The Bridesmaid & the Jerk Read online

  Fox watched the rude girl from the bathroom walk over to where Audrey and Harper stood. Once the third girl took her place beside them, they looked like Russian nesting dolls—all fair-skinned, blonde hair, and slightly staggered heights. It would be comical if Fox wasn’t so irritated about his earlier interaction with the newcomer.

  The pit forming in Fox’s stomach already knew the answer, but he had to ask. “Who’s that girl standing next to Audrey?”

  Eli turned to where his future bride stood laughing at something one of the other girls had said. “Which one?”

  The prettiest one, Fox almost said, but caught himself. “The one in the blue tank top.”

  Eli chuckled. “Oh, yeah. That’s Sienna. She’s Audrey’s youngest sister. Basically, everything you’d expect from the baby of the family.”

  The baby. That sounded about right from what he’d seen so far. Plus, she looked at least ten years younger than Fox, which would put her in her early twenties. Girls that age had more beauty than sense, in his experience.

  But, just to be sure…

  “What do you mean ‘everything you’d expect from the baby’?” he asked, peeling his eyes away from where she stood and back to Eli.

  “Only that she's a bit of a drama queen. Loves attention. Moved to New York right after college to pursue an acting career.”

  Ha! He’d been right about her age. The acting thing fit too. She was a picture-perfect, spoiled cele-brat. “Actress, huh? Been in anything good?” He lifted his brows.

  “If you call an off-off Broadway play that even Audrey wanted to bail on early and a three-episode run on a second-rate crime drama ‘good,’ then sure.” Eli shrugged. “It’s cool though, she’s got a big heart and enough grit. She’s been working, like, three part-time jobs or something the past year but she doesn't let it get her down. She’s convinced she’s a star.”

  Fox laughed to himself. “Yeah, I can see that.”

  A line formed between Eli’s brows. “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.”

  Eli gave him a questioning look, but thankfully Fox was saved from having to explain any further by an unnatural hush that spread through the small crowd gathered outside.

  A middle-aged man walked up the oversized steps that led to the front of the inn. His slicked back, dark brown hair was sprinkled with gray. He wore a suit that said, “Look at me, I’m important.” But the power that radiated off the man was enough to command attention even if he had been wearing old jeans and a ratty t-shirt.

  “Good morning, everyone!” He flashed them all a blindingly white Hollywood smile. “My name is Bruce, the executive producer for Wedding Games. Now that we’re all here, I’d like to go over some last-minute things you should know.”

  What else was there to know about being on a reality show besides “bring all the drama” and “leave your brains and dignity at the door”? This was as close to a nightmare as Fox could imagine. But after everything Eli had done for him over the years, Fox had said yes without hesitation. That didn’t mean he hadn’t read the contract about fourteen times. After all the mistakes he’d made in the past, he’d wanted to make sure he knew exactly what he was getting into before he signed on the dotted line.

  “The filming for Wedding Games starts at dinner tonight. We’ll have everyone gather into the meeting room, and then the host of the show, Jason Castle, will go over some of the challenges.”

  There was a sudden rush of excited whispers at the name of the host. Fox vaguely remembered seeing him on TV as a kid, thinking he was pretty cool. Now he just looked old.

  “What kind of challenges?” said a female voice from the crowd. Fox didn’t have to turn his head to know who it was. Not only was the voice familiar, but based on what he’d observed, and what Eli had just told him about Audrey’s youngest sister, there was only one person it could be.

  “And ruin the surprise?” Bruce’s mouth curved into a smile. “Sorry, but we’re hoping to catch authentic reactions from everyone.”

  “Authentic reactions?”

  Bruce’s smile tightened to a thin line. “We know none of you are professional actors or actresses.” Fox turned his head just in time to see the scowl on Sienna’s face. “We’re not looking for you to feign shock, joy, or even anger. We want you to be yourselves.”

  Fox shook his head at the young woman’s reaction. Someone must have forgotten to tell the producer that he was in the presence of Broadway’s next rising star.

