First Love - [Bridesmaid's Chronicles 04] Read online

  "So you'll help me?" Julia asked.

  "You know I will," Syd said. "But maybe you would have been smart not to fire Breckin."

  Julia grimaced. "He tried to move the wedding to Disney World! And he insisted on snapdragons, when I made it perfectly clear that I wanted birds-of-paradise and South African orchids."

  "Yes, but now that A Floral Affair's gone out of business, you don't have snapdragons or orchids or

  birds-of-paradise, or even daisies. You've gotas they so charmingly say down here in the South bubkes."

  "The florist didn't close its doors because I fired my wedding planner," Julia said.

  "No," Syd agreed. "But Breckin might know another florist that can pull together exotics in less than a week. As it is now, you're stuck. Unless you want to just forget about flowers altogether."

  "You're kidding, right? Without flowers, the ceremony, the reception, everything will look totally naked."

  "Or natural. You know, back to nature. Rah-rah the environment?"

  "Are you insane? What would I carry down the aisle? Grass clippings? And if I wanted au naturel, I'd get married in the buff. This is an event . And flowers symbolize everything I want in a marriage. A thing of beauty and endurance. Something with inherent beauty that blossoms over time."

  Syd blinked. "You say the weirdest shit."

  "Damn it, Syd. This is my wedding. I've been fantasizing about this day since I was nine years old. I think I know what I want. And since I'm the bride, what I want is what matters."

  "Julia, honey, you've never been a bride before, but you've always gotten what you want."

  Julia frowned a little at that, but she had to concede the point. Of course, she hadn't wanted her father to ship her off to Texas, but at least the end result had turned out to be fabulous.

  "At any rate," she continued, "what I want now are flowers. I'm not worried about the birds-of-paradise; those are easy. But they were only for accents, anyway. The orchids are the real focal flower." She started to tick items off on her fingers. "I need bouquets for me and the bridesmaids. Some sort of spray for my hair. Roman's boutonniere and the same for all the groomsmen. Mom's and Sarah's corsages. We don't need anything for the arbor since it's already so lovely, but I need floral centerpieces for the tables at the reception and something with flowers and ribbons decorating the chairs that line the aisle." She pressed a finger to her lips as she closed her eyes, picturing the ceremony and the reception. "Yeah. I think that about does it."

  "And you're telling me this why?"

  Julia didn't answer. Instead, she just rested her chin on her hand and smiled, waiting for the light of realization to shine in her sister's eyes.

  "What?" Syd said. Then her eyes narrowed. "Oh, no"

  "Oh, yes," Julia said. "You just promised to help me. First thing you can do is call every florist in Austin and San Antonio until you find one that can step up to the plate."

  "Julia"

  But Julia just shook her head, ignoring all protests. "Don't even try, Syd. I'm not listening."

  "But"

  "No." She held out her hand, and Syd closed her mouth. "The one thing I did right was get my invita tions out first thing. Now I have a box full of over two hundred rsvp cards confirming over three hundred and fifty guests. If you think I'm going to walk down the aisle holding a spray of carnations and baby's breath, you are sorely mistaken."

  "Sweetie," Syd said, taking Julia's hand between her own, "the flowers really aren't your major problem here. Marv is coming. Tomorrow . If you want to focus on a crisis, focus on that."

  "I'd rather not," Julia mumbled, then shut her eyes as if that could block out the knowledge that her tackyand tactlessparents were about to descend on and tarnish her shiny new life.

  That her parents would show up for her wedding had, of course, been inevitable. In fact, knowing that Marv and Myrna would fly to Texas for the nuptials had been the only reason that Julia had truly consideredhowever brieflyeloping to Mexico or Monte Carlo or anyplace else exotic and far away.

  But, no. Julia wanted the fairy-tale wedding too badly to make that kind of sacrifice. Had wanted it all her life, in fact. And she had to acknowledge that her father had been the one who'd firmly planted that dream in her head.

  At the same time, she deeply resented that Marv had always seenand treatedher as "the pretty one" while Syd had been "the smart one." He'd never failed to tell her how pretty she was, or how dear, or how easily she'd snag a rich and worthy husband. Depending on her mood, she'd been alternately flattered and irritated. Over time, irritation had settled in as the primary emotion, coupled with a desperate need to prove to her myopic father that she had more than a model's face and a debutante's knowledge of all things fashion.

