The Paid Bridesmaid(3)
It mattered because every woman who hired us was looking for help. Either she didn’t have close friends or the groom had more groomsmen than she had bridesmaids and she wanted to balance it out or she was looking for a professional to handle all the small but important details. For someone who would support her emotionally and physically (I had become a true expert at holding a bride’s gown while she peed). It was not uncommon for women of this generation not to have any true friends. Or like in Sadie’s case, to have one really close friend who had screwed them over. Her former best friend had exploited Sadie’s fame and used it to get her own following. Sadie had a hard time letting people in since then.
More often than not, the brides who hired us wanted a grown-up in their party to keep an eye on unruly family members (Sadie’s mom) or to manage rowdy bridesmaids. Unlike them, we would not be trying to hook up with a groomsman or going on a bender.
Sort of like Sadie’s third bridesmaid, her cousin Mary-Ellen, who I’d noted was currently on her third mimosa. I was going to have to remind her to eat something and/or escort her from the brunch if she didn’t slow down.
“Is that Camden guy single?” Krista asked and I arched a single eyebrow at her. She sighed. “I know, I know, no messing around with guests at weddings. It just seems like a shame.”
It was a sentiment my mother wholeheartedly shared. She’d been devastated when I’d left my cushy finance job and started working as a bridesmaid for hire. Until she decided that weddings were the perfect place for me to meet Mr. Right, despite me telling her it wasn’t going to happen.
She was fervent in her belief that I would catch the bouquet and everything would magically fall into place. I let her live in her fantasy world because it just wasn’t worth the argument.
Krista kept talking. “Your rule doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate that delicious man. And you can deny it, but I saw you checking him out, too. If this was any other situation, I would tell you to leap on him like a cheetah on a sickly gazelle.”
“That’s a lovely image,” I said and, without thinking, took a sip of my mimosa. I immediately spit it back into my glass.
“People are going to think you’re pregnant. Or Mormon,” she told me with a laugh.
“I don’t care what other people think.” And I wasn’t about to start now. “We’re here to do a job, and that’s all that matters.”
She put on her serious face. “Right. Sorry. It’s just so beautiful here that it’s easy to get caught up in the fantasy. Should we even be talking to each other? Since we’re trying to be undercover?”
“We’re both bridesmaids.” I was technically the maid of honor, but she knew what I meant. “Which would mean we’re both friends of Sadie’s, so it would make sense that we’re friendly. Although we should probably be mingling with the other guests.”
“Sure thing, boss.”
It was such a plum assignment—a week in Hawaii for the wedding festivities—that I’d chosen Krista to come with me. She’d been my first employee when I’d started my business. Escaping a terrible marriage, she’d sought refuge in the relative anonymity of what we did, as we moved from one wedding to another. Most of my employees had similar stories. I made it a point to hire women who needed second chances.
Just like I’d needed one.
These days Krista did most of the administrative work, but she still stepped in as a bridesmaid from time to time. She was also my research guru, and while she excelled at coming up with believable backstories, she wasn’t so great at remembering them.
Which is why I told her, “Don’t forget that your last name is Richter.” I had asked her to use an alias so that her ex-husband wouldn’t be able to locate her.
“Yep. Off to lie to everybody,” she said cheerfully.
“It’s not a lie . . .” I let my voice trail off and didn’t finish with my usual “we’re protecting people” because she was busy mumbling “Richter, Richter, Richter” to herself.
I sighed. That wasn’t at all suspicious. I hoped Camden didn’t notice.
Because I’d signed a non-disclosure agreement as thick as my wrist. My company couldn’t take the financial hit if Krista or I revealed that we didn’t actually know Sadie. Not to mention how Sadie’s former friend had betrayed her—there was no way I would do the same thing. I’d keep her secrets safe.
Speaking of the bride-to-be, there was a commotion at the door and Sadie strolled in. She wore a lace crop top and a matching long white skirt. She looked breezy and effortless even though I knew she’d just spent hours getting her hair and makeup done and that the outfit she was currently wearing had been custom tailored for her by Stefan, the representative from the designer label.
She seemed to be glowing, and that only intensified when she saw her groom. I’d liked Sadie as soon as I met her, and I considered myself a pretty good judge of character. She was sweet and caring, and one of the most single-minded and determined people I’d ever met (a trait I admired and shared).
Plus, she was actually in love with Dan. It probably seemed like a foregone conclusion, but when you were in my line of work you saw everything. From the couples who were madly in love that you knew would stay together until they died, to the people who openly hated each other yet still got married. I’d also helped more than one bride flee.