Bridesmaid Lotto (5 page)

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. “You’re right,” I said, starting to smile. “I won’t even let it bother me. My life is good. I won’t try to change anything. I’ll just go there and have fun. Who cares about Jake Hall, right?”

“Right,” Calla and Mattie said in unison.

The only thing that worried me was, what if I wouldn’t be able to push the gorgeous Hollywood superstar out of my mind?

~ 4 ~

Mattie spent most of Saturday primping and combing, plucking and tweaking, getting me all set for the big night. The engagement party was so close now I could taste it, and I was doing a really good job not getting too worked up about it. As Mattie did me up, Calla calmed me down. I really was working with a great team.

“If only I could have you guys there with me,” I said.

“Don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” Calla said.

“You’ll be spectacular,” Mattie corrected.

“Thanks,” I said. “But don’t tell me that. I can’t afford to start thinking of this as an important night, or I’ll barf all over my Dolce and Gabana.”

Mattie, Calla, and I had all decided that it was best to enter with a bang and really knock their socks off the first night.

“You never get a second chance to make a first impression,” Mattie kept saying.

Although even I had to admit, I was one hot mamma in that dress. The dress itself was pretty busy so I didn’t need much for accessories. A small clutch and fabulous teal shoes were all we chose. Mattie had done a great job on my hair. I couldn’t believe he hadn’t let me in on his little hair secret ages ago.

“You know, you really could do this for a living,” I said checking out the back with a second mirror.

“I know,” was all he said, spraying me with another burst of ultra hold.

Emma VanHorn was sending a limo for each of the girls so we could all make our first appearances in style. My stomach churned while I waited. All I could do was breathe and try to stop my insides from vibrating.

“Oh my gosh,” Calla said. “Even I’m nervous.”

“Shhh,” Mattie said. “We’re not talking about that remember?”

“Sorry.”

“It’s okay guys,” I said. “At least if we’re talking about it, I don’t have to think over all the horrid things that could happen.”

“Nothing is going to happen,” Calla said. “You are so going to look better than anybody there.”

“Oh God,” I said. “I better not have a nicer dress than Emma VanHorn! She’ll kick me out of the wedding party!”

“I wouldn’t worry about that,” Mattie said. “She wears designer everyday. She probably had something done custom just for tonight.”

“Right. You’re right. Okay, just breathe,” I told myself.

I took several deep breaths.

“Just try to remember that this night doesn’t matter. Enjoy yourself. All you have to do is get through these parties, get to the wedding, and you’ll have your trip,” Calla said.

“Right. It doesn’t matter,” I tried to tell myself.

The apartment buzzer went off. I nearly jumped out of my skin.

“Yes?” Calla said pressing the button.

“Driver for Miss Josephine McMaster,” the voice came through the intercom.

“She’ll be right down,” Calla said.

I pulled a delicate shawl over my shoulders and headed down the stairs, which was no small feat in the shoes and the form-fitting dress. I glanced back one more time but was not reassured. Instead of watching me go, they were giving each other worried looks. Mattie was saying something I couldn’t hear.

I almost turned back around.

“You can do this,” I said to myself and continued down the stairs. As I reached the lobby, the driver smiled at me and said, “You look beautiful Miss. McMaster.”

“Thank you,” I said. I knew he was probably paid to say it, but it made me feel better anyway.

He opened the car door and held my hand to help me into the car. I wondered if it was wrong to wish that he was my date for the evening, being the gentleman that he was. But that dream quickly faded when I spent the next half hour sitting alone in the backseat in silence.

I almost asked him to stop the car and turn around about eight million times.

“It’s not a big deal,” I kept whispering to myself. “Relax, enjoy yourself. Just have a good time.” As we got closer, I closed my eyes and chanted in my head. “Calm down. It doesn’t mean anything.”

By the time we reached the party, I was surprisingly calm and almost had myself convinced that I could do this. I could make a grand entrance into a spectacular party and look confident all at the same time.

But as the driver opened my door, hoards of photographers, all jostling to get a closer look, surrounded us. I felt like I was in a fishbowl with a million people gathered around, just watching to see if I would sink or swim.

I decided I was going to swim.

I grabbed onto the driver’s hand and flashed the most elegant, gracious, oh-gosh-I-don’t-deserve-all-this smile that I could muster. I guess the phrase is true, fake it ‘til you make it.

Another guy held out his arm to me as the driver closed the door behind me and whisked the car away. He as handsome as any guy as I’d ever seen. They had to have hired models to walk us down the red carpet.

“Miss McMaster,” the crowd kept yelling, all vying to get my attention for what seemed like millions of continuous flashes. I put my best, most sincere looking fake smile out there and tried not to think at all. I knew if my brain started spinning too much, I would definitely end up tripping. So I held tight to my escort and just kept moving.

What seemed like an eternity later, the doors to the building finally opened, seemingly on their own, and we waltzed through as they closed quietly behind us. The atmosphere was the polar opposite of the mad house outside. It was completely peaceful and the lights were dim. Soft music was just audible in the background.

“This way Miss,” my escort said, and led me down a long hallway.

I loved the sound my new shoes made clicking along in the hollow halls. I’d made it through the paparazzi hurdle and my nervousness was starting to fade a little. I was almost beginning to feel like I could actually belong there. Not one person had looked at me like I was an alien yet. Amazing.

Once again, the scenery did a three sixty when we entered the main hall where the party was being held. My escort and I posed for a couple more, much less invasive pictures. Sort of like at the prom.

A few steps further and a soothing male voice came over the loudspeaker.

