The Bridal Squad Read online

  Gavin and Jules were perfect for each other because they balanced each other. Julianne tended to be a little high-strung and needed to be in control and Gavin had a way of relaxing her and getting her to give up the reins once in a while. And where Gavin could be a little too laid back – seriously, nothing bothered the guy! – Julianne had a way of motivating him. And then they’d stand together and the sun would shine down on them and show the world what a perfect couple they were.

  Okay, fine. She was a little jealous of them.

  All right, a lot jealous. She was extremely jealous. Borderline green with envy.

  Not that she was looking for them to break up. Uh-uh. No way. More like…why can’t I find a guy like that?

  Because God could only make one perfect man, Harper. And your little sister found him first.

  And how could she begrudge her sister that kind of happiness?

  She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. And so she’d take the digs from her mother, be the maid of honor to Mr. and Mrs. Perfect, and deal with the fact that there clearly wasn’t someone for everyone. No doubt there’d be the pitiful looks from the rest of the family on the day of the wedding – that had been the case ever since Julianne had gotten engaged. Apparently when your younger sister gets married before you, this is the sort of thing that can bring shame to your entire family.

  Who knew that such outmoded reasoning could still be used?

  Harper could have lived her entire life without that little bit of knowledge, but…as usual, people felt the need to point it out to her. It was kind of annoying how no one acknowledged that she had three men who wanted to marry her - three! - while Julianne only had Gavin. Why wasn’t that a thing, huh? Why wasn’t anyone congratulating her on having multiple men vying to have her as their wife?

  Probably because it wasn’t as good as it sounded. They may have wanted to marry her, but the fact was, they didn’t actually marry her. None of them fought for her when the relationship ended and no matter how much she tried to put a positive spin on it, it didn’t help. Her favorite was, “At least I don’t have to deal with three divorces! That would be the worst!”

  Harper was the only one to laugh at that one.

  At this point she was going to have to start wearing all black and cover her face with a veil. Sure it was an outdated custom, but it might serve to shut people up.

  “Do we have a color scheme yet?” Hailey asked.

  “I really liked the peach and ivory combination,” Natalie said with a smile.

  Harper was just about to say something, but Angie – clearly the outspoken one of the Enchanted Bridal team – spoke up. “We need to know what the bride’s color choices are.” She said it firmly but with a smile and in that moment, Harper thought she’d found a new best friend.

  For a minute, Julianne looked like a deer in the headlights. Her blue eyes widened as she looked at the group of women around her. She swallowed hard. “I’m supposed to have color choices already?”

  Ever the professional, Hailey patted Julianne’s hand with a patient smile. “If you and Gavin haven’t decided on one yet, let’s take a few minutes to talk about it.”

  Harper watched as her sister began to visibly relax and she wanted to go over to tell her to chill out. Although, even though Harper could tell that she was ruffled, she doubted anyone else did. Her sister had a gift like that too. Juliane’s long blonde hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail held by an antique silver clip, her jeans fit her like they were made just for her and the blue sweater she had on matched her eyes. She glanced down and…

  “Are those my boots?” Harper asked. Not that this was the time to question that but how was it possible that her sister was still stealing her clothes? They didn’t even live together anymore!

  “You really want to talk about that now?” Julianne asked with a sweet smile, but Harper knew her question had served its purpose – her sister was distracted enough to quit freaking out and get on with the task at hand.

  “Not particularly. I’d much rather talk about colors,” Harper said with a grin.

  And just like that, things started to progress.

  Julianne’s choice of colors.

  Becca stepped forward with a binder and placed it on the table in front of Julianne and then Hailey took over from there.

  “We have several popular trends this year and I’m sure you and the girls will find one that’s perfect for you.”

  “No pastels,” Kayla called out. “Please. I just look…really bad in pastels.”

  “I second that,” Harper said, remembering how they needed to stick together during this part of the process. And really, she hated pastels too.

  “Okay, good to know,” Hailey said. “Let’s look at our first option – mauve and gray. It’s a more neutral palette but some might consider it to lean a little more toward a pastel.”

  Julianne studied the pictures as Harper, Kayla and Natalie came to stand behind her so they could see it too. Julianne turned to Harper. “What do you think?”

  “It’s pretty, but…a little boring.”

  “Agreed,” Kayla said quickly. “What’s next?”

  “I kind of like it,” Natalie commented before anyone could turn the page. “I think it’s very classy and elegant. And look at the bouquets you could pair with it!”

  “Let’s see what other options there are,” Julianne said instead of agreeing or disagreeing with Natalie.

  “Navy, coral and gold,” Hailey said as she turned the page. “This makes a bold statement and gives a beautiful contrast in colors.”

  “Ooh…I like that,” Kayla said. “I like that a lot.”

  “I do too,” Harper said, and she heard Natalie sigh beside her. “You don’t like it?”

