Wedding Survivor by Julia London Read Free Book Online

of the Lincoln and stepped in.
    Grinning so widely her cheeks hurt, Marnie watched the Lincoln disappear into traffic, and then whirled around and marched for the parking lot and her car, the melon on her shoulder now.
Marnie Banks. Wedding Planner to the Stars
!
     
    THEY did not call her the next day. Or the day after. By Friday, Marnie had lapsed into despair and had gone for a run to clear her head. And okay, to see if she could run the high school track at least twice.
    When she got home, feeling better about herself after making two circuits without passing out, Mom was sitting in the kitchen in her new embroidered capris and red Keds, talking on the phone.
    Marnie walked straight to the fridge, opened it, and took out a bottle of water.
    "Well, you can put them in a fruit salad, too," Mom was saying. "You just section them, get a nice sweet dressing, and mix it all up. It's a really good summer meal."
    Marnie started to leave the kitchen, but Mom gestured frantically at the phone. "Would you like to talk to Marnie? She just came in." Mom paused, and laughed, looking at Marnie. "Yes, she
does—a
little anyway. Nice talking to you, Eli," she said, and pulled the phone from her ear and thrust it at Marnie, who almost dropped her bottle of water, mortified that her mother had been talking to Eli about a fruit salad.
    She suppressed a squeal and snatched the phone from Mom's hand. "Hello?"
    "Hello… ah, Marnie. Good news. You can't climb a rope, and you can't run very far, but you check out. So… you wanna do this wedding?"
    "Yes!" she cried, and whirled around to her mother, who was, unfortunately, bent over, her head deep in the fridge. "Thank you! I'm thrilled, and I promise I'll do a great job for you. I have a lot of ideas—I was thinking that maybe we could attend a trade—"
    "Ah, Marnie," he said, quietly interrupting her. "I'd save it for Olivia if I were you. It's all lost on me. So listen, let's get together tomorrow and go over some ground rules. Then I'll take you to meet Olivia."
    Oh sweet Jesus, she was going to meet Olivia Dag-wood! "Great!" she chirped. Eli told her when and where to meet him and the very generous amount they thought to pay her; she silently danced around the kitchen, twirling around her mom, twirling right into the wall.
    "So remember," Eli said, wrapping it up, "this is all hush-hush. No talking to your girlfriends about it, okay? I'll meet you tomorrow at the Blue Bamboo. You know where that is?"
    "Yes, it's very close to my house, so I'll see you tomor-row around one!" she said, and clicked off the phone before tossing it onto the counter and turning to her mother, her arms wide open. "I got the job!" she shrieked.
    "I knew you would!" Mom sang confidently as she opened a can of tuna. "I knew the minute they saw you they'd want to hire you."
    "Mom
! I
am going to coordinate the wedding of
Vincent Vittorio
and
Olivia Dagwood. 1 "
    "I know! And I'm so excited for you! I told Linda you'd get the job."
    Mamie's smile faded. "You told Linda Farrino?"
    Mom clucked her tongue. "Of course I told Linda! She's my best friend!"
    "But Mom! No one is supposed to know! It's a huge secret!"
    "Yes, Marnie, I
know
," Mom said with a hint of exasperation. "I'm not some doddering old woman who doesn't remember what you tell me. I told Linda, but don't worry—she won't tell a soul."
    Marnie wasn't so sure of that, but it was too late to worry. Besides, she had a bigger problem. What would she
wear
?
    Really, what exactly
did
one wear to meet a huge international superstar? Olivia Dagwood would be dressed in something really fabulous, and Marnie… Well, one thing was certain; she was
not
wearing the skirt she'd gotten on sale at Dillard's. Maybe Mom would lend her some money to buy something new. And where would she
meet
Olivia? In her
house
? She could just see her and Olivia going through fashion books to decide what sort of gown—no,
wait
! Even better, they'd
go
to
Vera Wang's studio
and
Vera