Always the Bridesmaid Read online

  Table of Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Sarah’s Wedding •

  1 • The Bride’s Bouncer

  2 • Completely Candid

  3 • Leftovers

  4 • Mi Casa Es Su Casa

  Cousin Val’s Wedding •

  5 • Tips-Vegas Style

  6 • The Accidental Funeral

  7 • Rock Off

  8 • We Are Family

  Queen Leslie’s Wedding

  9 • Dollar Signs

  10 • King Mother

  11 • Burn the Sheets

  12 • The Strobels in Maui

  3 • Sampling

  14 • The Road to What?

  15 • Signs of Life

  16 • Details

  17 • The Obvious

  18 • Bad Mix

  19 • Dining In

  20 • The Game

  21 • End of the Rope

  22 • Rearranged

  23 • Shine

  24 • Out of Line

  25 • Grand Exit

  Beth’s Wedding •

  26 • Finding It

  27 • Piecing It Together

  28 • Get Real

  29 • New Faces and Names

  30 • The Best of It

  About the Author

  Titles by Whitney Lyles

  First Comes Love

  Here Comes the Bride

  Roommates

  Always the Bridesmaid

  Anthology

  Catch of the Day

  (with Beverly Brandt, Cathie Linz, and Pamela Clare)

  A Berkley Book

  Published by The Berkley Publishing Group

  A division of Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  375 Hudson Street

  New York, New York 10014

  This book is an original publication of The Berkley Publishing Group.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2004 by Whitney Lyles.

  All rights reserved.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book via the Internet or via any other means

  without the permission of the publisher is illegal and punishable by law. Please purchase only

  authorized electronic editions, and do not participate in or encourage electronic piracy of

  copyrighted materials. Your support of the author’s rights is appreciated.

  BERKLEY and the “B” design are trademarks belonging to Penguin Group (USA) Inc.

  PRINTING HISTORY

  Berkley trade paperback edition / February 2004

  Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Lyles, Whitney.

  Always the bridesmaid / Whitney Lyles.—Berkley trade paperback ed.

  p. cm.

  eISBN : 978-0-425-19513-0

  1. Single women—Fiction. 2. Bridesmaids—Fiction. 3. Weddings—Fiction. I. Title.

  PS3612.Y45A79 2004

  813’.6—dc22

  2003060875

  http://us.penguingroup.com

  For my parents, Martha and Dick Lyles

  Acknowledgments

  Words will never be able to express the amount of gratitude I have toward my parents for all of their endless support and encouragement. Dad, thanks so much for believing in me from day one, for your never-ending enthusiasm, and also for being a persistent and sometimes rather annoying writer’s conscience! Mom, thanks for your ongoing faith, hope, and optimism. I am so fortunate to have such great parents. Thanks also to my sister, Jen, for cheering me on from the beginning and for providing good feedback during the early drafts of this novel.

  Countless thanks to the best writing teacher I know, Mike Sirota, for all of his invaluable guidance, editorial expertise, and for never sugar coating anything!

  I am forever grateful to Sandy Dijkstra and everyone at the Sandra Dijkstra Literary Agency, especially the champion of champions Julie Burton for picking up the project, fine-tuning the book, and sealing the deal.

  I am also grateful for the opportunity to work with Leona Nevler, one of the best editors in the business.

  I would also like to thank Robbie Dodds for his genuine enthusiasm, for commiserating with me as artists sometimes do, and especially for giving me inspiration.

  Many thanks to the following friends and family members who have provided encouragement, or who have put up with my penniless, flaky ways for the past few years: Liz and Mary Lou Carr, Amirah Clow, Betsy Peters, my wonderful grandparents (Dorothy and Dick Lyles and Dorothy Williams), Kelly Towne, Cynthia Vega, Sharon Burnes, Susan Fowler, Drea Zigarmi, Sangeeta Mehta, Bill Endemann, Carol Dodds, Vanessa Perego, Agatha Miller, Tara Geier, Liz Banks, Steve Delorenzo, Trevor Ellingson, The Levy family (Lauren, Margot, Drake, Julian, and especially Jenn and Don, who are without a doubt the coolest bosses I’ve ever had), all the girls in my book club (Danielle Royster, Erica Rood, Ariella Kantor, and Courtney Brickner), the boys of Convoy; my three critics from the Jackson Hole Writer’s Conference (Carolyn Lamp-man, Deborah Bedford, and Tim Sandlin), Fr. James Williams, Linda Dollins (who taught me a trick or two about writing early on in life), Sheldon Bowles, Chip and Liz Lyles, Barrie and Dorothy Cropper, and finally Lindsay Cropper, a dear friend and great writer who is deeply missed.

  Sarah’s Wedding •

  1 • The Bride’s Bouncer

  It was during the first round of photos galore when Cate Padgett decided that her fake smile hurt as badly as the tight underwear she’d been wearing all day. Hours of photographs in front of Founders Chapel made her face feel frozen and tight, her jaws permanently clenched, her cheekbones forever lifted.