“Ladies and Gentlemen, please turn your attention to the front entrance as our fourth Bridesmaid, Miss Josephine McMaster, is now arriving.”

All heads turned toward me. It was a miracle that I hadn’t been scratching my nose or fidgeting with my dress. I smiled graciously and nodded in a few directions. Hushed whispers followed me as my escort guided me to the front of the room where the other Bridesmaids were already waiting.

Each of the girls was absolutely gorgeous. Any one of them could have made it big in the modeling world. They were all also in designer gowns, though I thought mine was the nicest.

I spotted Emma VanHorn in the center, the lady in red, between us girls and the men that I assumed must be the groomsmen, though sadly, Jake Hall was nowhere to be seen.

“And now for the final member of our wedding party,” the invisible voice announced. “Please turn your attention once again to the entrance where Mr. Jake Hall is now arriving.”

Much louder applause followed Jake Hall as he walked with his blonde bimbo escort down the aisle. I was surprised when my heart started racing at the sight of him.

I clutched my purse as gracefully as I could in front of me, mostly so I had something to do with my hands besides fidget, and smiled like the other girls as he approached.

For just a moment, our eyes locked. I panicked and dropped my gaze.

You idiot, I screamed in my head. So much for first impressions, bonehead.

The other girls seemed to have their eyes glued on him. Geez, why can’t I be that cool and collected? I suppose they’re more used to this sort of thing than I am. Except maybe that girl that had been standing in the field of wheat in her picture. Surely she couldn’t be some sort of debutante, could she?

We were all seated on a slightly raised platform. It felt like a graduation or something, with all the spotlights on us.

Soon, the announcer came back over the loudspeaker.

“Miss Emma VanHorn and Mr. Alan Hall would like to thank you all for coming to this very special evening.”

Now that the guests had also been seated, I could see a TV camera at the back of the room. The logo on the side said ‘Entertainment News.’

I’m going to be on TV, I thought. I’d never like the idea before, but since I was looking my best, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. I imagined all the people that I’d gone to high school with seething with jealousy.

The announcer continued. “Before we get to the meal, the happy couple would like to say a few words.”

Emma VanHorn and Alan Hall stood up and walked to a freestanding microphone in the center of the stage.

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen,” Emma VanHorn started. “Welcome to our official engagement party.”

There was a spattering of applause.

“We’d like to thank all of you for sharing this very special occasion with us.”

More applause. The fake smile was beginning to hurt my face. I tried to relax it a little.

“We wanted to celebrate tonight with my new Bridesmaids,” Emma said, and turned towards the four of us. “Thank you so much for agreeing to stand up for me girls, I just know we are going to have so much fun planning and celebrating.”

I smiled my most gracious smile one more time, trying especially hard to make it look sincere. This was the woman who held my travel fate in her hands. Well, her and my mother, that is.

The speech droned on a few minutes longer while Alan introduced his groomsmen and the Bridesmaids were all introduced one more time. We each stood as our names were called.

Yup, just like graduation I thought again.

“And, for the moment you’ve all been waiting for, Alan and I would like to officially announce the date of our wedding.”

The crowd grew silent. The cameraman at the back looked closely into the lens.

“We will be married on July 21!”

All the people started smiling and nodding and even applauded a bit.

Good, I thought. Not too far away; only three months. I clapped quietly along with the rest of the Bridesmaids.

“And now I’d like to invite the wedding party to sit around the large table,” Emma said as she gracefully pointed toward it. “I can’t wait to get to know all of you better.”

The crowd applauded again and resumed their drinking and chatting around their elegantly dressed round tables. Our escorts returned from out of nowhere to take us to our assigned spots at the table, and then vanished just as quickly as they’d appeared.

The men were all on the same side of the long table, and the women were across from them. Emma VanHorn and Alan Hall were seated in the middle on either side. Thankfully, I was seated beside Jennifer Wilson who sat between me and Emma. At the far end of the table, were Bobbi Lynne Mayfield and Rebecca Singleton. I thought I would likely get along the best with Jennifer, so I was relieved that we were seated together. Rebecca looked very snooty upper class and Bobbi Lynne looked like she was straight off the farm. Not that there was anything wrong with that, but I just wasn’t sure how much I’d have in common with her.

But that was certainly not the most important part. What was very, especially, amazingly most important, was that Jake hall was sitting about four feet away from me. Granted he was sitting directly across from Jennifer, but if I wanted, I could reach my foot out, just a little, and touch him.

I thought I might faint.

“Hello,” he said and reached his hand out to shake Jennifer’s. “I’m Jake.”

“Hello,” Jennifer said and shook his hand and introduced herself.

He reached his hand over to me. Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.

“Hi,” I said and smiled. “Josie.”

“Oh yeah, I was wondering if you went by Josie when I saw your bio,” Jake Hall said to me.

TO ME!

But instead of quietly going about my meal, McMaster the Disaster just had to show up.

“There was a bio?” I stupidly asked.

All heads at the table stopped talking and turned to me. I instantly turned a vibrant shade of red which I could only assume clashed dramatically with my yellow dress.

“Um, sorry,” I said bowing my head a little to avoid eye contact with anyone. “I uh, uh… My mother put my name in the lotto.”

“Oh, so you weren’t even interested in entering?” Jake Hall said with an amused smirk on his face.

“Oh, uh no. It’s not that,” I said quickly, trying to think on my feet, which was not my strong suit. “I was uh, out of town, and I uh, didn’t know about it, so my mother put my name in.” I gasped for air since I had forgotten to breathe while I was talking.