The Paid Bridesmaid

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER ONE

“Bride or groom?” I asked the top of a man’s head, plastering on my “hi, I’m sociable” smile.

He sat in a chair, texting on his phone. He was young and tall, had dirty-blond hair, and was this side of rude if he couldn’t be bothered to make small talk at this event.

The man also didn’t have on a name tag. Why couldn’t people follow simple directions and make life easier for everyone?

“Bride or groom?” I repeated.

“I’m neither one,” was his wry response and I only just refrained from injuring myself with an eye roll so massive it could be seen from space.

“I know you’re not the bride or groom. I was asking if you’re here with the bride’s family or the groom’s family.” Wasn’t that obvious? Was I losing my touch for making small talk at weddings? This welcome brunch was the first event of many and I was supposed to be making nice with everyone. Instead I was trying to reel in my sarcasm.

Then he glanced up at me and it was like the time when I was eleven years old on a school field trip to a petting zoo and a goat had headbutted me in the stomach.

He was fantastically attractive. Dark-green eyes, a jawline that could have cut glass, shoulders that seemed to span miles. He wore his obviously expensive suit like it was a second skin. Wow.

I drew in a shaky breath, willing my heart rate to return to normal.

That he was giving me an appreciative once-over did not help out with my current pulse problem. Especially since it felt so strange. It had been a long time since a man had looked at me that way because I put out such strong “do not disturb” vibes.

I wondered if he was imperceptive or just didn’t care. He said, “I’m here with the groom. I’m the best man. Camden Lewis.” He slid his phone into his pocket and offered me his hand. I hesitated a moment before taking it. I was already having an inappropriate physical reaction just to the way he looked; I couldn’t imagine touching him would make things better.

Camden Lewis. I knew that name because I’d done my research. He was the groom’s best friend, and the CEO of their tech company. They’d been friends since childhood, and although Sadie had shown me a picture of him, I suppose I’d been more focused on the job ahead than how attractive Camden would turn out to be.

His large hand wrapped around my palm and I nearly sighed from the tingly pleasure of his skin on mine.

Then I realized an embarrassingly long amount of time had passed and that I was still holding his strong, firm hand and hadn’t told him my name yet. I was making it weird. I quickly let go and said, “Rachel Vinson. Maid of honor.”

“Rachel?” he repeated, looking puzzled. “I’ve never heard Sadie mention you before.”

That was because until a month ago the bride, Sadie Snyder, and I had never met. I told him the backstory I’d prepared for this wedding. “We’re old friends. We went to summer camp together in New York when we were kids and have stayed in touch all these years.”

His “hey, you’re cute” look disappeared when he asked, “Really? Which one?”

“Which one what?” What was he asking me to specify? People never followed up once I’d offered my false explanation of how I knew the bride. I reached up to make sure my modified french twist was in place. It was like a piece of my armor, a way to feel professional without drawing attention to myself, but something about talking to this man made me feel a bit undone. As if a bit of that armor were slipping.

“Which summer camp?” he clarified.

“Oh. Camp, um ...” Krista, my friend, employee, and fellow bridesmaid, had chosen a camp name that at the moment I was totally blanking on. Or maybe my brain was just distracted by the magnetism he seemed to be emitting. As he stood there staring at me politely, clearly expecting a response, I thought back to the airplane ride where Krista and I had been discussing the poor state of airline snacks and how she had mentioned the name, and the answer came back in a rush. “Oheneya. Camp Oheneya.”

“I’ve never heard of it.”

Given that it was made up, I didn’t expect that he would. “It’s a tiny family-run place. I think it closed down a few years ago.”

That puzzled look was back. “And Sadie went there? To a sleepaway camp? Aren’t those usually expensive? Dan mentioned that she didn’t have any money growing up.”

That would be Dan Zielinski, the groom. Who presumably knew Sadie better than anyone in the world. I fixed my fake smile back on my face. She should have mentioned her upbringing to me when we were coming up with our backstory. I’d told her there couldn’t be any surprises.

Surprise!

Instead of answering I said, “Speaking of Dan, there he is.” I’d always found distraction to work best when nearly being caught in a lie. I expected to see Sadie with her groom-to-be, but he had an older woman on his arm who was wearing a colorful scarf on her head.

“Is that Dan’s mother?” I asked. Sadie had definitely mentioned Irene. She was being treated for breast cancer and had recently gone through a round of chemo. The doctor was uncertain of her future prospects. They had hope, but there was a possibility that this might be her last family event. It was important to both Sadie and Dan that everything go off without a hitch.

