The Bridesmaid

Chapters Three and Four

Chapter Three:

FINN

                I just couldn’t wrap my head around it. It just didn’t make sense to me. Marriage. Grant’s marriage, in particular. How could he commit to just one girl? I hadn’t met this Cynthia, but I knew she had to be something incredible if she convinced Grant to finally settle down.

                Two weeks ago I received my invitation to the wedding along with a note from Grant asking me to be his best man. I was unsure at first. Don’t get me wrong, Grant was my best friend. But, weddings weren’t my thing. They made me uncomfortable. The only upside of weddings were the single women who would attend and be so moved by “true love” that they would throw themselves at me. That was more my style. No strings attached.

                I was thinking about all of this while on the Delta Airlines flight to Jamaica. First class all the way. I leaned back in my seat waiting for the sexy flight attendant to come and refill my drink. Oh, yes. This was the life. I was rich. I was good looking. I was powerful, and I was about to go spend two weeks on the beaches of Jamaica. I sighed audibly and closed my eyes. Quickly, I fell into a soft, dreamless sleep. The kind of sleep that belongs to those who don’t have a care in the world.  

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Chapter Four:

CYNTHIA

                I glanced across the taxicab bench and looked at Jane. She was peacefully observing the bustling streets of Kingston, Jamaica from her window. Sometimes, I couldn’t help but admire her. She was always so put together. So organized. And I was always so…not. She had already done so much for the wedding. I would definitely find some way to repay her while in Jamaica. She needed to take some time for herself. Jane was always working for others and never had any time to do the things she loved, like paint. I knew that our boutique business had taken her away from her painting, and as much as she said she loved Gloss, I knew she enjoyed painting more.

                Suddenly, the taxi came to a stop. I looked out my window and gazed up in wonder. Our hotel, The Cove, was looming above us in all its glory. The resort was surrounded by many gardens and all the types of flowers a person could imagine. The Cove backed up against the ocean, so every room had a balcony overlooking it. The building was twelve stories high, with the top two stories being penthouse suites. It was magnificent. The sand stretched for miles and was unblemished and without footprints. The water was a shocking blue that can only be fully understood if seen in person. With this resort as the background, this was sure to be a gorgeous wedding.

                “Jane, don’t you love it?!” I asked.

                “It’s beautiful. The pictures don’t do it justice.”

                “That’s for sure! Should we go inside? The bellboy already has our luggage.”

                I walked arm-in-arm with Jane into the lobby of the resort. The marble floors and crystal chandeliers gave the room a royal feeling. We were led toward an old-fashioned lift with an attendant inside it, as well. It was like stepping back in time.

                “What floor, madam?” the attendant, a young man, asked.

                “Ten, thank you.” I responded.

                When we arrived at the correct floor, the attendant wished us a good day and we continued walking down the hallway. Jane and I requested rooms next to one another that also had adjoining doors on the inside. We got to Jane’s room first and she inserted the key into the handle. The little green light flashed and we walked into a relaxing paradise. A large bed was the focal point of the room, while a plasma-screen T.V. was hidden in a cabinet. The en-suite bathroom was quite large for a hotel and contained a toilet, shower, full length mirror, and the grandest thing in the room- a sunken, jet-stream tub. Jane and I sighed in unison when we saw the tub. We’d wanted to install one into our house in L.A. but it was so expensive that we decided otherwise.

                “I already feel relaxed,” Jane said with a sigh.

                “Preach it, sister,” I replied with a smile.

                We walked into the bedroom again and collapsed on the bed, a long nap ahead of us. We both quickly drifted to sleep with the soft sound of ocean waves filling our ears.