Read Online Two Weddings and a Fugitive (The Chanel Series Book 4) by Donna Joy Usher - Free Book Online

risks.’
    ‘Fine,’ she said in a huffy voice. ‘You can have the front next.’
    ‘I want it the next two times.’
    ‘That’s not fair. We need to take turns.’
    I swivelled to see him brandishing another ball at her.
    ‘Fine. Next two times. But then it’s my turn again.’
    ‘Deal.’ He put the ball back into a bag attached to the back of the front seat, spat in his hand and held it out to her.
    She spat in hers and shook.
    ‘There’s alcohol wipes in my bag. Not saying either of you need them,’ I said, ‘but you might want to partake of my offer before we eat lunch.’
     
    ***
     
    A few minutes later, I pulled the buggy into a spot in front of the hotel Matt and Tara were staying at. Before we had stopped completely, Nick jumped out of the buggy.
    ‘Oh boy.’ He scampered towards the entrance. ‘Bridesmaids.’
    Martine looked over at me. ‘When you said he was short, I didn’t realise you meant short .’
    ‘Really? My use of the words ‘dwarf’ and ‘little person’ didn’t clue you in?’
    ‘I thought you were exaggerating for my entertainment. What was Billy thinking?’ She climbed out of the buggy.
    ‘No idea.’
    ‘Were you exaggerating about his partner?’ We walked up the path to the hotel entry.
    ‘Sadly, no. Think Swimsuit Barbie meets Lawyer Barbie.’
    She giggled. ‘What do you care? He’s your brother, remember?’
    ‘O M G.’ I stared at her. I couldn’t believe I had forgotten to tell her.
    The door popped open and Nick stuck his head out and hollered, ‘Getting old in here.’
    ‘I suspect I may tire of his company,’ Martine said.
    ‘Martine.’ I tugged on her hand, pulling her down so her head was at my mouth height. ‘He’s not my brother,’ I whispered.
    ‘Now, now.’ She patted my hand. ‘I know it’s been a tough couple of months but you’re going to have to accept….’
    ‘Harry told me,’ I hissed. ‘Dick was Billy’s real father.’
    She stared at me with her mouth wide open. ‘So…you and he can.’ She banged her fists together a couple of times.
    I shrugged my shoulders. ‘I don’t know what that means.’
    ‘You two can finish your sex talk later,’ Nick yelled.
    ‘Oh.’ Still holding her hand, I pulled her up the path with me. ‘He doesn’t know. Harry is going to tell him, but he wants to have a family holiday first.’
    ‘He’s worried how he’ll take it?’
    I nodded. We were within Nick’s hearing now and I felt it prudent to stop talking. Goodness knows what he would do with information like that.
    ‘First floor,’ Nick said. ‘This way.’ He led us down the hotel hall, past the reception and up a flight of stairs. He stopped in front of a conference room door. ‘Babcock and King’ was written on the door.
    I smoothed down my dress and tidied my hair. ‘It’s show time,’ I said as I lifted a hand and pushed open the door.
    The room had been turned into a makeshift dressmaker’s. A tall sophisticated-looking woman who appeared to be in her early forties stood in the middle of the room. An azure dress clung to the sweeps of her athletic frame. I admired the feathery cut of her chin-length, blonde hair.
    Another woman, with pins sticking out from between her teeth, squatted in front of her tucking up the hem of the dress.
    I let out an inaudible sigh of relief. I’d been worried the dress would be awful. Instead, the strapless bodice tucked into the waist and then the skirt, overlaid with lace the same colour, fell to the floor. The main material was slashed at an angle from the knee so that one calf was visible through the lace.
    I took all of that in, in the first second, then I moved on to the rest of the room. Some seats had been gathered into a half-circle and a group of women were watching the dress alterations.
    When I stepped into the room, one of them stood up and walked towards me. Her long, dark hair was pulled back in a messy pony-tail and she wore cargo pants, a tank top and thongs. Her pretty