"These tablecloths are all wrong." My sister rested her head in her hands and sobbed. It was the day of her wedding shower and all hell had broken loose. The place cards had names spelled wrong, the catering service was running late, and oh, the tablecloths were, apparently, all wrong.
"Anna, just breathe." My mother led her into deep yoga breaths. That was her cure for everything. "Close your eyes, deep breathing from your belly." The two of them stayed there while I begrudgingly called the vendor.
This would have never happened had we used the same vendors I've rented from for years, but Anna insisted on going with a friend she had gone to college with. She claimed the decor they rented out was more "upscale" than what I had shown her. This was her wedding and I was merely a puppet, her pulling the strings and me dancing along, doing what I was told. What annoyed me the most was my name was on this wedding; I was the wedding planner and maid-of-honor, a double whammy if I was being frank.
Although, Anna didn't need me in the slightest. She has had her dream wedding planned out since she was young. The day after her engagement, she marched into my office and pulled out her wedding album, pointing and giving the direction as to what exactly she wanted. She had every detail laid out, from the location to the bridesmaid's dresses to the elaborate flower arrangements. Anna just wanted someone to boss around and I fit the bill free of charge.
Anna was obsessed with fairy tales. Disney Princesses had been her favorite; they always got the happily-ever-after. From a young age, she longed for the day she would fall in love and got married. As children, we would put on pretend weddings in the backyard and I was always forced the be the groom. By nature, I sat back and allowed it to happen. She was the star of the show and always wanted to be the center of attention. I wanted her to be happy and would jump through whatever hoops she wanted me too.
"I told you I wanted the white dove, not the winter white," I said to the young girl on the phone. This was a detail only Anna would notice.
After being bounced around and told the owner was not available, the conversation wrapped up with, "Well, we sincerely apologize but there is nothing we can do now with you being so far away." Did I also mention the vendor was all the way in Pennsylvania and we were in North Carolina? Most of my clients had gone easy on me, using local vendors I highly recommended but Anna enjoyed being a pain in the you-know-what.
I hung up the phone and tried to compose myself. This was the most glamorous wedding Bridgeport would ever see and I was the face of it. At this point, all I could to do was square my shoulders and put on my infamous Nora James smile.
After about an hour, the tablecloths were no longer an issue. My mother calmed her down enough and she came to the realization that the white dove cloths went with the centerpieces quite nicely.
"Oh Nora," my great aunt hugged me as she walked in the door. "How hard is it to see your baby sister get married before you?" She clicked her tongue and shook her head. This was the only greeting I seemed to have been given today. Can't a young, successful woman live her life without a man and not be judged for it? Clearly not in Bridgeport.
I smiled politely and excused myself, heading to the nearest powder room. I checked underneath each stall, making sure they were vacant before planting my hands on the sink and staring at my reflection in the mirror. My tired brown eyes stared back at me, bags hung underneath, creating a dark shadow that even a few coats of concealer couldn't cover. I ran my hands through my long blonde hair, detangling the knots that had formed. I parted my hair and tucked it behind my ears, trying to make myself not look like a hot mess.
I took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. If I was being honest with myself, it was hard being the eldest James daughter that hadn't been married off first. When Anna and Andrew's engagement news broke, there were whispers all over town about me becoming a spinster. I laughed off the silly accusations, but deep down it bothered me. I was going on twenty-six and had only had an almost boyfriend.
When it was time for the shower to start, I made my way back into the banquet hall. It took a few minutes to quiet the room down. I welcomed the guests and introduced the town's most beloved couple. It was the wedding everyone had been waiting for, the mayor's daughter and the youngest senator in North Carolina History. A young JFK and Jackie, if you will. They were a match made in Camelot heaven.
Andrew was thirty, six years older than Anna. They were introduced by his best-man at a beauty pageant a few years ago. Anna had competed in pageants for her entire life and was crowned Miss North Carolina last year. They dated a little over two years before he popped the question last summer.
The rest of the day went smoothly, only a few hiccups. A drink tray was dropped and there were missing cards to a few wedding gifts. But to top it all off, our youngest sister, Ellie, was late, which made Anna want to claw her eyes out.
"Nora, start carrying stuff to the car." Anna barked orders at me, then turned her attention back to her conversation with one of her bridesmaids. Being the good maid-of-honor, I said nothing, only rolling my eyes and began carrying the treasure trove of gifts to the car. There were only four of us in her bridal party; our youngest sister, Ellie, my best friend Savannah, who was practically a sister the us and Taylor, Anna's college roommate. We all knew how Anna was, but they didn't allow her to boss them around like I did.
