Melinda lay in bed, a bag of peanut M&Ms on one side, and a bottle of water on the other. A cheesy romantic comedy played on the TV, but the dialogue was barely audible and she was too comfortable, and lazy, to get up and find the remote.
Maid of honor. Melinda had been disappointed, and slightly offended, when she’d found out that her sister hadn't chosen her for the coveted position. Bree had passed up her own sister. Looking back at it, it made sense. They hadn't seen each other in years, and they rarely spoke on the phone. Bree had her own life now, and it didn't include Melinda. All that had been left behind in Amor.
But now that Melinda had the job, she wanted to give it back. It turned out that Bree's best friend hadn't actually done anything other than go wedding dress shopping with her. As far as the other bridesmaids, Melinda was wondering if there were any. Her mother had referred to them multiple times in their planning session, asking Bree when they would arrive, and ensuring they had arranged for their accommodations at the resort. Bree had been evasive and said they should be arriving shortly. Considering her bachelorette party was supposed to be that evening, Melinda was beginning to question Bree's choice of friends.
Her phone rang and, without thinking, she answered it.
"Do you know where your father is?" Melinda's mother sounded more perturbed than usual.
"Why would I?"
"He was last seen with your fiancé."
What? Oh, right. Melinda was supposedly engaged. That would take some getting used to. “I haven't seen Daniel since breakfast this morning. They must still be out." She opened her water bottle and took a swig.
Her mother released an exaggerated sigh. "I came back to the suite to find empty pizza boxes and soda bottles strewn on the floor. They were here at some point, but now your father isn't answering his phone. He knows I wanted to have an early dinner. I don't want to feel rushed before the bachelorette party."
Melinda choked on her water. "Mom, I thought you were just excited about helping me plan the party because it was so last-minute. But the actual event is more for…"
"The young people?" her mother asked, her tone daring Melinda to agree with her.
She took the bait. "Well, yeah. It's a time for Bree to relax and celebrate her last days as a single woman."
"And you think I'll spoil all the fun, is that it? You don't think she'll be able to relax with her mom around?"
Had her mother looked in the mirror lately? She wasn't exactly the most easygoing person. Melinda tried to think of a diplomatic answer but drew a blank. There was no easy way to tell her mom that she wasn't wanted at a party that she had helped plan.
"Mom…I just think…"
"Message received. Have fun tonight."
Thick silence ensued and Melinda saw that her mother had disconnected the phone call.
She buried her face in her hands. Coming to the resort had been a mistake. A new fight waited around every corner, and she didn't think she could keep it together for another three days.
She slipped out of bed and walked to Daniel's room. As Melinda approached, she heard boisterous laughter from inside, but when she knocked, it immediately ceased.
"Dad, I know you're in there," she called.
The door swung open and she was met by Daniel and her very guilty-looking father. "So, you found me," her father said. "Did your mom send you?"
"She called a moment ago, wondering if I'd seen you. Apparently, you two have an early dinner planned."
Her father smacked his forehead. "Oh, that's right." He glanced between Melinda and Daniel. "Either of you have a good excuse I could use?"
Melinda smiled and shook her head. "I'd actually prefer if she was angry with you right now, because that would take some heat off me. I may or may not have told her that the bachelorette party wasn't for moms."
Her father blew out a puff of air. "And I'm going to have to deal with the aftermath, huh?"
"Why can't she go?" Daniel asked, looking like he really had no idea what the big deal was.
"Because…it's just not done," Melinda said, still not sure how to phrase it so she didn't look like the bad guy. "The bride-to-be wants to be able to have a good time without worrying about her mother judging her all evening."
Daniel paused. "I have an idea that will get both of you out of the doghouse."
Melinda and her father stared at him. "How?" they said in unison.
"First off, Mr. Garrett, you're coming with me." Daniel glanced at Melinda and gave her a quick wink before ambling down the hallway with her father in tow.
"I hope you know what you're doing," she mumbled.
Melinda had been pacing in her room for forty-five minutes already. What was taking Daniel so long? When her phone rang, she expected it to be him, but instead, her mother's name popped up. She hesitated, but if Daniel had been able to do what he’d promised, Melinda figured she should probably answer it.
"Hello?"
"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry I hung up on you. Daniel told me everything, and yes, I'd love to get manicures and pedicures with you in the morning. It will be just the right touch to my wedding ensemble. And to prove there are no hard feelings, I've booked you two for a couple’s massage tomorrow after lunch."
