Nicole nodded. “I will.”
“As it is, we’re already way behind—we can’t even send out a save the date at this point,” her mother whispered. Nicole couldn’t help but notice how her mother had started using the “we” pronoun an awful lot during wedding conversation, as if she were now just as involved as Nicole and Marcie.
“I know, Mom. Believe me, I’m well aware just how far behind the eight ball I am.”
“We’re going to help you get through this,” Marcie said, “so don’t you fret. I’m very good at pulling husbands aside and giving them a good old-fashioned knock upside the head.”
Nicole’s mother giggled and snorted. “That’s because she has so much practice doing it to her own husband.”
Marcie gave a bawdy guffaw. “I swear, my Harold must have a permanent dent in his head the size of The Grand Canyon.”
Nicole gave a weak smile.
Just then, Red and his new assistant, Gia, came out of the conference room and walked by the living room. Red still brought company employees by the house, especially when they were newly hired. He said he liked to make them feel welcome and at ease, as if they were more friends then employees. He usually spent most of the time at the house in the conference room, putting them through their paces.
Red gave a smile and a wave. “Hello, ladies. How’s the wedding planning going?”
Nicole watched her mother’s eyes narrow as she honed in on Gia, who was admittedly dressed like the office slut. She was wearing a black, clingy skirt (that was far too short in Nicole’s biased opinion), a white blouse showing plenty of cleavage, and a little pendant that hung perfectly between her young, full breasts. Her dark hair was pinned back and her lipstick was red and glossy. Even her high heels were what Nicole typically thought of as “stripper shoes.”
“The wedding planning’s going super, Red,” Marcie said. “However, we do have a teensy weensy problem with the guest list—“
Red put up a finger. “Sorry, I’ve got to take this call,” he said, and then the cell phone was up to his ear and he was walking away from them.
Marcie and Nicole’s mother exchanged glances once again, and Nicole felt a rising sense of frustration with the two of them. She didn’t intend on being ganged up on for the duration of this.
Gia approached the table where the book of samples was laid out. Her legs were tan and smooth and—inviting—that was the word that came to Nicole’s mind. Gia’s skin looked soft and freshly moisturized. Her breasts were full and young and perky. She had a tight, athletic body.
Next to her, Nicole was feeling positively frumpy.
“It’s so exciting,” Gia said, her perfectly plucked eyebrows arching.
“Yeah, a lot of stress too, when you’re doing it all last minute,” Nicole laughed.
Gia crossed her arms and nodded as if she knew all about it. “Yeah, well it’s hard when you’ve had a nontraditional courtship.”
“Nontraditional?” Nicole asked, her throat tightening. She kept the smile frozen on her face.
“My sister hooked up with this guy over the Internet and they did it the same way.”
Nicole couldn’t tell if Gia was just young or if she was truly intending to insult Nicole to her face.
“Well, this ain’t no Internet wedding, I can tell you that,” Marcie laughed, breaking the tension. “We’re spending way too much money on it for there to be any confusion. This is going to be one beautiful, stunning affair.”
“Oh, totally—I’m sure it’ll be amazing,” Gia said.
I don’t need your reassurance, Nicole wanted to tell her—so save the phony sympathy. She decided there and then that she’d been right about Gia, and that she shouldn’t have doubted her first instincts, which had been to hire Rick instead.
Red came back into the room. “Sorry everyone, but that was work. We’re having a call with one of our big potential clients and I need to get back to the office pronto. Gia?” he said, beckoning her to follow him.
Nicole got up and ran over to him, hating that it felt like she was chasing after him. Gia was practically in-step with her and she had an urge to throw an elbow.
“Red,” Nicole said, “we need to talk about the guest list. We should have had those invites in the mail like yesterday.”
Red sighed and checked his phone. “Listen, I don’t have any time today. But let’s do it first thing tomorrow morning.”
“I really need to do it sooner.”
“Tomorrow morning isn’t soon enough? Have them do a rush order, spare no expense.”
“Promise you’ll do it tomorrow morning, no excuses?” she pleaded.
He took her by the shoulders. “I swear to God. Now, I have to go. Love you.” He gave her a quick kiss and then he and Gia were off. Nicole watched them go, and Gia’s round, firm ass swayed back and forth as she hurried after him like a pet terrier.
When Nicole returned to the living room, the mood was somber.
Her mother said nothing, just raised her eyebrows elaborately.