20. Frannie
Since Evan wasa groomsman and part of the wedding party, I told him I’d meet him there instead of catching a ride with him a few hours before the event. He’d looked like shit after staying out until the middle of the night with his brothers. I’d even made him a latte with a triple shot of espresso to help him wake up this morning. Then he’d stumbled out of the house to go pick up the tuxes for the wedding party.
I was eager for a couple of hours of free time so I could dive back into the diary we’d discovered. The last page I’d read had row after row of Cornelia’s script, talking about a boy she had a crush on who’d recently started attending the same school in the one-room schoolhouse.
She sounded so in love, even at the tender age of sixteen years old. As I tore myself away from the diary so I could get ready for the wedding, I couldn’t help but think about how much times had changed. She was almost half my age and had already found the man she wanted to spend the rest of her life with. I’d been waiting for twenty-seven years and still had no idea what I was looking for in a man. I’d thought Andrew Stewart might be the one, but both of us agreed we made better friends than anything else.
A knock sounded at the front door. Charice had volunteered to come over and help me get ready. She had mastered the art of makeup application and wanted to do my eyes in some smoky, sexy, after-dark look. I didn’t care what she did since the majority of the time I avoided make up altogether.
“Oh good. You haven’t messed yourself up yet,” she said as I opened the door.
“Thanks for your faith in me,” I teased.
“You can relax. I’ll take care of everything from here on out. All you need to do is sit back and let me work my magic.” She brushed past me into the front room. “Point me in the direction of the bathroom, please?”
I nudged my chin toward the hall. “Second door on the left. Make yourself at home.”
Pete the Dog knew Charice from school, so he didn’t go absolutely nuts when she arrived. He followed her into the hallway bathroom, probably hoping she had one of the dog treats she usually carried around in one of her pockets.
“Need anything before we get started?” I called out.
“Just your gorgeous face,” she yelled back.
I picked up the diary and carried it into the bathroom with me. “Be gentle, okay? This isn’t girls’ night out, it’s a classy wedding.”
“Exactly.” She nodded at my reflection in the mirror. “That’s why we’re doing iridescent glitter instead of something flashy like purple or teal.”
I leaned to the left and twisted my torso to look up at her. “No glitter.”
“I’m just joking with you.” She put her hands on either side of my face and positioned my head to face forward. “Now, let me take a look at the canvas I’ve got to work with.”
“A little blush, a tiny bit of eyeshadow. That’s all I need,” I said.
“You think someone told Michelangelo how to go about painting the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel?” she asked.
I laughed. “Please tell me you’re not trying to compare your makeup skills to one of the greatest artists of all time.”
“Well, he wasn’t as big then as he is now. Everyone knows that it’s not until an artist kicks the bucket that their work skyrockets in value.”
“Charice…” I used my scary principal tone, the one I pulled out when I absolutely had to have the kids pay attention to me.
“Don’t even try that growly voice with me.” She reached into a huge tackle box that held a huge assortment of containers and brushes. “Now don’t move or you might end up looking like Frankenstein’s bride instead of Evan Bishop’s date.”
“He’s not my date. We’re just going as friends.” I knew about the women he’d dated in the past and could say with one-hundred percent confidence that I wasn’t his type. He’d always gone for the popular girls, the ones who thought they were better than everyone else. And he always broke up with them before they could end things. Actually, he was more of a serial dater than someone who got involved in actual relationships… the exact opposite of what I was looking for in a man, even if I’d started to look at him a little differently since I’d moved in.
An hour later,I adjusted my grip on the small beaded bag I was using as a purse and stood at the entrance of the little white chapel. The building was the first church in town, but now all the churches used it for weddings and special events. Based on the number of people milling around outside, we weren’t all going to fit. Either the Bishops had underestimated the number of townspeople who wanted to attend, or there were several dozen wedding crashers.
I didn’t expect to see Evan until after the ceremony, but I recognized the feel of his hand on my shoulder when someone came up behind me.
“Can you believe this turnout?” He leaned close and whispered into my ear. “My dad’s talking about moving the ceremony over to their house so the people who were actually invited can see it happen.”
The warmth of his breath on my skin sent shivers racing straight down my spine. I turned around, putting myself face-to-face with a version of Evan Bishop I’d never even imagined.
His face was freshly shaven, and it looked like he might have splurged on a haircut earlier in the day. The black tux fit him like it had been professionally tailored as a second skin. Whatever cologne he’d dabbed on smelled like money and sex. I guess that meant rich sex? Whatever it was, it must have been full of pheromones, because it made me wonder what it would feel like to press my lips against his.
Wedding guests flowed around us on either side, pushing us closer together—an island of two in a sea of people decked out in their Sunday best.