  Furthermore, an unyielding wedge had been tormenting her for what seemed like days. She stole a look over her shoulder just to make sure her gown wasn’t sandwiched between her cheeks. It was only her granny-style underwear that was causing such discomfort. She would’ve sacrificed two cocktails at the reception for a moment of privacy to alleviate the problem.

  Just when she thought she had a shot at freedom, the photographer called her name again. “Catie, we need you again, dear.” She’d been hollering it all afternoon.

  At moments she’d been tempted to grumble, “It’s Cate, Vicky,” but decided that might ruin the atmosphere.

  Nerves were already on edge. It was ninety degrees in San Diego. Besides being hot and stuffed in very uncomfortable clothing, the whole bridal party was hungry and anxious.

  This was her third time as a bridesmaid. Being a veteran, she expected discomfort and stress throughout the wedding preparations and knew how important it was not to be an accessory to conflict.

  “Catie,” she called again. “We need one with you—”

  “She goes by Cate,” Sarah said.

  “Oh! Ha! My bad,” Vicky said in between squeals.

  Cate squeezed Sarah’s shoulder as she moved close to her for the hundredth time. She was careful not to incite catastrophe by snagging her veil or accidentally smearing makeup on her white gown.

  “Okay, Cate. Good. I need you to leave your arm around Sarah. . . . Oh yeah. Perfect! Beautiful just like that. Tilt your chin a tad to the left. A little more. Now scoot your front forward. Lift your forehead and think of parties.”

  There was something very unnatural about all this.

  “Yeah, perfect!” Vicky called. “Right like that! S
mile! Beautiful.” The camera snapped. “Now, don’t go too far,” Vicky called as Cate stalked across the sidewalk. “We’ll be needing you again for the group shots. Oh! And bridesmaids: Don’t lose your bouquets!”

  She had just managed to squeeze into a small, private section of shade when her name was called again. She looked at Vicky and her assistant, but it wasn’t either of them. They were shooting Sarah with the flower girl.

  “Cate.” There it was again, faint and male. “Psst. Cate. Over here.”

  She spun to the left.

  “No. Behind you,” the voice said.

  She turned around and faced a bougainvillea bush. B. J. Nichols, a groomsman she recalled drinking heavily with in college, weaseled in between the red-flowered branches.

  “What are you doing?” she asked. She could feel her satin gown sticking to her damp back—and that wedge. If she ever wanted to torture someone, she knew how.

  “Cate, we have a problem.”

  “What?”

  “Claude is here.”

  “What!”

  “I’m not kidding. He’s here, and I think he’s drunk. He’s sitting in the church, right now, as we speak.”

  “You have to tell him to leave.”

  “He won’t leave,” B. J. said between gritted teeth.

  “Can’t you get another groomsman to help you?”

  “We’ve all tried. He won’t listen to anyone. Besides, we’re supposed to be seating people right now.” He adjusted his bow tie. “He’s turned hostile, Cate. And you know him better than any of us. You’ve gotta help.”

  “Does Miles know?”

  “No! Are you kidding? He’ll kick his ass!”

  “You can’t just throw him out?”

  “He’s telling the organist to play ‘Friends in Low Places,’ Cate. He won’t leave.”

  “Catie! Yoohoo! It’s group picture time.”

  Cate pretended not to hear her.

  “Give me two minutes,” she whispered to B. J. Straightening her dress, she headed back to the fountain.

  Why did wedding predicaments always gravitate toward her? Two years ago, crisis struck at her sister’s wedding when a fellow bridesmaid had spilled a glass of red wine down the front of her peach gown. Cate had remembered that white wine neutralized red wine, so she immediately sent an usher for Pinot Grigio. She poured the wine on her dress, blotted it, and hung the gown under the hand dryer in the ladies’ room for a solid ten minutes. Then they made sure that the girl held her bouquet in precisely the right place to cover the faint traces of red wine.

  However, she never imagined she’d have to remove the bride’s ex-boyfriend from the chapel only minutes before they were supposed to walk down the aisle.

  As she stood in front of the camera, she became uncomfortably aware of the look of alarm that had replaced her fake smile. She tried to think of parties instead of that dipshit Claude Mitchum singing Garth Brooks in front of all of Sarah’s friends and family. How was she going to get him out of Founders Chapel? She debated telling Sarah’s dad, Mr. Cross. But he was having a moment, teary-eyed, choked up, and totally emotional about giving his youngest daughter away.

  “Good Lord,” she muttered between her teeth as the last picture was snapped.

  Founders Chapel was full of familiar faces when she entered. Old friends from college and relatives of Miles’s and Sarah’s filled the wooden pews, thumbing through their wedding programs.

  The Spanish Renaissance church was a landmark at the University of San Diego. It had been one of her favorite places to seek solitude when she’d attended USD. But she didn’t have time to admire its serene beauty now.

  B. J. was escorting an elderly couple down the aisle and shot her a nervous look. She scanned the chapel but didn’t see Claude anywhere. Maybe he had left. That’s when she noticed B. J. aggressively nodding his head in the direction of the organ.

  There he was. Sitting in the Reserved for the Family row, just inches away from the organist. He was arguing with her.

  She took a deep breath and headed toward the front row, trying to blend in with the other guests. The pew felt hard as she slid in next to him.

