The Wedding Setup, page 7
Ryann didn’t hear Maddie’s reply, closing and locking the door. Her forehead pressed into the wood, she waited for her face and body to cool a little before turning to the mirror.
The color was still high in her cheeks, and her hair was, as expected, a complete mess. She’d planned to have it straightened sometime this week, but after Erin and Darcy’s compliment last night, she wasn’t so sure. Her curls had always been a source of frustration and anguish. She’d been straightening her hair since elementary—first at her mother’s insistence, then her own. Then, when everything had picked up at work last autumn, she’d missed one appointment with her stylist, then another, until now she could hardly remember the last time she’d had her hair done. It was, in fact, longer and curlier than she could remember it being, even as a child. It brushed the middle of her back. The color was a fiery red, one shade darker than orange, another source of displeasure most of her life. Still, as she regarded herself now, she recognized how striking and wild it was. It was entirely different than her usual style, but maybe she’d leave it alone. She liked the change. She used some mousse to tame the flyaways and tied it back in a loose, thick bundle at the base of her neck, too tired to try anything more elaborate.
Her eyes, a pale green, were bloodshot and red-rimmed, propped up by dark, almost purple circles. With her pale complexion, it was always obvious when she was even the slightest bit tired, and she was exhausted. She dabbed some more concealer on the darkness, swiped on a little more mascara, and then straightened her shirt. Did she have time to change it?
When she came out of the bathroom, Maddie was laughing, leaning against the room’s doily-covered desk, and Stuart was back at the foot of the bed, chuckling at whatever they’d been talking about. They looked her way, and she gave them her best boardroom smile. Stuart, clearly recognizing its phoniness, stood, arms out, and pulled her into a crushing hug.
“Maddie’s sorry and so am I. I didn’t mean to reveal our antics to an outsider. I forgot you two don’t know each other yet.”
He pulled back a little, surveying her up and down. “You’re a little skinny, sugar, but you look really good in this outfit.” He fingered the edge of her blouse. “Lovely. I can’t remember the last time I felt silk like that.”
She swatted him once and stepped away. “Maybe you should get out of town more. I can’t help it if apparently the only thing you can buy in this town is flannel.”
“Hey!” Maddie said. “I resemble that remark.”
She glanced Maddie’s way, meeting her eyes for the first time this morning. Maddie winked, which immediately caused her face to heat again, and she looked away, embarrassed once more to be so transparent.
Stuart had apparently seen this exchange, and his head turned back and forth between them, eyes narrow.
“What is it with you two?” he asked. “Did something happen last night that I need to know about?”
“Nope,” Maddie said, emphasizing this “p” sound by popping it.
“Not a thing,” Ryann said.
Stuart didn’t seem convinced, but he eventually sighed. “Okay, fine. Be mysterious. Anyway, you guys have two tasks to take care of today.” He reached into his pocket, pulling out a folded sheet of paper. He handed it to Ryann, gesturing for Maddie to join them. Maddie stood up from her perch on the desk, walking closer, and Ryann once again caught a strong whiff of vanilla when she neared. The scent reminded her of the mini-breakdown she’d had yesterday in the lobby—the friendly mug of hot chocolate that had thrown her for a loop. She opened her mouth slightly to avoid inhaling the scent.
“First up is flowers,” he said, pointing at the top of the list. “Those are our colors—red, pink, and white. You two have an appointment for ten, so you’re going to have to leave in like fifteen to make it on time. Then you have a break until two, which is the first of the bakeries.”
“There’s more than one?” Ryann asked.
Stuart stared at her, putting one hand to his chest, aghast. “You know how I feel about cake, girlfriend. It has to be exactly right.”
“Shouldn’t you choose it, then?”
“No time today,” he said. “I’ll try to make it to the next one. Just choose the best-tasting one. We’ll take care of the design.”
“How many bakeries are there?”
He had the wherewithal to look ashamed and mumbled something under his breath.
