Page 1 of Bear's Midlife Bridesmaid
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“Who isthat?”
“She’s probably in the wrong place.”
Erin O’Leary tightened the grip on her wheeled suitcase—one she’d bought specifically for this trip—and pulled in a deep breath. She could do this. Shehadto do this since she’d already committed. There was no turning back now. Erin eyed the sleek yacht that waited in Provincetown Harbor. It was like something out of a movie, not the sort of thing real people owned or even chartered. She should have been thrilled, but her inner bobcat was recoiling.
The blonde at the back of the line of women waiting to board turned as Erin approached. She looked down her remodeled nose and curled a filled lip, at least as much as she could. “Who areyou?”
“Erin!” Gretchen Wilkinson came flying up, wrapping her arms around Erin’s shoulders and nearly knocking her backward. She squealed as she pulled away, still holding Erin’s elbows. “It means so much to me that you’re here! You can’t even know! Remember when we used to dream about our weddings back in the day?”
“Of course.” Erin’s smile for her childhood friend was genuine, though she could still feel the curious stares from the other women. “Although I can’t say I remember a boat being involved. All those games of MASH predicted that you were going to marry Ben Stevenson and live in that Queen Anne Victorian with the three-story tower.”
Gretchen exploded with laughter. “I can’t believe you remember that! It’s just as well. That house was converted into condos, and Ben Stevenson is gay. I don’t think we’d be very happy with each other.”
“And what about you and this Hugo guy?” Erin asked. “Are you going to be happy with him? Because you know I’ll push him down on the playground and beat him up if he’s not nice.”
“Oh, Erin, you won’t even need to give him that salty stare of yours.” Gretchen tipped her head back slightly and smiled, looking rapturous. “He’s justamazing. I can’t wait for you to meet him! He had a lot to do with putting all this together.”
“A guy who actually helps plan his wedding?” Erin arched an eyebrow, thinking she might already approve. Hugo Bradford had to be absolutely loaded if he could afford a week at sea for his wedding, but maybe his heart went deeper than his pockets.
Gretchen lifted one tanned shoulder. “Well, he hired a planner, anyway. But he also insisted that we ladies board first so we could have a chance to explore the yacht before all the guys get here. You know, most of his friends are single and ready to mingle.” She said the last word in a singsong and rubbed her arm against Erin’s.
“I’ll, uh, keep that in mind.” As if she’d want anything to do with the kind of guys a bajillionaire kept as friends. She could just imagine the tech geeks, finance bros, and lobbyists dying to spend time with a wealthy guy like him. Erin was only on this boat to do her duty as a friend, not to hook up with someone because he could buy a Land Rover during his lunch hour.
Gretchen’s hand caught her eye. “Oh, I love your ring!”
“Thank you!” The bride held up her left hand and wiggled her fingers. “Isn’t it the most gloriousthing you’ve ever seen? I haven’t been able to take my eyes off it. Hugo knew exactly what I wanted.”
Sunlight exploded off the massive emerald-cut diamond, completely surrounded by smaller, round ones. Baguettes marched down the band in three rows. Erin felt she needed a pair of sunglasses to look at it safely. It was the gaudiest engagement ring Erin had ever seen, and she couldn’t even begin to imagine how much it’d cost. “Oh, uh. Yes. It’s really pretty. I was actually talking about your other ring, though.”
“Oh, that?” Gretchen glanced briefly at the ring on her right hand, its silver setting swooping around a dark stone. Hints of fiery red and deep blue winked from its depths. “It’s just costume jewelry. If you think my engagement ring is gorgeous, you should seethe wedding band! It’s actually one of those wraparound styles, so it adds an extra row of diamonds to the topandbottom! Hugo sure knows how to spoil me!”
Erin wondered if there would be enough space on Gretchen’s finger for all those stones, but all that mattered was her happiness. “I’m really excited for you, Gretchen.”
“Anyway, I’m supposed to go check in with the captain on a few things. You hang out here, and we’llall get settled in our rooms soon!” Gretchen gave her a finger wave and trotted up the ramp.
That left Erin on her own with the rest of the bridal party. The blonde next to her, who’d practically snarled at her as she arrived, was holding up her cell phone, videoing the sea breeze fluttering through her hair. “Hey, fam! Blaire here. I’m so glad you’ll all be with me on this journey. I’m all set to go for the week. I got my hair and lashes done, and check the mani! Matches my dress perfectly! And look, I even snagged some new luggage to keep the coordination going!” She tapped her pink polished fingernails against her Louis Vuitton bag.
Erin adjusted her weekender bag atop her suitcase. She’d also purchased luggage for the trip, but only because she didn’t have any. Her own set was a plain knockoff she’d grabbed at the discount store, knowing she’d probably never use it again. She eyed the blonde’s suitcase and wondered how someone could justify a suitcase that cost as much as an entire vacation for most people. It was impossible to understand how someone could be so frivolous with their money, even if they had a lot of it.
“Ladies, do you think I should wear my hair up or down?” Another woman in line was frantically fussing with her locks. “I can’t decide if I shouldshow off the length of my hair or the length of my neck. If I have the chance to snag one of Hugo’s friends while we’re on this trip, I want to take full advantage of it. Let’s be honest; I’m not here just to support Gretchen.”
“Right? There’s a reason I got a Brazilian wax,” Blaire said with a wink. “Hey, Gretchen said we’d all be sharing rooms. You’vegotto be my roomie, Hadley.”
“Hell, yeah!”
While the two women squawked louder than the seagulls overhead and planned their wild nights, Erin pressed her fingers to the bloodstone pendant on a cord around her neck. She’d chosen it for strength and courage, knowing that this trip would be difficult. Right now, though, she wondered if she should’ve picked obsidian or black tourmaline for protection instead. Erin had a feeling she was going to need it with this crowd. Gretchen wasn’t the same simple girl who used to conjure up fantasy stories with her under the jungle gym on the playground. She’d started hanging out with the popular crowd as they’d gotten older. Gretchen’s big smile and happy personality meant she was the head cheerleader, dated the quarterback of the football team, got invited to all the parties, and was evenhomecoming queen. The typical teenage American dream.
And here was Erin, feeling like she was reliving the nightmare of high school at forty while the other girls paired off.It’s just a week.She could survive. She’d done so for much longer, and she had Gretchen. That was why she was there, after all. Not to make friends or find a man.
“Welcome aboardThe Endless Summer!”
Erin figured the deep voice must’ve come from the captain. She sucked up her worries and reminded herself several more times that this was only a week. It was the chance of a lifetime, too. It wasn’t like she’d ever get to stay on a big-ass yacht like this again. Maybe it would even be an amusing story to share with the rest of her coven when she got back home to Salem.
The line moved forward quickly as all the other women were excited to get on deck. Blaire stepped on board, and then it was Erin’s turn. She’d figure out which snob she was stuck sharing a room with, get her luggage stowed, and start this trip. The sooner she did, the sooner it’d be over.
But as Erin pulled her suitcase up onto the deck, the wheel spun out and caught the toe of her shoe, sending Erin flying forward. Her handautomatically closed harder around the handle of the suitcase as she tried to catch herself, but she only ended up dragging it all with her. Her knees hit the floor and her wrist twisted backward as her luggage fell, her weekender bag bouncing right off the top. It was packed full, and the zipper busted wide open.
