Bri, the sister, was big and brutish, too hard to get my arms around. But she was well-dressed and expensively dressed like her mother. I gave her a light hug with a hard slap on the back. Despite the plastered smile, her face was disdainful. These Beake women were exuding hate vibes. I could see why they intimidated Rosalee.

Lucky for me, I don’t get shaken so easily.

Next, I turned to Georgia. “Ummm… I’m so sorry. It’s early and I haven’t had my coffee. Joanna, right?”

“Georgia,” Elizabeth snapped before Georgia could even answer.

“Georgia, Georgia…!” I belted out the words to that timeless Ray Charles song, startling a few huffy travelers passing by. “I bet you hear that all the time, right?” I teased.

When Georgia smiled, it was like her whole face smiled with her. Her eyes were pale green, her face dewy and smooth as a skincare commercial, her lips soft and small like a perfect rose bud. Even though I hated to admit it, this one exuded sweetness.

“Oh, you wouldn’t believe how often people start singing my name! When I was younger, I found it annoying, but now it’s kind of endearing. It is a good song, after all. They could always sing something worse, I guess,” Georgia said.

“Right. Like, ‘Jolene, Jolene, Jolene…” I belted, clapping out the beat on my thigh with one hand.

If Georgia caught my drift, she didn’t show it. Instead, she said, “Well, it’s awfully nice to meet Rosalee’s best friend. Finally! Asher’s told me so much about you.”

Asher, huh?

“Hopefully, only the good things,” I said, turning toward my best friend. Why was Georgia talking to Asher about me? Sure, I’d spent some time with Rosalee’s fiancé, but it wasn’t like he knew me all that well either…

“Come here, you.” I took my best friend in my arms, squeezing and tugging until I’d lifted her off her feet. “Wait. What the hell is this? Did they order a kid’s size by accident?” I let her go and tugged on that disastrous bridal party shirt. Bri had insisted on being in charge of the shirts. But I knew this would happen. Luckily, I’d come prepared.

“Oh, it’s not so bad. It’s cute, just a little tight…” Rosalee tugged at the waist, trying to stretch the material out around her stomach.

“Oh, now you’re just being nice! It’s definitely too small and looks cheaply made, too. I guess it could be worse. At least they didn’t accidentally pick up a maternity size!” I let out a loud, raucous chuckle, then turned to lock eyes with Elizabeth. Yes, of course my best friend told me about the maternity debacle at Christmas. And yes, I predicted that you and your daughter wouldn’t do a respectable job with the shirts today, either…