running up the wide, curving staircase to her own bedroom.
Organizing the items, she wrote out the thank-you notes and left them to be signed by her cousin. Then she woke Mercedes, who had actually fallen asleep. Which was good and not so good. Her cousin was a bear to wake up and a bit groggy.
The doorbell rang, and Chloe left Mercedes to splash cold water on her face while she ran out into the hall to peek over the railing. Wedding gifts had been arriving from all over the world via FedEx for two days now, and Katey was responsible for organizing those.
A constant flurry of text messages was beginning to give Chloe her own headache. Last-minute questions and answers from Suze Perry about a florist emergency—a shortage of tiny roses for the boutonnières—and the dinner rehearsal chef at Sergio’s.
Mercedes had changed her mind about the wedding dinner appetizers three times now. Final answer: a plate of all three appetizers for her guests. It was only a few hundred more dollars, so why not make her guests happy?
The sound of another vehicle came through the front door, which Katey had opened. No more trucks were scheduled to arrive from Suze Perry to decorate for the backyard reception, so the sound made Chloe curious. She ran down the stairs, wondering if it was a UPS van.
Katey turned when Chloe reached the bottom of the stairs. “It’s the armored car with the wedding jewelry!” she said in thrilled tones.
An undercurrent of reverence was included, which made Chloe smile.
Katey laughed at herself. “Sorry to be such a goofball over it.”
“Hey, it’s not every day a girl gets to see jewels like these.” Even so, Chloe’s stomach jumped while she put on a pleasant face to mask her own nervousness.
Now her real work began. Over half-a-million dollars in diamonds were on the premises. It was her responsibility to keep them safe and not give herself away. Butterflies rose up her stomach, and her palms began to sweat, but first she ran upstairs to retrieve her wallet and diamond tools, which she stuffed into her purse so Katey wouldn’t see them and ask questions.
By the time she raced downstairs again, two uniformed men from Davis Jewelers had already stepped out of a black SUV with opaque windows and what was most likely bulletproof glass. Chloe could see that there was a third man at the wheel who remained with the vehicle.
All three were checking the area around the house with solemn expressions. Taking in the surroundings for any potential trouble. Chloe recognized their mannerisms from working with the Secret Service a few times during her short tenure at the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
“Will you tell Mr. Romano that we’ve arrived?” the first one said, stepping forward when Chloe came down the porch steps.
“I’m Chloe Romano, and I’ll be escorting you inside the house,” she told him.
“Correct. I’m Mr. Davis’s nephew, Roger Davis. You are our point of contact. May I see I.D.?”
“Perfect,” Chloe said, avoiding eye contact with Katey, who was gawking as the two guards opened the back end of the SUV. The first man took out a plain black bag, which Chloe assumed held the wedding jewelry.
The second Davis Jewelry escort examined her photo I.D. “Thank you, Ms. Romano,” he said, handing her driver’s license back after jotting down the information listed on it in a notebook with the store logo imprinted on it.
Satisfied, the two men nodded to Chloe, who swept her arm toward the front door. “This way, gentlemen.”
“I’ll go upstairs and get Mercedes,” Katey said while Chloe turned to lead the guards through the front drawing room. A second opening with pocket doors led to her uncle’s library.
Beyond the library with its leather edition books and wood-paneled fireplace was Uncle Max’s office, which Chloe unlocked with the key she’d been given by her uncle. Behind one of the cabinets was the wall safe.
“May I see the jewelry first, please?” Chloe asked, shutting the office door and locking it. “I want to verify the contents. I assume you have a manifest for me to sign?”
“Of course.” Roger Davis opened the black suede bag and pulled out two inlaid wooden jewelry boxes while the other guard stood at the door. Snapping open the lids revealed the necklace and tiara in one of the boxes and the earrings in the other.
Under the overhead chandelier, the diamond-encrusted jewelry sparkled like a thousand stars, shimmering with such radiance Chloe blinked as if suddenly blinded.
The jewelry boasted dozens of stones, most between two and five carats, with rubies inlaid at intervals, Mercedes’s birthstone and favorite color. The red would perfectly match the lip color Chloe had purchased earlier that afternoon. Her cousin would be a starlight miracle tomorrow for her wedding.
“Magnificent,” Chloe whispered. “They’re stunning.”
Roger Davis smiled. “One of my favorite collections as well. We’re proud to be a part of Mercedes Romano’s nuptials. My father and I hope she’ll be pleased.”
“This is going to knock her socks off,” Chloe joked. “Or the bobby pins from her ringlets. There wasn’t any mention of payment in my instructions. Is that something I need to talk to my uncle about?”
“It’s already taken care of. Prepaid and insured, of course.”
“That’s what I assumed.” She stared again at the jewels, tempted to reach out and touch the dazzling light, but refrained from getting fingerprints or her skin’s oils on the precious stones.
Instead, Chloe spun the numbers on the combination lock on the safe. After she swung the door open, Mr. Davis stepped forward to place the boxes on the second interior shelf.
Chloe shut the steel door and spun the numbers on the lock to secure it. “I’ve noted that the safe has a high precision combination lock and therefore not as easily broken into.”
“Mr. Romano informed us of that when he rented the jewelry. You have your tools for inspecting the gemstones?”
“Yes, everything is set. I even have my phone set to an alarm so I don’t get too distracted by wedding cake.”
Mr. Davis gave a
chuckle, and he and his employee reversed their path to return to the SUV in the driveway.
Chloe waved the black vehicle off, standing on the bottom porch step to watch as they pulled out of the Romano property. When she re-entered the house, Mercedes was already heading for Max Romano’s office.
“What are you doing?” Chloe teased.
“I’m going to look at the diamonds, what else?” Mercedes said, jumping up and down on her toes like a girl on Christmas morning.
“Only if I open the safe,” Chloe replied.
“What do we have here?” Uncle Max said, coming through the back entrance of the house where he had parked his car in the garage. “You girls are giggling like you’re back in high school.”
“The jewelry arrived, Uncle Max,” Chloe told him. “Your daughter wants to take a peek.”
“Let’s all take a peek, shall we?” Uncle Max led the way and moved the cabinet to unlock the safe and open the two boxes of diamonds.
Mercedes gasped at the sparkling beauty of a hundred twinkling diamond stones arrayed in twenty-four-carat gold. The pieces were designed in a teardrop formation with scalloped edges that would match her wedding gown.
“Oh, Daddy, they’re even more gorgeous than I imagined. You are the best!” She threw her arms around his neck. “I’m going to wear the earrings tonight and the whole set all day tomorrow, of course.”
“Of course you will, my darling girl,” Max Romano told her. “I think it’s time for everyone to get dressed now. I hear we’re having a dinner outside to practice walking up and down the aisle.”
“Don’t wear your high heels, Uncle Max,” Chloe joked. “You’ll sink into the grass. That’s a talent only us women can pull off.”
The Undercover Bridesmaid Page 8
