Chapter 4

Frankie

It had been a wet April so far, but Val and I were dress shopping, and no amount of rain was going to dampen our mood. We’d been holed up in a dress shop downtown for the past hour. I sipped tea while Val tried on gowns of every kind.

Val came into the store believing her destiny was a tight-fitting mermaid gown. At my suggestion, she’d gone out of her comfort zone, trying on styles she wouldn’t have spared a thought on before. Even the indecisive bride has an idea of how they want their dress to look, but I always encourage my clients to try a few dresses they never pictured themselves in. Even if nothing came of it, trying on dresses was fun.

The changing room curtain screeched open and Val came out in an elaborate princess gown, studded all over with rhinestones and pearls. As she had in the ones before, she looked gorgeous.

“I feel like a princess,” she said dreamily.

“You look like one.”

She gazed down at the dress, smoothing her hands over the bodice. “You know, I never thought I’d be into the whole princess look, but I don’t think you could pay me to take this off.” She swished the ruffled skirt back and forth, smiling at herself in the mirror. “Do you think Garrick will like it?”

“Garrick would be happy if you walked down the aisle in a potato sack,” I replied, taking a sip of my tea. “But if you’re looking to knock him out, I think this is the one.”

“This is so exciting! My wedding dress for my wedding day.” She released a happy sigh. “I still can’t believe this is all happening. I never thought I could be this happy.”

I put my cup down and stood to give Val a hug. She did it so often to me that somewhere along the line I started giving them back, which was surprising since I never thought I’d one day consider myself a hugger.

“What would I do without you?” Val asked as we pulled apart.

I met her eyes in the mirror and winked. “Have a mental breakdown and run away to join an all-girl rock band probably. I see a great drummer in you.”

“Hell, that doesn’t sound too bad. I’ve always wanted to shave my head.”

“You’ve got the right bone structure for it. And you know, we haven’t decided on your hair for the wedding yet...”

I imagined Valerie strutting down the aisle in a designer princess gown with a shaved head and nose piercing. Unsurprisingly she would look fierce, and Garrick would still be proud to call her his wife. It might be worth it just to see Levi’s reaction.

“You slay me,” Val said, poking me in the shoulder before stepping back into the changing room and pulling the curtain closed.

I settled back onto the couch and glanced out the window. Rain fell in sheets from bloated, gray clouds, and people hurried along the sidewalk with their faces turned to the ground. I didn’t relish the idea of my walk home, but it wouldn’t be Portland without the rain.

“I’ve been meaning to ask you something,” called Val.

“Shoot,” I said, turning back to the front.

“I’m just curious about how you got into wedding planning. Have you ever been married?”

I was used to this question, or some iteration of it. Even though my wedding was the driving force behind what I did now, I never told the full story. I wasn’t sure whether it was because I didn’t want to bum the brides out or because it felt too personal, but I usually skated over top of all the hurt and just cherry-picked the details that worked.

I’m divorced, I would tell them. I was young and a little bit stupid. The wedding was the worst part of the whole thing. My maid of honor let me down, and I started my business so brides like me could have a maid of honor they could count on.

People didn’t usually ask further. The last thing anyone wanted to think about when they were planning the best day of their life was the failure of other people who had done the same thing.

Valerie was different from my other clients. She was more affectionate, more open. It seemed natural to tell her the truth and, more than that, I wanted her to know.

“I was nineteen when I got married, and I was divorced by twenty-two,” I said. “My maid of honor was my best friend from high school. We both had crushes on my husband at one point, but I thought we were well past that. She wasn’t, as it turned out, and all the bitterness she’d been harboring over the years spilled out as we planned for the wedding. She invited people I didn’t want and forgot to send invites to people I did. She persuaded me to buy a dress that was way out of my budget and then I almost couldn’t afford to have it altered. When the big day came, I got cold feet in a big way and had a panic attack. Meanwhile, she was out behind the community hall getting plastered with the groomsmen.” I chuckled to myself. “Ironically, if she had been there she probably would have talked me out of it, which would have been a good thing.”

I gulped as I thought about the next part, and I couldn’t help the sour expression that took over my features. “And then, six months later, I came home early one day and found her in bed with my husband.”

