The Bachelorette Party Read Online Free PDF Page A

valet gave her a look that straddled between desire and fear.
    The restaurant was on the water, overlooking a marina filled with zillion-dollar yachts. A seagull had relieved himself on the potted palm near the door. Never a good sign.
    Inside, the normally understated Italian restaurant had been transformed into an explosion of light pink roses. Anyone who knew Helen knew that pink was her favorite color. And roses her favorite flower. And smiley her favorite expression.
    “Zadie!” Helen held out her arms and gave Zadie a hug like she’d recently been lost at sea. “My God, you look great!” As if the last time Helen had seen Zadie, she’d looked like fried shit. Which was certainly not out of the realm of possibility, given her post-left-at-the-altar penchant for going out in public in pajama bottoms and a T-shirt.
    Helen, of course, looked spectacular. Boob-length blond hair. Brite-Smile teeth. Three-hundred-crunches-a-day belly. Turquoise-blue eyes. Little black dress. Diamond stud earrings. Diamond engagement ring. Holy crap. Grey had spent some bucks. It was huge. At least a couple carats. Zadie’s ring from Jack had been amoeba-like.
    Zadie hugged her back. “And you’re a glowing bride-to-be!” Why was it that wedding-speak was so riddled with clichés? Someone should really break out some new adjectives. Like “fetid” or “moldy.”
    Grey was across the room, looking dapper in a charcoal suit with a pink rose in the lapel, schmoozing with all of Helen’s relatives. Who were actually Zadie’s relatives, as well. She could
only spot one whom she felt like talking to—Denise. Helen’s sister. Zadie had always felt closer to Denise because they were the same age and because Denise was a raging party girl. Which came to a raging stop when she got pregnant. She was now sitting in a booth scarfing down a plate of calamari at an alarming rate. It was at Denise’s wedding that Helen and Grey met. No one realized then that Denise was pregnant, but it was pretty hard to disguise at this point. Her stomach was as big as a VW Bug.
    Zadie sat down with her and dipped a squid ring into the marinara sauce. “So. Who knocked you up?”
    “Funny.” Denise looked over at the bar where her husband, Jeff, who possessed a beer belly that rivaled Denise’s, was happily imbibing. “He gets to have a Corona and I’m stuck with seltzer. He better be waiting in the delivery room with a pitcher of sangria in his hand when I squirt this thing out.”
    “Sounds like you two are blissfully happy.” Okay, that was a little bitchy, but Zadie was in a mood.
    “I’m a bloated seacow. Happiness is not an option at this moment. My only option is food or more food.” She moved on to the mozzarella sticks, actually dipping them in sour cream.
    “So, what do you think of the pending nuptials?” Zadie looked over at Grey as he slid up behind Helen, wrapping his arms around her waist and smiling at their grandma. “Do you think they’ll be happy?”
    Denise shrugged and kept eating. “Helen’s always happy. And Grey’s awesome. Why? Don’t you think it’ll work out?”
    Zadie kept watching them. Smiling. Hugging. Oozing love from every pore. She had to admit that they looked more than happy. Grey was so beatific that most people would’ve thought he was overmedicated. Helen was levitating. They were perfect together. Helen radiated purity and light and Grey was aglow in her reflection, thrilled to have found a woman who would never do him wrong. Even through her bitter mood and the flying shrapnel from the plate of a ravenous pregnant woman, Zadie couldn’t help but be glad that Grey was so happy. She would still
be able to hang out with him after he and Helen were married, right? Helen must have someplace to go a couple nights a week. Tupperware parties? Book club? Home for the Criminally Perky?
    Grandma Davis spotted her and came wobbling over in a cloud of peach-colored chiffon. “Zadie, you look so pretty.”