“What was that?” she asked, cupping an ear.
“Five. But they’re spread out.”
“We’re going to only one florist, but we’re checking out five bakers. Am I hearing you right?”
He nodded, grinning now.
“Okay. What else are we doing?”
“That’s all the planning stuff for today. Jai’s still setting up some of the rest. We’re doing the ceremony outside at the festival, but the reception venue is still in the air. He’s getting all of those appointments lined up for tomorrow and Saturday.”
“I have studio time tomorrow,” Maddie said.
“He’s working around your schedule,” he said. “Don’t worry.”
“What about next week?” Ryann asked.
Stuart started ticking off his fingers. “There’s the photographer, the caterer, and maybe the linen and equipment rentals for the venue, depending on which place you two book for the reception.” He smiled at Maddie. “And, of course, the decorations.”
“All of this with less than two weeks before the wedding?” Ryann asked.
He shrugged. “Jai said it shouldn’t be a problem. This isn’t New York, or even Denver.”
“And the budget?”
“He’s not booking appointments anywhere we can’t afford.”
Ryann was suspicious. Stuart had a small trust fund, but it was just that—small. He got some kind of stipend with his grant here, but even that was likely miniscule. She couldn’t imagine that Jai made a lot of money working for the city, either. If this was as last-minute as they claimed, they weren’t going to be able to afford much of anything at all. She shouldn’t feel disappointed—after all, it wasn’t her wedding. But she’d known Stuart almost all of their lives. He’d outlined exactly the kind of wedding he’d wanted countless times. The two of them had talked about it in detail over the years, and that kind of event wouldn’t be done on the cheap. How on earth could she get him what he wanted on his budget?
He squeezed her arm. “Don’t worry about it. Jai has a really big family. They’re helping out.”
She relaxed a little. “Okay.”
“In fact, tonight we’re having a sort of informal gathering at Jai’s parents’. All his sisters and their families will be there, too. I wanted them to meet you before the hordes show up next week. They’re really great people.”
She had a slight flicker of panic at the thought but managed to give him a weak smile. “Wouldn’t miss it.”
“Okay!” He clapped. “You two better be off, but I’ll see you out.”
As she grabbed her things, she couldn’t help but watch Stuart and Maddie joking around as they waited for her. They were very easy together, much like she’d always thought of herself with him. Seeing that gave her a kind of pang. Here was his new friend, one he obviously saw a lot of, and they were clearly close and had a lot in common. Maddie was an artist, like him, after all. While she and Stuart had fun this morning before Maddie showed up, and she was incredibly glad to see him here, happy and healthy, she couldn’t quite shake the idea that she’d been replaced.
“Ready?” Maddie asked, her gaze sweeping up and down Ryann.
She fought an urge to ask her about her appraisal.
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Chapter Six
They parted from Stuart outside, and Maddie led her to her beat-up classic red Bronco, apologizing in advance for the over- or under-enthusiastic heater.
“It’s either the Sahara or the arctic—your pick.”
“The Sahara, please,” Ryann said, smiling.
Maddie started taking off her outer layers again, smiling when she saw Ryann watching her.
“I’m not kidding. It’s like a thousand degrees in here when the heat’s on. Sometimes I roll down the window to try to regulate it, but then my nose gets cold.”
Ryann unbuttoned her coat slightly, not sure if she should completely disrobe, and sipped the rest of her espresso. She glanced around the cabin as they started driving. The car was old but clean. She saw no coffee cups or food wrappers, and the worn carpet was freshly vacuumed. The back seat had been laid flat, and plastic sheeting covered the entirety of the carpet back there. Having been Stuart’s friend as long as she had, she recognized the dried, red streaks on the plastic for what it was—leftover clay.
“I’m not a serial killer, if that’s what you’re worried about,” Maddie said.
“Isn’t that exactly what a serial killer would say?” she asked.
