The Calendar Brides (18 page)

“At the time, I was afraid Mom and Dad would make me come home.”

“They probably would have flown there themselves to get you,” Lena conceded.

“And, well…” Bev shrugged. “I wasn’t ready to come home.”

Jane spoke with admiration. “You’re tough.”

“Did they ever catch the guys?” Trish wanted to know.

Bev shook her head. “Never got a good ID.”

“Well, gosh,” Susan offered, unsure of what to say next.

“Hey!” Bev looked around and forced a smile. “I didn’t mean to bring down the mood in here. That’s not why I shared this at all.” She adjusted some pins in her hair that held white silk rosebuds. “I meant to share something good.”

The others waited but were too speechless from her earlier revelation to comment further. Emma gulped from her wine glass, thinking maybe Rachel should open another bottle. A lot had been going on here today.

“What I started to tell you,” Bev said, sounding flirty, “was that I met a guy at the doctor’s office.”

“Another doctor?” Susan giggled.

“No, we were both at the same place. A plastic surgeon’s office.”

Lena, who’d pulled back from her hug, now stood beside Bev. “Surgeon?”

“I’m thinking of having it fixed. You know, now that I’ve got insurance and everything from the bank.”

“So…what’s this guy got?” Jane asked carefully.

“Is he deformed?” Trish asked, before Claire elbowed her. “What?” Trish whispered to Claire, though everyone still heard her. “You know how Bev is, always picking up strays.” It was true she’d adopted three wayward kittens in the past year.

Bev drew a deep breath. “He’s actually quite…” She paused, until every last one of her cousins and her sister, Lena, angled forward in anticipation.

“Don’t keep us in suspense,” Rachel prodded.

Bev breathed out the word so it lingered on her tongue. “Hhh…ot.” She did a little swivel on the stool and smiled. “He’s a
hot Scot
, in fact.”

Zoe’s face brightened. “Cool!”

“So, what’s this mean?” Tiny asked her. “You two going out?”

Bev fluttered her eyelashes. “Let’s just say I’ve got his number.”

Pop!
A light flashed.

“Bea-u-ti-ful,” Tiny proclaimed, patting her camera.

Jane was next in an empire-waist gown with a red silk ribbon piping. She wore a crown of matching red rosebuds interspersed with pearls against her pile of coal-black hair.

“You look amazing,” Tiny said.

Jane tweaked her nose, then quipped. “That’s what Richard tells me.”

“You’re so lucky to have Richard,” Rachel offered.

“We all need men who understand us,” Lena agreed.

The others nodded, and Trish just said, “Yeah.” But she said it in sort of a far-off way, like she was remembering something.
 

“Okay, Jane,” Tiny said. “On three.”

Jane stared straight at the lens, looking somber.

“You are going to smile, aren’t you, Jane?” Susan teased from the corner, needles flying.

“Of course.”

“One…” Tiny paused to give the others a doubtful look. “Two…”

Jane’s expression hadn’t changed.

Tiny sighed and adjusted the lens. And then, a real miracle happened. Jane’s whole face lit up like the sunrise. “Richard!” she said, still radiant.

Snap!
Tiny grinned. “Got it!”

The others watched in amazement as Richard strode forward, carrying a single long-stemmed rose. He presented it to Jane with a flourish. In spite of herself, she beamed. “What on earth are you doing here?”

Susan held up the cell she’d concealed beneath her knitting. “I texted him when we were on Angie.”

Tiny shrugged. “It was the only way we could guarantee a smile for the camera.”

Jane choked out a laugh. “Who else knew about this?” She narrowed her eyes at the crowd. “Come on, give.”

Slowly, the hands shot up. One at a time. Finally, Emma felt forced to raise hers.

Richard cupped Jane’s chin and gave her a kiss on the cheek “Got to get back to work.” She flushed furiously. “And for the record,” he said, “you do look dynamite in that dress. Nearly as good as you look out of it.”

Then, as the girls cackled and whistled, he left the room, passing Donny, who watched from the threshold with the puppy. “Bye, Donny!” the women called, shooing him back into the waiting area.

