The Bridesmaid's Best Man (17 page)

“There's a problem with the dress,” Angie replied. She narrowed her eyes when she noticed Cheryl's dress. The assistant wore a soft pink cardigan but her outfit was shiny and green. It was a replica of the bridesmaids' dresses.

Cheryl stopped at the top of the steps. Angie dragged her gaze up, cataloging every detail. She was belatedly aware that Cheryl was studying her closely.

“Did you forget something?” Angie asked, doing her best to seem casual as her instincts were sensing trouble.

“I only have to do one more thing....” Cheryl suddenly reached out with both hands and pushed Angie down the steps.

18

A
NGIE
LUNGED
OUT
to grab onto Cheryl, but instead, tumbled to the ground. The rough stone steps scratched her skin. Angie wasted no time, though, before she leaped to her feet where she'd landed. She felt every cut and bruise, but she tried to ignore the pain as she focused on Cheryl.

“Damn,” Cheryl groaned. She stood at the top of the steps with her hands on her hips. “What are you? A ninja?”

“So, I'm next, huh?” Angie asked as she held on to the arm that had broken her fall. She rubbed it as she scanned the garden. She didn't see a way out. “I'm surprised that you're not trying to finish the job on Robin.”

Cheryl's eyes widened with surprise. “You figured it out that it was me.” Cheryl gave a mocking clap. “Well done, Angie. You are not the dumb jock Brittany claims you are.”

“Why are you doing this to Brittany?” Angie asked. She looked at the hedges that bordered the garden. They were too tall to climb over. “I thought you cared for her.”

“I
do
care.” Cheryl's face turned red with anger. “I've done everything to give her the wedding she wanted. I care more than anyone in her bridal party. I probably care more than Patrick and it's his wedding.”

“Okay, calm down.” Angie looked around and considered her options. She didn't have her cell phone, and even if she did, it probably wouldn't work. Everyone was in the church except for Robin and Brittany. Angie's only hope was that Robin would come looking for her. But what were the chances that she'd find her in the enclosed garden? No one would see her before Cheryl attacked again. Her only plan was to keep Cheryl talking until someone became concerned for them.

“I am calm,” Cheryl retorted.

“That's true,” she said as she took another step back. Maybe she could rush Cheryl and tackle her. But that probably wouldn't work in her favor. “You have nerves of steel. Like when you hit Heidi at the strip club. Did you plan that or was it a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing?”

“I don't know why she asked Heidi to be maid of honor.” Cheryl scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Brittany thought she would do whatever we asked, but it turns out the woman was useless. Her ineptitude was going to ruin the wedding. Heidi needed to be told what to do, how to do it and when it needed to be done. It made my job twice as hard.”

“I'm sure it did.” Angie nodded her head vigorously as she took another step back. “So you had to get her out of the wedding?”

“No, that was a bonus.” Cheryl took the next step. “I was reminding her of her duties and she went off on me. She was complaining about how much work was involved.”

“Didn't she realize that this was an honor?” Angie asked and realized Cheryl didn't hear her sarcasm.

“She made me so angry,” Cheryl growled. “I have worked on this wedding for months and I wasn't paid for the extra time. I did all this while doing my regular job for Brittany. Heidi barely did anything. I don't know what came over me. I just snapped.”

Angie looked quickly behind her. There had to be another way out. “And that's why you hit her with a flower vase.”

“How do you know that?” Cheryl asked, her voice rising. “I was very careful putting back the arrangement.”

Angie held her hands up. “You did a great job. Honest. And you did it when no one saw you. How is that possible? I admit that those strippers were distracting, but...”

“No one notices me,” Cheryl said sadly. “Not even Brittany. I'm the assistant. Invisibility is my superpower.”

“Are you kidding? You are an essential part of the team. This wedding wouldn't have happened without you.”

“Oh, sure,” Cheryl muttered as she took the last stone steps. “I'm noticeable when something goes wrong. Then everyone is looking for me.”

“What's wrong with being invisible?” Angie asked. “It's comfortable. It's safe. It means you're doing something right.”

“Oh, what would you know about being invisible?” she spat out. “That stripper picked you out of a crowd of women. Beautiful, glamorous women who know the difference between Prada and Pucci. And he can't keep his eyes off you.”

