One-Off (22 page)

“Don’t start crying again, young lady,” her grandmother told her then turned to her daughter. “Let’s get out of their hair so they can finish up. You don’t want to be in here when what’s his face shows.” That was her grandmother’s name for Dallas’s father as if saying his actual name would invoke evil energy. Yeah, marriage is a blessed, lifelong institution.

“All right, my beautiful girl.” Dallas’s mother hugged her. “I love you. You’ve always made me so proud. See you downstairs.”

“Bye, Mom, bye, Gran.”

“Let’s get you dressed. Do you want…?” Savannah’s eyes drifted to me.

“Oh, for God’s sake, Savannah. She’s gay; she’s not a pervert.” She pushed the dress into my hands as she pulled off her robe. After the tongue lashing she just gave her sister, I almost felt guilty for noticing how incredible her body was. But anyone with eyes would think that.

With Denver’s help, we bunched up the skirt of the dress and lowered it to the ground. Savannah held Dallas’s hands as she stepped into the circle of the dress. Denver and I pulled it up to her waist where Dallas took over and shimmied it up her body. I returned the favor and started on the delicate buttons of the bodice.

“It fits like a glove, sis,” Denver told her.

“You look so skinny,” Savannah piped up. I thought it was a ridiculous thing to say, but Denver agreed, “Super skinny.”

The look on Dallas’s face told me they’d said exactly what she wanted to hear. This was one reason why I wasn’t the best choice for MOH. Dallas never showed any insecurities in the thousands of times I’d seen her get ready for a show or a date. I never would have guessed that she thought she’d look heavy in a dress that was designed for her sleek body.

“Gorgeous,” I said to add something and because it was true.

She turned to look at herself in the full length mirror. I handed her a tissue because I could see her eyes get misty. She dabbed twice and smiled at me. “This is the right thing, isn’t it?”

Her sisters gasped, but I stepped up behind her and clasped her shoulder. “You love him. He’s a good man. You’ll be great together.”

“I…I,” she stopped and swallowed, dabbing at her eyes again.

I flicked my eyes to the sisters’ reflections in the mirror and back up to Dallas. “Me, too.” And I meant it. She’d been the best friend I could ask for. I loved her like she was the sister I never had, but saying that in front of her sisters might be a little insensitive.

Jackie knocked on the door and came inside to smooth two escaped wisps of hair from Dallas’s do. “The boys are all set.”

“What about,” Dallas started then looked at me again. “Never mind. She does have rather fantastic hair, doesn’t she?”

I turned away before my cheeks started burning. Jackie stopped my escape and plunged her hands into my hair. She added some paste and changed the part amidst my protests. When I turned back to the mirror, the changes added a little volume to the top and tamed the tiny wave on the sides into something that looked purposeful. She really was a miracle worker. After blasting me with hairspray, she was done.

“Now I get to be a guest. Knock ‘em dead, ladies.” Jackie opened the door and nearly ran into Dallas’s father.

“Princess, you look beautiful.” He enveloped her in a hug.

“I’ll check with Gary on time.” I ducked out the door and met Gary at the top of the stairs.

“Everyone’s set. We’re ready when she is.”

I nodded and pushed out a breath. Showtime.

Thirty-One

We gathered at the bottom of the stairs. Gary positioned Savannah first, Denver, then me and told Dallas and her father to wait out of the sight of the open doors. When he got the go ahead, he opened the double doors. The quartet transitioned into a familiar piece as he cued Savannah to start walking. She looked back and winked at Dallas before starting into a timed walk.

Everything I learned at rehearsal seemed to wash right out of me. Was I supposed to glide, step, glide, step like she was? I thought only the bride was supposed to make a show of walking down the aisle. I did remember that Dallas told me not to look like I was stomping through the bullpen to set fire to someone just ahead. I could manage that at least.

Denver got her cue and nerves came at me. I’d led full staff meetings and spoken in front of the network’s board of directors. Walking shouldn’t make me nervous, even if it was in three inch heels. I could do this, but I realized I’d never complain about having to attend a wedding again. What I wouldn’t do just to be among the seated guests right now.

