Page 1 of The Wedding

Part 1

Brides

Chapter 1

By the time the first guest arrived, Jamie had already lost her mind.

“Is that vegetarian?” she asked Beatrice, who carried a tray of finger sandwiches to the grand salon of the manor. “We have at least two vegetarians coming today.”

“Why, yes, of course.” Beatrice’s exasperated breath told Jamie that it was such a silly thing to ask.I can’t help it.Everything that can go wrong today will totally go wrong.That included having no vegetarian finger food. “They’re cucumber sandwiches, Miss.”

“Oh, right. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to say…”

“It’s all right.” Beatrice started walking again.That silver tray must weigh a good few pounds with that mound of sandwiches on it.“If you want to worry about something, worry about the parking situation!” That was the last thing Beatrice said before she cheerfully entered the salon.

The parking!Such a gross oversight! Jamie scuttled to the entrance, where Harris the butler – and Beatrice’s husband – waited for guests to arrive. “Is the parking situation okay?” Jamie asked, taking a tentative look at the driveway. A slick Maserati was parked in its usual space, and a landscaping truck was nestled in the far corner while the gardener made hisrounds in the flower garden. That left about... five easily accessible parking spaces for guests.

“I checked the RSVPs, Miss,” Harris said. He wasn’t as approachable as his wife, but he tolerated Jamie and her wandering mind well enough.He likes me. Totally.It was hard to tell when he always wore the same grim face. “Four personal cars are slated to come today. If there is an overflow of limousines or cars driven by personal drivers, I can show them where to park until the end of the party.”

Jamie sighed in relief. “Only four cars?”

“Yes, Miss.” Harris finally cracked a smile. “Some of them are carpooling.”

She didn’t know whether to laugh at his wry humor.

“In that case, I think everything is ready. I’m checking in with Etta before coming back down for the party.”

“Yes, Miss. I will inform you of any issues.”

“Please do.”Please don’t.Have any issues, that is. Jamie darted to the grand staircase and made her escape to the quieter parts of the house.

In truth, it was not the biggest house a CEO could live in. Only five guest rooms, although the expansive property more than made up for it. Not that Jamie wanted a mansion like some of the ones she had visited over the past year. She didn’t know how those people took care of such space.Oh, right, they have five Beatrices and three Harrises.Those two were the only live-in staff at Etta Coleman’s estate in the hills, and they were two enough.

Her girlfriend Etta’s office was at the far end of the hall, nestled between their bedroom and a small sitting room that Jamie liked to escape to because nobody bothered her there. Few people bothered anyone down here. Unless it was Jamie coming to bust down her girlfriend’s office door – which she did regularly.

She briskly knocked on the door to announce herself. Sure enough, the moment she entered the rustic office paneled with mahoganyand sporting Persian rugs and leather furniture, Etta Coleman looked up from her expansive desk and gave her neither a smile nor a frown.

“Everything okay?” Papers were stacked next to her. Five windows were opened on her computer monitor.She’s working this hard on a weekend?Seemed like Etta became busier as the months wore on. Jamie sometimes helped with the administrative end of things, but she had been much too busy with party planning. “Nobody’s called me to say the police or fire department were coming, so I assumed things were fine.”

Jamie was too pumped with adrenaline to smile. “Just checking in before I disappear for an entire afternoon. I think everything is ready. Guests are supposed to arrive in half an hour.”

Etta glanced at the clock. “So, in about an hour.”

Yes, yes, everyone is so fashionably late these days. “They better not be that late.”

“Oh, they will be.”

“If the guest of honor isn’t here on time, I may as well throttle her myself.”

Etta’s eyebrows went up her forehead. “Be careful. She might like that.”

“You would know.”

“Anyway,” Etta was quick to deflect. “I’ll be up here if there’s an emergency. Otherwise, I need to work.”

Jamie went to her, taking comfort in the sturdiness of her frame as she placed a hand on Etta’s shoulder. For a woman working at home on the weekend, she was still dressed in one of her nicest pair of trousers and a silk shirt. Although the jacket was nowhere to be seen. Jamie would ask why Etta wasn’t relaxing in at least a sweatshirt while she went through this stack of paperwork, but it probably had to do with “dressing for success.” Etta in a T-shirt and jeans was like spotting a unicorn, anyway.

“You should at least say hi…”