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Tanya’s Wedding Day:
Carly looked around the small, confined room and did a mental head count. Yup. All fourteen kids were still here. The question was, where was the help she was promised? Barely discernible over the shrill excitement of toddlers at a wedding, she could hear the revelers in the hall above them. She puffed out a breath, blowing away a clump of hair that a rambunctious kid had yanked out of her once artfully piled hair.
Today was Tanya’s wedding. It was a celebration. With Mrs. Romero in charge, the wedding plans had spiraled out of control. The intimate family gathering had morphed into an enormous celebration. There were even reporters from the society section there. She hoped the ceremony had been lovely for Tanya and George. For Carly, it was hell on earth, just like the youngsters around her.
Many of the kids hadn’t seen the bride and groom yet and were chomping at the bit to do so. The ceremony, no children allowed, was over; the happy couple and wedding party had left for photographs. Carly had been lucky to see the ceremony on the country club’s in-house streaming system. It had been set up for the elders and guests who didn’t want to sit in the sun outside the gazebo where the ceremony was held.
A gazebo wedding at a country club. Wow. Never in her life had she expected to be in such a luxurious space. Even the basement was a step above any rental facility she’d ever been in.
With the bridal party off for photos, many guests were enjoying a glass of wine upstairs, while others retreated to the golf course for a few quick holes, courtesy of the groom’s father. It was the strangest wedding she’d ever nearly attended. Who played golf during a wedding?
While the other adults were occupied, Carly was left holding the bag. The babysitting bag.
Minutes before the ceremony started, George came to Carly saying Tanya needed Carly to help out. So here she was. In a very expensive dress and killer heels ... supervising rugrats. Her three promised teenage assistants hadn’t shown up. The impromptu daycare was supposed to be short-term only, but most of the children had been dropped off early. Nearly two hours after the ceremony ended, many of them were still here. There’d been a few come and go, but almost too few to mention.
The string quartet stuck up a flourishing tune, and the revelers upstairs broke into applause. Clearly the wedding party had returned. Still, no parents came to retrieve their little darlings. It was getting ridiculous. Helping out a friend was one thing, being blatantly taken advantage of for hours on end was too much to tolerate. Demoted from bridesmaid to abandoned daycare worker. It rankled. More than a little
She puffed out another breath. It was Tanya’s day, and as her best friend, Carly would do everything in her power to make it the best day she could. Even if that meant she missed the ceremony, and the arrival of the bride and groom at the reception. They hadn’t bothered to stream that portion of the event. Really, she was lucky to have seen the ceremony. Now she could look forward to dinner and dancing. Maybe even with Birch. First, though someone had to come get these kids.
Tiny hands tugged at her dress. “Lady? Lady? I gots to go pee.”
Carly looked down at the adorable preschooler at her feet. “Okay, princess. Come with me.” Hand in hand, she walked the minuscule blonde in her Disney princess costume to the adjoining bathroom. Thankfully, she could help this little tyke without losing track of the rest. It was obvious that no reinforcements were coming. Finished, she helped her young charge wash the glue from her hands.
Glue? Egads!
She looked down in dismay at the hem of the dress she’d spent most of her savings on. The dress Tanya had wanted her to have. The once lovely dress was ruined. She had two perfect handprints of pink and purple glitter glue adorning her hemline. She had handprints on her arms too, where the youngster had grabbed Carly when teetering on the toilet.
She sighed and bit back half a dozen choice words as she wiped down her arms.
The sound of wheels rolling across the floor and rattling dishes heralded the enticing smell of food. Fabulous, she was starving.
“Ma’am,” a young dark-haired girl greeted her. “Mrs. Romero, the old one, don’t tell her I called her that, said to bring food down to the children. She doesn’t want them to interrupt the festivities.” The girl mimicked George’s snobbish mother to perfection then clapped a hand over her mouth. “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean to ...” She blushed beet red.
“It’s okay, I’m familiar with Mrs. Romero. Aren’t the children to eat upstairs?” she asked though she already knew Mrs. Romero’s opinion on children at the dinner table.
“No, Ma’am. They’re to remain downstairs until the end of the traditional first dance.”
“And who, exactly is going to care for the little monsters?” Carly snapped.
“Um? You?” The teenage member of the catering staff offered apologetically.
