The Last Bridesmaid (eBook)

Pam Carpenter (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2017 | 1. Auflage
249 Seiten
Publishdrive (Verlag)
978-0-00-058376-5 (ISBN)

Infos

From bestselling author Pam Carpenter comes a laugh-out-loud, feel-good romance book that readers can't get enough of!
Jules has everything-a thriving career, amazing friends, and undeniable charm-except when it comes to love. After six bridesmaid dresses and one failed engagement, she's done waiting for fate. With sixty days on the clock, she's on a mission to find Mr. Right... or at least someone who won't ghost her after date three.
From hilariously bad dates to unexpected temptations, Jules' love life spirals into chaos when she finds herself torn between two irresistible men. Is one of them her perfect match, or is she setting herself up for the ultimate heartbreak?
A bestseller, this witty, sexy, and feel-good romance book will have you laughing, swooning, and rooting for Jules as she discovers what happily-ever-after really means.
Here's what readers are saying about The Last Bridesmaid:
'Romance and fun!'
5.0 out of 5 stars - Katherine
'Such a fun read! I laughed out loud when I read the mirror scene and found myself chuckling throughout at all of Jules dating calamities. I hope Jules will share more antics with us in the future.'
'I love this book!'
5.0 out of 5 stars
'It is so entertaining, relaxing, witty, and exciting.'
'Five Stars!'
5.0 out of 5 stars - CDavis
'Great read! Captures interest right from the start! You won't want to put the book down!'
'Five Stars'
5.0 out of 5 stars - sandra mabry
'Funny and entertaining! Would love to see this as a romantic comedy movie!'
'So Cute, Funny, Entertaining, i wanted more!'
5.0 out of 5 stars - Kelly Green
'This was an awesome light-hearted, Funny, & Entertaining book, almost every woman can relate to!'

Textauszug

CHAPTER 1

 

It was a sunny Saturday afternoon in June on the Upper West Side of Manhattan, a perfect day for a wedding. A white Mercedes-Benz limo sat parked in front of the famous Riverside Church, with eight black Cadillac Escalades parked behind it that trailed down Riverside Drive.

Inside the church, cherry blossom tree branches decorated the numerous pillars that ran along the aisle. The church’s massive organ, the fourteenth largest organ in the world, played Ave Maria with such power and beauty that the notes echoed throughout the church.

Seated in the pews were 250 stylishly dressed guests of the bride and groom, who had flown in from around the United States to help celebrate the happy couple. And standing up at the altar, were a nervous bride and a smitten groom, with bridesmaids and groomsmen to their left and right supporting them every step of the way.

Jules Alexander, the second bridesmaid on the left, began to pray during the musical selection.

 

God, I can’t believe that I’m thirty-five years old, and I still haven’t found my Mr. Right. And to make matters worse, this is my sixth time as a bridesmaid in the past five years. Talk about torture! God, when is it going to be my turn? When will I stop being the bridesmaid, and actually get to be the bride? It’s not that I’m not happy for Maggie. I’m thrilled for her, actually. It’s just getting harder and harder to keep standing up here watching my friends get their happy endings while I feel like I’m just withering away.

 

Just then, the organ finished playing, and Jules snapped back to attention. Time to stop feeling sorry for herself and to go back to being happy for one of her best friends.

 

 

***

 

 

After the ceremony, the photographer had all of the bridesmaids lined up at the altar for pictures, while the bride, the groom, and the rest of the bridal party socialized in the pews with family members.

As the camera clicked away, Jules stood next to two other bridesmaids, Mylyn and Robin, who were also two of her best friends. They had all gone to Columbia University together with Maggie, the bride. Robin, who was six months pregnant, looked as though she was about to burst out of her bridesmaid’s dress.

The three friends whispered out of the sides of their mouths, while posing for the photographer. 

"Well ladies, it's down to you two!" whispered Robin to Mylyn and Jules.

"Oh no, not me. With today's divorce rate, are you kidding me? I don't even think I believe in marriage anymore," said Mylyn in a loud whisper.

"What about Andrew? You two have been dating for a while now," countered Robin.

"Please! Andrew can't even commit to what color socks to put on in the morning," joked Mylyn while posing for the next picture.

"Alright, big smiles everyone. On three. One, two, -“ yelled out the photographer as he snapped the picture.

The camera flashed such a bright light that all of the bridesmaids squinted while trying to give their best smiles. After taking a second to recover from being temporarily blinded, the girls started whispering again. 

"I think I blinked on that one," joked Mylyn.

"Anyway, men are more trouble than they're worth. Who needs 'em?" rationalized Jules.

"Hello! We do!" said Robin.

"Okay, last one. On three. One, two, -" interjected the photographer.

Everyone stopped and smiled for the cameras. And once again, the ladies squinted from the blinding flashes.

"Okay thanks everyone. That’s a wrap for pictures here at the church. I'll take more shots of you at the reception," instructed the photographer as he looked over the shots that he'd just taken in his camera.

