Page 5 of Before You Say I Do
“Because you’ve got yet another rich bitch wanting you to pretend to be her long-lost bestie bridesmaid. To fulfil your clients’ wish list, you have to be slim. And hot. Nobody wants a fat bridesmaid, do they?”
How could Karen just chat, like they hadn’t been running non-stop for the past 20 minutes? “You’re being a bit fattist,” Jordan gasped. To her left, the sea bobbed and weaved like the largest waterbed on record. Up above, the sky was grey with white clouds streaked across it. It looked like the grey sweatshirt she’d accidentally sprayed bleach on as opposed to stain remover, and now only wore for home decorating. Which basically meant never.
“I’m being a realist. Although, you don’t want to get too slim and hot, because no bride wants to be outshone on her wedding day. It’s a tricky balance to hit, isn’t it?”
Jordan said nothing in reply. Mainly because she didn’t have the breath.
Karen glanced at her. “Although you’re not looking so hot right now, with your tongue hanging out like a dog. But you generally do.” She grinned. “You can be an inspiration to brides everywhere. Remember Kate Moss’s words: nothing tastes as good as skinny.”
“Maybe I should get a nasty cocaine habit to aid my quest.”
“All your clients probably have one.”
A sharp blast of wind blew through, almost taking Jordan’s breath away. It might be May, but seasons didn’t matter on the south coast. On the seafront, every day was gusty. Up ahead, she saw Walton’s, the café that always signalled the halfway mark of their run, where they turned and ran home. But today, with the sun battling to come out overhead and the clouds looking ominous, Jordan needed a break. As they drew up alongside the battered, white wooden café, she fluttered her eyes at Karen.
“Can we stop for a coffee?” Jordan clutched her side. “I’ve got a stitch and I really didn’t get all that much sleep last night. Adrenaline from the past month. What do you say? Can I ease back in slowly?”
Karen gave her a look, before nodding. “So long as we run back.”
“I swear on my life.” She had her fingers crossed, though.
Inside the café, Karen nipped to the loo. Jordan got them both a flat white, then took a seat by the window overlooking the sea. The air was coated with the scent of fried bacon and sausages, making her stomach rumble. But she couldn’t give in to her cravings. What Karen had said was true. She had an image to keep up, a story to portray. Being a professional bridesmaid was akin to being an actress who has to be on stage and in the spotlight for weeks at a time. What Jordan didn’t know about being a bridesmaid wasn’t worth knowing.
Karen slipped back into the seat opposite, her short, dark hair and piercing blue eyes sparkling as always. Karen was one of life’s happy people. She sipped her coffee before she spoke. “How was the grand finale of this job, anyway? We didn’t really get a chance to talk about the details last night. Any interesting tales to tell while I was making sure the country still had enough knickers to go around?” Karen was a lingerie buyer for Marks & Spencer, a job that always grabbed the attention of anyone who heard it.
Jordan ran through the past week in her head, playing it out like a movie. All things considered, it had gone fairly smoothly. She’d dealt with far worse than Emily.
“It went fine.”
“Nobody rumbled you?”
Jordan shook her head. She was still surprised that hadn’t happened yet. After all, the people who could afford her services had money, and those people tended to stick together. She was sure she’d seen a few of the same faces around, but Jordan had perfected the art of blending in very well. Plus, nobody was really looking out for a serial bridesmaid, were they?
“On the contrary. I’ve been invited to two other weddings.” She shrugged. “The bride had a wobble when she was getting her make-up done, but I got her to the altar. A minor miracle in itself.”
“And they say romance is dead.”
Jordan laughed. “Weddings are rarely about romance.”
Karen sat back, glancing at the sea through the window. “But you’ve got a bit of time off now, haven’t you?” She turned back to Jordan. “After your cancellation?”
Jordan shook her head, then sipped her coffee. “Not sure. I’ve already got another lead to call back, so my rest might be put on hold. This is wedding season. From now until September at least, I should be working flat-out.”
Karen pouted. “Do I have to start booking in dates to see you? I miss you.”
“You know the drill. Plus, you’ve got Dave.”
“Dave? He’s just my boyfriend. You’re my best friend.”
Jordan gave her a grin. “And I’ll still be your best friend when September comes. Your slimmer, hotter, richer best friend, with any luck. I intend to make the most of this season, because I only have a few more left now I’m 35. As well as people not wanting a fat bridesmaid, they also don’t want an old one.”
“The world is a depressing place.”
Jordan grinned. “Not while I’m still young and pretty enough it’s not. Emily might have been a pain, but she was a lucrative pain. Here’s hoping I get a few more of those this summer.”
“People with more money than sense?”
“It’s a wedding. People are happy to throw money at problems to make them go away. I’m a professional problem-solver. Whoever would have thought that when we were at university?”
