“Laura!” Olive and Kathy squeal, rushing over to her.
“Maybe you can sic your stalker on her too,” Carolina hisses out of the side of her mouth.
Loony Laura. She’s wearing the pencil skirt and blouse that’s practically the uniform of women in private equity.
“Brace thyself,” Carolina mutters.
“Ladies!” Laura drawls, mincing over in her heels to give a barely-there hug to me and Carolina. “You’ve gained weight, Winnie. It looks good on you.”
She’s smug.
“I’ve lost five pounds.” Laura presses a hand to her chest. “And no, don’t say it—it’s not wedding stress. I’m not that kind of girl. I don’t even care about this wedding. I mean, I have the Grinelli contract I’m working on. Can you believe it? I mean”—her mouth drops open, and her eyes widen like an uncanny-valley Disney-princess expression—“like,ugh.”
I grit out a smile. “Wow. That sounds crazy.”
“I’mjust so busy, but I love it. You know, you guys know.” She lets out that fake braying corporate laugh. “I still can’t believe that you left, Winnie. And it’s not like you left for a husband or children, though I’d side-eye that a little bit too. I just don’t think Sutter, Gaines and McCall could survive without me. I did 1,356 billable hours last month. Can you believe it? Literally 1,356. Like, uh, what! I’m just so busy, so it’s great that you’re helping me plan this wedding. And bridesmaids—you’re my bridesmaids! I’m getting married!” She claps her hands.
“How’s your dog?” I ask her with a wince.
“Oh, Atlie! Yes, we got him a little brother. Another cockapoo…” She draws out the vowel. “Anyways, I have my other bridesmaids coming and the fiancé.” She waggles her ring finger at me. “This is actually not the ring I wanted. I made him take the ring back to the store three times. This one is five carats, but I’m just going to have to live with it. I mean, ugh, right? Men.” She rolls her eyes with a laugh.
“You have more bridesmaids?” Carolina asks, bland smile on her face. I know I’m going to get an earful later.
“I mean, I had to. The fiancé—” She waggles her head and widens her eyes. “He wanted to have all of his hockey buddies there. Men!” She leans over the table, fake laughing. “Men!So I’m letting him bring all his little friends, and some of the WAGs have to be in the wedding.”
The door chimes, and half the Seattle hockey team and their significant others stream in.
“I told them all to come to this meeting.”
“Oh, fun,” Carolina chokes out as she sees Knox holding the door for one of the pretty blond WAGs.
One of the defensemen comes over to Laura to kiss her noisily.
“You need to shave, babe.” She pats his cheek. “I told you I don’t like the scruff. Men!” She laughs again.
“I’m glad you’re planning this wedding, Winnie,” her fiancé says to me. “Knox says you’re very organized. Laura needs the help.”
“He was telling me,” Laura interrupts, “last night, he was like, ‘Oh’”—she deepens her voice—“‘Laura Bradberry is about to drop some balls.’ And I say, ‘Laura Bradberry does not drop balls.’”
“Ha ha ha.” My cheeks already hurt from forcing them to smile. My professional muscles are not as fit as they used to be.
“Ladies!” Laura calls to the WAGs taking photos in front of the neon sign over a bookcase that Carolina declared aesthetic. “None of you are preggo, right?” She laughs again. “I already had to kick out two of the girls.” She mimes a belly. “Can’t have that at my wedding. I mean, ugh, right? I have to have a nice wedding. You should have seen Regan’s wedding. She’s my sorority sister.”
I nod along as she steamrolls through.
“Nolan is my trophy boyfriend. I want to show him off.” She pats his stomach. “I’m going to get him a bespoke suit. Nothing off-the-rack for my man.”
Knox looks upset as the defenseman beams.
“Yep, she buys me nice stuff. I don’t have to worry about a thing.” Nolan kisses her noisily. “She’s my Taylor Swift.”
“Knox,” Brinley says in a whiny voice, “can I have some money to buy a coffee? Not a fancy one.”
Knox looks irritated.
“No. I told you—”
“Oh, just go get coffees or something on me,” Laura tells them. She pulls out her wallet out of her Birkin bagand hands a credit card to her fiancé. “Babe, go buy them coffees.”