Maddie chuckled, and they drove in semi-awkward silence for a while, the radio playing soft classical music, the town unrolling in the piercing brightness of the winter sunshine reflecting off the snow. The care that had gone into the decorations was a little more obvious than what Ryann had noticed in the taxi yesterday, when it had seemed overdone and over-the-top. Now she recognized a coordinated theme and the professional quality of the lighting displays. She’d seen some of this lighted last night between the brewery and the restaurant, but here in the daylight, it looked festive, fun.
Remembering that Maddie had a hand in creating these displays, she glanced over at her, curious once again about this woman. She was an artist, a sculptor, like Stuart, and, like them, had grown up in a small town. Maddie bobbed her head along with the Mozart, and the morning sunshine lit up her sandy, wavy hair like a halo. She was, in a word, compelling. But she’d been confusing last night—those digs about Ryann’s clothes had been weird to the point of rudeness.
“Like what you see?” Maddie asked, glancing her way and then back at the road.
“Yes,” she said, then froze, realizing the implication.
Maddie laughed.
“I meant the town,” Ryann said, a little too late.
“Sure you did.”
“No, really! It’s very…cute.”
“Cute, huh?” Maddie asked, squinting at her before winking. “Okay. I’ll take it.”
She knew her face had colored again and wondered how this woman could get under her skin so quickly and thoroughly. Ryann didn’t know how to respond to the flirtation. Erin and Darcy flirting had seemed safe—but they were married. Maddie was something else.
Their car crested a hill, and suddenly snow-capped mountains appeared in the distance before them. A wide space opened on the right as the road curved around what Ryann soon realized was a lake covered in a sheen of white, crystalline snow and ice. All the light posts along the lake were festooned in red and silver garland, lights, and those oversized conversation hearts she’d seen everywhere in town.
“This is really gorgeous,” she said.
“It is, isn’t it? It’s my favorite view in town. I actually took a slight detour so you could see it.”
“Worth it,” Ryann said.
“If you keep heading this way into the mountains, you end up in Estes Park. Ever been?”
“No. I’ve actually never made it to Colorado before.”
Maddie turned her way with her eyebrows up. “Really? Never? Not once since Stuart moved here?”
“Never had the chance until now.”
Maddie returned her attention to the road, her lips turned down a little at the corners. She could explain, but excuses would likely sound pathetic, even to her. Initially, when Stuart had moved here, his visits to New York were his escape. He’d soak up everything he missed about the city in his weekend getaways and then come back here, reluctantly, to live out his time until his next trip. Then, last year, when things had so abruptly changed, and he’d stopped coming to New York, they’d played around with the idea of her coming to Colorado, but in fact, it had never occurred to either of them for her to come here to Loveland. They’d discussed Denver or Aspen.
All of this, if she said it, would sound like she was blaming him, which was only half the truth. They’d sneered at this town when he first moved here. Stuart might have had a change of heart, but he’d never invited her here, and she would never have known how nice it was until she came.
Maddie, however, had seemed to take her justification as an almost personal affront. She still seemed a little upset, still frowning slightly, eyebrows low, their earlier banter apparently forgotten. They pulled into a strip mall with the flower shop, Blooms and Grooms, and Maddie parked the Bronco, turning it off and simply sitting there, hands still on the wheel. The car rattled a little as it settled down, the heat wheezing to a stop several seconds later.
“He was really lonely, you know,” Maddie suddenly said, turning her way. “When I first met him, he didn’t know anyone here. He would come into the studio, work, and leave. I never saw him around town, never knew anything about him. Then we had a little job to work on together—we consulted on a public piece for the city—and I realized what a nice guy he was. I invited him out with me, introduced him around.” She paused, still looking put out. “It was like he didn’t have a friend in the world. In fact, I never even heard your name until last week.”
Anger and sorrow rose in Ryann. “And what do you think happened to me? I was alone too, you know. I missed, no, miss him more than I’ve ever missed anyone in my entire life. We tried, goddamn it. When he first moved here, we tried. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped calling, stopped visiting. We’ve barely spoken in the last year.” Tears rose in her eyes, and she blinked them away. “I lost my best friend, my only family. And yes—I should have come out here. I’ll admit that. But he shouldn’t have cut me out of his life like that, either.”
