Deadly Ever After (Hardy Brothers Security Book 6) by Lily Harper Hart Page B

just leave.”
    “Then what do you do?”
    “There’s champagne and shopping,” Ally said. “There’s a lot of talk about hopes and dreams. It’s very girly.”
    James rolled his eyes.
    “If Jake is standing outside, he’s going to be bored,” Ally said.
    “I won’t be bored,” Jake argued. “I’ll take a stack of files. I’ll be fine.”
    Ally was exasperated. “It will make us rush if we know he’s outside.”
    James searched Mandy’s face. She was trying to be stoic, but he could read the truth behind her heavy-lidded eyes. “Okay,” he said. “Go.”
    Mandy took an involuntary step back. “Really?”
    “Just … please … text me every twenty minutes or so,” James said. “I’ll be a bundle of nerves if you don’t.”
    Mandy smiled, shuffling forward and dropping a kiss on his cheek. “Thank you.”
    James grabbed the front of her shirt, pulling her in close for a proper kiss. “Be really careful, baby.”
    “I will.”
    “I mean really careful.”
    “I will.”
    James let go of her shirt. “Have fun.”
    “We will,” Ally said, getting to her feet. She gave Jake a smoldering kiss.
    “If you get too drunk, call us for a ride,” James ordered. “The dress should be covered for the ride home, right?”
    “Right,” Ally said, snapping her heels together and saluting.
    James rolled his eyes. “You drive me crazy.”
    Ally dropped a quick kiss on the top of James’ head before moving through the open doorway. “You did the right thing.”
    “If something happens to her, I’m blaming you,” James replied.
    “Nothing will happen to her.”
    “It had better not.”
    “She’s going to look beautiful,” Ally said, her face beaming and her eyes dreamy.
    James sighed. “That’s why I’m letting you all go. Have a good time.”
    “We definitely will.”

Twelve
    “I’ve never seen a more beautiful bride,” Ally said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye.
    Mandy was standing on the raised step in front of the mirrors, staring at her reflection with uncertain eyes. “I don’t know.”
    “Oh, don’t,” Emma said. “You look amazing.”
    Mandy glanced at Sophie for confirmation. If anyone was going to keep their feet firmly planted on the floor, it was the pragmatic reporter.
    “You look amazing,” Sophie confirmed, placing her glass of champagne on the small table next to the couch and moving up next to Mandy. “This dress is … you.”
    Mandy smoothed down the front of the dress. It was simple. Classic. Some might even call it plain. The minute she’d seen it, Mandy had been drawn in. It called to her from the mannequin. Every dress Ally had tried to point her toward had felt wrong. She kept returning to this dress, finally causing Ally to acquiesce and let her try it on. The second Ally saw her in it, she’d surrendered.
    The skirt was long and flared at the hips. The slit in the leg was high, but not too high to be immodest. The bodice was tight and fitted, small flowers were embroidered in a wide pattern across the blush-colored fabric, and the straps were thin but not distracting.
    “It’s not white,” Emma said. “The color is just amazing. It fits your complexion.”
    Ally got to her feet, moving behind Mandy and lifting her blonde tresses off her shoulders. “What are we going to do with your hair?”
    “I think the dress is incomplete without a veil,” the sales clerk said.
    Ally narrowed her eyes, regarding the dress as if she was a designer and not a customer. “No,” she said, shaking her head. “A veil will distract from her face.”
    “A veil will add to the ensemble.”
    “She doesn’t want a veil,” Ally said. “Stop with the veil.”
    The clerk shot Ally a disapproving look. “I’ve been doing this for twenty years.”
    “This is a unique wedding,” Ally countered. “It calls for a unique look.”
    “Well, if she doesn’t want a veil, what about a tiara?” The clerk wasn’t giving up.
    Ally made a face. “Are you trying to