She was hard to handle, which was why friends never stuck around. She had her looks and charming personality to make up for it. Bridgeport goes crazy for her, claiming her as their own. My family was overly proud of her, giving her the title of The James Family Prodigy.
I overloaded the trunk, trying my best to push the boxes together and close the hatch. It wouldn't shut, forcing a box to tumble out onto the pavement. I heard something shatter and I closed my eyes and let out a scream.
"Don't worry, they will never notice." I heard a voice from across the parking lot. I turned around and put my hand over my eyes, shielding the sun. It was the best man, Liam Eastwood. I had only met him once at the celebratory party when Andrew won the senate seat.
He was leaning on the trunk of his car and had a smug smile plastered on his face. He pushed off the bumper and started to walk towards me.
"Have you met Anna?" I raised a brow. "She's been checking her registry for months. She will notice if her teapot is missing."
"Teapot, huh?" He grabbed the cardboard box and ripped it open. I was right and couldn't help but smile, celebrating my small victory. "You're good." He shook his head and smiled.
I shrugged my shoulders. "I do this for a living."
"Break teapots?" He raised a brow.
"Plan weddings." I corrected.
"So, you're one of those hopeless romantics?"
"Not everyone is passionate about their job." I crossed my arms, almost reflexively, I was feeling defensive. No, I was probably putting up my protective guard, as I always did when someone tall, dark and handsome approached; especially if they have that slightly devilish twinkle in their eye, the very kind that danced around in Liam Eastwood's eyes.
He shot back, "I am."
His reply drew me back into the moment and I swiftly replied, "And what is it that you do? Besides riding the coattails of Andrew Callahan?"
He smiled. "I'm a defense attorney."
"So, you're telling me that you're passionate with defending people who are guilty?"
"My firm allows us to deny a client." He said. "I refused a case this summer with a wealthy client, which I'm happy about. Better get used to me, I'm here for the summer to see what Bridgeport is all about." He winked, trying to capture my gaze but I pretended like I didn't notice.
"Well, I guess I will see you around then. What's your name again?" I pretended that I didn't know who he was. He already had a big enough ego, no need to feed into it.
"Liam Eastwood." He stuck out his hand.
"I'm—"
"Nora James." He interrupted. "I know who you are." He flashed a smile before turning around and walking back towards his car.
"Bridgeport, we have a problem," Savannah announced the next day over the headset. It was the day of the Green Wedding and she was in the bridal suite while I ushered guests to their seats in the pews.
"Please don't say it." I pleaded back into the headset. I lined up the flower girls and tried my best to keep tabs on the ring bearer. He kept running from me, all doped up on the sugar his mother had given to him. This was the reward he got after the world class meltdown he threw over not wanting to walk down the aisle.
"The bride is having cold feet." She announced. I abandoned the kids, begging them to stay still as I rushed up the stairs into the bridal room.
The bride was in hysterics. She was on the couch with her head in her lap, sobbing uncontrollably. Her bridesmaids tried to calm her down, but she kept trying to shoo them away.
"I was just doing her makeup and asking about their love story and she just started crying," Savannah whispered to me. We were standing at the threshold of the room, both unsure of what to do. We have dealt with plenty of problems over the years, but this was a first.
"She mentioned someone named Jake." Savannah shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe an ex-lover or something?" I moved towards the sobbing bride and shooed away the useless bridesmaids.
"Ashley, look at me." She lifted her head. Her eyelids were covered in black from her mascara and a single tear was rolling down her cheek. "I've seen the way you look at Jason. You adore him." She smiled and wiped a tear away. "Dwelling on a past relationship is silly." I continued. "There's a reason it didn't work out. Now, I want you to tell me why you fell in love with Jason."
She sat up tall and folded her hands in her lap, telling the story of how they met. She was running late for a work meeting and he was the policeman who pulled her over. After flirting her way out of a ticket, he let her go with a warning and his phone number. She rambled about his humor and the way his eyes light up when he tells her he loves her.
I motioned Savannah over to the vanity and took a step back. Savannah began wiping away the mascara streaks from her face with a makeup wipe and just like that, the wedding was back on.
