Page 43 of Not Your Average Vixen
Bridget glanced past the ski lift and observed the enclosed gondola, sitting vacant. That gondola was the only way to the chapel, and she made a mental note to check with Dan to make sure it was good to go for the wedding.
“Oh, Birdie, the chapel still looks like it did when Mom and Dad got married here,” Lori said as Tom wrapped his arm around her shoulders.
“We do wish your parents could be with us,” Tom’s grandfather offered.
Soren crossed his arms. “Where are they?”
“They passed away when Birdie and I were teenagers,” Lori answered.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know that,” Soren replied, his voice losing its cocky edge.
Bridget put on her brave face. “We went to live with our grandma Dasher in Texas after our parents passed away.”
“Is she coming to the wedding?” he asked.
Her throat went dry. “No, she died of breast cancer two years after we lost our parents.”
“Birdie was eighteen and became my legal guardian, and it’s been the two of us ever since,” Lori said, holding her gaze.
Grace pressed her hand to her heart. “Now, you’ve got us. And with Lori marrying Tom, Birdie, you’ll be part of the Abbott family, too. And since you’re family, I have to tell you that we were so sorry to hear about your breakup and that you lost your job on the same day, dear.”
Bridget turned to her sister.
“I hope you don’t mind that I told them. It’s so awful and unfair, Birdie,” Lori offered.
“Dumped and sacked all in one day?” Soren said—because, of course, he’d be interested in her humiliation.
Grace and Denise shared a sympathetic look. “Oh, Scooter, it’s even worse than it sounds,” Grace said as Denise nodded.
“Lori told us that you actually walked in on your boyfriend with another woman right after you lost your job. Those are two challenging life events to endure at the same time. We’re all here for you, aren’t we, Scooter?” Denise added.
Bridget stood there, frozen with mortification. This must be what it’s like to have your life dissected in front of an audience on one of those midday self-help TV talk shows.
“Yep, we sure are,” Soren answered, mock sincerity dripping from his reply.
Bridget glanced up at the steep mountainside. If there were ever a time for an avalanche to sweep her off the face of the earth, this was it.
She plastered on a grin. “Well, we can’t dwell on that. We’ve got a wedding coming up, and you should be hitting the slopes. It’s a perfect day to ski.”
“That’s what you’ve got on the schedule for us,” Scott remarked as Soren rolled his eyes.
“You’ll have to count me out,” the judge said, glancing between her and Soren before waving to Dan as he emerged from the mountain house. “I’m not much for skiing these days, and I ran into an old colleague of mine in the village. So, Dan is going to drive me down to play some poker with him and the other old-timers at the Kringle Acres Retirement Community.”
“Enjoy yourselves. We’ll get settled and then start on baking the cookies for the spaghetti dinner. We can meet up at Kringle Acres,” she said, opting to go all cruise director in hopes that everyone would forget that she was an unemployed loser who’d walked in on her boyfriend screwing another woman.
“We?” Soren repeated, confusion written all over his face.
She grinned up at him, playing to the audience. “Absolutely! We’ve got maid of honor and best man duties,” she said to the group. “Scooter will be my right-hand man over the next few days, helping to make sure everything runs smoothly.”
“And there’s one more thing,” Dan said, all-rosy cheeked as he joined the group.
“And what’s that?” she asked, feeling pleased as punch to be able to drop this zinger on the wedding Grinch.
Dan gestured to the mountain house. “The best man will also be your roommate.”
7
Soren
