You Say It First. Сьюзен МэллериЧитать онлайн книгу.
didn’t you say so in the first place? That makes sense. So what do you want from me?”
“To wear stockings and knee breeches and a floppy hat.”
Nick put down his sandpaper. “You’re kidding.”
Alan smiled. “Do I look like I’m kidding? The J’s have a tournament. Football, I think.”
“Basketball,” Nick corrected, wondering how awful the costume was going to be. He wasn’t totally sure what knee breeches were but sure didn’t like the sound of them. Would they be better or worse than a toga?
Of course if the J’s were busy, then Pallas was probably shorthanded.
“I’m in,” he said. “Tell me when and where.”
“That’s what I was hoping to hear. Tomorrow. Be here at two.” The older man hesitated. “You like her.”
Nick thought about their brief kiss and how much fun they’d had at The Boardroom a few nights before. Her competitive streak had been unexpected, but enjoyable.
“We’re friends,” he said as casually as he could. “You’ve known her awhile. What’s her story?”
Alan folded his arms across his chest. “You mean where was she born and did she ever want a pony when she was little?”
Not at all what he’d been asking. “No.”
“I thought not. Let me be clear. While I appreciate you helping with the weddings and restoring the panels, I’m team Pallas, all the way.”
“She doesn’t need protecting from me.”
“Neither of us know if that’s true or not, do we?”
Nick realized Alan had a point. “I would never hurt her on purpose.”
“Sometimes people don’t even have to try. It just happens.”
“Point taken. So there’s no guy?”
“You’re persistent.” Alan smiled. “Have you met Libby yet?”
“No.”
“Libby explains a lot. She taught her daughter that love had to be earned. All love. It was never freely given. Which means that sometimes love is more trouble than it’s worth.”
Interesting, Nick thought, but it didn’t answer his question. “Is there a guy?” he asked again.
Alan smiled. “Nuance isn’t your thing, is it?” He started for the door. “If you want to know anything else, ask the lady yourself.”
NICK REFUSED TO look at himself in the mirror. He figured if he didn’t see the whole image, he wouldn’t get a picture stuck in his brain. It might be the coward’s way out, but he was comfortable with that.
Alan hadn’t been kidding about the Regency costume. He was wearing some kind of pants that ended just below his knee, along with long socks that looked suspiciously like stockings. He had on weird, fancy black shoes, a white fluffy shirt and an embroidered cropped coat. To be honest, the whole thing freaked him out.
He stepped into the hallway and headed downstairs. He found Pallas in the main ballroom, doing a last-minute check for the ceremony. Rows of chairs had been set up, with a long center aisle. There were flowers and candles. Sunlight streamed in through the stained glass windows.
She smiled when she saw him. “Don’t you look handsome.”
“I look like the male version of an umbrella drink,” he grumbled. “You have to swear not to tell either of my brothers. Or take pictures. I’ll never live it down.”
Her hazel eyes danced with amusement. “Feeling a threat to our masculinity, are we?”
“You have no idea.” He took in her simple, dark blue dress. It followed the lines of her body, without being too tight. The floor-length fabric moved with her. The sleeves were long, the neckline scooped, but modest. “You look nice.” He nodded slowly. “Era appropriate without calling attention to yourself.”
“That’s what I’m going for,” she admitted. “Today is all about the bride. And the wedding, but mostly the bride.” Her mouth twitched. “Lucky for you, Atsuko isn’t performing the ceremony.”
He swore. “She does that?”
“Fairly often. She gets into character and has great costumes. But the bride brought in her own officiant. You get to be anonymous, and I am Lady Pallas, of no particular importance.”
He studied her. “Pallas is an unusual name.”
The humor returned. “It is. From the Greek. Pallas is the daughter of Titan. Some accounts say she was a childhood playmate of the goddess Athene, who later accidentally killed her. Rumor has it Athene felt really, really bad so she had a statue created of her. That’s where we get the Palladium from. It stood in the temple of Vesta.”
“I haven’t met your mother, but I have a hard time believing she would have chosen Pallas. Was it a family name on your dad’s side?”
“Oh, no. I was supposed to be called Alice. But Grandpa Frank took it upon himself to fill out the birth certificates for my brother and me. David became Cade and Alice became Pallas. According to several aunts who were there, my mother was furious when she found out, but she felt that changing the names to something else would cause a scandal, so here we are.”
“Interesting. So you defied her from birth.”
Pallas laughed. “Not me, exactly, but I’m happy to take credit.” She pulled up her sleeve and glanced at her watch. “We are close to start time. Alan will show you what to do. Basically you’re there to help carry the bride’s train.”
“I thought that’s what the flower girls did.”
“No, they scatter rose petals in front of the bride. You’re doing the work. I promise the train is much lighter than carrying the actual bride.”
The bride hadn’t been that heavy, so he wasn’t concerned. “I’ll go find Alan. He’ll enjoy telling me what to do.”
“He always does.”
Pallas hurried off. Nick watched her go before he turned toward the stairs. He hoped she didn’t take her mother up on her offer of a bank job. He couldn’t imagine Pallas sitting behind a desk. She was in her element at Weddings in a Box. Where else could she play dress-up and create memories?
He found Alan in the men’s dressing room with two other guys he didn’t recognize, all dressed in costume.
“There you are. My favorite courtier.” Alan waved him close. “You’re very handsome. The ladies will swoon. Now let’s talk logistics. The wedding party is huge.”
He paused for dramatic effect. “There are fifteen bridesmaids and fifteen groomsmen, along with three flower girls. The parents have all remarried, so we have two moms, two stepmoms, two dads and so on. You three will go downstairs and stand by the doorway, so guests can see you. Some will want to take your pictures. Smile for the camera, gentlemen.”
Nick held in a groan. He’d wanted not to have his outfit memorialized in any way. Hopefully none of the guests knew his brothers or figured out what he did in his day job.
“I’ll be in the bride’s room, making sure everyone is calm. When the bride is ready, we’ll meet her in the hallway,” Alan continued. “We will walk behind her, carrying her train. When she reaches the groom, we walk back down the aisle.”
He pointed at Nick. “You’re free to go after that. I’m part of the scenery and these two will be serving. Everyone clear?”
Nick nodded and