The Calendar Brides Read Online Free PDF Page B

pounds in the past two years.”
    “Who cares?” Jane admonished. “It’s not all about you.”
    Susan blushed shyly. “I’m not sure I want my face connected to a month either.”
    Angie set her hands on her hips. “Look, everybody. Either we’re all in, or we’re not. If we can find some kind of unified theme, then it will all work together.”
    “A theme?” Tiny asked. “Like holidays or something?”
    Jane was decisive but not derisive. “No, not holidays. Something bigger.”
    “Covered bridges?” Claire piped in.
    Rachel smiled but nodded sadly. “There have been lots of calendars showing those.”
    “Rachel’s right,” Trish said, finally coming around. “If we’re going to do this thing and do it right, we’ll have to be different. We’ll need something that will grab folks’ attention.”
    Claire clutched her heart, sounding dreamy. “Get them right here.”
    “More like in the wallet,” Trish answered.
    A slow, subtle grin spread across Susan’s lips. “What about brides?”
    The rest of the girls stared at their typically mousy cousin. The only one of them who’d never had a boyfriend, serious or not. “Brides are popular,” Susan continued. “Everybody loves brides and stories about them.”
    The rest of them blinked, flabbergasted. “What are you saying, Susan?” Tiny asked. “That we each should take a spot as a calendar bride?”
    “But not all of us are married,” Zoe said. “A few…” She avoided Susan and Bev’s eyes. “Don’t even have prospects.”
    Haley massaged the back of her neck. “It still could work. We could tell our stories.”
    Angie stared at her. “What stories?”
    “Our love stories,” Haley answered. “Say something significant about each of them.”
    “Those would have to be very short stories to fit onto a calendar,” Rachel observed.
    “That’s what I was thinking,” Haley answered. “A hundred and forty characters or less.”
    Jane’s mouth hung open. “You’re joking.”
    Haley clarified. “I wasn’t suggesting we fit everything in a brief log line. That’s only what would go on the calendar page. We could have something more extensive, like a paragraph about each of us, in the back of the calendar.”
    “But this is a brides calendar, as in weddings,” Lena said. “What about those who…um…haven’t found their princes yet?”
    “They can put in what they’re looking for,” Haley answered. “A someday my prince will come kind of thing. Just think of it! What great advertising! Even better than MeetYourMatch.com.”
    The color drained from Susan’s cheeks. “Maybe I should have thought this whole thing out before suggesting it. It was a bad idea.”
    Rachel’s head bobbed with enthusiasm. “No, I think you’re onto something.”
    “Where would we get the wedding gowns?” Jane asked practically. “Not everyone has one.”
    “I’ve still got mine, but I’m not sure it fits,” Emma said.
    Claire had a thought. “Maybe we can get Victor’s Bridal Boutique to cooperate? It’s for a good cause, and will be great promotion for their gowns if they let us borrow a few for our shoot.” Victor was Emma, Claire, and Rachel’s uncle on their mom’s side. He was very big into supporting family, and weddings. He’d given each of the D’Amato brides deep discounts on their gowns, and would surely be willing to help.
    “This is sounding really crazy,” Zoe said.
    “Yeah,” Tiny agreed. “Crazy like it might work.”
    Trish’s complexion glowed beneath her freckles. “We could sell the calendar for twenty bucks. Maybe even have it ready in time for the fish fry. The whole town turns out for that.”
    “I could set up preorders online,” Zoe suggested.  
    Lena smiled. “That’s a great idea.”
    “Yeah,” Trish agreed, her excitement growing. “And Rachel could blog about it!”
    A hush fell over the room as everyone waited.  
    Rachel hesitated, then spoke slowly. “I suppose I could do that. For