Jane stood and fanned herself with her bouquet. “I need some water.”

“I’ll bet!” Angie said with a laugh.

Tiny slipped into a dressing room, giving parting instructions. “Well, drink up and get ready. I’m up next and you’re on as photographer.” Everyone had agreed that made the most sense. Only Jane had ample picture-taking experience, owing to the fact she was a realtor.

Jane downed one cup of water, then poured another.

“Rachel,” Emma observed. “I think we’d better put another bottle on ice.”
 

Tiny emerged in an elegant satin and taffeta off-the-shoulder gown. She wore a sparkly bridal tiara to hold back the layers of her short wispy hair. She crossed the room rubbing her belly. “It’s a good thing my baby bump isn’t showing yet. Another month or two, I might not fit into this dress!”

Emma toasted her with a glass. “You could always use safety pins like me!” The others laughed, understanding Emma was good-natured about her weight gain. Hey, Donny still loved her. Besides, he’d put on a few pounds, too. Not that it mattered to Emma. Bonding was far more important. And often she and Donny
bonded
over late-night pizza—when they weren’t bickering over who would get the last slice.

Tiny took her seat and glanced at Jane. “All set on what to do?”

Jane expertly commanded the camera. “Got it.”

“Think of Jimmy!” the girls all chirped together.

Tiny burst into a giggle and Jane took the shot. “One more!” Tiny said, but she was still laughing.

“What’s so funny?” Zoe asked her.

Tiny’s eyes panned across the room, growing misty. “I just love you guys,” she said, her voice cracking.

“Uh-oh,” Trish said, “here come the hormones.”

Tiny grabbed a tissue and blew her nose. “It’s too early for…” Her complexion went from peachy to pale. She clutched her stomach then cupped her mouth. “Oops.”

Susan set down her knitting. “Tiny?”

The next thing they knew, Tiny had sprung from the stool and bolted from the room.

Jane shrugged and turned to the others. “Next!”

Zoe was slow to get to her feet in her funky getup. It was all hippie-dippie-like, but not. Emma guessed the top of her gown was somehow akin to a peasant blouse. She didn’t know why Zoe would wear something with black on it. That seemed a bad omen. Or maybe that was just Zoe? She did like to be different.

Zoe’s hair was spiked up like she’d gelled it. She had some kind of princess headgear on, too. Except this was more like a ring of daisies nesting in her hair. Emma had to admit, she did look cute. And awfully skinny, too. She supposed that’s what came of being a starving artist. Literally.

Zoe hedged when she got to the stool. “I don’t know, guys. This sort of feels wrong.”

“Wrong how?” Claire questioned.

“Not all of us are married,” Rachel put in.

“That’s right,” Bev added quickly. “It’s for the calendar.”

“And for Nona,” Susan said.

“Is it that you don’t know what you’re going to say?” Lena asked her.
 

Zoe hesitated a second too long.

“I don’t know either!” Emma lied.

“Yeah,” Angie offered. “I’m still working on mine.”

Haley nodded. “We don’t have to decide that part yet.”

“It’s not that,” Zoe said. To the others’ dismay, her lips locked in a frown. “It’s…” She shook her head. “Oh, never mind. It’s stupid.”

“Nothing you could tell us is stupid,” Trish ventured.
 

Jane raised her brow, meeting Zoe’s eyes. “Zoe?”

But Zoe just turned to Rachel. “Bring me another belt of that prosecco!”

Rachel avoided everyone else’s eyes and did as Zoe asked, handing it over. Zoe downed it in one swallow. “Ready!” she said, grinning at Jane, but the smile was so fake. Jane shot a secret glance at Emma, who got a bright idea. She sneaked out of the room and by the time she returned, she could tell Jane was on another shot. Tiny joined her in the doorway as Emma let the pup loose and it went bounding toward Susan’s skein of yarn. “Not that way, you big goofball!” Emma called. “Misty! I said to go to Zoe!”

