The Wedding Party (The Wedding Date, #3)(47)

“We are going to be able to get this done, Lex,” he said. “You’re not doing this alone, you know that. You have the three of us, and Drew and Carlos, and your parents, and a ton of other friends who will be ready and willing to pitch in and do whatever you need us to do to make sure you and Drew have a great wedding. Don’t let the assholes get to you! Do you really think Maddie will let anything get in between you and a perfect wedding dress? Absolutely not. The wedding will be awesome, don’t worry.”

Maddie turned to him and mouthed “Thank you!” They smiled at each other.

“Theo is exactly right about all of that,” Maddie said. He wished he’d recorded that statement. “You’ve got this. We’ve got this. I know you have problems delegating sometimes, but when you’ve got only a few months to plan a wedding, you need to delegate the hell out of your list. And like I said, the dress is my responsibility, and we’re going to get this done.”

“Okay,” Alexa said, “but just in case, between me and Olivia we have three bottles of champagne with us, if I need to drown my sorrows and prepare to buy a white nightgown from Target. Theo, you’re driving home, FYI.”

“On it,” he said.

Alexa changed lanes.

“I’m tired of talking about dresses and my wedding. Good God, I’m turning into one of those brides. Let’s talk about all of you. Maddie has a very exciting job interview coming up soon. Tell them all about it, Maddie!”

Theo turned to Maddie and put his hands under his chin expectantly.

“A job interview? Tell us all about it, Maddie,” he said.

She rolled her eyes at him but smiled as she did it.

“A local TV station is hiring for a new show; a kind of What Not to Wear with a twist—it’s all about helping women get back on their feet. I’m interviewing for the stylist job on the show, though they call it the ‘host.’”

Olivia applauded and peppered Maddie with questions the rest of their way into San Francisco. Theo smiled as he watched Maddie answer them. She really knew what she was doing.

As they walked from the car to the bridal salon, he held Maddie back a few steps.

“You seem on top of things, but let me know if you want help to prep for the interview.”

She smiled at him.

“I’ve watched a lot of reality TV; I know the drill. I know what they’re looking for. But we could definitely watch a little more of that, for, you know, practice.”

He grinned.

“Done.”

When they walked in, a woman by the door jumped to greet them.

“Welcome! Do you have an appointment?”

Alexa nodded. She still looked nervous.

“Yes, for two p.m. Alexa Monroe?”

The woman smiled.

“Alexa, great. I’m Jill; nice to meet you. I talked to your friend Maddie the other day.” She looked between the two other women. “Is one of you Maddie?”

“That’s me,” Maddie said.

“Great. Thanks for calling ahead with all of that information. Let me take you all over here and we can get started.” She turned to Theo and raised her eyebrows. “And is this the groom?”

The four of them laughed. Alexa’s laughter was just on the edge of hysteria.

“No, he’s my bridesman,” Alexa said. “I don’t think he’s ever been to a bridal salon before, so this will be a brand-new experience for Theo in so many ways.”

Jill escorted all four of them to a bunch of white couches. Theo ended up sitting in between Maddie and Olivia. Just as they sat down, Maddie scooted over so she was closer to him. He rested his arm along the back of the low couch and brushed her shoulder with his hand.

Olivia immediately pulled out a bottle of champagne and opened it, and they forced Alexa to toast before they did anything else.

“Okay, so I know you have a short time frame you’re working with, which does make things more complicated, but we definitely have plenty of dresses that will work for you, don’t worry about that. Almost all our dresses can be done in time for your wedding, though they will incur rush fees.”

Alexa shrugged.

“I know this is how they get you, but honestly, at this point, I don’t even care about extra fees if I can find a dress that I like and fits my body.”

Olivia put her arm around her sister.

“I don’t care, either, and that’s a lot more relevant, because I’m paying for this dress.”

Alexa gasped and spun to face Olivia.

“Livie, you don’t have to do that. I budgeted for this, and I know you . . .”

Olivia shook her head and put her finger up in front of Alexa’s mouth.

“I know I don’t have to. I’m doing it anyway. No arguments.”

Alexa and Olivia hugged, and everyone toasted again. No wonder they needed three bottles of champagne; it seemed like they’d get through all of it pretty quickly, whether they found a dress or not.

As Jill and Alexa talked about wedding dresses, using lots of words like “glamorous” and “chiffon” and “sparkle,” Theo took the opportunity to whisper in Maddie’s ear.

“I missed you this week.”

She kept looking straight at Alexa and Jill, but her smile turned from sappy to dirty.

“I missed you, too.”