Chapter 50
Note to self:
Don’t let Melanie plan my bachelorette party.
“Isn’t this fun?” Melanie said as she carefully painted a bumble bee on a ceramic cup.
“Super-fun.” Lydia haphazardly added black dots to the dalmatian she’d created on her teacup. Or maybe it was a spotted skunk?
Ruth held up her bowl. “Sexy, right?”
“Totally.” I glared at the vase I’d attempted to paint stripes on, but it looked like the work of a four-year-old with a short attention span.
A few months ago, us bridesmaids had asked Melanie what she’d liked to do for her bachelorette party. We had expected the usual—wear a bride-to-be sash, drink too much, end up at a show à la the Thunder from Down Under, and come back to the hotel a giggling mess. But no, Melanie had replied she wanted to do something “fun and creative.”
That’s how we ended up at one of these paint-it-yourself places.
Not surprisingly, the elementary art teacher in Melanie was in Heaven. The rest of us, not so much. Although it was loads more fun than the rehearsal and dinner we’d had before this, and that was saying something.
“Hey, Ali,” Lydia said, still placing black dots on her teacup. “Your mom looks so familiar. I’ve been trying to figure out where I know her from.”
Laura nodded. “I noticed that yesterday, and it’s been bugging me.”
I shrugged. “No idea.”
Lydia folded her arms across her chest. “It’ll come to me.”
“What are we doing after this?” Penny asked, her expression full of hope.
Melanie glanced around the table, her brow furrowed. “After this? Go back to the hotel and get some sleep. I’m exhausted.”
“Mel,” I said, “we could hit a bar, get a drink, live it up a little. You’re going to be a married woman in less than forty-eight hours.”
Melanie pointed her paintbrush at us. “Why aren’t you all painting?”
“Because, like, I’m done.” Ruth held up a bright-pink bowl with stenciled red hearts around it. “I wonder what the boys are doing?”
“Oh, let’s find out.” Laura brushed her long blonde hair behind her shoulder and set aside the tile she’d been painting a misshapen cat on.
I pulled out my phone and shot a text off.
Me: How’s it going?
Theo: Pretty good. Cal’s having fun.
Me: Where are you?
Lydia nudged me with her shoulder, a hopeful gleam in her eye. “So, um, are any of your brothers available?”
Abe was. Sort of. “Only one but his hands are pretty full right now. Single dad and all.”
“Bummer.” She set aside her teacup.
Theo: A sports bar not too far from the hotel. Where are you?
Me: Strip club.
Theo: Liar.
Me: I brought all these dollar bills for nothing.
Me: We’re painting teacups. Very respectable.
Me: And boring.
“Now we just need to take these up so they can be fired in the kiln. I can get them after the honeymoon, and I’ll mail them all to you.” Melanie placed each painted piece on a tray. “How does that sound?”
A spattering of unenthusiastic agreements followed.
Penny groaned after Melanie left to drop off the ceramics. “I think we need an intervention. I love her but she needs to unwind. She’s strung so tight; I expect her to snap any minute.”
Theo: Come join us.
Me: I don’t want to crash the bachelor party.
Theo: Everyone said to come.
I grinned at the group. “I know where we can take her.”