Val yanked open the curtain. She was in her street clothes again, and her mouth dropped open in horror. “Are you serious?”

I nodded. “I’m grateful to her in a way, though. It was a wake-up call. I wasn’t happy, and it wasn’t just because of my marriage. I was making good money as an accountant, but that wasn’t enough. I realized that I’d gone about my career the wrong way and took a step back to think about what I really wanted from life. My college dream was to be a wedding planner, and since my life was in tatters anyway, I decided there was no better time to give it a shot. I added the Always the Bridesmaid twist to offer clients something I never had—a maid of honor they could count on, one who was devoted to making their wedding the best day of their lives.”

Val sank down next to me on the couch. “Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.” She rested her hand on mine. “Yet another reason I like you more than most of the people I don’t pay to hang out with me.”

I laughed and patted her hand. “Only most? I must not be doing a good enough job.”

“You’re doing a good enough of a job that you helped me find the perfect dress.” Val glanced up at the gown hanging just inside the changing room, and a wistful smile crossed her lips. “I can’t wait to walk down the aisle. It’s killing me that the wedding is still so far away.”

I patted her on the shoulder. “At least that gives us lots of time to plan. Better to have time to take it easy and celebrate our successes as we go than having to rush and be stressed out.”

“That’s true. Speaking of celebrating our successes...” She trailed off and wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I read her mind. “Oh, I most certainly think we’ve earned a drink.”

“Do you mind if I invite Garrick and Levi along?”

“Not at all. I haven’t seen your groom’s troublemaking brother since that first night we met. Maybe tonight will be the night I crack him.”

Valerie laughed. “I doubt it. I love you for trying though.”

She pulled out her phone and called Garrick while I talked to the bridal consultant. I knew that it worried Val that Levi still hadn’t warmed to her, and if I could help ease that relationship forward even a little, I would be happy.

I could do this. I’d charmed my way through tons of wedding parties before and Levi was no great challenge. He was your standard everyday grump, and once I figured out what made him tick he would be putty in my hands.

Or so I thought.

We met the guys at a snug Irish pub near the Pearl District. Garrick greeted us with a smile as usual, and Levi wore the same expression of indifference I’d grown to loathe the last time we met. I didn’t let it deter me.

I was fearless. I was determined. I was going to make Levi my friend and there was nothing he could do about it.

“Long time no see,” I said, striding up to him with a beatific smile.

The dim lighting made Levi’s eyes disconcertingly dark. I could barely tell where the iris ended and the pupil began. He flicked his gaze over me, gave a short nod, and grunted in acknowledgment.

Okay, so he wanted to play hardball. Fine with me.

“We didn’t get to talk much last time we met, but Val told me that you’re the CFO at your family’s company,” I said. “I used to be an accountant. Maybe if it doesn’t work out at Black Mountain, you could have a future in wedding planning.”

Something that could have been amusement or could have been indigestion flickered over his face. “Maybe.”

I’d worked up from a grunt to one word. Progress was progress, no matter how small.

Before I could try again, Levi turned to Garrick and Val, who were excitedly catching up about their days. “Should we grab a table?”

He led the way and I tagged along behind, determined to get a seat next to him. He wasn’t escaping me that easy.

We sat down in a curved booth with Val and me in the middle and the guys on either side. We ordered drinks, and Val and Garrick resumed their conversation. I looked Levi straight in the eye. The third time was going to be the charm.

“I’m a big fan of your family’s beer,” I told him. “I look forward to your Christmas brew every year.”

“A big fan, huh?” He stared out at the bar, avoiding my gaze. “Strange that you ordered a Miller.”

Was he serious? This guy was ridiculous! All I wanted was to make this whole wedding experience go down a little smoother, but he was determined to make an ass out of me.

I’d never had a nemesis before, but at twenty-six I finally knew what it felt like. Levi didn’t even know me but he was determined to dismiss me. I couldn’t stand it.

I decided to ice him out for the rest of the night. Maybe a taste of his own medicine wouldn’t be quite so sweet. I turned to Val and asked her if she’d told her fiancé about our dress shopping experience yet. Her face lit up with rainbows.