“You do now. I’ll save your virtue from the wicked scoundrel, fair lady. Plus I’ve got to see this dress.”
CHAPTER 31
I ALMOST COULDN’T believe it—this was really happening. Nick was coming to Missy’s wedding with me. Not only that, he’d promised to take care of the travel arrangements, which meant no trip on the bus.
L… Dare I say it? Lucky me.
I’d already finished packing. It only took me half an hour, mainly because I didn’t own much. Other girls might have agonised over what to take, but I simply stuffed my entire life into a suitcase.
Nick hadn’t said which car we’d be riding in, so I wheeled my case into the hallway and left it beside the door. The tiny bag looked ridiculously out of place. Adler House called for a matching set of monogrammed leather luggage, preferably filled with designer clothes and a hundred pairs of shoes.
When Nick ran out of the house after an early breakfast, he’d said he wouldn’t be back until lunchtime, so when the front door flew open mid-morning, I nearly jumped out of my skin.
“Right, I’ve come to help. Sorry I’m late. One of the designers promised my order would arrive yesterday, and it didn’t. Some pathetic excuse about the plane breaking down on the runway in Milan.” Bradley dumped a mountain of garment bags on the chair in the hallway and headed for the door again. “Can you give me a hand with the rest of this stuff?”
“Uh, sure.”
Me and a small army of mules. Bradley had packed so much into his Ford Explorer he could have opened his own boutique and had enough left over for New York fashion week.
“Bradley, what is all this stuff?”
“Clothes.” He rolled his eyes. “Duh. Here, take this bag inside.”
“Doesn’t Nick have enough already?”
It’d taken me ages to wash and iron everything. Weeks. He could have worn a different outfit every day for a year and still not gotten through them all.
“Oh, I’ve only brought a few things for Nick. A new suit, more T-shirts, and a bundle of stuff he left at Emmy’s that needed to be brought home. The rest is yours. Whatever fits, anyway. Anything that doesn’t, I can exchange. Now, get a move-on. You’ve got to try it all on so I can pack for you both.”
“But I’ve already packed.” I pointed at my case.
“What’s that?”
“My luggage?”
“Where’s the rest?”
“That’s it. I’ve only got one suitcase.”
Bradley laughed like it was the funniest thing he’d ever heard. “But how can you do a wedding with one suitcase? It’s logistically impossible.” He ticked off on his fingers. “You need an outfit for before the wedding, one for the church, and another for the reception. Plus backups in case someone’s worn something similar. Then there are shoes and a bag for each, coordinating wraps, and an umbrella in case it rains. And you can’t go without jewellery and the right make-up.”
Was he serious?
“I’m helping to organise things, so I’ll wear jeans beforehand. Then I’m a bridesmaid, and Missy’s picked out the most hideous dress in the world for me. I’m hoping to change for the reception, but I already have a dress for that.” A dress that I’d bought on eBay for seven dollars with the tag still on, but best not to mention that to Bradley. “Also, I can’t afford to buy new clothes.”
And speaking of money... Darn it. With Tori’s drama and then the wedding, I’d clean forgotten to pay the most recent instalment of Momma’s medical bill. Visions of interest charges danced in front of my eyes like glittering daggers.
“Bradley, I need to make a phone call.”
“Well, hurry up, sweet cheeks. We’ve got far too much to do already.”
I slipped out to the kitchen and dialled. How could I have let something so important fall between the cracks? Maybe Nick could show me how to set the alarm on this fancy phone so it wouldn’t happen again.
“How can I help?” the lady asked.
I launched into a lengthy explanation, followed by an apology. “So can I send you a cheque today? Will that be okay?”
“Miss Reynolds, I don’t understand what you’re saying. The balance on your account is nil. Why would you want to send a cheque?”
“Because my account balance definitely isn’t nil, and I don’t want to get more penalty charges. I can pay a thousand dollars off now.”
“Ma’am, there’s definitely no balance. Your account was paid in full over a month ago.”
“There’s been a mistake, because there’s no way I paid all that.