I laced up my shoes and stretched my hamstrings. The sun was just beginning to peek up over the water. There was a chill in the air that caused me to zip up my sweatshirt. Morning runs were how I stayed sane. There was something about the eerie silence of the morning. It allowed me to collect my thoughts and clear my head before the busy day ahead. Once I reached 13 Main Street, all chaos would likely ensue.
The sand was wet from the rain, making it easier to run. I waved at the few early birds I passed and after two long miles, I reached the coffee shop on the boardwalk. The same faces I saw every morning smiled as I walked in and handed me my usual. I handed them a few bills and took a seat at one of the empty tables.
Elaine and Donny waved from across the room. They were an older couple with whom I have had many conversations with over the years. They owned the local grocery store. It had been in Donny's family since Bridgeport was founded almost two hundred years ago. They met in high school, Donny played varsity football and Elaine was a cheerleader. After graduation, they got married and had two children. They raised their children here in Bridgeport, but after both turned eighteen, they moved out of state. They were empty nesters who claimed me as they own until their children returned for holiday's.
Elaine and Donny had been married sixty years and still flirted like they were still sixteen. I was around people in love every single day, but it was their long-lasting marriage that made me hang on to the small bit of hope I had left. That real love, the fairytale kind of love, the kind that can last a lifetime.
My parents' divorce was messy. It was on every newsstand in the state of North Carolina.
My father's parents owned a tech company and after my grandfather's passing, it was handed down to my father. He sold it a few years ago and made a mint. He ran for mayor and won. It's been three years and he was highly recognized. Everyone admired him and pegged him the "family man," and he was. It was my mother's career that killed the marriage.
She was a fitness guru. Her exercise classes started in the early nineties in the church basement before she accumulated a huge following. After a few years, an agent recognized her and introduced her to the local news station. For ten years she had her own segment every morning until CBS offered her a morning show. She was telling the world what to eat and what exercises were the new fad every single day.
Her talk show was green-lit, forcing her to move to New York City. She lived there five days a week and commuted back on the weekends. My father was not too happy about the commute, wanting her home with us, but she fought him tooth and nail. She had always wanted a career of her own. Health and Fitness was her passion and she was going to pursue it no matter the cost.
My father had moved on. He has been married to Tina for the last eight years. She was his secretary and they fell in love, marrying only a few years after the divorce was finalized. My mother hated the woman for no reason at all other than she was married to my dad.
There was constant drama in the James family. We weren't famous, just very well known around Bridgeport, like every other family was. The town was small enough for everyone to know everything about everyone. I have said for years Bridgeport needed its own reality show.
Most families in this town were wealthy, coming from old money, so you can imagine the scandals. My parents' divorce was nothing compared to what this town has heard. Bridgeport was a hopping vacation spot and people very seldom left and very seldom moved in.
It had been my dream since I was young to leave this town and never look back. There was no way it could happen, since I was the eldest sibling with an absentee mother, making it near impossible. My parents never wanted to hire a nanny, which forced me to step up to the plate, taking care of my sisters' every need. Anna would have been fine on her own, it was my youngest sister, Ellie, that was always on my radar.
She was only seven when my parents split. I was fourteen at the time and pretty much raised her myself. It wasn't my dad's fault. He did what all good father's do; worked to provide for his family. He was the mayor of Bridgeport which required extensive time away from the family, which eventually took its toll. He was always busy; either in meetings or attending events across the state. My mother was all the way in New York City, selfishly working on her own dreams with three young girls at home fending for themselves.
Ellie never had a relationship with my mother. Even though she will deny it to her dying day, I know it affects her. She already has been struggling with an eating disorder for the last few years and it seems to not get any better. I am no longer living at home, so it makes it difficult to monitor her. Anna is still living under the same roof, but Ellie's problems are the last thing on her mind. I have tried to enroll her in an in-patient treatment facility, but that idea was dead on arrival. She was eighteen, so I could not force her to do anything. All I could do was show her love, bring her food and keep an eagles eye on her.
***
Hello! Thank you for reading. "Between The Vows." I am so excited about this story, and I hope you are so far! Please comment/vote on this story if you are enjoying it! Message me if you want a chapter dedicated to you. I will (try) to update every Tuesday and Thursday, with a surprise update here and there. I am super busy with school, as we all are, so bare with me! I take reading requests at this time so please refer me to whatever you want me to read of yours.
Happy Reading! Love, rachannewrites❤