Sinners at the Altar (Sinners on Tour 6)

The salon door flew open and Beth dashed into the waiting area, her blue eyes wild and her tangle of brown hair even wilder. “I’m here,” she announced.

Jessica’s shoulders sagged with relief. “Took you long enough.”

Beth spotted her and rushed to her side. “Oh God, I’m so sorry, Jess. I was up late studying and fell asleep on the sofa and didn’t hear the alarm go off and then I couldn’t find my keys and finally found them in yesterday’s jeans, but then I was halfway to the salon and remembered I needed clean underwear and had to go back to the house to get them out of the drier and—” She finally sucked in a deep breath. “Can you ever forgive me?”

“Did you remember to pick up the dresses?” Jessica asked.

“Of course. They’re locked in the car.”

“Then you are forgiven. But you owe me ice cream for making me worry.” Jessica winked at her.

Beth hugged her. In her haste, she knocked aside the eye shadow brush the make-up artist was using on one of Jessica’s lids. The woman scowled and reached for a cloth to undo the damage.

“You’re the best,” Beth said loudly in Jess’s ear.

“You’re the best,” Jessica returned. “Thank you for picking up the dresses.”

“No problem.”

Beth was hurriedly directed to a chair so her bed hair could be tamed into something more appropriate for the occasion and Jessica relaxed. A little.

When all seven ladies were properly beautified, they returned to the van. Beth climbed into her dated sedan to follow them to the venue with her cargo of dress. Jessica would have ridden with her to keep her company, but every inch of Beth’s trunk was stuffed with books so the backseat was full of bridesmaids’ dresses while Jess’s wedding dress rode shotgun. Jessica hoped she’d have time to catch up with Beth later. She didn’t get to see nearly enough of her friend since their lives had taken different paths.

Jessica scowled up at the clouds as soon as she was belted into Myrna’s van. The sky was even darker than when they’d entered the salon, but the rain was still holding off. Thank God.

Jessica continued to stare at the sky all the way to the beach location where the ceremony was to be performed. Perhaps it was just gloomy and the clouds would clear up before she walked down the aisle at eleven. Maybe she should have scheduled an afternoon wedding instead of a morning ceremony. She bit her lip. Maybe it was too late to change any plans so she should stop worrying so much. She was supposed to be enjoying her time today.

She fought the urge to call Sed to ask him to commiserate. He’d understand why she was so worried about this; he’d been dealing with her insanity over the wedding for months. Sometimes she was astonished that he still wanted to marry her.

Myrna parked the van near the small building where they were to change into their dresses. Closer to the shore, the small white tent where she’d wait to make her entrance had already been erected and the rows of white wooden folding chairs set up. Several people were decorating the aisles with red roses and sprigs of baby’s breath, trailing lace, and satin ribbons in red and white. The decorating was going rather smoothly, considering how breezy it was.

Maybe she was worried about nothing. The women chatted among themselves as they entered the little beach house. Jessica paused at the dining room table to admire the bouquets set in a neat row. All eight of the smaller bouquets matched hers. The only difference was that the bridal bouquet was larger and had white lilies worked into the red roses. She bent to draw the sweet lily scent into her nose and sneezed unexpectedly.

She drew away and sneezed again. And again.

“Are you allergic to your flowers?” Beth asked.

Jessica’s eyes and nose began to itch and ache. “I must be,” she said, her voice nasally from the sudden swelling in her face. She sneezed again and again, backing away from the offending allergens wafting from her bouquet.

“What am I going to do?” she asked. “I can’t say my vows if I’m”—ah ah ahchoo—“sneezing the entire time.” She sniffed, searching the room for a box of tissues.

“I’m allergic to certain flowers,” Myrna said. “You just have to pinch off the anthers. Or is the stamens? Gets rid of the pollen.”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Jessica said, hoping she was right.

Myrna picked up the bouquet and headed into the small kitchen near the back of the cottage. Jessica sneezed again as she passed by, but felt less bothered once the flowers were taken from the room.

“I didn’t sneeze when they showed me their samples,” Jessica said to Beth, who handed her a tissue. Jessica blew her nose and blinked to prevent her watery eyes from ruining her make-up.

“Because their samples were fake flowers,” Beth said. “Remember?”

Beth had gone with Jessica to pick out most of the items for the wedding since Sed had been on the road touring with Sinners almost the entire time she’d been planning the occasion. But she’d sent him pictures of everything and asked his opinion on every detail. He hadn’t lost his patience once, even though she must have been driving him bonkers. He probably didn’t give a rat’s ass if the red ribbons in the flowers were matte or satin, but she had required his opinion on the matter, by God, and he offered one. She’d wanted him to feel he was a part of every decision, every step leading up to this day. She wasn’t the only one getting married today.

Jessica chuckled. “You’re right. I guess that would explain why I wasn’t allergic to them at the florist.”

“I hope removing the anthers does the trick,” Beth said. “Are you ready to put on your dress?”

Jessica nodded eagerly. It had been a couple of weeks since she’d seen it. They’d done a few last minute alterations so that it would fit perfectly. Which reminded her again that she couldn’t wait to see him in his tux. She sighed aloud at the thought of those wide shoulders filling out a perfectly tailored tuxedo jacket. The man cleaned up real nice and looked delicious in and out of his clothes.

In one of the two bedrooms, Beth helped Jessica slip into her gown. At Jessica’s back, Beth tugged the zipper, but it wouldn’t budge.

“Is it stuck?” Jessica asked, glancing over her shoulder to see what the problem was.

She went light-headed; the problem was that the edges of the zipper were over two inches apart. There was no way they’d ever get it zipped.

“Oh no,” Jessica said. “Sed told me I was showing already, but I didn’t believe him.”

She covered her lower belly with both hands where Sed’s baby grew inside her.

“If I’m this fat now, what am I going to be like in seven months?”

“You’re not fat,” Beth said. “The baby is just big. Like his hunk of a father.”

Jessica wasn’t sure if she believed that explanation, but it made her feel marginally better. “What are we going to do?” she asked.

“Can you suck it in?” Beth asked, yanking on the open sides of the dress.

Jessica drew her breath upward into her chest, trying to make her stomach as flat as possible. But the problem wasn’t her stomach, it was her lower belly. Perhaps she should have chosen a gown that had an empire waist instead of one that was fitted down to mid-hip. She’d thought she’d have plenty of time before her baby bump made any sort of difference in the fit of her clothes.

“I can’t,” Jessica said as she released her breath with a gasp.

“I will get you into this dress if I have to kick you into it,” Beth said.

“I think I have a corset that will fit you,” Aggie said.

Jessica hadn’t heard her approach. She was standing in the open doorway, appraising her carefully.

“It’s white, so it shouldn’t show, and it goes down past the crests of the hipbones, so it will cinch you in tight. But it’s leather. You don’t have anything against leather, do you?”

Could Jessica really wear a white leather corset under her wedding gown? What would Sed think of that? She decided he’d be so turned on that he

wouldn’t be able to think.

“Do you think it will work?” Jessica said.

Aggie nodded. “For sure. I’ll have to go get it though. Do we have time?”

“I can’t very well go down the aisle with my dress unzipped,” Jessica said. “I’d be grateful if you could get it if you think it’s worth a shot. It won’t hurt the baby, will it?”

“No, we won’t squeeze you breathless. You just need a couple of inches. I’ll be back.

Aggie turned on her heel, her long straight black hair spinning out away from her body as she moved.

“Thanks, Aggie!” Jessica called after her.

“Not a problem,” Aggie called back.