Manicures with her mom? A couple's massage? Melinda swallowed hard. "He told you everything, did he?"
"Yes," her mother said. "I didn't realize that you wanted to spend time alone with me, just you and Daniel. I mean, it makes sense that you wouldn't want the distraction of all those girls to get in the way of us being able to have that bonding time. It's been so long since we've seen each other that I think this will be the perfect opportunity for us to catch up, and for me to get to know your darling fiancé." The way her mother was gushing, it was like Melinda was listening to a completely different woman. Certainly not the same one she'd come to know over the past couple of decades.
"I'm so glad you like the idea," Melinda said, feeling a little sick. "I hope you don't mind me sending Daniel as the messenger. I wasn't sure you'd want to see me—I thought maybe I'd hurt your feelings."
"Oh no, not at all. Your father wasn’t feeling well and didn't want to risk getting me sick so Daniel offered to let him rest in his room. He accompanied your father back to our suite, so it was two birds with one stone."
"Well, I know how you love efficiency," Melinda said, bewildered at the turn the conversation had taken. Daniel was a miracle worker.
"I shouldn't keep you from your wild night. I'll see you in the morning at nine o'clock sharp at the nail salon."
"I can't wait," Melinda said, wondering what kind of bonding her mother had in mind.
Just as she disconnected the call, she heard a knock at the door. When she opened it, she found Daniel standing there, leaning against the doorframe. His hair fell across his eyebrows and he used one hand to push it back into place.
"So, how'd I do?" he asked with a smile.
“Manicures with my mother? Really?”
“Hey, it worked, didn’t it?”
Melinda threw her arms around his neck, matching his smile. Who knew, it could be fun. "Yes, it did. Not only is she not angry with either of us, but she's singing our praises. Where did you learn to spin tales like that?"
Daniel's lips pulled into a frown.
Melinda stepped back. "What's wrong?"
Daniel hesitated. "I just—I don't like lying. And I feel like I've been doing it a lot the last couple days."
"This totally doesn't count as lying. You helped your fiancée and her father out of a tight jam."
Daniel didn't look convinced. "Sure." He took Melinda's hand in his. "On the plus side, we get manicures and pedicures tomorrow morning."
"I didn't realize you enjoyed getting your nails done." Melinda giggled, but then clamped her lips shut. What was she? Twelve? Grown women didn't giggle.
"I've never had the opportunity," Daniel said. "Looks like this is one thing I'll be able to check off my bucket list."
"You have getting a manicure on your bucket list?"
"Well, I do now. In fact, I'm adding it as soon as I get back to my room."
"Isn't that cheating?" Melinda asked, then realized Daniel still held her hand. She removed it under the pretense that she had an itch on her nose.
Disappointment flickered across Daniel's face, and Melinda couldn't deny wanting to take his hand again. But things were complicated enough. Physical touch should be reserved for when her parents were watching; otherwise, it blurred the friend line, and the last thing Melinda wanted was to lose Daniel as a friend.
She smiled and flipped her hair over one shoulder. "I mean, you can't just add things you've already done, just so you can cross them off."
"Why not?" Daniel asked with a shrug. "I do it all the time at work. As I get stuff done, I add it to my list so that when Bob pokes his head in, I can show him how productive I've been. It's kept him at bay thus far."
The mental image of Daniel evading Bob in the office with his fake to-do list struck Melinda as so funny that she had the sudden urge to kiss him. As soon as the thought hit, she reared back. They had been friends for over two years, so why was she struggling with this all of a sudden?
"That's hilarious," she said, then backed up a step into her suite. "Well, I better get ready for the bachelorette party. Since I'm the maid of honor, I probably shouldn't be late."
"Okay." Daniel looked like he wanted to say more, but he instead gave a little wave. "I'll see you tomorrow, then."
Melinda nodded. "Yeah, tomorrow." She watched him walk back to his room and felt a longing she hadn't expected. She'd rather spend the rest of the evening with Daniel than go to Bree's party, but there was no getting out of it. Things had been so much simpler when they’d thought they'd spend most of the weekend lounging around the resort, lying low. Now they were supposedly engaged and Melinda was the maid of honor. And they were getting mani/pedis with her mother.
She sighed and closed the door.