“Brittany notices what you do. She's desperately looking for you now.” Angie glanced at the small church building. What was taking Robin so long?

“And when she finds me, I will be tending to your concussion,” she said sweetly as she advanced. “Everyone knows you can't walk in heels.”

“That may have worked before but not this time,” Angie said as she scurried back. She jumped when the prickly needles from the hedge poked her behind. “You let everyone think Heidi had too much to drink. But you didn't know that Heidi was clean and sober.”

“I don't believe you. Brittany talked constantly about Heidi's wild antics. I knew the woman was going to be trouble before I met her.”

“And when Heidi was out, you saw this as your chance to get into the wedding. You wanted to be a bridesmaid.” Angie shook her head with disbelief. “Why?”

“Why? A bridesmaid is chosen based on how close she is to the bride. Someone who is important and part of the bride's life. Brittany hasn't seen Heidi and Robin for years. They didn't know what was going on in Brittany's life. I do. I'm with Brittany every day. I'm an important part of her life.”

“I'm sure—”

“Do you know why Brittany became a personal shopper?” Cheryl asked. “Or what her goals and dreams are? Do you know what problems she had to overcome to get where she is today? I do.”

“So what?” Angie said, shrugging. “I could find all that out if I wanted to. Brittany doesn't strike me as a very private person.”

“
So what?
I know every intimate detail of Brittany's life. I am her closest confidante. I get rid of obstacles in her life and I protect her. I should have been a bridesmaid.” Cheryl flattened her hand on her chest. “I should have been picked to be the maid of honor.”

“You've definitely proven how indispensible you are in Brittany's life. If she didn't know it before, she definitely knows it now.”

“She appreciates me,” Cheryl shouted. “I know she does.”

Angie cringed. Her instincts were to duck and take cover, but she had to keep her talking. She had to buy herself more time. “But you did your job too well,” Angie decided. “She wanted you to stay in your role of assistant and she made Robin maid of honor.”

“I know. I couldn't believe it.” Her face twisted with anger. “Robin? Robin was worse than Heidi.”

“So how did you get rid of her?” Angie asked. “You put something in her drink, didn't you?”

Cheryl suddenly stopped advancing. She took a step back and gave Angie an assessing stare.

“Oh, come on,” Angie said with a tentative smile. “You know I have no proof. You got rid of the martini glass the minute Robin started to show symptoms.”

“How long have you known that it was me?” Cheryl looked at her as if she were a new type of threat.

“I didn't,” she admitted. But she wouldn't dare mention Cole's observations or how he had been investigating the accident. “I thought Robin hurt Heidi because she deserves the maid-of-honor role.”

“Deserves? Are you kidding?” Cheryl's voice overpowered the organ music coming from the church. “Robin didn't deserve it at all. All she cared about was getting lucky at the wedding. Like being the maid of honor would give her the extra edge. Right. A little peanut oil in the martini took care of that.”

Angie was amazed at Cheryl's blaze attitude. “You could have killed her.”

Cheryl snorted at the suggestion. “Why do you think I asked you to look for her? You and your stripper boyfriend had jumped into action at the bachelorette party. I knew you'd find her.”

“And you got me kicked out of the wedding.”

Cheryl laughed. “I'm good, but I'm not that good. That was a stroke of luck and I thought I had finally protected Brittany's dream wedding. This was my chance to be the bridesmaid. It was my reward. I could be part of Brittany's special day. Everything was working in my favor.” She frowned. “But Patrick talked Brittany into letting you back in the wedding.”

“And now you're after me. Why?” Angie asked. She took a step to the side and was no longer trapped between the hedges and Cheryl. “Why don't you take out Robin? She's weak.”

“She's extra cautious now. Not to mention everyone is fussing over her all the time. Also, Brittany wanted Robin in the wedding.”

“And Brittany doesn't want me here,” Angie concluded. The bride would be happy to have her out of the wedding and thus be more willing to add her assistant in at the last minute.

“Exactly.” Cheryl's smile sent chills down Angie's spine. “She doesn't want you anywhere in her life. Expect to slowly fade from Patrick's social circle.”

“I can't believe you did all this to be a bridesmaid.” She pressed her hand against her head and discovered that half of her updo was falling out. She blew a chunk of hair out of her eyes. “It's a horrible job.”

