“What do you think?” she asked mid-twirl.
I thought I shouldn’t tell her about my friend Val, who had tripped on the sidewalk in her mermaid meringue and rolled into traffic. I’d signed both her casts with pink hearts and held her crutches when she hopped up the aisle.
“It’s beautiful. Very you.”
“I’ve never seen a wedding dress plunge that low,” Chloe whispered. “I think I can see her navel.”
I made a mental note to bring a few rolls of double-sided tape to the wedding. There was no way those demi cups were staying up on their own. I wished I could pull off a dress like that, but my girls required some serious scaffolding, and at best, those demi cups would give me nipple coverage.
“It’s my dream dress.” Bella shared a glance with her mother. “It’s the only thing in this wedding that’s really mine.”
“Why don’t we get Chloe to take some candid pictures of you and your mom before they do the final fitting? Just pretend she isn’t there.” I gave Chloe a nudge to put down her mimosa. The sales associate had grown tired of asking if we wanted refills and had positioned herself beside us so she could continually top up our glasses.
Bella’s mom joined her daughter in front of the mirrors, and they had the traditional rom-com movie moment. Mom, all teary-eyed at seeing her little girl in her wedding dress. Daughter beaming as her childhood fantasy of being a princess for a day came true. Wedding planner hoping for a few more minutes of crying so she could finish the rest of her booze.
Chloe had only just positioned her camera when the front door flew open and a tall, dark-haired man stormed into the store. He wore a black suit and a white shirt, open at the collar to reveal a thick gold chain around his neck. His hair was slicked tight over a slightly oversized head, which tapered down to a narrow jaw, thin lips, and a receding chin. Two heavyset men accompanied him, both in dark glasses, black T-shirts, gold chains, and jeans.
“What the hell?” He stalked up to Bella, his thin lips twisted into a snarl. “My father said you’d need to be watched and it turns out he was right.” He lifted his chin toward the window and gave a thumbs-up to a man in a T-shirt and jeans standing outside. I hadn’t even noticed him when we walked in.
“Mario.” Bella stared at him in horror. “What are you doing here? You’re not supposed to see the dress before our wedding.”
You know that moment in the movies when the villain first appears? There’s always something about him that seems a little off. It could be as innocuous as a sneer, or as obvious as blood dripping down his chin. Your skin prickles. A shiver goes down your spine. You munch your buttered popcorn and wonder how the good guy could possibly win. That’s how I felt the first time I met Kyle. This guy was Kyle times ten.
“Take it off,” Mario snapped. “You aren’t wearing that to our wedding. You look like a whore.” He raised a hand. My breath left me in a rush. I hadn’t expected Hell to open and spew out a monster when I’d come for the dress fitting, but I’d handled monsters like him before.
“Dude.” I interposed myself between Mario and Bella, acutely aware I was within striking distance of his hand. “You’re killing the vibe. A bride likes a little privacy before the big reveal.”
He cut his dark gaze to me. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Simi. I’m the wedding planner.” I didn’t offer my hand because I liked having a matching set.
“Get lost, wedding planner. This doesn’t involve you.”
I wanted to get lost. Hell, if I hadn’t grown up with three brothers and just downed three mimosas, I would have been out of there the minute those soulless eyes fixed on me.
“Firstly,” I said, poking him in the chest. “This is a happy place. You may not have noticed the soft lighting, pretty flowers, frothy dresses, frills, and lace when you barged in. We don’t swear in happy places so fudge the bad language. Secondly, the bride wears what she wants to wear.” I shot a pointed glare at Bella’s mother. How could she just sit there? Why didn’t she step in and put the dude in his place?
“It’s okay, Simi,” Bella said quietly. “I’ll find another dress.”
“Damn right you will.” He puffed out his chest like a bullfrog. “You do what your man tells you to do.”
“Damn wrong you won’t. You do what you like.” I would have puffed out my chest, but my shirt was already tight, and I didn’t want to pop a button and give him a peek at something only select people were allowed to see.
We faced off. Me high on liquid confidence, heart pounding like I’d run a mile, knees only seconds away from turning to jelly. Him with a sneer and breath so bad, I couldn’t even imagine what horrors he’d eaten for breakfast.
“Bella’s father paid me to make sure the wedding goes as planned,” I said to Mario. “If you have a problem, you’ll need to take it up with him.”
“I sure as h—”
“Uh-uh.” I shook my finger in his face. “Not here. Say ‘sugar.’？”
The look he gave me was pure poison. He lifted his hand. My brain screamed a warning, and I threw up my arm, bracing for impact.
“Raaaaaaah.” Chloe came out of nowhere, kicking and punching like she was high on radioactive spider juice. Mario struck back, his fist glancing over her eye. My vision sheeted red, and I headbutted him, driving my forehead into his solar plexus—a trick that had always brought my brothers down. His goons sprang into action. One used his body as a shield, trying to protect the groom-to-be from the flying kitten heels of my fighting-machine best friend. The other grabbed Chloe by the shoulders and pushed her away. She stumbled into me. I fell into Bella, and we all went down in a flurry of crystals and lace.
“What the fuck?” Mario shouted, cowering behind the wall of muscle. “What. The. Fuck? Your father is going to hear about this.” He stormed out of the shop, taking his goons with him. Bella’s mother collapsed on the nearest chair, grabbed a mimosa from the refreshment table, and drank it in one gulp.
Struggling to extricate myself from Bella’s skirt, I didn’t realize the police had arrived until I heard a familiar laugh.
“Simi? Is that you in there?”
“Detective Garcia.” I pushed back a clump of lace and stared up at his smiling face. “Did you happen to be in the neighborhood and thought you’d stop in to ask me some questions?” I kept my voice low. “Or was there a jewelry theft nearby and I’m always first on your list of suspects?”
“I was having coffee across the street, so I responded to the ten-forty at a wedding shop. And here you are.”
“You could give me a hand instead of just standing there laughing,” I said. “The bride needs this dress for her wedding.”
“Of course.”
I took the hand he offered while his partner helped Chloe and Bella off the ground. Then it was half an hour of statements while the bridal shop owner tried to salvage the dress.
“You were awesome,” I whispered to Chloe while we waited for our turn. “Where did you learn to fight like that?”