Which meant I was going to have to find a way to manage Camden Lewis and his pesky questions.

“It is. I should join them.” He stood up, started to walk away, and then stopped. “You and I should get together later and talk about our mutual responsibilities. Maybe tonight at the cocktail party?”

“Sure,” was what I actually said. What I wanted to say was, I plan on spending this entire week avoiding you, thank you very much. He seemed the naturally suspicious type and I did not need that in my life right now.

Sadie was a huge client, not only because she had five million followers on Instagram, but because she had an impressive network of fellow influencers just like her, young women who were on the cusp of getting married in the near future and might need professional bridesmaids and maids of honor. It was a fantastic opportunity for my business.

“Nice to meet you,” he said.

I nodded, not quite able to say the same. I’d developed a good instinct for people at weddings who would be an issue for me, and this guy was trouble with a capital T.

In no small part because for the first time in forever, I wanted to bend my no-mixing-business-and-pleasure rule. It was the most important rule that I had for myself, and while I wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize my company or the women who worked for me, I felt a bit tempted.

Especially once I saw the smile of delight on Dan’s mother’s face at seeing Camden. Their entire interaction was so sweet. I thought of what she had gone through and resolved to do my best to ensure that she had a good time during this week. There was a bridal shower scheduled for tomorrow, and I made a mental note to sit next to Irene and do whatever I could to help her have fun.

As a camera operator nearly slammed into me, I reminded myself that Dan’s mom wasn’t the only parent I was going to need to concern myself with. Sadie’s mother and stepfather had gone through a nasty divorce and hated one another. Sadie had made a throwaway comment that her mom, Brandy, tended to get drunk and make scenes. I needed to keep an eye out.

Especially since every moment of this wedding was being broadcast live to Sadie’s Instagram account. She was a lifestyle, fashion, and travel influencer. She was giving her fans full access to all of the activities, and I heard the director sending two of the camera crew in opposite directions to prepare for Sadie’s arrival. The director wanted her to make a grand entrance at every event, wearing a different couture gown from her fashion designer sponsor.

My gaze traveled back to Camden. My brain told me he was a threat, but the rest of me had other ideas about what it’d like to do both to and with him. I figured this was obviously a sign that I needed to get out there and be dating more. I’d been so focused on building up my company that I hadn’t had time for relationships.

Maybe it was time to correct that. After this destination wedding came to an end. I averted my gaze to look out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the white sand beach, palm trees, and turquoise water in the bay just outside the hotel. I brushed my fingers against the pink-and-white floral lei around my neck. I’d always wanted to go to Hawaii, and it was living up to all of my expectations. If I closed my eyes, I could almost smell the salt air of the ocean beckoning me outside.

Despite the gorgeous scenery just a few steps from this room, I couldn’t help but look back at Camden, who was laughing, again. Somehow the joy on his face made him more attractive.

“Who is that?” Krista asked as she sidled up next to me and handed me a mimosa. I took it but didn’t drink it. I’d never been much of a drinker and so I tried to steer clear of it while I was working. Falling down drunk at a reception would have ruined my reputation.

My initial instinct was to pretend like I had no idea who she was talking about. I chided myself for being so obvious in paying attention to him. “Camden Lewis. He’s the best man.”

“I agree. He is definitely the best man here,” she said with a wink. “They should serve him up as a dish at this fancy welcome brunch.” She reached out to grab one of the sandwiches. “Seriously, look at this thing. Have you ever seen anything more perfectly cut?”

I nodded in agreement. The hotel was another one of Sadie’s sponsors. Every single aspect of her wedding had a corporate sponsor—from her shoes to the travel to the alcohol—and the camera crew was here to capture every moment for all her fans, who wanted to be just like her and would go to the same hotel and buy the same jewelry and order from the same bakery that did her wedding cake.

As far as I knew, she and Dan weren’t spending any of their own money on this wedding.

Other than what she was paying me.

“The food is fancy,” I agreed.

“All of this is over the top. I mean, the party I had after I got engaged was my wedding.”

Krista surprised me. She never mentioned her ex-husband, and certainly not in a joking way like this. “This is the gig. And speaking of abusive jerks from your past, are you staying away from the cameras?”

“Yes, Mother Hen.” She gave me a slightly impatient smile. “I’ve told you, you don’t have to protect me. I’m fine. Even if I’m on camera, I don’t worry about him anymore. Things have been changing for me recently. Did I tell you I went out on a date last week?”