  “That’s not the point. I see what the two of you are doing – constantly agreeing with everything the other one says!” Natalie accused. “It doesn’t seem to matter what I like or don’t like because the two of you are going to keep going against me! And as matron of honor…”

  “Ladies,” Angie said as she walked over and gently led Natalie back to her seat before motioning for Kayla and Harper to do the same, “dress shopping can be tense. Here’s what I propose – let Hailey give you all of the color options. Then everyone gets to pick their choice and then we’ll choose dresses in those colors for you to try on. Sometimes you find the color or style you least liked in a picture is the one that looks the best on you. Okay?”

  It was a very diplomatic approach, Harper thought. And when she looked over at Kayla, she nodded in agreement.

  “Excellent,” Angie said. “Now, let Hailey and Julianne talk colors without too much input from the squad. Okay?”

  Another round of nods.

  After what seemed like an endless list of options, they narrowed it down to three – the navy, coral and gold followed by cranberry, orange and ivory and, for Natalie’s sake, peach, gold and green. The only reason why Harper didn’t vehemently argue Natalie’s choice was because the peach in question was very muted and soft and very unlike the borderline-neon orange she had chosen for the dresses she’d emailed to them.

  Once the colors were decided and sizes were given, Penny, Becca, Ella and Angie went to work to pull dresses in various styles and in the colors Julianne selected while Hailey talked to them about the styles they were about to see. It was way too much information to process so Harper just sat back and waited. She knew she’d do better once she actually saw the dresses and almost sagged with relief when the girls started to put dresses in the fitting rooms.

  “Okay!” Hailey said as she stood up. “Let’s try on some dresses!”

  ****

  “They’re all so beautiful. I just can’t choose!” Natalie gushed as she twirled around in the fifth dress. “I never want to take this off! Maybe we could do something like choose two different styles and wear one for the church and one for the reception! What do you think?”

  “No,” Harper said.

  Natalie didn’t l
et it deter her. “But they’re all so fabulous! It’s like I want to wear them all!”

  “Well…you can’t,” Kayla said from beside her as she frowned at her reflection.

  She should frown, Natalie thought. That dress looked horrible on her. Although, maybe it wouldn’t if she stood a little taller, put on some makeup, took her hair out of that sloppy ponytail and maybe tried smiling.

  Oh, that was a totally mean thought. Bad Natalie!

  Only…it felt kind of good right now. She was feeling like a princess and she wasn’t going to let anyone bring her down. Turning, she looked at Julianne.

  “What do you think of this style? It’s so pretty and flattering and it feels so good on! And maybe if we paired it with either little tiaras in our hair or decorative hair clips…”

  “I don’t know,” Julianne replied as she studied her. “I’m not crazy about the way the off-the-shoulder thing falls. It almost makes it look a little sloppy.”

  Natalie turned back toward the mirror and saw exactly what her friend was referring to. “You’re right! It does. I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before.” Well damn, she thought. This one had looked really good on her. Turning toward where Harper was standing, she almost cringed at the dress she had on. “I know we’re not supposed to throw out negative comments, but I can’t wear the one Harper has on.”

  Becca was helping Harper and asked, “Why not?”

  “It’s way too sexy. Risqué. I would not be comfortable walking around all day – or being in a church – in a dress like that,” she said primly. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s fine for some people, but I’m not one of them.”

  Everyone was silent for a moment.

  “It’s okay, Natalie,” Hailey said as she walked around looking at all of them. “This is the kind of feedback we need. It’s important for everyone to feel comfortable in their gown so if that one makes you uncomfortable, then we’ll make a note of it and remove that style from the list of options.”

  Natalie turned to Julianne. “You’re not mad at me, are you? Did you like it? Am I being overly critical?”

  Julianne shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think it was that bad but I do see your point. And now that I’m looking at it, my mother would probably have a coronary if she saw how high the slit was in the front. That’s a wardrobe malfunction just waiting to happen.”

  Thank God. She hated to be the one to make things difficult – that seemed to be a job better suited for Kayla or Harper. And Natalie remembered what a nightmare it was when she was planning her wedding and people had differences of opinion. It was maddening! So she really wanted to try to alleviate some of that stress for poor Julianne.

  “If you remember, Jules,” she said with a compassionate tone, “the dresses you and my girls wore at my wedding were simple and elegant and easy to move in. I don’t think anything too form-fitting would be a good thing for us, with all the posing and having to do so much to help you out. Something that flows would be much better. Remember? You commented on that at my wedding.”

  “I did?” Julianne asked. “I don’t really remember. I know I liked our gowns but…” She shrugged.

  Natalie stiffened a little. “You were helping me with the train of my gown and said how grateful you were that you could move in your dress. Remember?”

  “Um…yeah. I guess,” Julianne replied as she stepped over to look at Kayla’s gown.

  Why? Why was she the only one thinking of the practical matters? This was all very helpful information and no one was listening! She was about to turn and ask one of the Enchanted Bridal staff if they thought comfort and ease of movement was important when Hailey came and stood in the middle of the room.

  “Ladies,” Hailey called out. “What are your thoughts so far? Other than Natalie’s veto on the style Harper currently has on, what did you think of the other styles? Did you have any other objections that we should know of so we can start narrowing down the list or do we need to pull a few more gowns off the rack for you to try on?”