Carly scrunched her face up and pinched the bridge of her nose, trying to remain calm. Finally, she sighed. It wasn’t this girl’s fault that Carly had let her very generous nature let her be taken advantage of. She should have refused George to start with.
“Sorry, this isn’t your fault. I shouldn’t have barked at you. Can you please help me get them settled?” Quickly, they had all fourteen kids seated and busy eating, or spilling their meals. “Go back upstairs,” Carly advised. “Before she notices that you’re missing. She’s likely to get you fired.”
“I can’t just leave you with all these kids...”
“Go. Now. Before I change my mind.” She herded her helper toward the door, regretting the action even as she did so. Still, she wouldn’t stand by and watch someone get in trouble for trying to help. She was so glad she’d left Layla with Mike instead of bringing her to the wedding. Layla was disappointed but agreed after being promised her own picture of the bride and groom.
Excited shrieking and the shattering sound of breaking dishes exploded around her. Steeling her spine, she turned back toward her charges and started dealing with the disaster. Eventually, everyone was fed, in a fashion, and the mess cleaned up. There was nothing she could do about the gravy and juice stains on their clothing and the carpet.
The band struck up a waltz, someone announced the first dance between the bride and groom. The first dance faded into nothing, and several parents collected their children. The second, the father-bride dance, started and ended. And still, Carly was stuck downstairs with two rambunctious children she was certain belonged to George’s cousins. Her frustration mounted. Enough was enough. She was thirsty, starving, and feeling been put upon, after babysitting, for five hours. She was done. Kaput. Finished with a capital to-hell-with-this.
Grasping the last two children by the hand, she led them upstairs and after confirming who they belonged to returned them to their parents.
“But aren’t you supposed to watch them all night?” their mother asked.
“No, I am a guest at this wedding,” Carly said, struggling for calm.
“Well, you’re certainly not getting a tip. You’re quite the rude upstart.” The woman snapped, gathering her hellions to her as if fearing for their safety.
“Lady, you can take your tip and,” Carly paused. She would not stoop to this woman’s level. “Have a lovely evening. Enjoy the reception.”
Cutting around the edge of the brimming hall, Carly noticed the designer gowns and custom-tailored suits. She hurried past the bar, snagging an open bottle of white wine, and headed into the kitchen. The caterers were busy cleaning up the dishes. “Is there anything left to eat?” she asked a passing waiter.
He looked at her like she was insane. “Not until the midnight luncheon,” he grumbled.
It figured. They hadn’t even saved her anything to eat. Annoyed, no infuriated, she passed through the kitchen and out onto the covered deck surrounding the luxurious facility.
Rain poured down in buckets. It was dumping epically, like Mother Nature had opened the heavens and was pouring down tears for every hurt she’d ever experienced. Carly sighed deeply. No solace in the peace and quiet of the picnic area just across the greenspace. She’d be a drowned rat before she could get there in this monsoon.
She wanted to go home. This night couldn’t end quickly enough, but she wanted to see her best friend dance with her new husband. She wanted to share Tanya’s joy. She’d go back inside after she bled off some anger.
Kicking off her shoes, she scooped them up and stomped to the end of the covered deck and around the corner in search of a chair. She circled the entire building.
Nothing. You’d think a country club would have deck chairs. But nope, at least not this fancy, schmanzy one.
“Great. Just freaking great.” She flopped backwards and slid down the wall into a heap on the floor. She guzzled wine straight from the bottle, her expensive, sparkling silver heels abandoned beside her like a ninety-nine cent pair of flipflops. She thumped the back of her head against the wall. What a disaster this day was turning out to be. As days went, it was the worst in a long time. As weddings went, it set a new low; one she’d never have thought attainable.
“Crap.” She guzzled more wine. “I should have grabbed two bottles.” She glanced down at the expensive label. Yup. At least two, maybe three. Preferably unopened. She couldn’t afford wine this expensive. Ever. She should have stolen a couple to make up for the torture she’d endured as babysitter.
“As if,” she snorted at her own silliness. She’d never steal anything from anyone. Well, except this bottle and that didn’t count because she was a guest, even if she was unappreciated. Still, she felt guilty about taking it.
Footsteps sounded on the deck. Unmistakably cowboy boots. She knew that gait without looking. She’d been listening to it for six years. Her body sprang to life.