“This is…wow…an unexpected turnout, I guess?” Even though I was already pressed up against him, I took a step closer, sliding my foot in between his dress shoes so I didn’t get stepped on.
“Yeah. This is nuts. Dad’s probably going to make the call any minute. Come with me.” Evan put his arm around me and led me back outside.
The forecast called for rain, but not until much later in the day. I didn’t expect to see gray clouds gathering overhead, blocking out the sun’s rays.
“Are you sure moving everyone over to their place is a good idea? What if it rains?” I squinted and tilted my head back. A fat raindrop landed in the middle of my forehead. Charice would literally kill me if all her work had been for nothing. “I think I’m going to head to the car before I get soaked. Let me know what you decide to do?”
“I’ll come with you.” Evan threaded his fingers with mine and let me lead him toward where I’d parked my car. We’d just jumped into the front seat when rain pelted the windshield.
Wedding guests scattered like ants. The windows fogged immediately, and Evan and I sat there, not sure if there would even be a wedding.
When his phone rang, he answered on speaker. “Hey, Dad. What’s going on? Do we have a plan B?”
“Cole and Danica are going to say their vows now. She’s got her maid of honor and Vaughn is there as a witness and best man. The county’s been put under a thunderstorm warning. They’re calling for high winds. I suggest you head home and take shelter. We’ll have to celebrate some other day.”
“Tell them congratulations and give them my, I mean our, love.” Evan reached for my hand and gave it a squeeze.
“I will, son. Tell Frannie how sorry we are about what happened at the house the other night. No matter what our personal feelings are toward the Stewart family, she’ll always be considered family and is always welcome. You make sure you tell her that, okay?”
Evan glanced over at me.
“No worries, Mr. Bishop,” I said. “I’m sure it came as a shock to everyone, but you’ll be happy to know I’m no longer dating a Stewart.”
“You can date whoever you want, dear,” Mrs. Bishop said. She must have been listening in as well.
“Okay, well, we’re going to head home. I’ll check in later to make sure everyone’s okay.” Evan shook his head, but the smile on his face told me he was glad his parents had said something.
“Be careful, you two,” Mr. Bishop said.
“Do you want to drive back, or do you want me to?” Evan asked as he ended the call.
“Where’s your truck?” I didn’t want to admit it, but I’d rather ride shotgun in his four-wheel-drive truck than try to navigate the streets in my little crossover SUV.
“It’s at Mom and Dad’s place. No sense in trying to get over there to pick it up. You got this, Frannigan?”
“You drive.” He’d always been better behind the wheel. “But we’re going to have to switch places without getting out. Charice will kill me if I mess up my makeup before I get a picture.”
“That’s what you’re worried about? We could float away and the only thing you care about is not messing up your makeup?”
“Get over here.” I leaned close and held out my phone to snap a selfie of the two of us. “There. Are you happy?”
“Come on, we can do this.” Evan tried to pull me over the center console.
“Maybe I should get in the back first. Then you can switch seats and I’ll climb back into the front.” It seemed like the best option to me, but I wouldn’t make a move without Evan’s confirmation.
“Think you can climb into the back seat in that dress?” His gaze drifted down to my hips.
I’d picked the dress because it was the only thing in my closet that didn’t make me look like an elementary school principal. Now I regretted the formfitting skirt.
“Look away,” I said.
“Frannie, I’ll walk around. It’s no big deal.” He reached for the door handle and pushed the door open. The wind ripped the door out of his hand, and it banged into the car next to us. Evan ducked back in and struggled to pull it closed. “We’re not going anywhere. There’s a big tree down that’s blocking the drive out.”
Rain had blown into the car the second he opened the door. The top of my dress was soaked through, and I tried to wrap my arms tight around my middle to ward off the chill.
“Don’t you have a blanket in the back?” Evan pulled off his jacket and handed it over. “I know you usually keep one in the car in case of an emergency.”
“Yeah. It’s in the way back.” He’d never be able to squeeze between the seats to climb from the front to the back. I hiked my skirt far enough up my thighs that I could move my legs. Then I shimmied between the two front seats until I could reach something to give me leverage to pull myself the rest of the way.
“You know, if you flipped the back seat down, we could probably lie down and share the blanket until the storm passes.”
The wind and rain rocked my little car from side to side. “You really think we’ll be okay out here?”
“Yeah, I do. Scoot over. I’m coming back there.” He turned his hips and somehow managed to get from the front to the back seat without getting stuck. “Impressive, right?”
“Slightly.” I’d flipped one seat down while we’d been talking and pulled the lever to put the other one down flat.
Evan helped me spread the blanket out over the fuzzy surface. He was too tall to sit up against the angled window of the hatch, so he laid down on his back. “Come here, Frannie.”
I snuggled into his side and pulled the tux jacket over both of us. “Do you really think there’s a chance we might float away?”