  That frustration with her father, however, had never edged out Julia's gut-deep desire for the pageantry of matrimony. She wanted it, needed it. She wanted to be a bride and walk down the aisle. She'd been treated like a princess for much of her life, and she wasn't about to turn her back on what she considered the ultimate royal treatment simply because her father exasperated her.

  She and Roman had made the decision to have a big, Texas-sized wedding the weekend after he'd proposed to her. She'd seen in his eyes that he would have been just as satisfied with a quick visit to the justice of the peace, but in the generous way she'd come so quickly to love, Roman had insisted that she plan the wedding of her dreams. Andbless the manhe hadn't even flinched when she'd laid out for him the vast expanse of those dreams.

  From the beginning, Roman believed Julia could pull off anything she set her mind to, whether it was making a success of the tacky Marv's Motor Inn her father had banished her to or pulling off a dream wedding.

  Roman supported and helped her. More important, he had faith in her, while her own father had never once believed that Julia could do anything more than be a pretty bauble. Well, this time, Julia intended to show her father what she was made of. She'd not only convince Marv that Roman wasn't the spawn of Satan, but she'd throw the wedding of the century. Seamless, perfect and dripping with class. No tacky blue tuxedo for her father; she'd clothe him in Armani even if she had to fly the designer here herself.

  And in the end, she'd prove to her father that she was capable, confident and worthy.

  She only hoped that she could prove it before he drove her absolutely and completely crazy.

  "Location locked in?"

  "Check," Julia said. The ceremony was being held on the Sonntag estate, which overlooked the winery and vineyard. Afterward, guests could drive or walk the short distance to the centuries-old limestone building that housed the winery itself. Before she'd fired him, Breckin had arranged for tent and flooring rental, along with hundreds of folding chairs and matching linens to cover both chairs and tables. The harvest was almost on them, and the air was filled with the scent of plump, juicy grapes. The aroma would be heady, and the wine would flow freely.

  "Tables and chairs?" Syd continued, her gaze drifting down her list.

  "Check," Julia said. She stopped to look over Syd's shoulder. "See? Breckin marked it off." She frowned. "What about place-setting cards?"

  Syd consulted the list. "Nothing marked. But do you really want assigned seating?"

  Julia pondered. She'd always pictured a formal wedding with calligraphy place-setting cards and waiters in tuxes. About that one detail, though, maybe she could compromise. "Maybe not. People will want to mingle, right?"

  "Absolutely," Syd said, agreeably.

  Julia nodded, pleased that at least that little detail had been easily tackled. As they walked, she swung her single shopping bag, which held an absolutely darling T-shirt with a beaded neckline that she'd been unable to resist when they'd passed it in the window three blocks ago. "Okay, let's move on to the rehearsal dinner preparations. Did Breckin make the reservations?"

  "It's marked off the list," Syd confirmed.

  Julia exhaled in relief. Maybe Breckin had done more than she'd believed. "Sonnt
ag vintage supplied to the restaurant?"

  Syd scowled as she scanned the items under the "Rehearsal Dinner" heading, then flipped to the pages covering the other categories of wedding prep. The list had been typed, then each page laminated so that notations could be made for each task with a dry erase marker. Less than a week to go before the wedding, and too many of the line items had no mark beside them whatsoever. "Nothing here."

  "As in, it's not on the list? Or as in, it hasn't been done?"

  "Both, I'd assume," Syd said. "And when did you get to be such a high-powered taskmaster, anyway?"

  Julia ignored the dig, turning instead to hurry toward the crosswalk.

  "Uh, Jules? Where are you going? I thought we were going to see if there was anything cool for the welcome baskets at Rustlin' Rob's." Syd pointed in the direction they'd been heading.

  "Yeah, but Der Lindenbaum is this way." Julia nodded across the street toward the restaurant. "When Breckin gave me this list, he assured me everything had been included." She made a face. "Not that everything had been done, but that it had at least made it onto the list, so I knew what I was up against. I can't believe he left off stocking the family wine. If he left that off, what else did he forget?"

