How to Lose a Groom in 10 Days by Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock
Authors: Catherine Mann and Joanne Rock
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Chapter One
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B uying a wedding dress off the clearance rack twenty-four hours before the Big Day had not been Melanie Webb’s brightest idea ever.
A size too small, the fabric had cinched her breasts even before she began hyperventilating from the growing fear that she’d made a huge mistake with her impulsive courthouse elopement. An elopement she never thought the groom would really follow through on.
Now, as the Orange County, Florida judge pronounced Melanie a married woman, the tea-length bridal gown worked like a Chinese finger trap. With a ruffle at the hem. The more she tried to drag air into her lungs, the tighter the dress became. The ruffle teased her legs with hints of freedom, of breaking free. If she didn’t get out of the tiny courthouse “Wedding Room” soon, she’d die of tulle-related asphyxiation.
Or the suffocating guilt of hurting a truly terrific guy. Whichever came first.
“Congratulations,” the craggy-faced judge monotoned with a lack of enthusiasm that suggested he’d officiated too many marriage ceremonies to give a damn anymore. He shoved a signed license across the desk. “Don’t forget your paperwork.”
The Certificate of Marriage came without fanfare. He’d allocated them all of two point five seconds for a “you may kiss the bride” moment, which really was okay since a romantic swoop into her new husband’s arms would have been awkward given the line of people waiting impatiently to tend to whatever court business they had – some looking decidedly sketchy considering this was supposed to be their wedding day.
Were they really married? Had she even said “I do”? She’d been shaking so hard she didn’t remember. She barely recalled that two point five second peck on the lips. Surely a wedding deserved more. A memory to store of kissing her mouthwatering six-foot-three second baseman for the Atlanta Stars who stood beside her. She’d never shared a kiss with Grady Hollis that hadn’t been vividly memorable.
He grinned down at her now, unaware of her sudden panic attack or her dress woes. He’d offered to go all out and buy the bridal attire when they’d decided to tie the knot three days ago, but three days ago she still believed they wouldn’t really wind up here. She’d been certain he’d get on a plane with his team to start the regular season and they’d both move on.
But since she’d been the fun, party girl for the past ten weeks, she hadn’t wanted to be the one to blink first in the game of elopement chicken. So she’d bought the dress on her own, after telling him she didn’t want to start their marriage as a baseball groupie cliché, cashing in on Grady’s high paying career even though she worked multiple jobs to make ends meet.
The jack-of-all-trades existence she’d led since high school had been her choice. This marriage, however? She would have never chosen to marry a guy who hadn’t mapped out a future—a guy so content to live in the moment she had no earthly idea what happened next.
“Guess we’re official.” Grady’s brown eyes held the same mix of devilry and challenge that had turned her inside out two and a half months ago when they’d first met. One of those attraction at first sight moments, the kind a girl fantasized about. But for her, it had seemed real, that night he’d charmed her and a room full of kids with some sleight of hand tricks at a family mixer that kicked off his team’s spring training.
She’d pulled childcare duty through an event services company because of her CPR certification. And although seasonal work in a Florida ballpark was nothing new to Melanie, Queen of Temp Jobs to supplement working in her father’s restaurant, caring for the ten-and-under demographic had been completely out of her league. She’d thought Grady was a nice dad who took pity on her when he’d organized an impromptu ball game with the rowdy Stars’ offspring, but—amazingly—he’d been a major league player,
‡
B uying a wedding dress off the clearance rack twenty-four hours before the Big Day had not been Melanie Webb’s brightest idea ever.
A size too small, the fabric had cinched her breasts even before she began hyperventilating from the growing fear that she’d made a huge mistake with her impulsive courthouse elopement. An elopement she never thought the groom would really follow through on.
Now, as the Orange County, Florida judge pronounced Melanie a married woman, the tea-length bridal gown worked like a Chinese finger trap. With a ruffle at the hem. The more she tried to drag air into her lungs, the tighter the dress became. The ruffle teased her legs with hints of freedom, of breaking free. If she didn’t get out of the tiny courthouse “Wedding Room” soon, she’d die of tulle-related asphyxiation.
Or the suffocating guilt of hurting a truly terrific guy. Whichever came first.
“Congratulations,” the craggy-faced judge monotoned with a lack of enthusiasm that suggested he’d officiated too many marriage ceremonies to give a damn anymore. He shoved a signed license across the desk. “Don’t forget your paperwork.”
The Certificate of Marriage came without fanfare. He’d allocated them all of two point five seconds for a “you may kiss the bride” moment, which really was okay since a romantic swoop into her new husband’s arms would have been awkward given the line of people waiting impatiently to tend to whatever court business they had – some looking decidedly sketchy considering this was supposed to be their wedding day.
Were they really married? Had she even said “I do”? She’d been shaking so hard she didn’t remember. She barely recalled that two point five second peck on the lips. Surely a wedding deserved more. A memory to store of kissing her mouthwatering six-foot-three second baseman for the Atlanta Stars who stood beside her. She’d never shared a kiss with Grady Hollis that hadn’t been vividly memorable.
He grinned down at her now, unaware of her sudden panic attack or her dress woes. He’d offered to go all out and buy the bridal attire when they’d decided to tie the knot three days ago, but three days ago she still believed they wouldn’t really wind up here. She’d been certain he’d get on a plane with his team to start the regular season and they’d both move on.
But since she’d been the fun, party girl for the past ten weeks, she hadn’t wanted to be the one to blink first in the game of elopement chicken. So she’d bought the dress on her own, after telling him she didn’t want to start their marriage as a baseball groupie cliché, cashing in on Grady’s high paying career even though she worked multiple jobs to make ends meet.
The jack-of-all-trades existence she’d led since high school had been her choice. This marriage, however? She would have never chosen to marry a guy who hadn’t mapped out a future—a guy so content to live in the moment she had no earthly idea what happened next.
“Guess we’re official.” Grady’s brown eyes held the same mix of devilry and challenge that had turned her inside out two and a half months ago when they’d first met. One of those attraction at first sight moments, the kind a girl fantasized about. But for her, it had seemed real, that night he’d charmed her and a room full of kids with some sleight of hand tricks at a family mixer that kicked off his team’s spring training.
She’d pulled childcare duty through an event services company because of her CPR certification. And although seasonal work in a Florida ballpark was nothing new to Melanie, Queen of Temp Jobs to supplement working in her father’s restaurant, caring for the ten-and-under demographic had been completely out of her league. She’d thought Grady was a nice dad who took pity on her when he’d organized an impromptu ball game with the rowdy Stars’ offspring, but—amazingly—he’d been a major league player,
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