“Why?”
Allison shrugged. “I don’t know. But I should have found a way to make it stick, because I’d be a Lyndon now. Instead I’m marrying money, which isn’t bad. But Matt has the last name, you know, like American royalty.”
WTF? Had Matt left her at the altar, or had his family refused their blessing? Either way, Courtney should have felt some deep sympathy for Allison, but instead a profound sense of relief washed over her. The idea of Matt with someone as selfish and craven as Allison seemed all wrong somehow.
But then, she was hardly a disinterested party.
Allison waved her hand in dismissal. “I guess I should get over it. It’s all ancient history anyway. So, tell me, how have you fared with him? How many casseroles have you taken over? And what have you done to put him in his place? Isn’t that what you wanted to do? Or have you changed directions and decided to go after him? Be honest.”
“I haven’t taken him any casseroles.” A true statement, even if it was a tiny bit dishonest.
Allison arched a brow. “None? Really? Are you an idiot? If I lived next door to a Lyndon, I would be all over him with casseroles. And I’d make sure the condoms got lost, if you know what I mean. Honey, you’ve been handed an opportunity. Don’t blow it the way I did.”
What the hell? Had she tried to trap Matt into a marriage? It sure sounded that way.
Courtney stood up, her hands balling into fists. She was done with this idiotic, spoiled brat of a bride. “Look, Allison,” she said. “If you’re looking for advice, I suggest that you go back upstairs and decide whether you love Erik Smith or his money. Because as far as I’m concerned, the only reason to get married is for love.”
Allison threw back her head and laughed. “You’re such a romantic. If that’s the way you approach things, you’ll never land a Lyndon. Of course, you’re unlikely to land one anyway. I tried, and I failed. I can’t see you doing something I couldn’t accomplish.”
In that moment, Allison Chapman became the face of every snotty girl in high school who ever put her down, called her zit faced, or teased her because she wasn’t pretty enough for the in crowd or coordinated enough for the cheer squad. They’d taught her a few lasting lessons: Smart girls were nerds, and cross-eyed smart girls were pathetic.
But Courtney was done feeling pathetic, so she leaned over the table, got right up in the bride’s face, and told her where she could take her opinion and shove it. Then she turned on her heel and marched from the dining room.
She felt strong, empowered, and almost kick-ass for about two minutes. But by the time she reached the back terrace, reality set in. Allison wasn’t one of the mean girls from high school. She was a mean girl who was also a client. And clients were always right—even when they were wrong.
Deep in Courtney’s head, the ghost of her father whispered words he’d said to her a thousand times: Beauty is as beauty does.
And Courtney had just been unforgivably ugly to one of Eagle Hill Manor’s brides.
It didn’t take long before Willow heard about Courtney’s faux pas. An hour later, Eagle Hill Manor’s owner cornered Courtney in the gazebo, where Rick, the sound guy, was connecting the PA system for Allison’s ceremony. “What’s the matter with you?” she said, then scowled at Rick and told him to take a five-minute break.
When Willow scowled, people jumped.
Once Rick had left, Courtney turned toward her boss and said, “I’m sorry, Willow. She’s…” Words failed her.
“What? What is she? Aside from being one of our clients and a bride?”
Courtney let go of the breath she’d been holding seemingly for the last hour and collapsed on the bench that ran the gazebo’s circumference. “She’s a snob. And a bully. And I could call her other names…”
Willow sat down beside Courtney. “Don’t. Honestly, you do fabulous work for me, but I’m tired of dealing with your anger issues.”
“Are you firing me?” A sharp pain pierced Courtney’s chest. What would she do if Willow fired her?
“I can’t decide that until I know what the hell happened.”
Courtney leaned back and rolled her neck, trying to ease the tension. “Honestly, Willow, she’s kind of psycho. I mean…” She took another long breath and started again. “Okay, this is what happened. I found out that she knows Matt Lyndon. She told me she had hooked up with him in college. And to tell you the truth, until this morning, I was sure she was another one of his victims. So I told her that I was going out on a date with him in order to put him in his place.
“But then this morning, she tells me some other story about how Matt proposed to her but his family broke up the relationship.”
“What?”
Courtney nodded. “She said a lot of mean, selfish things, the way she always does. But the gist of it was that she’s marrying Erik for his money, but if she had her choice, she would prefer to be marrying someone with money and the Lyndon last name.”
“So she’s a fortune hunter. But we’ve always known that. Why lose your temper now? If I didn’t know better, I’d say that you were jealous of her. That this had more to do with your feelings for Matt than anything else.”
Courtney took a deep, calming breath and nodded. “Yes, it’s about Matt. But not the way you think.”
“Okay, why don’t you explain it to me?”
“You know he’s my neighbor, right?”
Willow nodded.
“So I just want to make it clear that I’m not the kind of neighbor who takes over casseroles every night.”
“Oh.” Willow elongated the word as if a lightbulb had just flashed in her brain. Willow cocked her head and studied Courtney for a long moment. “What happened? Did Allison suggest that you weren’t good enough for