  "At least you've got the list," Syd said. "And this laminate idea is pretty cool. I may start keeping my to-do lists like this. Breckin may have flaked out on you, but he was clever about that."

  "That was my idea," Julia said offhandedly. "I've used a laminated list to organize my wardrobe since forever. That way I can tell what I've worn recently, what's at the laundry, all kinds of stuff."

  Syd just stared at her.

  "What?"

  "That's both entirely neurotic and completely brilliant."

  Julia made a face, not entirely sure whether she'd been insulted or praised by her elder sister. In the end, she decided it didn't matter which. The to-do list itself wasn't important. All that mattered was making sure it filled up fast with check marks.

  As she marched across the street with Syd at her heels, she wished that Vivien had stayed in town. Until a few days ago, her best friend had been a high-powered divorce lawyerthe Ball-Busting Bitch of Manhattan, according to the Post . And the woman was as organized as a butler's cutlery drawer. With Viv's help, Julia could get through the to-do list in no time.

  Vivien had showed up on Julia's doorstep not too long ago, the latest participant on the Sabotage Julia's Wedding bandwagon. Fortunately, Vivien had finally seen the error of her ways. Even more, she'd fallen in love and decided to do a complete one-eighty with her life. But before she could move part and parcel to Fredericksburg and settle onto her ranch for rescued greyhounds, she had to wrap things up in New York. She'd promised she'd be back by the bachelorette party.

  Julia didn't begrudge Viv's good news, not at all. But she sure did wish she had another shoulder to lean on.

  Thinking about Vivien's determination to protect her made Julia smile, even more so since Vivien hadfinallyadmitted that Roman was a great guy and that he and Julia were perfect for each other. Considering Vivien's hard-ass reputation, Julia considered her friend's change of heart a major victory.

  If she could change Viv's mind, surely she could change Marv's, too. Right?

  She shook off thoughts of her dad, forcing herself to concentrate. Confirm the wine for the rehearsal dinner first, then

  She stopped in front of Bling, a relatively new store on Main Street. "Oh, wow," she said, eyeing the ex-quisite lace and pearl teddy so prominently displayed in the window. "Wouldn't Roman just die if he saw me in that?"

  "Is that the goal of a wedding night? To kill off the groom?"

  "Very funny." She hitched her purse higher on her arm and adjusted her shopping bag. "I'm going in."

  "Just like an admiral readying for battle," Syd murmured.

  "What?"

  "I said great," Syd sang. "Let's get into the air-conditioning and out of this blasted heat."

  With a grin, Julia pushed inside, pretending she hadn't heard her sister's snark.

  The cold air hit them immediately, and Syd made a show of lifting her hair and standing near the air vent. "Thank you, God," she said, "for inventing Freon. And I take back every nice thing I ever said about Texas. Who knew that it could actually keep getting hotter? At this rate, the earth is going to be boiling by Christmas."

  "Maybe if you wore something more suited for the climate," Julia suggested, eyeing Syd's outfit with disdain. Jeans, socks, loafers and a white button-downeach piece perfectly fine on its own, but entirely lacking in interest and comfort when worn as an ensemble. "You knew we'd be walking all over the place today," she said. "Why on earth didn't you dress for the occasion?"

  Syd held up her foot, displaying one Rockport loafer. "I did. These are walking shoes." She aimed a pointed gaze at Julia's feet, and the pedicured toes peeking out from Jimmy Choo sandals.

  "Don't give me any grief, sweetie," Julia said. " I'm not the one collapsing from discomfort." She did a little pirouette for her sister's benefit, showing off the flirty Juicy Couture skirt she'd coupled with a stretchy D&G halter top. "Fashion and comfort."

  "Not with those heels," Syd muttered. "And you're going to get a sunburn."

  "I'm used to the heels, and I've invested in a little miracle called SPF." Julia studied her sister's outfit once again, and couldn't help shaking her head. "You look so cute when you let me pick out your clothes. And comfortable, too. I don't know why you insist on"

  "I'm not five," Syd snapped.