  Bruce’s jaw clenched slightly before his smile returned. “You’ll also be happy to know we set up one room on the bottom floor as a safe space. There’s a sign labeling it as such. This is the one room no cameras will be allowed. We encourage you to use this room sparingly.”

  He paused and lifted an eyebrow, making sure they understood “sparingly” meant “never.” When he opened his mouth to start speaking again, the same female voice from earlier called out again.

  “They’ll get a nice wedding no matter what, right?”

  A chorus of groans went through the crowd, and Fox turned his head once more to where the three sisters stood. The other two were both whispering something in Sienna’s ears.

  She shook her head and stood her ground.

  “Don’t worry, Miss...?” The producer waited for Sienna to answer.

  “Sienna Hudson.”

  “Ah, yes. Of course. The youngest sister to Audrey, and one of the three bridesmaids, correct?”

  Sienna nodded, but mercifully kept her mouth shut.

  Fox looked back up toward the producer.

  “The contract clearly states that so long as everyone respects the duties outlined in the contract, Eli and Audrey will get their wedding, all expenses paid, at the end of the ten days.” He cleared his throat, the thin, tight smile back on his lips. “And if there are no further questions, you’re dismissed. Take this time to get settled into your rooms, take a walk around the property, whatever you wish. Just make sure you report to the office next to the meeting room at noon for hair and makeup.”

  Bruce gave one last pointed look in Sienna’s direction before marching back down the stairs and over to where the camera crew stood. Bruce launched into giving directions to them, pointing several times to the sisters.

  Eli wasn’t kidding when he called Sienna the drama queen of the family. Not only was she rude, but she spoke too quickly, without thinking about what it might mean for others. Though he’d known her for less than thirty minutes, he wasn’t too eager to see what other flaws she had up her sleeve—not that he should care. Normally he wouldn’t, but if her big, fat mouth ruined his best friend’s special day, he wasn’t going to be very happy about it.

  He mentally poured over the contract he had signed when he agreed to come on this show for Eli. There were so many clauses, and each one could be broken. He imagined all the ways Sienna could mess things up. Would she try to make this all about her?

  He startled when a firm hand gripped his shoulder. “Don’t worry about the makeup.”

  Fox looked up at his best friend. “Huh?”

  “You look concerned, but don’t worry about it. Even male reporters wear makeup when they’re in front of the camera. I’m sure they won’t make you look like a clown.” Eli chuckled.

  Fox nodded, still distracted by the contract. “Yeah, I’m sure it’s gonna be fine. I’m just feeling a little on edge. Bruce made me uncomfortable. Did you notice the way he stormed off?”

  “I’m sure he’s just not used to being interrupted by people.”

  Fox raised his brows. “And that’s why I am concerned. Hopefully, Audrey’s little sister doesn’t ruin the wedding.”

  “Ruin the wedding?” Eli snorted. “You’re going to have to relax, man.”

  “How can anyone relax? It’s reality TV. It’s like you and Audrey have gone completely crazy.”

  “Look, I know everyone is a little freaked out about us agreeing to do the show. But weddings are expensive, and we’re scraping by on
two teacher’s salaries. We basically have to decide if we want to get married or buy a house.”

  “Have you considered waiting on the house?”

  “Of course we have, but now we don’t have to.” Eli grinned. “Not only is the network paying for everything this week, they’ve also agreed to pay for the honeymoon.”

  “And doesn’t that make you a little wary? They aren’t putting up that much cash for purely altruistic reasons, you know.”

  “I know,” Eli said with a sigh. “But I love Audrey, and I want to give her the wedding she deserves.”

  Fox resisted rolling his eyes, but just barely. Eli had been this gooey eyed for Audrey since college. He should be used to it by now. “And you’re prepared for the reality show drama that’s sure to follow?”

  Eli smiled. “No matter what challenges get thrown our way, when it’s all done, I’m going to be the happiest man on Earth because I’ll be married to the love of my life.”