They were quiet for a while, Maddie apparently giving her a moment to collect herself as she dabbed at her eyes. When Ryann was brave enough to glance over at her, Maddie was staring at her evenly, brows still furrowed. She seemed to be considering what Ryann had said. Finally, her expression cleared, and she gave a weak smile.
“Long distance, huh? What a bitch.”
Ryann couldn’t help but laugh, and Maddie laughed with her, the tension immediately lifting.
Maddie touched her gloved hand. “Look. I’m sorry. I made some assumptions, and I shouldn’t have. It sounds super complicated, and it’s not my place to judge what happened. He probably didn’t bring you up because he missed you. Really. I’m sorry.”
“Thanks. It’s okay. You couldn’t know.”
“And I’m glad you’re here now. When the guys told me they were getting married, I was afraid they’d end up making me do everything on my own.”
Ryann narrowed her eyes. “Oh, I see. You just want me for my labor.”
Maddie shrugged. “What else?”
She turned away to hide her disappointed shame. She’d thought they were back to flirting. She cleared her throat. “You know,” she said, “we could probably split up some of this work. We don’t both have to go to these appointments. I could borrow a car from someone, or maybe rent one.”
Maddie stared at her strangely, one eyebrow raised. “If that’s what you’d prefer, sure. I’ll let the guys know they can make some appointments when I’m busy.”
Maddie got out of the car, walking quickly to the door without waiting for her. She couldn’t help but think she’d made some kind of blunder—insulted her somehow. But how and why, she couldn’t imagine.
Despite its modest appearance outside, the flower shop was nicely appointed inside. There were various types of pretty, loose flowers in black buckets for sale, as well as premade bouquets, large and small. The air in here was humid, though cool, and everything seemed fresh and clean despite the somewhat-crowded aisles.
A middle-aged woman with long, graying, black hair appeared from the back, drying her hands with a towel. She wore a flowered apron over denim overalls and sandals with socks.
“Welcome to Blooms and Grooms, ladies. Are you my ten o’clock?” she asked.
“That’s us,” Maddie said. She grabbed Ryann’s hand, pulling her closer. “We’re so excited.”
The woman beamed. “I’m so happy you’ve chosen my shop for your wedding. My name is Brenda. Please,” she gestured, “follow me to the back. I’ll get you some cocoa and show you some samples to review.”
Brenda turned to lead them, and Maddie started to follow. Ryann pulled her back, whispering as loud as she dared.
“What are you doing?”
Maddie grinned. “Come on. It’ll be fun.”
“But why?”
Maddie winked. “No reason. It’s just pretend.”
She let herself be led to the back office, still holding Maddie’s hand. Brenda gave them a warm, almost goofy smile, and she felt compelled to give her one in return, though still confused.
Maddie was giving her emotional whiplash. She had no idea what this was about, or why she was suddenly in the mood to play make-believe, when not five minutes before she’d basically shot Ryann down. Where was this coming from?
They were led to a windowless room with a small table and three chairs. Several binders lay on the table, along with some color swatches, each in various hues of the same relative color, a little like paint samples.
“Please, sit,” Brenda said. “I’ll be right back with some cocoa.”
Once she was out of sight, Ryann pulled her hand from Maddie’s and sat down, taking a moment to remove her outer garments and her gloves. She was rattled, both from the conversation in the car and Maddie’s behavior here in the shop.
Maddie rolled her eyes and sat down next to her. “Boy, oh, boyo. You sure know how to have a good time.”
Ryann glared at her. “I don’t understand the point. And the ‘pretend’ isn’t even a good idea. I mean, at the very least, Brenda will figure it out once we pay for everything. And if not then, she will once she delivers the flowers to Jai and Stuart’s venues.”