That made me almost giddy with joy. Krista deserved the absolute best. “You did?”

“I did.” She looked very pleased with herself. “But when I tried to describe to him what we do—I wish you could have seen his face. I said women pay us to pretend to be their bridesmaids so that when they get married it looks like they have more friends than they do. He didn’t get why that mattered.”

It mattered because every woman who hired us was looking for help. Either she didn’t have close friends or the groom had more groomsmen than she had bridesmaids and she wanted to balance it out or she was looking for a professional to handle all the small but important details. For someone who would support her emotionally and physically (I had become a true expert at holding a bride’s gown while she peed). It was not uncommon for women of this generation not to have any true friends. Or like in Sadie’s case, to have one really close friend who had screwed them over. Her former best friend had exploited Sadie’s fame and used it to get her own following. Sadie had a hard time letting people in since then.

More often than not, the brides who hired us wanted a grown-up in their party to keep an eye on unruly family members (Sadie’s mom) or to manage rowdy bridesmaids. Unlike them, we would not be trying to hook up with a groomsman or going on a bender.

Sort of like Sadie’s third bridesmaid, her cousin Mary-Ellen, who I’d noted was currently on her third mimosa. I was going to have to remind her to eat something and/or escort her from the brunch if she didn’t slow down.

“Is that Camden guy single?” Krista asked and I arched a single eyebrow at her. She sighed. “I know, I know, no messing around with guests at weddings. It just seems like a shame.”

It was a sentiment my mother wholeheartedly shared. She’d been devastated when I’d left my cushy finance job and started working as a bridesmaid for hire. Until she decided that weddings were the perfect place for me to meet Mr.Right, despite me telling her it wasn’t going to happen.

She was fervent in her belief that I would catch the bouquet and everything would magically fall into place. I let her live in her fantasy world because it just wasn’t worth the argument.

Krista kept talking. “Your rule doesn’t mean that I can’t appreciate that delicious man. And you can deny it, but I saw you checking him out, too. If this was any other situation, I would tell you to leap on him like a cheetah on a sickly gazelle.”

“That’s a lovely image,” I said and, without thinking, took a sip of my mimosa. I immediately spit it back into my glass.

“People are going to think you’re pregnant. Or Mormon,” she told me with a laugh.

“I don’t care what other people think.” And I wasn’t about to start now. “We’re here to do a job, and that’s all that matters.”

She put on her serious face. “Right. Sorry. It’s just so beautiful here that it’s easy to get caught up in the fantasy. Should we even be talking to each other? Since we’re trying to be undercover?”

“We’re both bridesmaids.” I was technically the maid of honor, but she knew what I meant. “Which would mean we’re both friends of Sadie’s, so it would make sense that we’re friendly. Although we should probably be mingling with the other guests.”

“Sure thing, boss.”

It was such a plum assignment—a week in Hawaii for the wedding festivities—that I’d chosen Krista to come with me. She’d been my first employee when I’d started my business. Escaping a terrible marriage, she’d sought refuge in the relative anonymity of what we did, as we moved from one wedding to another. Most of my employees had similar stories. I made it a point to hire women who needed second chances.

Just like I’d needed one.

These days Krista did most of the administrative work, but she still stepped in as a bridesmaid from time to time. She was also my research guru, and while she excelled at coming up with believable backstories, she wasn’t so great at remembering them.

Which is why I told her, “Don’t forget that your last name is Richter.” I had asked her to use an alias so that her ex-husband wouldn’t be able to locate her.

“Yep. Off to lie to everybody,” she said cheerfully.

“It’s not a lie ...” I let my voice trail off and didn’t finish with my usual “we’re protecting people” because she was busy mumbling “Richter, Richter, Richter” to herself.

I sighed. That wasn’t at all suspicious. I hoped Camden didn’t notice.

Because I’d signed a non-disclosure agreement as thick as my wrist. My company couldn’t take the financial hit if Krista or I revealed that we didn’t actually know Sadie. Not to mention how Sadie’s former friend had betrayed her—there was no way I would do the same thing. I’d keep her secrets safe.

Speaking of the bride-to-be, there was a commotion at the door and Sadie strolled in. She wore a lace crop top and a matching long white skirt. She looked breezy and effortless even though I knew she’d just spent hours getting her hair and makeup done and that the outfit she was currently wearing had been custom tailored for her by Stefan, the representative from the designer label.