  The level of cheesiness of his best friend was getting out of control, and the cameras hadn’t even started filming.

  “And if this week is really hard, that’s okay too, because we’ll be sipping strawberry daiquiris in Mexico while everyone else goes back to their day jobs.”

  “Well, you could at least pretend to feel bad for everyone else.” Fox shook his head. “Show some remorse?”

  “Not a chance,” Eli answered. “Now let’s go grab our bags. We don’t have long before they start painting our faces.”

  Two hours later, bags unpacked and makeup applied, Fox and the rest of the wedding party stood outside the inn’s meeting room. There were several people on the production crew standing with them, easily identifiable by the lanyards around their necks that read, Wedding Games in repeating print. Bruce was nowhere to be seen, and Fox thought that was for the best as Sienna walked up.

  He tried to ignore her as she loudly complained to her sisters about having to go to hair and makeup.

  “I’ve been doing my makeup for as long as I can remember.” She huffed. “I know which products make my face look shiny and which ones match my skin tone, thank you very much.”

  “You look fine, Sienna,” Audrey said in a hushed tone, but Sienna continued to complain.

  “No, I look all washed out. I’m going to look like a vampire on screen.”

  Her protests were met with laughter from her sisters. He had no clue why they allowed her to act this way when they were about to walk into something as major as planning Eli and Audrey’s wedding on television. What Fox did know was that he couldn’t stand it anymore.

  He turned to tell Sienna to stop being so selfish, expecting to see the same girl who had bumped into him on her way to the bathroom, but when his eyes met hers, he was struck silent.

  While she was technically the same girl from earlier—blonde hair, fair skin, bright eyes—the makeup artists had somehow transformed her appearance. Her blonde hair fell in gentle waves around her glowing face, her blue eyes somehow impossibly brighter than earlier. As much as he hadn’t wanted to admit it due to his irritation, she’d been stunning before; this was literally movie star beautiful.

  Her gaze met his, and he swore a slight blush hit her cheeks, though it could have been another enhancement from whatever they’d put on her skin. Fox’s breath caught in his chest, and through muddled thoughts of how gorgeous she was, he managed to remind himself just who this girl was.

  She was Sienna Hudson, sister of the bride-to-be.

  By the end of their time here, she would be Fox’s best friend’s sister-in-law. She was completely off limits, and beyond that, she was everything he wanted to distance himself from. She was overly dramatic, only cared about herself, and the smile that touched her lips at his interested gaze was just a little too bright and wide to be real.

  And yet, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. It was as if the longer he stood taking her in, the more impossible it became to stop looking at her.

  “Is there a problem?” She had a hand on her hip, and her perfectly groomed eyebrows were high on her forehead.

  Okay, not entirely impossible. Her rudeness was enough to pull him out of the embarrassing trance she’d put on him.

  “Just amazed they managed to make you look like a human, not a plastic doll.”

  Her eyes narrowed, and she opened her mouth to reply, but was interrupted by a crewmember clearing her throat. Fox quickly glanced around the small crowd to see if anyone else had noticed their brief interaction but felt confident everyone was too caught up in the excitement to care.

  “Okay, folks. Here’s how it’s going to work,” said a young woman with a long, dark ponytail and a badge that read “Jennifer: Production Assistant.” She waited until everyone was quiet before continuing. “We’re going to have everyone walk into the meeting room. Without giving too much away, I’ll just say this: If you’re a bridesmaid, you’re part of the bride's family. If you’re a groomsman, you’re considered part of the groom’s family. Do you understand?”

  Fox nodded along with everyone else.

  “Good.” The woman smiled. “The next thing is, try not to look directly at the cameras. As we proceed through the next ten days, you’ll get better at ignoring them, but we need to make sure we have enough footage of the first day. To help you, I’ll just tell you now that there is one in the very front of the room and two set on either side of the room. Got it?”