  For the next several minutes they talked and weeded out the gowns they didn’t like. They all agreed that they had seen enough styles and that bringing out any more would only serve to confuse them. By the time they were done, they narrowed it down to three styles.

  Go figure.

  Hailey began to talk about all the pros and cons of each dress but Natalie zoned out. She was studying her reflection and thinking about how good the dress she had on felt and how she’d love to see Jayce’s reaction to her in it – and how it would feel when he slid it off of her.

  Memories of their wedding night came to mind when he’d worked all the tiny buttons of her wedding gown open and then gently slid the gown from her body. He could do the same thing with this dress. Tingles went down her spine at the thought. She loved dressing up for him and imagining it was her wedding gown all over again. It had been the perfect moment – one she loved to relive again and again.

  Okay, so reliving her wedding night had become one of her hottest fantasies and Jayce was always on board with her on it. Her wedding gown was preserved and packed away but she normally improvised with other dresses or negligees. If she got this gown…

  Was there a way to suggest a veil with this dress?

  “I really think I like the cross-sleeveless chiffon,” Julianne said, interrupting Natalie’s sexy thoughts. “It was the second one Kayla tried on and I really loved it. Does that count? Does the bride get a vote?”

  Natalie heard the humor in Julianne’s voice and remembered feeling that way too. “I loved that one too,” she said, showing support for her friend. She shot a pointed look at the other two and hoped they wouldn’t argue. It was one thing to disagree with her, but quite another to disagree with the bride.

  And shockingly, both Harper and Kayla were on board too! Natalie liked to think that she had a little something to do with that. Maybe they were following her lead because they realized how their petty disagreements with her were starting to wear on Julianne.

  Or maybe her firm glare had convinced them.

  Yeah, that was probably it.

  Back when she and Jayce first got engaged, Natalie remember how she agonized over whom to put in her bridal party because she wanted everyone to get along. She ended up with eight girls and for the most part, everyone became great friends over the course of the wedding planning. Once a month Natalie invited them all over for brunch and, if she did say so herself, she knew how much her friends appreciated it. It was a tradition she’d kept up for the last eleven months since her wedding.

  It was harder for Julianne, she knew. Her hours at the gym were not exactly banker’s hours, so it was harder for her to plan things like brunches, but Natalie hoped she’d make some time for some fun things for the four of them that weren’t just about Zumba or dress shopping. Maybe she should talk to Harper about that.

  Ugh. Harper.

  Natalie realized that as Julianne’s older sister, Harper was going to have a lot more of a say in the way things were done, but honestly, should anyone really be following her lead? After all, three engagements and no wedding meant she had very little authority on how things went. Meanwhile, Natalie had pulled off a spectacular wedding that people were still talking about.

  She glanced at Harper and the dress she had changed into. She looked good in it and unlike Kayla, she knew how to hold herself. Of course, Harper had been blessed with a good figure, but not as good as Julianne’s who was willowier. Either way, most things did look good on her. Plus, Natalie knew their mother had raised them both to have good manners and taught them how to behave like ladies.

  Another side glance at Kayla had her wondering if her mother was a tomboy too.

  Either way, Harper was going to make a beautiful maid of honor with her dark hair and green eyes and flawless skin. Natalie made a mental note to ask Harper about her skin regimen. She always did manage to look…well…flawless. Maybe it was the makeup she used…hmm...

  Great skin and fi
gure aside, Harper was also going to be a constant source of angst during this entire process. Natalie could tell she was primed to disagree with whatever suggestion she tried to make and, as Julianne’s sister, Harper was going to be the winner by default. Apparently, it didn’t matter if someone had more experience in this area or not!

  She had shared with Jayce the way the girls constantly chose the opposite of whatever she did. And he was so sweet about telling her that she had impeccable taste – she had married him after all – and she had to remember the same couldn’t be said for everyone.

  About having taste, not marrying him.

  She smiled at the memory. That was her Jayce – loyal and diplomatic and always complimenting her. It was just one of the things she loved about him. He really listened to her and did his best to take her side. Natalie knew she could be…well, she could be difficult at times and did tend to have a single-minded focus when she felt strongly about a subject. But no matter what she did, there was Jayce, right there and ready to listen. She should thank him for that. Maybe tonight she’d make a romantic dinner, dress up, light some candles and thank him properly.

  In her mind, she envisioned him in a dark suit and tie, her in an ivory dress and…

  “Okay, girls, let’s talk colors!” Hailey said, effectively pulling Natalie right out of her romantic fantasy.

  ****

  By the time they decided on colors, got measured, and paid their deposits, Kayla was ready to call it a day. She had eaten not one, but two muffins already today and was contemplating a burger for lunch.

  “I’m starving,” she said as she slid her shoes on. When she straightened, she finger combed her hair. “Where are we going for lunch?”

  “Oh! There is a great little cafe around the corner,” Ella said excitedly. “The girls and I used to always go there on Saturdays for lunch. You should try it!” She gave them the address and then excused herself to go put gowns away.

  “That sounds good to me,” Kayla said as she looked over at Julianne and the girls. “You guys up for it?”