  “Cate! Wow. This is really going to be a college reunion. You look . . . great!”

  The alcohol on his breath would’ve burned her nose hairs if she had been any closer. He was dressed for the occasion in a suit. A pant leg was ripped at the knee, and he had buttoned his shirt in the wrong order.

  “Claude. What are you doing?” she whispered.

  “Praying,” he said nonchalantly as he glanced at the gold altar.

  “Claude, you know you weren’t invited. You can’t stay here.”

  His jaw grew tight. “Excuse me. But this church is a public place.”

  “Claude.” She gave him a look her mother would’ve used when discussing credit card debt. “You’re not here to pray.”

  “I want to talk to Sarah. I have to tell her something.”

  “What do you need to tell her?”

  “It’s private.”

  “Do you really think anything you say now is going to change her mind?” she said, aware that her voice had risen.

  “I know it will.”

  “How? What do you think is so important that it will stop Sarah from marrying Miles?”

  “I have to tell her that I’m different now. I’ve changed and I never—not for one day—stopped loving her.” A ripple of agony tore over his face. His mouth became contorted, as if he were going to scream or cry. She couldn’t tell which and prayed it wasn’t either one. “Oh God, Cate. I love her more than anything. If she needed a kidney, I would give it to her. I never meant to hurt her.”

  Cate wanted to remind him that he wasn’t offering his internal organs when he slept with Dina Samley behind Sarah’s back. “She’s about to walk down the aisle and marry someone else. She doesn’t care about what happened anymore. I know she’s forgiven you. You have to move on, too.”

  “I can’t let her do this,” he said. “I love her. She’s the best thing that ever happened to me, and I blew it. I was young and stupid.”

  She almost felt sorry for him. Nothing looked worse than regret on anyone’s face. Four years ago, at twenty-two, he’d been one of the most desirable bachelors she knew. However, the bulge that hung over his belt had since altered his sex appeal. Dried blood covered his knee where his pants were ripped, and she noticed that the back of his hand was bleeding as well. He needed a Band-Aid.

  “Claude, please don’t do this to her. You’re only hurting her more by doing this.”

  “You know, Cate? I like you and all, but I really think you should mind your own business.”

  The nerve of the little prick. “You are making a huge mistake and a fool out of yourself. You’ve had too much to drink. You will regret this tomorrow.”

  He shrugged. “I don’t care. It’s something I have to do, and nothing is going to stop me.”

  She glanced at the clock, her mind grasping for a strategy. Ten more minutes until the wedding. What could she do? Call the police and have him removed from the wedding? It would cause an unforgettable scene and ruin Sarah’s wedding day.

  At the moment, she just needed to get him out of the church. If she could relocate him to another area of the campus and stall him, she’d figure out what to do from there.

  “All right, Claude. I think I can arrange for you to talk to her. She might be interested in what you have to say.” She was lying in church.

  “Really?”

  “Yes. But it has to be in private. Not here.” God, what was she doing? She felt like the middleman in a Mafia drug ring. “Listen. We have to hurry before the wedding starts. It might be hard to get Sarah to talk to you if we wait too long. Do you know where the men’s room is on the east side of Camino Hall?”

  He nodded.

  “Go over there and wait inside. I’ll send Sarah.”

  He left the pew before she did.

  She waited a few minutes, so i
t would seem like she was actually going to get Sarah. It would take a few minutes to walk to Camino Hall anyway. She had deliberately sent him to a bathroom in a different building, so he wouldn’t attract attention to himself or run into a guest he knew from the wedding.

  She turned to the organist. “Excuse me. Do you have a Band-Aid by any chance? It’s an emergency.” The only way she could think to stall Claude was to get him to clean his wounds.

  The organist looked irked and told Cate she would look in her purse when she was finished playing the current song.

  She looked up at the high ceiling and the stained glass miracles of the Bible and tried to devise a plan. Maybe now that Claude was in the bathroom, she could have B. J. physically remove him from the premises. Since they wouldn’t be in the church, it probably wouldn’t create a scene. But what if he came back in the middle of the ceremony? It would be a wedding to remember.

  Finally, the organist produced a Band-Aid that looked as if she had been toting it around in her purse for twenty years. Cate thanked her before she scooted out of the pew.

  She could hear her crisp satin dress swishing as she headed toward the men’s room in Camino Hall. What in the hell was she going to do? Tie him up?

  She knocked on the bathroom door. “Claude, are you in there?”

  No response. She pounded. “Claude?”

  Abruptly, the door flew open. His fly was down.

  “Where’s Sarah?” He yanked her by the arm into the men’s room.

  “Sarah’s coming. It’s just going to take her a little while.” She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror and nearly jumped back from the reflection that stared back at her. She wasn’t used to the bridesmaid look yet. Sarah had wanted all the bridesmaids to look their best for the wedding. But Cate just thought they all looked like strangers. She had always considered her blonde bob too short to wear up, but it had been sprayed and pinned into a tight French twist. She couldn’t get used to seeing her blue eyes clouded with kohl eyeliner and shadow, or her narrow cheeks dusted with cherry rouge.