“I’m here to pick up the tuxedos for the Eldridge wedding,” I said. “There are supposed to be five of them, plus two suits for the dads.”
She smiled. “Sure thing. I’ve got them ready for you. Just give me a minute.”
Sliding off the stool she’d been sitting on, she disappeared into the back and returned with hands full of hangers. The clothes were covered in clear plastic, and she was carrying them high to keep them off the floor, which allowed me to see them in all their glory.
My eyes nearly bugged right out of my head, and I did a double-take as I took in the powder-blue tuxedos with their big collars and ruffles down the front.What the actual fuck is that? Because it’s not a fucking tuxedo.
On the other side, she was carrying what I assumed were their fathers’ suits, but they weren’t normal either. They were brown and orange, also had ruffles, and in general, were as much of an insult to a suit as the supposed tuxes were to tuxedos.
“Are you sure those are the right ones?” I asked once I managed to pick my jaw up off the floor and un-scrunch my entire face. “I was told to collect these for a wedding, and I’m not sure the bride and groom would’ve chosen that.”
She glanced at the outfits, then looked back at me with a bright smile. “These are the ones. The bride is Anna, right? I’ve been corresponding with her myself. We selected these together. Cool, aren’t they?”
“Oh, uh, yeah.” I cleared my throat. “Sure. Thank you.”
Jesus. Those are awful. We’re going to look like old-school pimps. All the way to the hotel, I tried picturing a world in which the Colt I knew would choose a tux like that to get married in. His had white detailing on it as well, but that somehow only just made it worse. While I knew he hadn’t spent his life dreaming about his wedding dress, I couldn’t imagine anyone wanting those monstrosities in pictures they’d be having on their walls from now until forever.
People even put wedding pictures in slideshows at funerals. These things are literally going to haunt him even after he’s dead. And haunt him, they would.Because fuck. No one is going to let him live this down.
The hotel wasn’t far from the store, and when I got there, my jaw dropped again. It was one of the oldest, tackiest hotels I’d ever seen. A total tourist trap where kitsch reigned supreme and retro-gone-wrong was the order of the day.
I didn’t even bother checking in, breezing right past the front desk with the so-called suits in my hands as I headed for the room Colt had said he’d be staying in. Tracking him down was vital because there had to be a mistake somewhere along the line.
Maybe this is all just a big practical joke. Yeah, that has to be it.
Once I arrived at his door, I knocked and hoped like hell I’d caught him while he was here. When he opened, I shoved the suits out in front of me and marched into a room that was even worse than the rest of the hotel.
“Am I being pranked?” I asked, looking around the brightly hued walls and the terrible knickknacks that passed for décor around here. “I mean, I’m happy pretty much anywhere, wearing pretty much anything, but this is a joke, right?”
“It’s not.” He sighed and shut the door behind him. Then he dragged both hands through his dark hair and headed for a small sitting area where he took a seat on a velvet chaise. “I wish I could say it was, but this was all Anna’s idea.”
“Is there a worm living in her brain or something?” I dumped the tuxes on the bed and walked over to the window.At least the view is amazing.
The room had a stunning view of the falls, and that almost made it worth living in a place like this but not quite.
“There’s no brain worms,” he said.
“Then what the hell, man?” I turned to look at him over my shoulder.
He shrugged. “She wanted a kitschy wedding, which is why we’re here. It’s ironic, or meta, or whatever it is that stands for cool nowadays.”
Since it was obvious he wasn’t too pleased about it himself, I eased up on the place and focused on my friend instead. “Are you okay with all this?”
“As long as she’s happy, I’m happy,” he said, but his words had a hollow ring to them. “It’s her big day, right? The only thing the groom is really supposed to do is show up.”
I didn’t quite agree with the sentiment, but I didn’t argue my case that it was his big day as much as it was hers.And speaking of her…
“Where is Anna, anyway?” I looked around the room, noticing that it didn’t seem like any of her stuff was around. In fact, there were no traces of another person staying in the room at all. “Did she do the traditional thing and get her own suite for the nights before the wedding?”
He let out a soft breath, shaking his head. “She’s still in New York.”
“What?” It was out before I could stop it. “What is she still doing there? Didn’t you fly out yesterday?”
“Yep,” he said, playing it off. “She was running behind, so she stayed. She’ll be here tomorrow.”
My brows swept up, worry suddenly invading my gut. Colt was trying to pretend that it didn’t bother him, but I knew him better than that. He was stressed, and I couldn’t help but wonder if there was something wrong.
Because it feels like there is. It really, really feels like everything is just a little bit off with this wedding, and it’s only happening in two days’ time.