LITMIR.BIZ

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almost tiny really, but perfectly formed for her height. Silky dark hair brushed her shoulders and called attention to her fair skin. In a pale-blue dress that clung in all the right places and seemed to float around her shapely calves, she hardly looked like a harridan who would send Jason skittering off to the safety of the other groomsmen. As she got closer, he could see that what would have normally been a very pretty face was pinched with stress.

      “I’m Ella, Melanie’s maid of honor. You’re Matt, right?”

      So much for the polite formalities. With a smile meant to charm, he extended his hand to her. “Matt Jacobs, best man, reporting for duty, ma’am.”

      “Great.” The word had zero emotion behind it, and she shook his hand absently. “We were worried that you wouldn’t make it at all tonight.” She had yet to actually look at him directly, and he found himself wondering what color her eyes were. She remained focused on the clipboard in front of her and consulted it as she talked. “David Parks stood in for you at the rehearsal. You’ll need to get with him so that he can show you where to go and what to do. We don’t have time to walk through it all again, but David and Brian can probably tell you everything you’ll need to know. If you have any questions, come talk to me.”

      She had a soft, almost husky voice that clashed with her size, but her tone was all business. And, unless he was losing it, he was hearing a drawl that said she wasn’t native to the area. “Let’s see, after dinner, Father Mike wants to meet with you and the other groomsmen in his study, so don’t disappear. Now, did someone pick up your tux for you?”

      Ella may have been pocket-size, but she was formidable. No wonder Jason ran at her approach. All Matt could do was nod as she jumped from topic to topic.

      “Good.” She actually checked something off on the list in front of her. “Be sure to try it on tonight to make sure it fits. Check you have all the shirt studs and cuff links as well. If there are any problems, call the shop in the morning, and they’ll make arrangements for you to come in. Here’s the number.” She handed him a business card. Pausing, she looked him over carefully, eyes narrowed, and he had the uneasy feeling he was being inspected for something. Whatever she was looking for, he guessed he passed, because she nodded and checked something else off her list. “Now, I need to talk to you about the bachelor party. I assume you have something planned for this evening—”

      Matt interrupted her with a laugh. “Don’t worry. I already told Melanie that I wouldn’t lead Brian astray or—”

      “I don’t care what y’all do.” Surprise and disbelief must have shown on his face because she waved a hand dismissively. “Seriously, I don’t. All I care is that you have Brian at this church, bright-eyed, bushy-tailed and ready for pictures by one o’clock. Understand?”

      She finally looked directly at him with her last statement. Wide green eyes held a “Don’t mess with me” warning, and silent agreement seemed the safest course of action.

      “Good. Make sure the other groomsmen understand that, as well. I don’t want any bleary, half-drunken men coming in late and unshaven.” Consulting her clipboard one last time, she seemed satisfied and attempted a smile that fell flat when it didn’t reach her eyes. “I know Brian is looking for you, so I’ll let you go find him.” A cell phone Matt hadn’t seen earlier rang, and Ella juggled the clipboard to her other hand as she retrieved it. With an “Excuse me” she was gone, already engrossed in conversation with whoever was on the other end.

      Clearly dismissed, he watched her walk to where the caterers were setting up for dinner, obviously unhappy about something and consulting her clipboard as she went.

      With Ella’s departure, Jason returned to his side. “I told you so.”

      He understood now why Jason and the other groomsmen were staying far away. “Good Lord, I haven’t been talked to like that since Sister Mary Thomas called me into her office in tenth grade after the girls’ locker room had been raided.”

      “Exactly.” A bitter and exasperated tone edged Jason’s voice. Ella must have really given him a hard time about something. “Hell, she lined us all up earlier, checking to see if we needed haircuts.”

      So that’s what the inspection was about.

      “Well, she made an appointment for me to get a haircut and called to make sure I went.” Brian had finally disengaged himself from his family and joined the group surrounding Matt. Brian greeted his oldest and best friend with, “So for once you’re the idiot.”

      “I know, I’m sorry. The airline canceled—”

      “No problem.” Brian’s good-natured shrug was a nice contrast to Ella’s earlier reaction. “It’s not all that complicated a job. Stand, walk, hold the ring. You’re a smart guy—I think you can handle it.”

      “I’m not sure Ella agrees with you.”

      “Ella? She knows you’ll have it under control. Melanie and this wedding have her wound a bit tight these days, but Mel would be a complete basket case by now without her. She’s done an amazing job.”

      “Well, I don’t know much about her, but she’s certainly missed her true calling.”

      Brian nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been telling her for weeks now she should open her own bridal consulting business.”

      “I was actually thinking drill sergeant. Or maybe one of those nuns from high school.”

      “Ella? A nun? Hardly.” Brian laughed. “We call her Melanie’s attack Chihuahua. Tiny, but fierce when crossed. You might be onto something with the drill sergeant thing, though.” He inclined his head toward his groomsmen. “She certainly has this motley crew toeing the line.”

      Matt looked over to where Ella had reestablished herself by Melanie’s side, cell phone and clipboard held unobtrusively behind her back. Whatever the crisis had been, it was either averted or solved, and Ella was all smiles as she talked to Melanie and her family. The pinched look was still there around her eyes, but she certainly no longer looked quite so formidable. In fact, she looked…

      No, Ella wasn’t nun material. Hiding that body under a nun’s habit would be a crime. He watched as Ella answered her cell again, and her expression changed from serene to agitated as she read the riot act to the poor fool on the other end. This was going to be one interesting wedding.

      Melanie’s wedding day dawned bright and beautiful, and Ella spent the day with her at the local spa being massaged, manicured, coiffed and pampered—in between phone calls concerning minor and major wedding emergencies. She’d intentionally booked Melanie’s treatments opposite hers so the incoming calls would not distract or worry Melanie on her big day, but Ella had her hands full. She dealt with the caterer’s problems during her pedicure and the florist’s glitch during her massage. Brian’s mother called twice during her hair appointment, frustrating both Ella and the stylist. Tension set in to muscles only recently kneaded, and a headache pulsed behind her eyes. She felt like she was the only person to ever leave a spa treatment more stressed than when she went in.

      But, as she sat at the head table during the reception watching Melanie and Brian’s first dance, she knew it had all been worth it. Melanie’s wedding was everything they’d hoped for. Melanie glowed with happiness as she smiled at Brian and leaned in close to him. They made a stunning couple—both tall, blond, perfect people—and they were very much, very obviously to everyone, in love.

      Ella couldn’t have been more pleased. Or tired. Her face ached from smiling; her hand was limp and slightly bruised from shaking hands with a hundred guests in the receiving line. She was bone-weary from the past weeks of planning, organizing and keeping Mel calm and happy. All right, she’d admit there was a teeny-tiny bit of envy in there, too, but Mel was so blatantly happy, anyone would be envious.

      At times like this, she wanted to believe in the fairy tale, the white picket fence and the happily-ever-after. Not that she knew very many people who actually made it work. Her parents had been, as Melanie kindly called it, too

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