After being dismissed, Jules, Robin and Mylyn walked with the wedding party back outside and down the front steps of the church. The wedding guests were outside waiting to send off the bride and groom. They joyously blew bubbles as Maggie and Elton ran through the crowd and climbed into the waiting white limo. Everyone waved at the happy couple as the limo drove off down Riverside Drive. Then, the rest of the wedding party climbed into the eight chauffer driven Cadillac Escalades and pulled off after the limo.

 

 

***

 

 

About thirty minutes later, the limo and Escalades pulled up in front of the Plaza Hotel on Fifth Avenue in Midtown Manhattan. The bridal party and family members emerged from their cars and walked excitedly into the hotel for the wedding reception, still buzzing about what a beautiful wedding it had been. 

 

 

***

 

 

Later, as the wedding reception was in full swing, Robin and Mylyn walked into the ladies room. They began touching up their make-up and hair in the mirror. There didn’t seem to be anyone else in the bathroom with them. 

"Hey, where’s your hubby?" asked Mylyn.

"Arthur’s working a big case so he had to work through the weekend. He hated having to miss Maggie's wedding," answered Robin.

"That sucks. So how much longer before little Arthur Jr. makes his way into the world?" asked Mylyn.

Robin patted her pregnant belly.

"Four more months to go. And there's still so much to do before the baby comes. Arthur and I have been going to doctor’s appointments, and shopping for baby furniture, and painting the baby's room, and..." Robin was explaining before Mylyn cut her off.

"Sorry to cut you off hon', but does Jules seem okay to you?" asked Mylyn sounding concerned.

"Well, considering that this was her sixth time as a bridesmaid in the past five years - and she's still single - I'd say she's holding up pretty well," Robin responded.

"No, I'm talking about Lance the Lech. I can't believe that he had the nerve to show up here after what he did to Jules," said Mylyn.

"I know, right? And how could he bring that man-stealing witch with him?” Robin asked.

"Do you think Jules spotted them yet?" Mylyn asked.

Just then, Jules slowly emerged from one of the bathroom stalls. Mylyn and Robin were surprised since they didn't realize that Jules was in the bathroom and could hear them talking. 

"He's here?" Jules asked stunned.

Mylyn and Robin looked at each other and then nodded in unison.

"And he brought... her?" Jules could barely get the words out.

Mylyn and Robin nodded again.

"Well where are they sitting?" asked Jules.

"Now Jules, don't go making a scene. It's in the past. Just let it stay there. Let’s not ruin Maggie’s big day," Robin begged.

"Where are they sitting?" Jules asked again getting irritated.

"Table 13," answered Mylyn.

"Well at least Maggie sat them in the back," said Jules.

Jules took a moment to think.

"Okay look, I'm not gonna hide in the bathroom all night. So I'm gonna go on out there and try to have some fun!" declared Jules as she walked out of the ladies room with her head held high.  

Mylyn and Robin looked at each other with apprehension. They knew Jules, so they knew that something was about to go down.  Robin and Mylyn exited from the ladies room and walked over to Jules, who was standing in the hallway right outside of the ballroom, where wedding guests were having a great time dancing on the dance floor.

A waiter stopped by the three bridesmaids with a tray of champagne.

"Champagne ladies?" the waiter offered cheerfully.

Jules and Mylyn both took a glass of champagne. Jules immediately began to drink the champagne as if she really needed a drink. Robin declined in her pregnant state.  The waiter began to walk off, when Jules with a mouthful of champagne, motioned for the waiter to stay. 

"Don't go anywhere. I'm just getting started," she said to the waiter as she gulped down her entire glass in seconds, and then grabbed another glass off of the waiter's tray.

"See, I'm having fun!" Jules said a little too convincingly.

She gulped down the second glass of champagne and grabbed a third.

"Don't you think you should slow down a little with the champagne?" Robin asked, concerned.

"Oh leave her alone. This is the first time that she's seen Lance in a year," Mylyn said, defending Jules.

"Who's Lance?" the waiter asked, joining in as if he was a part of the conversation.

"Lance is the lying, cheating, sonofabitch that Jules was engaged to," Mylyn explained.

"Yeah, until she caught him in bed with their wedding planner, Linda," Robin added.

"Damn! That's rough," the waiter said. "Here, have another glass of champagne on me," he said to Jules compassionately.

"And if that wasn't bad enough, Lance went and married that skank a few months after Jules kicked him to the curb," Mylyn explained to the waiter.

"Ouch! He sounds like a real piece of work!" the waiter said shaking his head.

"Excuse me! Can y'all stop talking about me like I'm not here? We're supposed to be having fun, remember? Now stop gossiping about me and let's go get our grooves on!" Jules said tipsy now. She was loosening up and starting to feel no pain.

"Well, good luck miss. I hope it all works out for you," said the waiter, and he walked back to the kitchen with a now empty tray.

Jules and her girlfriends walked through the reception in the huge ballroom, when Jules spotted Lance and Linda dancing on the dance floor. 

"Well look who’s here! There's Mr. Faithful and his blushing bride right over there,” said a drunken Jules. “I think I'll go say hello," Jules handed her empty glass of champagne to a...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 28.9.2017
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Romane / Erzählungen
• ISBN-10: 0-00-058376-6 / 0000583766
• ISBN-13: 978-0-00-058376-5 / 9780000583765