The Bridesmaid Read Online Free PDF

already put off telling her parents about her new job all afternoon and through dinner. Do-or-die time was rapidly approaching.
    Abby’s mother’s cell phone rang—a tinny version of “Here Comes the Bride”—and her mother picked up the flip phone to check the caller ID. She groaned and tossed the phone into a box full of grosgrain ribbon, where it rang six more times before going silent. Abby and her dad exchanged a look.
    “Sorry,” her mother said. “It’s just that Wentworth woman is getting on my last nerve. I think she may be a contender.”
    “For Most Horrendous MOB?” Abby’s father sounded intrigued. “ Real- ly?”
    While Abby always found the Bridezillas to be the most obnoxious people in the wedding process, Abby’s parents had a thing about mothers of the brides. They kept a running list of the most evil. It had been a while since they’d had a real possibility for the number one slot.
    “She can’t be worse than Mrs. Rosen,” Abby said. “We had to redo her seating arrangement thirty-eight times. Thirty-eight!”
    “I know,” her mother said with a sigh, picking up the scissors again. “But I logged the number of minutes I spent on the phone discussing cake toppers with this woman. Anyone want to hazard a guess?”
    “Half an hour?” Abby’s father asked.
    “Higher,” her mother said.
    “An hour?” Abby asked, incredulous.
    “Two hours and forty-seven minutes,” her mother said flatly. “Should they be crystal or ceramic? Modern or traditional? Do we know any good wood-carvers? Last night I spent half an hour explaining that unless she wanted to spend a thousand dollars on the cake topper, that no, there was no way I could commission someone to make one in the exact likenesses of the bride and groom.”
    “Is that how much it would cost?” Abby asked.
    “I have no idea! I only said it in a vain attempt to make her hear herself,” her mother replied. “But the joke’s on me. She’s actually considering it. Now I may have to find an ar tiste to do the job.”
    “Wow,” Abby’s father said. “I think we have a contender.”
    Her parents laughed and her dad put his hand over her mom’s. They looked at each other and shook their heads, baffled.
    “Just when we think we’ve heard it all . . . ,” her mother began.
    “There’s always a real original waiting in the wings,” her father finished.
    Abby smiled. She loved how her parents were always finishing each other’s sentences and how they took everything in stride.
    At least they’re in a good mood, she thought as they got back to work on the favors. Just do it. Just . . . get it out there. Maybe it won’t be as bad as you think.
    “So . . . guys. There’s something I want to tell you,” Abby said finally, laying her latest frame aside.
    “This sounds serious,” her father said jokingly.
    “It is. Kind of. Well, not really,” she added. Maybe it’d be best to act like this was no big deal. “It’s just that I got a job today. That’s all.”
    There was a prolonged moment of agonizing silence.
    “You did what ?” her mother demanded.
    “You already have a job,” her father said. “Here.”
    “Actually, I was thinking about cutting down on my Dove’s Roost hours.” Abby bit her lip. “Like maybe cutting them out entirely.”
    Her mother stared at her in disbelief. “Abby! It’s spring!” she screeched.
    “What are you thinking?” her father demanded, pushing his chair back from the table. “Do you have any idea how many weddings we have coming up?”
    “Yes, Dad, I know. I know exactly how many weddings we have coming up,” Abby said, reddening. “Don’t you guys even want to know what the job is?”
    “Oh, yes. Please tell us what could be so important that you’d leave your family in the lurch like this,” her father said with uncharacteristic sarcasm.
    “It’s at Sports Expert,” Abby said quietly. “Barb Miller hired me.”
    Her mother shook her head angrily. “Sports