Page 109 of Always a Bridesmaid
Every time Violet had seen or heard mention of the woman Benjamin had cheated on her with, it opened up old wounds and formed a deeper scar.
Now that she had Ford and realized how much better he was for her in every possible way, it wouldn’t send her to her knees anymore. Still, she’d done insane things in the name of retribution, and even after damaging Benjamin’s stuff, she’d wanted more justice, even as she’d felt instant regret.
The smile that spread across her face as she watched Dad and Cheryl laugh and hug was blessedly genuine.
She couldn’t imagine ever forgiving Benjamin, the way Cheryl had forgiven Dad. And it must’ve been hard for her to apologize. Violet wasn’t sure her relationship with Dad or her stepmom would ever be a super close one, but for the first time in a long time, she believed they had a shot at being…well, more than acquaintances.
After cleaning up the party, when Violet and Maisy had flopped on the couch, too sore to move, Violet informed her sister that she’d made a decision.
She was going to stay in Uncertainty.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Violet had only been to the Old Firehouse a couple of times, including the night she and Ford played pool, but she was certain it’d never looked like this before.
Pink balloons that saidyay! same penis forever!floated in clumps around the room, glittery streamers stood out against the exposed redbrick walls, and bouquets of blush-colored roses adorned tables, along with shaft-shaped silver confetti. It was very Cinderella meets Passion Party Barbie, where you were just as likely to find a glass slipper as a glass dildo.
So far, every dude who’d walked inside the sports bar promptly backed out.
Lexi fluffed her platinum curls. “I put a sign on the door warning them the place had been reserved for a bachelorette party—as if everyone in town doesn’t already know—but that people over twenty-one can enter at their own risk.”
Fuchsia lips that perfectly matched the decor curved into a pixyish grin. “I think the men of Uncertainty are curious until they see the intimidatingly large four-foot inflatable penis.”
Violet snorted. Earlier, as she and Lexi had taken turns blowing up the thing for the ring toss game, the male bartender kept eyeing them. He’d run into tables and stools and spilled countless drinks as the novelty item grew bigger and bigger with all the, um, blowing.
Poor guy would need to be gratuitously tipped for volunteering to work this party. Then again, he was about to get an education on women for free, and wasn’t that—as the commercials say—priceless?
Lucia Murphy, on the other hand, had her fists on her hips as she studied the peachy pink atrocity. “It’s been so long, I almost forgot what they look like. Either my memory no what it used to be, or they change in the past decade. And why is it smiling at me?”
The cartoon face with its creeptastically large grin didn’t fall into the realistic category, but again, neither did the size. “Dicks are always more than happy to smile at a beautiful woman.”
Lucia giggled like a teenager. “Oh, you.” She bussed Violet on the cheek before pulling out a chair and taking a seat. “I like you. You decided to stay in our little town, yes?”
“Yes.” Excitement swirled through her belly. After the grand opening, she’d almost texted Ford the good news, but she thought it’d be more fun to deliver in person. Waiting hadn’t been easy, considering he’d been fishing with Easton all day yesterday. “I’m moving to Uncertainty.”
“That make me happy. Ford is such a good boy. I knew someday a woman would come along who could put up with him.”
Violet had learned Lucia Murphy thought everyone was a good boy or girl. While in the next breath she’d mention how they were a real son of a gun, or had a few screws loose, et cetera.
Since discussing the guy she was beyond happy to put up with would result in squeeing and celebratory dancing, she tabled it for later. She’d volunteered to be the photographer tonight, and her trigger finger was itching to start documenting the evening.
The bride-to-be was going to die twice when she saw the decorations. Addie had said all she wanted was a memorable night at the Old Firehouse, but she had no clue how very “memorable” it’d be.
The bar door opened, and Lottie and several of the other Craft Cats walked in.
Violet had asked Lexi if she worried the group would be offended by the phallic paraphernalia. Lexi then told her that she’d visited their quilting circle to learn the skill herself, and what else she’d discovered along the way was that the ladies were a lot raunchier than expected.
For years the ladies had been passing around a dog-eared copy of theKama Sutraand starring their favorite positions. Apparently, the “Be Louder In Bed” section was a club favorite.
With the Craft Cats approaching, Violet did her best to scrub that information from her brain. Still, the fleeting image of Lottie in a pleather dominatrix outfit, whip in hand, had Violet yearning for a nice, strong drink.
A stripe of sunlight preceded Maisy’s entrance to the bar, and Violet rushed over to help with the dessert trays. The technique her sister had shown her at the bakery this morning was called flooding, a smooth frosting that made each sugar cookie a work of art.
Pink hearts with the phrase “Bride to Be” and diamond rings with the wedding date adorned the silver trays, along with corsets that’d been a pain in the butt to decorate but turned out super cute.
While Violet’s art classes had helped in the remodeling department, cookie decorating tapped into a completely different skill set. One she didn’t have.
“Wow, this place looks awesome,” Maisy said as they placed the cookies on the table with the rest of the hors d’oeuvres. “Is it wrong that I’m most excited to see how Ford handles the party?”