“I'm doing this because I care about Brittany,” Cheryl argued. “I got rid of all of the fake friends and backstabbing bridesmaids. Brittany deserves to be surrounded by people who actually love and adore her.”

“You have a strange way of showing friendship. And, honestly, being a bridesmaid is a test of will and patience. Think about it,” Angie stressed as she took another side step. “You have to be at the bride's beck and call. You have to put your life on hold and put up with the bride's rages. Do you have any idea what that feels like? Oh, wait. Maybe you do.”

“But this way everyone will know that I'm more than her employee,” Cheryl said, raising her voice. “I'm her friend.”

“No, she will never think that.” Angie was reluctant to share this with Cheryl, but the woman had to know that Brittany would never see her as an equal. “Brittany said so herself. When the suggestion was made to replace you for Heidi, Brittany made it very clear that you were only the assistant.”

“She wouldn't say that!” Cheryl shouted. “Brittany likes me. She likes me more than any of her bridesmaids.”

Angie took another step. She was almost in the clear to make a run for the stone steps. “Even if you did get rid of me, she won't add you to the ceremony.”

“Yes, she will.” Cheryl grabbed her arm and squeezed tight. “She'll be in a panic and she'll want me right there.”

“Fine.” She tried to shake off Cheryl's hold but it was no use. “You know what? You don't need to take me out of commission. You want to take my place? Go for it.”

Cheryl looked at her as if she sensed a trick. “You're not going to fight it?”

“I'll be relieved. I didn't want to do this, anyway. Tell Brittany that I twisted my ankle while I was looking for you. She won't want me hobbling down the aisle.”

“True.” She tightened her hold on Angie's arm. “But how do I know you won't talk?”

Angie wasn't sure if she could come up with a convincing reason not to. “You said it yourself. There is no proof. Everything you used is gone.” When Cheryl nodded, Angie kept going. “It's just my word against yours. And everyone thinks I'll say anything to ruin the wedding.”

“I'm glad we're in agreement. Okay, I'll take your place.” She pointed at Angie's other arm. “Now hand over the bracelet.”

Angie curled her hand closer to her body. “Why?”

“Brittany gave it to her bridesmaids as a gift during the bridesmaids' luncheon,” Cheryl said. “I was there. I picked out the bracelet. Why shouldn't I get one?”

“You shouldn't get one because you weren't a bridesmaid,” Angie muttered as an idea formed in her head.

“But I am now.” She held out her other hand. “Give it to me.”

Angie slid the bracelet from her wrist and threw it as Cheryl reached for it.

“What are you doing?” Cheryl asked as she watched the bracelet fall into the dirt.

Angie swung her foot out and swiped Cheryl's legs from underneath her. They both fell down. “Cheryl,” she said as they wrestled for control. “I don't care about being a bridesmaid, but no one tries to hurt me and gets away with it.”

* * *

C
OLE
SAT
IN
the back of the church and glanced at his watch. The wedding should have already started. What was taking so long?

He looked at the entrance where the procession should be. Instead, he saw only Robin hovering by the door. She seemed worried, almost frantic, as she motioned for him to meet her in the hallway.

Cole quickly followed her. “What's going on, Robin?”

“Have you seen Angie?” she whispered.

Her words were like a kick to his system. His body was on full alert and he immediately checked his phone. “Not since you saw me with her. Why?”

“This isn't good.” Robin began chewing on her fingernail. “I've checked every room and closet hoping she was with you.”

“How long has it been since you've seen her?”

“I don't know. It feels like forever,” Robin admitted as tears shone in her eyes. “Brittany was freaking out and I couldn't get a hold of Cheryl on my phone. Angie went to look for her and now they're both missing.”

“Keep searching inside the church. I'll go outside.” He broke into a run and looked around the front steps. He didn't see anyone. He thought of the parking lot and then the church grounds. His instinct was to head for the grounds.

He ran to the side of the church, calling out Angie's name. He saw a thick wall of hedges and was about to go around them when he heard the sound of a struggle. “Angie?”

“Cole?” Angie called out. “I'm in the garden— Ow!”

Cole pushed his way through the thick shrubbery. It felt like it took him ages as he slapped, kicked and clawed his way in. He had to get to Angie. He would never forgive himself if something happened to her.