Page 18 of Always a Bridesmaid
“Nonna, that’s hardly the way to introduce yourself.” The girl in the baseball cap placed a hand on her chest. “Hi, I’m Addie Murphy, the bride-to-be. This is my feisty grandmother, Lucia, and my mother, Priscilla.”
“Violet,” she said. It seemed like they were waiting for more, but she wasn’t planning on spilling her life story simply because they stared at her like they thought she would.
“Okay, Priscilla,” Lucia said. “You delivered me and have proof that Addison no let me eat too much sugar. Now, since you not a bridesmaid or a flower girl like I am, shoo.”
Flower girl?Violet was overly experienced in all things wedding-related, so it took her a second to readjust her assumption. And she simply adored the idea of the firecracker of a woman walking down the aisle and tossing petals.
“After I pick up the groceries, I’ll swing back by to pick her up.”
Lucia linked her elbow with Addie’s. “Addison bring me home, won’t you, dear?”
“Sure, Nonna. As you’ve discovered and exploited, I have trouble saying no to you.”
Priscilla’s steps slowed, and Addie raised her voice.
“Except when it comes to sugar and high-cholesterol foods, because that’s for your own dang good.”
Seemingly satisfied, Priscilla exited the bakery but paused to hold the door for a blond southern-belle type. Retro and classic with a modern edge and a bright pink lip Violet wished she could pull off. Seriously, was being attractive a town requirement?
The woman breezed inside, her heels clacking against the wooden floor. “Sorry I’m late. My car wouldn’t start, so I drove Will’s truck and— Oh, shoot. My binder and the magazines were in the trunk of my car.”
“Don’t worry about it,” Addie said before turning to Violet. “This is Lexi, one of my bridesmaids. My sister lives out of state, so we’re just waitin’ for one more.”
Maisy came around the corner, wiping her hands on the apron at her waist. “Actually, your other bridesmaid is already here. He came early to check on my oven.”
Great. Violet hadn’t even started painting, and her sister was acting like the fumes were getting to her. Thecheck on my ovenalso sounded overtly sexual, especially since Ford had followed her out of the kitchen and was smirking like he’d pulled one over on all of them.
He winked at Violet, and she crossed her arms with a huff. If he thought that was all it took to win her over, he had another think coming.
He strolled past her and rounded the counter to hug Lucia, who greeted him with a smacking kiss on his cheek. He embraced the beautiful blonde next and finished off by fist-bumping the bride-to-be.
“Ah, so you’ve met my bridesmaid-slash-best-man,” Addie said. “Or did we decide to go with bro of honor?” Her head cocked a couple more degrees. “Dude of honor?”
Ford shrugged his big shoulders. “I’m not picky. And while I’m lost with the rest of the wedding-planning stuff, I’m fully qualified for cake tasting.” He twisted his wrist and glanced at his watch. “I’ve only got an hour before I have to be back home, though. No rest for the wicked and all that.”
Violet gawked at the scene before her, struggling to process. Every time she visited this town, she discovered a new layer of bizarre. Apparently nontraditional was the new traditional.
Which, honestly, she hadn’t expected from a place she’d thought time had forgotten. If she hadn’t already made her mind up about Uncertainty, she might even find it refreshing.
“Mind helping me grab the samples?” Maisy asked, nudging Violet’s arm.
“As long as you don’t need me to bake them,” Violet said with a self-deprecating laugh.
Once the various samples were placed in the center of the largest table, Violet moved aside.Time to finish drawing up plans for these walls.
Her trusty notebook served as a tiny shield and item to cling to, but the people who filtered in and out of the bakery—and the conversation from the wedding party—kept snagging her curiosity.
If Violet hadn’t heard the words “bridesmaid-slash-best-man,” she’d assume Addie and Ford were the betrothed couple. They were obviously close, yet there was something lighter than romance. As theymmmed over the samples, they snickered, verbally jabbed, and shoved each other’s shoulders, as if they were casual observers instead of choosing one of the mainstays of a wedding.
“Are you two even paying attention?” Lexi asked, and both Ford and Addie shot up in their seats, like two kids who’d gotten in trouble at school. The blonde lowered the notepad she’d pulled from her Louis Vuitton purse and muttered about the almond cake.
Ford glanced over his shoulder in Violet’s direction. Too late, she spun to face the wall, fighting the urge to bang her head on it, since he’d caught her staring. It was about the group dynamic, not him.
Not that she hadn’t admired the way he kept sliding extra bites toward Lucia, his easy laugh, and his effortless charm. But that just meant he had a conniving side that drew women in so he could later screw them over.
Total player. I can smell it from a mile away.
Now.
