Page 41 of Faking I Do
Stumbling to the sidewalk, I inhaled a breath of fresh air. My headache had worsened, but I’d managed to hold a full-blown migraine at bay with a front line of ibuprofen. As I stood and faced the entrance to Bride World, I worried I’d need to bring in backup pain-med resources if I wanted to win the battle. Tall double doors stood in front of me, the only barrier between me and an afternoon of hell.
“Let’s go, girls.” Adeline had pulled herself together and projected the perfect blend of calm, cool, and collected.
I filed into line behind two of the bridesmaids. They must be Adeline’s friends from college or her sorority sisters. I didn’t recognize a single one. They all seemed to be clones of their leader.
A saleswoman met us at the door, although she insisted on calling herself a bridal style concierge. She ushered Adeline’s posse into a large private dressing room where a tray of champagne glasses sat on a low coffee table. I perched on the edge of a chair. I’d prefer to slump against the cushions on one of the love seats but if I had, I might not ever get up. The combination of headache threat and defeat had me ready to throw in the towel.
“So how do you know the bride?” One of the other women took the chair next to me and reached for a glass.
“Um, she’s having her wedding at the Phillips House.” I summoned a smile, hoping it looked better than it felt.
“You’re the wedding planner. She’s told us all about you.” The woman thrust her hand toward me. “I’m Celeste, one of herbridesmaids. She’s so excited about having her wedding at your new place.”
“We’re so excited she’s chosen to be the first.” I reached for a glass of champagne. I might need it.
The bridal style concierge clapped her hands together, drawing everyone’s attention. “Ladies, let me present, dress one. It’s a delectable confection of layered netting. This is truly the princess look.”
Adeline stepped out of the dressing room, her torso sticking up from the center of a massive ring of netting. If she chose that dress, Roman wouldn’t be able to get within five feet of her. The posse mobilized, surrounding her with shrieks. I took the opportunity to nab a few of the chocolates sitting on a silver tray as the chatter erupted.
Several hours and ten thousand dresses later, Adeline led the way back to the limo. She’d narrowed down some options but had yet to declare she’d found the one. Thank goodness the rest of our appointments were the next day. I wasn’t sure I could stomach another bridal store.
“Now’s where we take over,” Celeste announced. She distributed T-shirts to the women, who had no reservations about pulling their shirts off over their heads, even there in the back of the limo. “They’re scratch and lick. Everyone has a different flavor.”
I glanced at the shirt I’d been given. A grid of what looked like circular stickers covered the front of the shirt. “Lick me?” I asked, my eyebrows shooting sky-high.
“They’re for doing virtual tequila shots. Everyone has either a salt- or tequila-flavored shirt. Adeline has the lime-flavored one, so she’ll be at the tail end of everyone’s shot. Make sense?”
No more sense than anything else we’d done so far today. “Yeah, great.” I tossed my shirt over my shoulder. No way was Isubjecting myself to a myriad of unknown tongues, not even in the name of ensuring the wedding went off without a hitch.
“You’ve got to put your shirt on,” Celeste nudged her chin toward me. “Tell her, Adeline. It’s no fun if we don’t all do it.”
Twelve pairs of eyes lasered in on my chest. “Fine. But the first guy who comes at me is going to get more than a taste of salt.”
Adeline crossed her arms over her chest. “Come on, Lacey. You have to play. Have another glass of champagne.”
The last thing I wanted was another glass of champagne. But to get Adeline off my back I pulled the T-shirt on over my head. “Happy?”
“Yes. Where to next, ladies?” Adeline relaxed back into the plush seat.
“We’ve got a big surprise. You’ll just have to wait and see.” Celeste pulled out her phone and began snapping pictures. “What’s your Insta, Lacey?”
“Oh, no tagging me, thanks. Political figure and all. Wouldn’t be a good idea.” I unscrewed the cap from a bottle of water. Looked like someone was going to need to stay sober for the evening ahead. Might as well be me.
Celeste shrugged as she typed into her phone.
Fifteen minutes later the limo stopped. I peered through the tinted window at an ornate set of doors. Sushi Tango. Great, now I had double the reason for making sure no one got out of hand. The combination of raw fish and too much to drink wouldn’t end well.
“Bring on the sake.” Celeste led the way into the restaurant and I had no choice but to follow. For a moment I wished I’d stayed behind. Filling in armadillo holes, as horrible as that might be, would be ten times more bearable than subjecting myself to the rest of Adeline’s party weekend. What was Bodiedoing? Were he and Shotgun curled up on the couch taking it easy?
Thinking of the poor pup made my heart clench. Thinking of Bodie made other parts of my anatomy clench. Getting close to Bodie would mean nothing but trouble. First off, his family. I’d sworn an oath to work for the citizens of Ido. That meant I couldn’t be caught colluding with folks who put themselves above the law. Second, my emotional-avoidance issues. Opening up my heart and letting someone in would only result in getting hurt. I’d learned that lesson over and over.
As I followed the line of women snaking through the restaurant, I clamped down on that thought. I’d do what I needed to do to save the town and wipe the smudge from my family name. That’s all I’d signed up for. And that was more than anyone expected.
CHAPTER 21
BODIE
I pacedthe small office I shared with the rest of the Sewell County Sheriff’s Department. My boss hadn’t been the source of info I’d hoped for when it came to moving forward on the investigation involving my family. Sheriff Suarez wanted to remove me from the case altogether, citing I had a conflict of interest.
