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“Something came up and I might be a bit late,” he explained. “I’m really sorry, babe. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”
I was really disappointed because I had been looking forward to seeing one of my closest friends get married with my boyfriend by my side. Something about weddings made me feel really sentimental, but now, Dan wouldn’t be there to share the moment with me.
I reassured him that it was fine, managing to keep my complete and utter disappointment under wraps. When you’ve had a lot of practice, it really wasn’t that hard anymore.
I sighed and looked at Buddy. “I guess you’ll be the only one appreciating my preparations, huh, Bud?”
My senior dog barked enthusiastically at me and I felt my heart ease a little. Thankfully, there was still one male in my life who would never leave me.
* * *
I gave myself a once-over in front of the mirror. My normally wavy, dark blond hair hung around my face in soft curls, thanks to the curling iron I bought specifically for this occasion. Since the wedding was to be held outdoors, I put on light makeup just to accentuate my green eyes and give my lips a rosy tint. Nothing too outrageous because, like my absentee boyfriend pointed out, I shouldn’t upstage the bride.
The light, dusky pink dress made of soft chiffon that Elle had chosen for me, was more aligned with my usual style and I loved the way it floated dreamily around my ankles. The final touch was a crown of flowers that one of our closest friends, Sophie Knox sent over earlier this morning. Sophie was also one of the most talented florists in Georgetown and Elle was over the moon when she volunteered her services as soon as they started making wedding plans.
Usually, she was booked for a good six months but she made sure to clear her slot for Elle.
“Because that’s what friends are for,” she told us, her voice resolute and her blue eyes sparkling. “Besides, I made you guys a promise that I was going to do the flowers for all your weddings!”
Satisfied with my preparations, I made my way to the farm where the wedding would take place.
I was a bit early so I had more time to appreciate the gorgeous setting before me. Julian’s younger sister was really a very talented florist. She brought out the full beauty of the venue with her flowers and fairy lights, making it all seem so ethereal. It felt like walking into a gathering for fairies. A small pond with a couple of ducks provided a certain charm that was both rustic and romantic.
When she saw me, Katherine Lowery, the wedding coordinator, whisked me away to stand with the rest of the entourage. Unlike some weddings I attended, there were no last-minute preparations or rushing about just before the bride arrived. Her reputation as one of the best wedding coordinators in the area was well-deserved.
“Well, aren’t you the prettiest bridesmaid in the bunch!”
I turned around to find Dora, another one of the bridesmaids, grinning at me. I didn’t know if it was Elle’s sick humor at work but the sight of Dora dressed in a muted green reiteration of my dress was just…hilarious. The tattoos dancing on both her arms were on full display, thanks to the delicate, off-the-shoulder design of the dress. For the occasion, she had also changed the color of her spiky hair to match her dress, but she still wore her eyeliner dark and thick and finished it all off with her trademark dark lipstick.
I was pretty sure that the number of times Dora wore a dress in her entire adult life could be counted on the fingers of just one hand.
“Hello, Dora,” I smiled at her. “You look pretty nice, too.”
She rolled her eyes. “Shove it, Ross. We both know green isn’t really my color.”
“No, it brings out the color of your eyes quite nicely.”
We both laughed at the absurdity of it all. If it had been any other person, they might have been affronted, but we were all quite used to Dora’s spunk and style.
“Say, I heard that Oliver’s here for the wedding too,” she looked knowingly at me and waggled her eyebrows suggestively. “Think he’s still as hot as before?”
I felt warmth spread across my cheeks. Dora had the tendency to be very, very outrageous and not just with her fashion choices.
“I don’t know, Dora. I haven’t seen him in twelve years.”
“Really? You mean you don’t stalk your exes in social media, wishing hellfire to fall on them?”
I laughed, “No, I don’t.”
Not that I hadn’t been tempted a couple of times before that, but I didn’t want to give Dora more ammunition, so I didn’t say anything. Of course, being Dora, she didn’t take the hint and pursued her interrogation.
“Do you think he got better in bed?”
I nearly choked on my own spit. “Why are we talking about this again?”
“Oh, I don’t know, Ross,” she smiled breezily. “You guys used to be hot and heavy once upon a time.”
I had no business thinking about Elle’s brotheron her wedding day, but Dora had successfully planted the seeds in my own traitorous brain and the thoughts I had managed to successfully control that morning were back in full force. I tried to think about other things like…my lesson plan, orDan, but my mind managed to swerve back to where Dora had unerringly pointed it.
