Page 17 of The Plus One Professional
Birdie had been with her fiancé, Dylan Spade, for a little over ten years. He was the lead singer of the band Chaos Collective and had toured nonstop since they met. Their wedding was set for the following summer. He always said that he’d slow down after they got married, promising to spend at least six months out of the year with Birdie so they could build a family, but I would believe that when I saw it. From what I’d witnessed, Dylan only did things that made Dylan happy. Other people’s needs or wants didn’t really register for him.
Sounds familiar. Billie’s voice stated flatly in my head.
I knew that my inner voice, which sounded like my older sister, was trying to say that Simon was also that way. And she might be right. I needed to stop wasting time thinking about him. Maybe it was time for me to try and date again. If my reaction to Cole was any indication, it was clear I was ready.
I’d heard people complain about the dating pool getting smaller the older you get. I didn’t want to believe that in my mid-thirties, all the good men were taken. Sadie had found one. Olivia had found one. I met people all the time who found their soulmates in their thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, and even eighties.
Olivia and Trevor had been hounding me to let them set me up. I supposed I could do that, but I didn’t want to. I didn’t know if it was because I was a hopeless romantic or I was just old fashioned, but I didn’t want to meet someone like that. I wanted a real life meet-cute. But maybe it was time to face the fact that my life was not a rom-com.
After setting down the box of baked goods I’d bought for our monthly meeting later this afternoon on the counter, I played the voice messages that were left over the weekend online.
“Oh no,” I gasped when I heard the first one.
It was from Deborah, a bride whose wedding was a month away; she was calling to let us know that the wedding was canceled because she found out her sister was pregnant with her fiancé Cliff’s child. The whole thing sounded like a storyline from a daytime soap opera.
As shocking as the news was, I couldn’t say I was that surprised. Cliff had seemed wholly uninterested in any of the planning. He’d left the cake tasting early. He’d barely responded when Deborah asked him questions, and he was always on his phone. In all three appointments I’d had with them, he’d excused himself several times to take calls and was gone each of those times for at least twenty minutes.
I was about to message Deborah back, letting her know how sorry I was and that we were here if she needed anything, when the door opened. I must have forgotten to lock it. When Grandma Betty ran the shop, she’d relied on walk-in business. In fact, when Billie suggested we move to appointment-only, Grandma Betty had been upset. She thought we were going to run the business into the ground. But the opposite happened. Once we switched the business model, we were able to give brides an elevated, personalized experience. What we offered now was spread by word of mouth, and we were busier than ever.
A stunning brunette with a yoga mat under one arm and a Birkin bag that cost more than most people’s cars over the other shoulder walked into the shop. The purse had a water bottle sticking out of it that was dripping down the side. Clearly, money was no object for her. When she lowered her oversized sunglasses, she revealed hazel eyes that complimented her dark hair perfectly. And her skin was flawless. So flawless, it almost seemed unreal. Like she was walking around with an IRL filter or something.
She was, in a word, stunning.
“Hi, do you have an appointment?”
“No, sorry. I was just walking in the neighborhood. I’m actually very newly engaged and haven’t been to a bridal shop yet. Is it okay if I look around?”
If Billie were here, her answer would be to make an appointment and come back then. But that was the reason Birdie and I primarily dealt with brides.
I glanced around the shop to make sure it was presentable. We were in the process of switching out our summer décor to fall, which was on the docket to complete after our meeting. What had been a magic garden theme was going to transform into an autumn sunset. Right now, the shop looked bare. Its large white oak plank flooring and white walls were a blank canvas. Thankfully, the fairy lights that hung were all season, adding a little sparkle to the space.
“Sure. Just let me know if you need anything.”
She smiled and held out her hand, not in the typical way someone would if they were offering it to shake. She went knuckles up as if she were presenting her ring for me to kiss, like she was royalty or a mob boss.
Actually, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if she was. Not the mob boss, but if she were a princess, or duchess, or some other title ending in ‘ess’ that indicated royalty; that would totally track.
“It’s a beautiful ring,” I observed. I wasn’t just saying that. In my business, I saw a lot of rings, and hers was one of, if not the most beautiful, I’d ever seen.
“Thanks. Matty did good, right?”
“He did.” I smiled.
“I’m Devin, by the way.”
“Hi, Devin. I’m Bailey.”
“Oh, I know who you are.”
“You do?” I asked, wondering if maybe we’d met before. I did my best to remember all the people I met at weddings, but it was hard to keep all those faces and names straight. But since Devin was so striking, I was sure I would have remembered her if I had met her.
She nodded. “I’ve been stalking your Insta for years. I feel like I know you.”
“Oh, right.” She had to be talking about the boutique because my personal Instagram was private. And if she was referring to the boutique’s page, I wondered if she hadn’t just been ‘in the neighborhood’ like she’d claimed.
Either way, I supposed it didn’t matter. I’d already said that she could look around, and it had been a good reminder to me to always remember to lock the door behind me.
“Birdie is the one who usually handles bridal appointments. She’s not in right now, but I’ll try and answer any questions you may have.”
