Beverly Allen [Bridal Bouquet For Whom the Bluebell Tolls (ep

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.But I doubted any real gladiator ever wore them.He’d be lion food before he figured out how to keep the silly things up.Eventually Chester had found another use for mine.I also noticed little pink calla lily bell earrings dangling from her earlobes.I found that encouraging since both Liv’s bouquet and mine contained calla lilies.“Now, Suzy.” Brad tried to guide her away with a firm hand on her upper arm.“You know you’re not supposed to see the bouquets until you’re on camera.”But she was having none of that.“Why are they so limp? I’m not going to have limp flowers, am I? Daddykins!” She hollered this last bit, and “Daddykins,” a brawny man with thinning hair but a shaggy gray overgrowth of moustache and beard, jogged over.Had he been in camouflage, I might have mistaken him for a regular on Duck Dynasty, not Fix My Wedding.“What’s wrong, sweetheart?” He put his hand around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head.Indulgent fathers: the first ingredient in raising a bridezilla.“Look at these flowers.” She flicked a finger against a loose campanula, and it came off into her hands.“They’re pretty, aren’t they?” he said.“No, they’re all old and limp, and I hate them.And they have nothing to do with bells.”“I warned you about this before you signed up,” he said.“If it weren’t for this show, you could pick whatever you want.There’s still time to back out, you know.We could pay the penalty.”She folded her arms in front of her.I could have sworn the sun dimmed and a breeze picked up, as if a full tantrum were rolling in like a summer storm.“I am not backing out, and you’ll make them fix the flowers.”“But, Suzy, these aren’t.” Brad whined.“You’re not even supposed to see them until the big reveal.”“These have been handled to death,” I said.By this time, we were all speaking at once.“Quiet!” Gary said as he and Gigi forced their way into the circle.Gigi signaled time-out.“Save the drama for when the cameras are rolling, people.”“Now what seems to be the problem?” Gary stood looking around the recently quieted circle.Feet shuffled and gazes were diverted to the ground, and I felt like I was back in school, the principal asking who it was that plastic-wrapped his Volkswagen.“Look at these!” Suzy pointed long, spiky nails at the flowers.Gary put a hand on his hip and sighed, then stared at me through half-closed lids.“Is this the best you could do?”“No, this is what’s left after your crew manhandled them for an hour.” I tempered the frustration out of my voice.“I have the fresh duplicates waiting in the SUV.”“They’d better be nicer than these,” Suzy said, getting in one last dig.“Let me see them.”“But she’s not supposed to—” Brad started.“Quite right,” Gary said.“The flowers are supposed to be a surprise, and they will be, because they should look nothing like these.” He pointed to the limp foliage.“Right?” The last question was directed at me, punctuated by a commanding glare that made me want to salute.“No, sir,” I said.“Now, Max.” Gary spun on his feet to face Suzy’s father, the man formerly known as Daddykins.“Take your.daughter inside.The local baker sent in some lovely scones.And we’ll call for her when we’re ready.” He turned to Suzy.“This is part of the show you agreed to.No peeking, and you abide by my decision.There are plenty of other brides who want us to fix their weddings.Our show, our rules.Do you want to be on the show or not?”Suzy bit her quivering lower lip and took another glance at the flowers, then nodded.“I want to be on the show,” she said softly, as if she wasn’t used to having anything less than her own way.And by the shocked look on her father’s face, that was probably the case.Max took her by the arm and the two of them walked back down the flagstone path to the Ashbury.“How did you do that?” Brad asked.“It’s nothing Daddykins shouldn’t have done years ago.” Gary plucked a relatively undamaged foxglove bloom from Shelby’s bouquet and attached it to his lapel.“But it helps that she really wants to be on the show,” Gigi said.“Not that we could stop production at this point.”“But Suzy Weber doesn’t know that,” Gary added.“Over-the-top brides provide more drama.Which is fantastic for the viewers, don’t get me wrong.But they can make the whole process a pain in the tush for us.”“Now that this drama is over, I need to head into whatever there is of this little town.” Gigi blew kisses at us as she departed.“Ciao, bella.”Gary offered me his arm.“Now, lead me to the other bouquets, and I do truly hope they’re better than these.”I felt like Dorothy in Oz.These people couldn’t be real.When the path narrowed, Gary walked behind me back to the CR-V, where the fresh bouquets were enjoying the frigid air being pumped from the AC.I’d make sure gas costs were folded into the show’s growing bill.“You’re right.These are much better,” he said.“I only wish Suzy hadn’t seen the others.But these look so different, we should still get a good facial reaction from her.”I let out a relieved sigh.“So brides like Suzy are typical for you?”“Often, they’re worse.Always sneaking around trying to find out what we’re doing.That’s where all those secrecy clauses come in.You have to be on your toes to prevent their snooping.And most of them are terrible at faking surprise, so we know right away.”“We haven’t shared our plans with anyone, but then Suzy showed up—”“Don’t let Suzy melt you down.Most of our brides get a little witchy, if you know what I mean.But we’re here to make their dreams come true, so they get with the program if they don’t want their contracts voided.They pay a hefty penalty if that happens and forfeit all the wedding paraphernalia.But you coordinate weddings.That can’t be new to you.”“No, I’ve dealt with my share of bridezillas.Usually I just smile and nod and give them what they want until they go away.”He laughed.“I like you.Audrey, was it? I can see why Brad recommends you so highly [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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