She seemed to be glowing, and that only intensified when she saw her groom. I’d liked Sadie as soon as I met her, and I considered myself a pretty good judge of character. She was sweet and caring, and one of the most single-minded and determined people I’d ever met (a trait I admired and shared).

Plus, she was actually in love with Dan. It probably seemed like a foregone conclusion, but when you were in my line of work you saw everything. From the couples who were madly in love that you knew would stay together until they died, to the people who openly hated each other yet still got married. I’d also helped more than one bride flee.

It made my job more enjoyable when the couple were blissfully happy like Sadie and Dan. It apparently had been an extremely short courtship and engagement—she’d confided in me that they’d both known the first night they met that they were meant to be together.

As he leaned her back and kissed her to the crowd’s delight, I tried not to let out a little sigh of jealousy. Despite what I said to my mom, I did want that for myself.

I’d add that to my master to-do list. Find a soul mate.

Easy enough.

I turned around and dished up a small plate of food for Sadie. In my experience so many brides forgot to eat at events like this one—I’d had several faint on me. It was my job to look after her when she was too busy to look after herself.

With my plate in hand, I approached her group, saying hello. Sadie hugged me and then quickly introduced me to Dan and Irene. When she got to Camden, he had a weird look on his face and announced, “We’ve met.”

“Here.” I gave Sadie the food. “I wanted you to eat something.”

“Thank you! That’s so thoughtful!”

Although I wasn’t making eye contact with him, I could feel Camden’s gaze on me. It wasn’t in a sexy way, like he found me attractive and couldn’t stop himself from looking at me. More like he was a highly skeptical person and I’d accidentally tripped his danger alarms. I again resolved to spend the rest of this week ignoring him. Starting with right now.

“You’re welcome!” I told her. “Can I steal you away for a minute?”

Dan said, “Only for one minute. I can’t stand to be away from her for much longer than that.”

He was so sincere in his adoration that I didn’t even feel the urge to roll my eyes. It was sweet. Sadie and Dan kissed quickly before she and I moved over to a corner of the room. I wondered if she knew how fortunate she was to have a guy like Dan, who clearly worshipped her.

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world!” she said with a sigh, as if she’d known exactly what I was thinking. “And everything is almost perfect, except ...”

She dipped a celery stick in ranch sauce and I was super impressed when she ate it without spilling a drop. If I’d been wearing a white outfit I guarantee I’d have decorated the front of it with ranch dressing.

I wondered what Camden Lewis would think of me then. I glanced at him again, and he was still studying me. I forced myself to focus all of my attention on Sadie and what she was trying to say.

I prompted her, “Except?”

“My mom. She took a Xanax on the plane because she doesn’t like flying. She’s sleeping it off in her hotel room.” She was striving for a light tone, but I could see from the way the corners of her mouth tugged down how upset she was. I didn’t know if that was from her mother not being at this event, or from her taking too much prescription medication.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got you and I’m on Brandy-watch. Everything will be fine.”

She smiled at me, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. “You know you don’t have to do that, right? I brought you here to be in my pictures and videos. You don’t have to be my mom’s babysitter.”

I nodded. I could be in pictures and help keep an eye on her mother. “I know.”

“Good. I want this to be a magical experience for everyone that attends. Including you. Maybe you’ll meet someone.”

I would not look at Camden again. “Doubtful.”

“Sorry, but I’m that annoying bride that is so happy I’m determined to make sure everyone else is happy, too.”

“I’m happy.”

Are you, though?my mother’s voice said inside my head and the sound of it weakened my resolve, having me glancing over at Camden again. Sadie seemed to notice and said, “Maybe you could be happier. I don’t know how much I told you about Camden before but he is so smart and nice and I think the two of you would really hit it off.”

Unless by hit it off she meant a mini-interrogation and suspicion, she was going to be disappointed. I recognized that matchmaking tone in her voice. I’d heard it nonstop for the last three years from my mom.

I settled on “Who knows?” That was neutral enough and noncommittal. “He asks a lot of questions.” Invasive, personal questions.

“Oh,” she said with a wave of her free hand, “that’s just Camden. He treats life like it’s some big puzzle that he’s going to solve. Seriously, though, you should give it a shot. I think you might like him.”

Instead of telling her how wrong she was, I did what I do best. I nodded and smiled. She was the bride and it was my job to do whatever she wanted and needed, even if I thought it was stupid.

Because nothing was going to happen between me and Camden Lewis, no matter how much Sadie wanted it to.