Chapter 5
Willa
I insisted on meeting Doug at the wedding. This wasn’t a real date and it wouldn’t start out looking like one. Plus, Doug was part of the wedding party and had to be there early for pictures and all that.
Arriving alone gave me a chance to look around without having to talk to anyone. They were holding the wedding at a botanical garden. It smelled amazing, and everything was gorgeous and lush. I admired the flowers and attention to detail. Doug’s brother was not handsome, but he was photogenic, and he looked extremely happy with his fiancée in the framed portraits they had displayed everywhere.
I sat on the groom’s side in a white folding chair, and that was when Doug spotted me. He looked nice in a tux, like someone out of a sleek spy movie. I could imagine him pulling out a pistol with a silencer and flushing out the bad guy, all while not mussing up his hair.
His hair.He’d cut it short and styled it with gel. It looked amazing, but Randy was going to flip. The villains in Strength Warriors had to have slicked-back greasy hair. Bad guys do not get makeovers. Kids thrive on the consistency.
I wasn’t sure what Alan Alders would think either. We had the Triple Threat photo shoot in two weeks. Maybe Doug would have to wear a wig for both Triple ThreatandStrength Warriors. I guess Doug had reached a point where he didn’t care. Maybe cutting it was in rebellion to the whole fake relationship thing.
I ran a hand over my own tresses and winked at him, letting him know I’d noticed, and he blushed.
His brother, the groom, elbowed him, and they had some kind of conversation about me. I hoped Doug was telling him what we’d agreed on, that we were strictly coworkers and friends.
A woman with a ridiculous white hat came up to them and adjusted their already perfect collars. I instinctively knew it was their mother. They nodded in response to whatever she was lecturing them about and then she quickly took her seat as the prelude music changed, signaling the bride was ready.
This was the first wedding I’d attended since Aunt Katherine married when I was ten. The whole thing was surreal, both like and unlike all the weddings I’d watched on TV. The bridesmaids came down the aisle first, all in the same shade of pastel. An adorable flower girl dropped rose petals. The bride, on the arm of her father, walked down the aisle. She practically glowed with excitement, though there were some obvious nerves mixed in, too.
I observed Doug though most of the ceremony, since he was the only one I knew. His expressive face said so much, happiness and wistfulness all wrapped together. He wanted this. I hoped someday he’d get it, and I hoped he was smart enough not to pick someone in Hollywood.
Doug
My mother cut my hair. It was a secret I’d go to my grave with, no matter how much trouble I’d be in for cutting it.
I took a nap on her couch after the tuxedo fitting and woke up to find it gone. She’d cut away enough with scissors that the only option was to call my future sister-in-law, who happened to be a beautician, swear her to secrecy, and have her fix it the best she could.
All Mom would say was that no son of hers would stand up for a wedding with a dreadful shaggy mane.
And she got her way. The line of groomsmen looked clean-shaven and sharp, just the way she imagined it. Regardless, I was determined to enjoy the wedding. I focused on Owen and Tracey, on the happiness they radiated just by being together, reading their vows.
Nelson, the groomsman next to me, leaned over as the music started back up, and bride and groom threw their arms around each other for a kiss. “Your mom is going to be all over them for grandkids in about twelve seconds.”
“Better them than me.”
Nelson had been my best friend since the day we were both picked last for kickball in fourth grade. He’d been at my house enough growing up that Owen took him on as an extra annoying little brother. Besides literally sounding like Kermit the Frog, Nelson only weighed about a hundred pounds and some change, and was so awkward with women he made me look like a Casanova.
We clapped along with everyone else as Owen and Tracey ran down the aisle, her veil fluttering behind her.
“Do I get to meet your date?” Nelson asked, rubbing his hands together.
“Uh, give me a few minutes and then come over and I’ll introduce you.” I wanted to prep Willa. Nelson didn’t mean to come off creepy, but he often did.
I made my way back to Willa, while she fought to get out of the row she was trapped in. I was surprised she hadn’t sat on an end. Allowing for a quick getaway seemed very much like a Willa move.
The first thing she did was touch my cut hair, though I didn’t mind her soft fingers or her laughing eyes as much as I thought I would.
“I never pegged you for a rebel,” she said.
“It was an impulsive decision.”
“Have you told Randy and Thane yet?”
I shook my head. “It will all work out. Even with their tiny budget, I think they can afford a good wig for me, or hair extensions, or whatnot.”
“I’ll tell Alan it was my idea, tie it into the relationship thing.” Her voice dropped on the last part as she looked around to see if anyone was paying attention to us. As a matter of fact, several people were. My mother and aunt were hurrying over, and a few of Owen’s old college buddies openly stared at us, clearly impressed by my date. Nelson, being the good friend he was, obeyed my request for a little space and watched us from afar.