  Another wave of nods from everyone.

  “Good. Then, ready or not, let the games begin.”

  At these words, some of the other production staff opened the double doors leading to the meeting room.

  The first thing Fox noticed was the brightness of it all. There were lights and those weird umbrella things everywhere that made his eyes hurt. The second thing Fox noticed was the way they’d transformed the meeting room into what now looked like a church sanctuary. There were faux pews on either side, and a trail of flower petals strewn in the path leading to the front of the room where there was a camera pointed directly at them.

  Fox tried to train his eyes anywhere but at it, but the more he focused on not looking, the harder it became. Every muscle in his body felt tense as he walked up to where the show’s host stood smiling brightly just in front of the camera.

  “Welcome to Wedding Games,” Jason Castle said as everyone slowly made their way to where he stood in a black tuxedo. “As is customary, we’ll have the bride on the left and the groom on the right.”

  Everyone awkwardly found their places as their host continued. He droned on about love being the thing that holds us together and how when you find that special someone you want to make it last.

  Just another flashy reminder of how fake this entire production was.

  “We have five games, competitions if you will, that will each determine a different aspect of the wedding.” At this, Fox stood straighter. “The bridesmaids versus the groomsmen. Whoever wins each competition will get to pick the flowers, music, menu, bridesmaid dresses, and cake.”

  Ah. And now the catch to the “dream wedding” was out in the open. Not knowing what the competitions were—or the options, for that matter—Fox was already imagining the Frankensteined wedding that would be waiting for his best friend when everything was said and done.

  He looked around and wondered if anyone truly knew what they were getting themselves into. But if the excitement on everyone’s faces was any indication, he was the only one who had first-hand experience with how glamourous fame could appear, and just how horrible it could be behind the scenes.

  Three

  10 Days Until Dream Wedding

  None of you are professional actors or actresses.

  Sienna hadn’t been able to get those stupid words out of her head ever since Bruce had spoken them during their first meeting. He seemed to know a lot about Sienna, which was normal since they'd done background checks on all of them. But if that were the case, he’d know that Sienna was, in fact, a professional actor—and how she ha
ted the term actress.

  Just because she’d only had a few roles didn’t make her any less legitimate. She’d spent a fortune when she first moved to New York on acting classes in the city. She’d practiced with the best vocal coaches, studied so many videos of the greats she often dreamed of their facial expressions, and went to every open call and casting audition in the tri-state area.

  If that wasn’t professional, she didn't know what was.

  Although, technically, Bruce was the professional here, even if his current stint making reality TV made Sienna want to gag. And his name did seem vaguely familiar, though she couldn’t quite place it. Too bad a production assistant had taken their phones at the door so they wouldn’t buzz accidentally during the all-important introduction scene, because Sienna wanted to look him up. She made a mental note to do it later. Who knew? Maybe she recognized the name because he’d been working on one of the hundreds of commercials she’d auditioned for.

  Bruce’s words had echoed through her mind as the show’s host went over the basic concept of the show, and they echoed through her head now as the girls on the “bride’s team” waited in an empty room to conduct their initial video diaries.

  The team consisted of Audrey, Harper, Sienna, and the maid-of-honor. Even though Reagan was the only non-relative in the small group, it didn't feel that way to Sienna. In fact, Reagan had been Audrey’s best friend for so long now, that it almost felt like she was the fourth sister they never had—even with her fiery red hair and tall frame.

  Just as Sienna started to wonder if they were keeping them waiting just to see how long it would take for them to start complaining, Bruce walked in with a cameraman by his side. She straightened in her seat. This man was the producer, not some peon.

  So why is he the one conducting the interviews?

  Sienna pushed the sinking feeling of unease aside as she plastered on the brightest smile she could muster. When she turned to the other three girls, frustration bubbled up at their lack of enthusiasm. Audrey and Reagan both wore matching demure grins on their faces, while Harper was staring intently at the production crew in the corner and barely registered the room’s new additions.