Chapter 23
At first Chaz noticed the waiter because he was really cute and he didn’t look like an actor. Too short, but with a nice body and a dark, burr haircut. As he passed the hors d’oeuvres trays, he kept stealing glances at everybody, a little sneaky, but she was doing the same thing, so she didn’t think much about it. Then she noticed the awkward way he kept turning his body.
When she finally figured out what he was doing, she was totally pissed. She waited until the meal was nearly done before she excused herself and slipped into the service hallway, where she found him arranging dishes on a metal cart. As she came up next to him, he took in her halo with a cocky grin. “Hey, angel. What can I do for you?”
She glanced at his name tag. “You can hand over your camera, Marcus.”
His cockiness faded. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You have a hidden camera.”
“You’re crazy.”
She tried to remember where television investigative reporters hid their cameras.
“I know who you are,” the waiter said. “You work for Bram and Georgie. How much do they pay you?”
“More than you’re getting.” Marcus wasn’t tall, but he looked like he worked out, and it belatedly occurred to her that maybe she should have gotten someone from security to handle this. But there were people around, and it seemed better to keep it quiet. “You can either give me the camera, Marcus, or I’ll have somebody take it off you.”
She must have sounded like she meant it because he looked uneasy. The fact that she could intimidate him, even a little, made her feel good.
“It’s no skin off your nose,” he said.
“You’re only trying to make a living. Yeah, I understand. And once you hand it over, I’ll forget about it.”
“Don’t be a bitch.”
She moved quickly, reaching for the top button on his vest, the one that didn’t quite match the others. The button came off in her hand, and as she pulled it free, she met resistance from a thin piece of cable.
“Hey!”
With a jerk, she yanked it free. “No cameras allowed. Didn’t you get the message?”
“What do you care? You got any idea what the photo agencies pay for shit like this?”
“Not enough.”
He’d turned red, but he couldn’t wrestle the camera from her without everyone seeing. She started to walk away only to have him come up behind her. “You could sell your story, you know. About working for them. I’ll bet you could get at least a hundred grand. Give me my camera back, and I’ll put you in touch with this guy. He’ll handle the whole thing for you.”
“You wouldn’t even have to say anything bad about them.”
She didn’t answer. She just walked away.
A funny video montage of
The audience dutifully gave it up.
“All you
“We’re here to celebrate a marriage that happened two months ago. A marriage none of us was important enough to be invited to.”
“And tonight…We’re going to do something about that…”
Four waiters appeared bearing an arched bridal bower draped in white tulle caught up with blue hydrangeas. Poppy trailed behind in a floor-length black dress, her face smug with anticipation.
Georgie poked Bram with her elbow. “I think Poppy’s just unveiled her surprise. The one you told her to go ahead with.”
Bram grimaced. “You should have hit me over the head. I don’t like this.”
Georgie liked it even less as she watched the waiters position the bower at the front of the ballroom. Bram swore under his breath. “That woman is officially fired.”
“As an ordained minister in the Universal Life Church”-Dirk paused for dramatic effect-“it is my honor”-another pause-“to ask our bride and groom to step forward and”-raised voice-“repeat their vows in front of all of us!”
The guests were eating this up. Even her father. Poppy’s glossy, inflated lips formed a triumphant smile. A muscle ticked in the corner of Bram’s jaw. Poppy had no right to stage something this personal without consulting them.
Bram clenched his teeth and rose. “Put on your game face.”
Georgie told herself it didn’t mater. What was one more public performance after so many? Her crystal gown rustled as she stood.
Dirk elongated his vowels like a game-show host. “Dad. Come up and join them. Mr. Paul York, everybody! Bram, choose your best man.”
“He chooses me.” Trev shot up, and the guests laughed.
Georgie felt as though she were suffocating.
“Georgie, who’s your maid of honor going to be?”
She looked at Sasha, at Meg and April, and thought how lucky she was to have these wonderful women as her best friends. Then she cocked her head. “Laura.”
Laura’s face registered shock, and she nearly tipped over her chair as she got up.
They assembled at the bridal bower. Her father, Trev, Laura, and the reluctant bride and groom.
Dirk thoughtfully turned his back to the room so that Bram and Georgie were facing their guests, then he cupped his hand over the microphone. “Is everybody ready?”
She and Bram gazed at each other, and a moment of perfect, un-spoken communication passed between them. He lifted an eyebrow. She told him with her eyes exactly what she thought. He smiled, squeezed her hand, and pulled the microphone away from Dirk.
“A priest, a rabbi, and a minister walked into a bar…” Everyone laughed. Bram grinned and brought the mike closer. “Thank you all for your good wishes. Georgie and I appreciate them more than we can say.”
Off to the side, Poppy started chewing on her bottom lip. Bram’s speech wasn’t on her program, and she obviously didn’t like pesky clients interfering with her agenda.
Bram released Georgie’s hand and gestured toward the bower. “As you can probably tell, this ceremony is a surprise. But the truth is, while we both understand the allure of watching Skip and Scooter get married, Georgie and I aren’t those characters, and this doesn’t feel right to either one of us.”
Georgie slipped her hand into the crook of his elbow and smiled for the nice people.
He covered her fingers with his own. “I’m tempted to say some very sentimental things about Georgie right now. How warmhearted she is. Sweet and funny. How she’s my best friend. But I don’t want to embarrass her…”
“It’s okay.” She leaned into the microphone. “Embarrass me.”
He laughed, and so did the crowd. They exchanged another of their kisses followed by a long loving glance while Bram surreptitiously felt her up and she pinched him on the ass.
And then, out of nowhere, her knees started to shake. Really shake. Earthquake shake. But this earthquake was happening inside her.
