Ellen's was in hospital now? The thought of her wedding dress being potentially in peril cast yet another shadow over the wedding preparations. Yet she felt terrible for even thinking about something so shallow, considering.
”Oh, I probably shouldn't gossip," Ava backpedaled. “But I heard elsewhere that her niece – some financial hotshot from the mainland is already gearing up to sell the place."
Jess heard Nadine clear her throat sharply – a warning sound she recognized from countless times when someone was veering into inappropriate territory.
“Oh I hope not,” Jess said quietly, her voice barely audible above the soft music. “My dress is there. Ellen’s supposed to be doing my final fitting tomorrow."
“Think I’d double-check that if I were you," her own, slightly older aesthetician said quietly. “From what I hear, things are … not good.”
Warm towels were then applied to their faces, effectively pausing the conversation while the scrubs were gently removed. In the momentary silence, Jess listened to the recorded sounds of waves breaking on shore, each crash seeming to echo the growing turbulence in her thoughts.
Julian's delay, poor Ellen’s rapidly declining health causing uncertainty with her dress, Logan's reappearance in her life – all these were beginning to form a constellation of unsettling points in the lead up to her wedding, that Jess’s mind couldn't help connecting.
As the towels were removed and cool toning mists applied, Ava resumed her chatter, moving on to different island gossip, something about more new residents up on Nantucket Shores, a development Jess noticed, islanders seemed to particularly resent.
When facial masks were applied and the aestheticians stepped out to give the treatments time to work, silence fell across the room. Through the narrow gap between screens, Jess could see Nadine's hands resting on the bed, her fingers curled tightly into the sheet beneath her.
“Your wedding dress is in good hands, Jess,” Megan soothed, reading the room. “That woman’s niece is there for a reason. It’ll be ready in time, I’m certain of it.”
“I’llmakecertain of it,” Nadine muttered darkly, but before Jess could reply, the aestheticians returned to remove their masks, applying serums and moisturizers with expert touches.
The treatments concluded with gentle facial massages, but Jess found it impossible to relax into the experience. Her mind raced ahead to that evening's bachelorette celebration, then tomorrow's supposed dress fitting, Julian’s arrival for the rescheduled rehearsal dinner, and most of all, Saturday's ceremony that lately seemed surrounded by accumulating complications.
"I could get used to this," Sloane sighed, stretching her legs out before her. "Though I'd need to sell a kidney to afford regular treatments."
"Small price to pay for skin like this," Megan agreed. “But of course, we bridesmaids need to look the part on the big day!”
Jess sipped her water, the cool liquid doing little to soothe the knot in her stomach. “Well, with Julian's delayed arrival and my wedding dress in limbo ..." She attempted a laugh that came out more as a sigh. "Maybe the big day is cursed."
Across from her, Nadine's head snapped up, her expression hardening instantly.
"Absolutely not," her friend said, her voice dropping to the firm tone she usually reserved for her twin boys. "There is no curse. Merely logistics to be managed." She set down her phone with deliberate care. "Julian's delay was a minor schedule adjustment. Your dress will be fine – I will make sure of it, even if I have to do the final adjustments myself.” Not entirely unrealistic given Nadine’s past career as stylist for glossy fashion magazines, Jess thought brightening a little. “Andyou," her maid of honor pointed at Jess with unexpected intensity, "willhave the perfect wedding."
The forcefulness of her words caught everyone by surprise.
“Hey, I was joking," Jess said carefully, though the comment had revealed more truth than she'd intended. "Just normal pre-wedding jitters."
"You have nothing to be jittery about - nothing,“ Nadine insisted. "Everything is under control. The rehearsal dinner is rescheduled. The flowers will be delivered. The photographer has been briefed." Her voice took on an almost desperate certainty. "This weddingwillbe perfect."
"Of course it will," Megan soothed, reaching across to pat Nadine's arm.
But something in her intensity had gone beyond friendly support or typical maid of honor duty. There was a personal investment in her voice that suggested ensuring the perfect wedding was somehow tied to Nadine's own sense of worth.
“Hey," Jess said softly. "I know you've got everything handled. I didn't mean to suggest otherwise."
Nadine blinked rapidly, seeming to come back to herself. Her grip on the pen relaxed slightly. "I just want your day to be everything you've dreamed of Jess,” she said, her voice smaller now. "You deserve that."
"And it will be," Jess assured her, though the words felt hollow against the persistent knot of doubt in her stomach. "Thanks to you."
Sloane observed the entire exchange quietly, noting how Nadine's free hand had resumed that nervous tapping against her thigh - the same motion she'd displayed during the mysterious phone call earlier. Whatever was driving her need for perfection seemed to run deeper than wedding aesthetics or organizational pride.
"Well, I for one expect all this careful skincare will be undone by midnight,” Sloane commented drolly, deliberately lightening the tension, as she launched into a story about anotherbachelorette party disaster involving a karaoke machine and an unfortunate song choice.
Jess laughed along, grateful for the distraction, but she couldn't help noticing how Nadine face remained tight, her attention repeatedly drawn to her phone where she typed rapid messages with tight, controlled movements.
Logan was right. There was something else going on with her. But what?
27
