Getting It Now!. Rhonda Nelson

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СКАЧАТЬ to offer an opinion and predictably, it wasn’t sugar-coated. “That’s insane,” she said, absently rubbing a hand over her very pregnant belly. “You’ve spent a fortune pulling the ‘wedding of your dreams’ together. You wanted something grand and feminine and beautiful.”

      No doubt to counteract some of the lingering insecurities wrought by her father, Carrie thought sadly. Geez, that horrible old bastard had really done a number on her. Fortunately she’d met a guy who knew that—knew what she needed—and loved her enough to indulge her.

      “What do you mean you’re starting over?” Zora continued, still evidently outraged.

      “You know,” Frankie said, “I was really expecting a little bit of support here.” Looking distinctly sly, she dunked the lime floating in her club soda.

      Club soda? Carrie thought, squinting thoughtfully. Now that was odd. She’d known Frankie Salvaterra for almost ten years and she’d never seen her drink a club soda. Particularly in a bar. Carrie inwardly gasped, shot her friend a closer look.

      Frankie’s lips twitched with a barely suppressed grin. “We’re starting over because if I don’t get married now, I’m not going to fit in my dress.”

      April frowned. “Not going to fit in your—”

      Zora looked from Frankie’s drink to her smug smile and inhaled sharply. “You’re pregnant!” she breathed, eyes twinkling with unabashed joy.

      Frankie beamed and nodded. “I am,” she confirmed proudly.

      April squealed, Carrie laughed, and Zora positively glowed. “Oh, Frankie,” she said, taking her friend’s hand. “You’re going to make the best mama.”

      Frankie dabbed at her eyes and smiled. “And you guys are going to make the best honorary aunts.” She swallowed, took a deep breath and appeared to be attempting to gather her wits. “So here’s the deal. We want to get married next weekend—Saturday—and I need your help. We’re paring down the guest list from fifteen hundred to fifteen. The people who are important to me are the ones we see on a regular basis. To hell with all the others,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “They’re only showing up for the food.”

      Speaking of which, Carrie thought. “I’ll cater,” she promptly volunteered. “It’ll be my gift.”

      “And I know the perfect place,” April said. She tucked her hair behind her ears. “You can have Ben’s and my tree.”

      The tree in question was a two-hundred-plus-year-old live oak which had held special meaning for them. They’d originally planned to host their own wedding there beneath its sheltering branches, but the timing had been off. Too cold. New Orleans summer heat was notorious, but the shade of that tree would undoubtedly end up being just as cool as a crowded reception room.

      “Oh, April,” Frankie said, choking up. “I think that would be perfect.”

      “And we’ll designate Ben as the photographer,” she added, then chuckled. “You can bet he’ll have a camera with him anyway.”

      “Then all that leaves is the honeymoon,” Zora told her. “And Tate and I would like to have that honor.”

      “Zora,” Frankie gasped softly. “That’s too much.”

      “I insist,” she said. Which was the last word. When Zora made up her mind, that was it. Conversation over.

      Frankie’s dark brown eyes glittered with liquid emotion and her face softened with untold joy. “I knew I could count on you guys.”

      Zora reached over and squeezed her hand again. “Always.” She let go a breath. “Now who wants to bitch next?”

      April shook her head, shot them all a contented smile. “Sorry. I got nothing.”

      And no wonder, Carrie thought. After more than a decade apart, April had been reunited with her special someone, her soul mate, Ben. She had every reason to be happy.

      “Stop bragging,” Carrie finally teased. She rolled her eyes. “Sheesh, you happy people are nauseating. All pregnant and in love.”

      Zora turned to Frankie. “Has the nausea started yet?” she wanted to know. “Because if it has I can tell you that eating a saltine cracker before I get out of bed and having Tate rub my feet helps considerably.”

      “What does rubbing your feet have to do with being nauseated?” April asked.

      Zora pulled a negligent shrug and smiled coyly. “Nothing. It just makes me feel better.”

      Carrie chuckled. “Very devious. I like it.”

      Zora cast her a considering look. “So if our happiness is making you nauseated, does that mean that something’s happened that’s made you unhappy?”

      Shrewd as always, Carrie thought, swirling her straw around her drink.

      “It’s the Brit, isn’t it?” Frankie said. “The hot one with the great ass?”

      Carrie felt a grin tug at her lips. Frankie certainly had a way of cutting straight to the heart of the matter. “That would be the one, yes.”

      “Ah…Let me guess,” April chimed in. “The special has finally come through.”

      Carrie let go a sigh and nodded. “We start next week.”

      “Next week?” Frankie asked shrilly. “When did you hear about this?”

      “Today.”

      “Good grief,” April moaned, appalled. “How do they expect the two of you to be ready in that kind of time frame?”

      “We’re ‘professionals,’” Carrie quoted. “And we’re meeting at Mama Mojo’s at six tomorrow night to go over the breakdowns and new format.”

      Zora quirked a disbelieving brow. “You mean to tell me that they expect you to be ready to do this on Monday?”

      “They do,” Carrie confirmed.

      “Can you?” April asked, the most practical of the bunch. “I mean, is it possible?”

      Carrie cocked her head and smiled sadly. “I guess it has to be.”

      “This is outrageous,” Zora said. “Did you call Nancy?”

      “There’s no point,” Carrie told her. “I agreed to it months ago.”

      She frowned, cocked her head and a lock of red hair slid from behind her ear. “But I don’t understand. What’s been the hold up? Why are you just getting started now?”

      Carrie’s lips quirked with bitter humor. “My future cohost has been the holdout. I don’t know whether he takes exception to me or my show, but suffice it to say he’s been vehemently opposed to doing the special with me.”

      “Sounds like an uninformed bastard,” Frankie said, gratifyingly annoyed on Carrie’s behalf.

      April СКАЧАТЬ