I turned and smiled at Dallas when Gary signaled for me. Pushing the nerves down, I took my first step. My knees didn’t buckle and I didn’t twist my ankle, so I took a second. Okay, I had a handle on the walking thing. I remembered to tip my chin up because I’d been yelled at for looking down at my heels during the rehearsal. I tried not to focus on all those faces staring at me. It didn’t matter that I knew many of them from work. That seemed to increase the nerves. I never dressed like this at work. I never had this much makeup on at work. I’d been hiding the full effect of my red hair at work. This MOH gig bit hard.

Elspeth’s smiling eyes and encouraging nod fortified me. Her husband, Alastair, beamed at me from the front pew. I looked up and saw Denver and Savannah waiting off to the side. My eyes roamed over to Colin. He was resplendent in his designer tux and waistcoat in the now familiar tartan colors. Instead of a bow tie, he wore a black silk tie. Damn, Dallas would be a lucky woman if she weren’t even more beautiful than he.

My eyes slid to his left and halted. I had to concentrate on not doing the same with my stride. Ainsley stood beside him in a one piece black jumpsuit with flowing trouser legs. The halter top clung to her like a second skin under a short form fitting jacket with sheer arms that offered a teasing glimpse of the bare arms beneath. Her hair, that marvelous bunch of curls and frizz, had been tamed into corkscrew curls that must have taken hours of winding around a finger and applying product individually. I’d never seen it so domesticated. When I reached her eyes, clear cornflower blue unhindered by falling locks of hair, I paused. She’d seen me check out every inch of her and her expression wasn’t the usual taunting I’ve seen in the past. It looked just as approving as mine.

I forced myself to look past her to the other two groomsmen. Both in tuxes just like Colin only their ties were white. Logan’s hair looked pretty damn good for a dude with long hair and Ross’s beard had been trimmed to something respectable.

Finally, I made it to the front and climbed the three steps to the altar. The quartet changed to the bridal march and Dallas and her dad stepped into view of the doors. Everyone stood and watched as she made her way down the aisle. I knew I should be watching every step she took, but I felt my eyes slide to Ainsley again. A woman should not look that good in an outfit that offered only a peek at the skin beneath.

When Dallas reached the steps, I jerked my eyes back to her. Her father gripped her elbow as they ascended the stairs. He shook Colin’s hand and placed Dallas’s hand in his. I leaned forward and took the yellow and orange bouquet from Dallas so she could grip both of Colin’s hands and face him.

Now was the easy part. No one was looking at me anymore. All eyes were on the bride. At the right moment, I handed over the ring. Dallas slipped it on Colin’s finger and Colin slipped one on hers. They each had their own vows, a little sappy but genuine. Denver sniffled behind me and dabbed her nose with a tissue.

Barely twenty minutes since Dallas walked down the aisle, the ceremony ended. I was happy she’d gone with the shorter version of the ceremony. I didn’t know how much longer I could stand here and be assaulted by nerves. It didn’t help that I’d only had two bites of brunch this morning and had been running around since I woke up.

Dallas and Colin leaned in for their first kiss as a married couple and everyone applauded. They turned and descended the steps together. I looked over at Ainsley and realized that we hadn’t really rehearsed this part. The minister just said we’d walk back together. Did that mean side by side or arm in arm?

Ainsley and I stepped forward together as if we’d practiced this many times. She barely needed to move her elbow before my hand was looping through and resting on her forearm as we walked down the steps together. It shouldn’t make me giddy to walk arm in arm beside such a beautiful woman. I was almost never giddy, but again, I was probably lightheaded from the lack of food. Or it might be the way she smelled, cedar and orange blossom, or the warmth of her skin through the sheer material under my fingertips. One of those things.

Gary directed us outside where I barely noticed the bagpiper because of all this annoying giddiness. Denver and Ross joined us, then Savannah and Logan. Dallas’s eyes sparkled in the sunshine as she looked back at us then dropped her eyes to my arm in Ainsley’s. I almost jerked it back, but Gary was shuttling us down the steps and over to the side of the building for the first set of photographs. If we didn’t have a million steps to navigate, I would have dropped Ainsley’s arm. But we had a million steps to navigate, and I really liked the way she smelled and the feel of her skin.

“I’ve got to get everyone onto the shuttles. Can you both handle the photos?” Gary asked Ainsley and me.