Great. Just what she needed to top it all off. Birch. Probably coming to find out why she wasn’t enjoying the festivities, and to drag her back into hell. Maybe if she ignored him, he’d just pass by. She closed her eyes and willed him away, wishing her foolish heart didn’t want to drink in every ounce of his perfection. He stopped right in front of her. Yup, the day just continued to slide downhill like an avalanche of horse manure. Already mired in hurt feelings, her heart didn’t need to deal with the man who treated her like an annoying sibling.
“Carly, open your eyes,” he said softly. “I’m not going away.”
She peeked one eye open. He hunkered down in front of her on one knee, resplendent and masculine in his tuxedo and white Stetson. He held out an enormous salad. The combination might just be the most perfect thing she’d ever seen. A sexy man with food!
Tears brimmed in her eyes. Dammit. She wouldn’t cry just because he’d brought her something to eat.
“Are you drunk?” he asked quietly.
She glanced at the half empty wine bottle. Okay, maybe she was drunk. Apparently, wine hits hard when you guzzle it on an empty stomach. She hiccupped.
She stared at the deck and shook her head. If she started talking, she’d lose it and start crying. She bit her lip and clenched her hands to hold herself in check.
“Come on, Carly, put down the wine and have a bite or two to eat. The kitchen staff told me you asked for food. Did you miss the meal?”
He reached out and extracted the wine from her grip and replaced it with the plate of salad and chopped chicken. A tasty looking dinner roll topped the pile. He produced a napkin and silverware from his pocket and handed her those before sitting down beside her.
The heat of his body, just inches away, warmed her cold shoulder.
“Bad day?” he asked mildly.
She greedily chowed down the lavishly buttered roll before answering. “Not my best day, no.” Man, the bun was delicious. She could eat ten of them.
“I didn’t see you at the ceremony,” he offered. “Did you make it? I wouldn’t have thought you’d miss your best friend’s wedding.”
“I was there four hours before the wedding. Checking the dress, doing the hair and makeup of the entire wedding party who didn’t want to pay someone to do it, unlike Tanya and I who paid through the nose.” Another expense she could barely afford. Tanya had offered to pay, but pride made Carly refuse to let Tanya cover it. The plan was to get formal pictures taken together. Pictures to replace nonexistent ones of her in the wedding party.
“Somehow,” she said, “I got roped in babysitting. I only saw the ceremony through the video streaming.” She barked out a sad laugh.
“You had a spot reserved up front,” he said, though it sounded more like a question than a denial.
“I thought so, but an usher, on the Romero side, informed me that I was needed downstairs.” Her voice was hard and bitter, and for the first time in her life, she didn’t care if she hurt another person’s feelings.
“George met me downstairs and asked me to fill in, just until the girls he’d hired as babysitters could show up. I’d still be there if I hadn’t dragged the last two Romero hellions upstairs to their parents.”
“Seriously? Tanya will have a fit when she finds out.”
“Yup,” she sighed and dug into the delicious greens.
“You missed the pictures, and the first dances?” He asked like he couldn’t fathom why. “That’s not like you.”
“It’s not like I could abandon a bunch of little kids. I’m done. I just want this day to be over. I’m going to drink my wine, call a cab and go home. Daycare duty knocked all the life out of me.” Yeah, like a prize-winning boxer’s punch.
“You provided daycare?”
“I do have a daughter. I am capable,” she snapped. She’d never been angry with him before. Since she’d divorced Mike, she was hyper aware of Birch. If she didn’t focus on thinking of him as a sibling-like friend, her brain short-circuited and made her ramble or stammer for the right words. Today, she didn’t give a crap what he thought about her.
“I know that. You’re an excellent mother. I just don’t understand how you would get stuck babysitting. That’s all.” He genuinely sounded perplexed. The corners of his mouth turned down.
“You doubt me? Just look at my dress.” She waved expansively at the multi-colored glitter and fruit punch decorating her once beautiful gown. “It’s ruined. I spent a fortune on this dress. The one Tanya wanted me to have, and don’t even get me started on the freaking shoes. Not only are they grossly uncomfortable, but they also cost me a car payment. I can’t afford that shit. But I did it, because Tanya asked me to, to make her wedding perfect. I spent the money with no complaints. I was happy to. And then the plans were changed.” She sighed. “The dress is ruined, the shoes were on sale, so I can’t even return them...”
Tears threatened to fall again, so she redoubled her attack on the much-needed sustenance he’d brought her. Shoveling food in also stopped her from flinging herself into his arms for comfort.