Everything happened so fast, almost none of them could believe it, and nobody could stop it. Quick as a flash, the dog snatched the skein of wool off the wicker loveseat beside Susan and started racing away. The main trouble was, it was still attached to the sweater! Susan shrieked and darted after the dog, throwing down her knitting needles. She clutched the sweater, holding it outstretched toward the dog’s tail to give the animal less leverage in unraveling it. The rest of them jumped up and joined in the pursuit as the pup wound a long stretch of yarn around one dress mannequin and then another, weaving in a figure eight. Tiny appeared in the doorway wide-eyed and leapt after the dog. Zoe’s mouth was open, the empty glass still in her hand. Jane steadied the camera to keep it from tumbling off its tripod in all the commotion.

Haley headed the bugger off at the pass and Angie grabbed the puppy from the other side. “Ah-ha!”

“Wow,” Zoe said, sitting there stunned. “You did all that for me?”

The women exchanged puzzled glances, then burst out laughing. “Oh, Susan!” Emma said. “I hope your sweater’s okay?”

Susan studied it and nodded gratefully. “Not too much damage was done.”

They all turned to Zoe as Jane cocked her chin to the side. “Well,” Jane asked. “Was that enough for you?”

“You guys are nuts!” Zoe cried. She pressed her lips together, but everyone could tell she was about to burst out laughing.
 

Tiny offered to take back the camera and Jane obliged. “On three, Zoe.”

“And for gosh sakes,” Trish said, “whatever you do, don’t laugh.”

“One…”

“Two…” the room chorused.

Zoe’s lips twitched.

The air hung with dead silence as everyone waited.

Zoe looked around perplexed. “Well, what’s going on?”

“Three!” the group shouted at the top of their lungs, causing Zoe to guffaw in surprise. And then she laughed again, a little more ladylike.

“It’s very hard to stay in a bad mood around you people,” she said, smiling at the camera.

Emma shrugged and held up her hands. “Isn’t that the point?”

Lena’s dress was a pretty soft beige with pink rose petal appliques. She wore her highlighted hair pulled back—but only on top. The rest of her tresses cascaded to her shoulders in a warm medium brown. She lifted her bouquet and pretended to sniff it. “What a lovely day for a wedding.”

“Maybe you should write a song about it?” Susan suggested.

Lena gave them all a saucy look. “Maybe I already have.”

“She looks like she’s up to something,” Bev said.

“Yes,” Angie agreed. “Something sly.”

Lena cracked a mischievous grin in reply.
 

“I like this one!” Tiny said, studying her most recent take through her lens.

Lena twisted up her hair behind her, holding it off her neck. “Perhaps you should take another.” She turned her left cheek toward them. “This is my better side.”

“Frisky, frisky,” Jane said.

The room erupted in chuckles.

“What’s with you today?” Zoe asked.

“Oh, nothing,” Lena answered. “Just feeling happy with myself.”

Emma gave her a suspicious once-over. “Do
you
know what you’re writing for the calendar?”

Lena’s cheeks glowed a pretty pink. “I might.”

“Then spill!” Rachel urged eagerly.

Lena pressed her lips together and shook her head. “Uh-uh, it’s a surprise.”

“For whom?” Bev wanted to know.

“For everyone.”

“Lena…?” Rachel prodded with intrigue.

Claire spoke with compassion, clearly understanding the subject was closed. “Well, I, for one, totally think surprises are a good thing.”

“Sure are!” Haley agreed.
 

Tiny looked like she was getting teary-eyed again. “It’s so great being a D’Amato woman.”

“Hear, hear!” the others shouted, raising their glasses.

Trish’s gown was a fine brocade, very delicately woven, with a crisscrossed bodice reminiscent of a Japanese kimono. Her flaming hair was set in an elegant French twist behind her. While a few of the others had lighter highlights, only Nona had been a true redhead in her youth. Or a near-redhead, anyway. Her hair had been auburn and flowing in waves down her back. While it was snowy white now, they all had seen the pictures. Emma supposed Trish’s Irish heritage on her mother’s side had caused the recessive family gene to come out.