His voice broke whatever giddy spell I’d been under. I pulled my hand back and stepped to the side. I wanted to take another step because I could still smell her alluring scent, but that would seem rude.

“We’ll do what we can,” Ainsley told him and he dashed back to the front of the church.

“Let’s get the whole party together, please,” Isaac said as he set his wide lens camera on a tripod and waved his hands to get everyone lined up.

We took what felt like several hundred photos with Dallas’s party on one side and Colin’s on the other. Different variations of Dallas and Colin with their parties separately, and onto two different locations for all the same photo groupings again. When he moved on to pair up the wedding party, I ground my teeth. How many more photos could possibly be necessary and did we really need photos of only Ainsley and me?

“That’s not really working,” Isaac said after he’d placed Ainsley behind me in the standard prom pose. Unlike the other couples, there was only a two inch difference in height between us. The prom pose wouldn’t do Ainsley justice as the taller of our pairing. “Try side by side with Ainsley partially behind Skye’s shoulder.” Snap, snap. “Good. Now face each other.”

I immediately stepped away. “You’ve got enough pictures.” I searched the area until I caught Dallas’s eye to ask for help in shutting this down, but either she was still too blissful in her wedded state or that glint in her eye meant she was having a little fun with me.

“Take lots of pictures,” Colin encouraged before stealing another smooch from his wife.

“Skye.” Isaac looked at me insistently. “The faster we get this over with, the faster we get out of here.”

Ainsley was studying me from her spot three steps away. So far, she hadn’t said anything. She must be objecting to this, too, but maybe that was the difference between us. I felt like I’d already done and given everything I needed for this wedding. Posing for uncomfortable photos was one ask too many. Seeing that she was willing to do this for her cousin motivated me. Or it might be everyone was staring at me stubbornly refusing to take any more photos. I didn’t want to become the new spoiled brat of the group.

“Fine.” I took a step closer.

Ainsley’s mouth twitched and it irked me that she was now having fun at my expense. Dallas had already abandoned me. I didn’t need someone else poking at me. I stepped right up to that smirk and watched it drop when my breasts inadvertently brushed against hers. I bit down on the sizzle that shot through me and would have resulted in a soft moan if we were in another setting and it was another woman. Shifting slightly so that I was partially facing forward, I tilted my head toward Ainsley and waited for her to follow. It took her five seconds to match my pose, the first four in stunned silence before she moved into position.

“Nice,” Isaac said as he snapped the last picture. “Denver and Ross, you’re up.”

I turned and hustled down the stairs to stand next to Isaac as he let the other members of the bridal party stand in the usual prom pose. I waited for him to tell them to face each other, but it didn’t come. Dallas must have told him to screw with me. She probably thought I’d be really uptight about now or she might have wanted to make sure every one of my nightmares came to life at her wedding. I was in a slinky dress I’d never wear again, at a wedding in which I was the MOH, that took place in a church, and now I’d had a hundred photos snapped of me in the group and with the person who, until we were forced to get along, hadn’t been someone I’d willingly choose to spend time with.

“Are we getting the family here?” Isaac asked me.

I wanted to look for Gary but realized he was too busy herding guests. My eyes automatically sought out Ainsley. She and I had been making decisions for the past few weeks. She had the same thought as me and we made the decision without even asking the couple. Not that they seemed to notice. They were completely lost in themselves. I’d never seen Dallas like this before.

Logan and Ross went to get the rest of the immediate families. The group sauntered around the corner as if they had all night or maybe that’s what it seemed like because I wasn’t having a lot of fun standing out here in these heels and a dress that showed more of my skin than I liked and near a woman that had been confusing me all damn day. I bit back on the bark to get organized and clustered for the photos.

Ages later, Isaac was still taking all the shots he could with every possible combination. Thankfully, other than a few more poses with Dallas, then Dallas and Colin, I was mostly an observer and assistant, handing him different cameras and digital cards.

The temperature seemed to rise while the pictures went on and on. I hadn’t put on any sunscreen because I didn’t want to feel greasy and didn’t think I’d be in the sunshine this long. Almost as I thought about how my fair freckled skin would probably become lobster red if I stayed out here any longer, a coat was draped over my shoulders. I looked back and saw Ainsley straightening the coat in place.