  "Couldn't prove it by me," Julia said mildly. She expected Syd to rally with another comeback, but instead she just waved Jules farther inside the store.

  "Go. Shop. Buy the teddy. I'll be right here. Fighting the urge to melt."

  "You should get one, too," Julia said. "Alex seems like the kind of man who'd appreciate fine lace."

  Color rose on Syd's cheeks, and Julia stifled a laugh. Syd might be older and have more business finesse, but in certain areas, there was no question but that Julia had the upper hand.

  She left Syd with her cheeks burning and went to seek out Darla, the owner. She found the woman stocking shoes in the back. Nice shoes, too, actually.

  Julia frowned and told herself to focus. This was a surgical-strike shopping spree. Lingerie and only lingerie.

  "Julia!" Darla sang. "I'm so glad you came in. I've been meaning to call you. We've got some new stock and I think" She leaned closer, then lowered her voice. "Well, let's just say that I'm sure Roman will have no objections."

  "I saw," Julia said. "In the window, right?"

  "Don't you just love it?" Darla asked. "I knew right away you would. I took the liberty of setting one aside for you. Fire-engine red."

  Julia cocked her head, then shook it. "That sounds hot," she conceded, because she didn't want to hurt Darla's feelings. "But for a wedding night I was thinking something more traditional. Ivory, maybe. Or dusty pink?" She leaned forward conspiratorially. "I need a muted color because I want to wear it under my wedding gown and under my traveling outfit. We're staying at the Four Seasons in Austin before we fly out on Sunday for the honeymoon. I thought it would make a nice little entree into the wedding night festivities, you know?"

  "I do indeed. And we've got both colors. Size six, right?"

  Julia nodded, then happily followed Darla to the back, imagining the look in Roman's eyes when he unbuttoned the silk blouse she'd picked out as part of her traveling outfit.

  She ended up buying twowedding-night ivory along with honeymoon redand was happily browsing her way back to the front of the store when she realized that she'd lost Syd.

  "Darla? Have you seen Sydney?"

  Darla called an answer from the back, indicating that Syd hadn't collapsed on the small sofa near the dressing rooms.

  "Well, hell," Julia muttered. Didn't Syd realize they were on a schedule?

  Since she really didn't have any time to waste, she told Darla where she was going, then headed out the door, deter
mined to deal with the wine problem and then track down her MIA sister.

  She was pulling open the door to the restaurant just as Syd was pushing in from the other side. "Syd!"

  "All taken care of," Syd said, looking smug. "While you were luxuriating in silk and satin, I braved the heat and talked with the owner. She's going to call Roman today and have a few cases of Sonntag Special Reserve brought over."

  "You're the best," Julia said, giving her sister a hug. Her moodalready improved by her recent purchasesbrightened even more. "I'm beginning to believe that maybejust maybewe really can pull everything together before Saturday."

  "Of course we can," Syd said. "We're two efficient women. We can handle any task. Face any crisis. Overcome any"

  The sharp ringtones of Julia's cell phone inter-rupted Sydney's barrage of praise. They both eyed Julia's tiny pink purse.

  "Why do I have a feeling this isn't good news?" Julia asked as she pulled out the phone and saw that she didn't recognize the number on caller ID.

  "Answer it," Syd said. "Maybe one of the billions of florists you've contacted has managed to come through with the flowers."

  Julia doubted it, fearing yet another disaster, but she answered anyway. Her wariness changed to pleasure when she realized the caller wasn't Marv, but someone from the Bridal Boutique in San Antonio.

  "Hi!" she said brightly. "Are you calling to confirm tomorrow's delivery?"

  The man on the other end cleared his throat. "Not exactly," he said. "I'm afraid I have some bad news for you, ma'am." And as he explained why he called, Julia realized that she'd been right all alongshe was screwed. Totally screwed.

  "I see," she said when the man finished his spiel. She wanted to argue, but she was too numb, so she simply said goodbye like an automaton, then slid her phone back into her purse.

  In front of her, Syd bounced on one foot. "What?" she demanded. "What did he say?"

  "The boutique filed bankruptcy. That was the receiver. Everything's been frozen. And they're not delivering my dress." A single tear streamed down her cheek, and she wiped it away.