crowded street. Despite the circumstances, she couldn’t help but congratulate herself. Her business was impressive. No one would guess the Bennings had redone the interior of Big Apple Brides themselves, the women painting while Joe carpeted the floors and built shelves that were now lined with wedding books.
The windows were her mother’s idea. On one, the words Big Apple Brides were painted in gold. Draped with satin swags, both glassed cases brimmed with wedding items: champagne glasses, a hope chest, garters and bouquets. A winged mannequin wore a gown of white feathers, a bed waited in invitation, and roses were strewn across the floor. The effect was pure fantasy, inviting couples to create their ultimate dreams. Not that the ambiance had done anything for Edie’s love life, of course. How could it, she thought with a sudden rush of pique, when a century-old curse ensured failure in the area of romance?
Pushing aside the thought, she stared at the corner of Hudson and Perry Streets. “The street’s especially busy now,” she continued. It was late January, but after-Christmas shoppers were still combing stores for sales.
“I’ll have a man check in with you once a day. Okay?”
Nodding, Edie glanced toward the bride, who was shooting Lorenzo a dazzling smile. Julia was beautiful. Taller than average and model-slender, she had brown eyes, a clear complexion and an unusually wide mouth. Despite being camera shy, her looks had made her a media darling. Lorenzo was no slouch, either. The pro hockey player could have body-doubled for Benicio Del Toro.
Months ago, the lives of the rich and famous had been the furthest thing from Edie’s mind; her main focus had been opening the wedding boutique and involving her family members. All the Bennings knew this was Edie’s way of counteracting the curse. Years ago, Edie had thought Granny Ginny was only being entertaining, of course, but as time wore on, Edie had never fallen in love, Marley had divorced, and their youngest sister, Bridget, had actually applied to the Guinness Book of World Records, hoping to be recognized for having survived the most bad dates in Manhattan.
Edie was sure that sending good wedding karma into the Universe by planning weddings would turn the tide for the Benning sisters, and so far, things seemed positive. Even if the chemistry wasn’t right, at least she’d gotten some dates with a real hunk, right? And while her relatives weren’t technically employees, they’d begun to offer their skills, which meant Edie now had talented, trustworthy subcontractors at her fingertips.
“At least you got a restraining order for Jimmy Delaney,” Emma was saying, addressing the next order of business.
Since the wedding announcement, Julia had become a magnet for paparazzi, and Jimmy Delaney was the most persistent photographer. Pete looked proud of himself. “Yeah.”
“Only photographers from Celebrity Weddings can cover the event,” reminded Emma. “We have the exclusive.”
“Delaney won’t get near the estate,” Pete assured.
“Lighten up!” Julia interjected with a laugh, breaking a kiss and pulling her gaze from Lorenzo with difficulty. “I thought this was supposed to be a wedding!”
Lorenzo leaned over, tugging the bill of a baseball cap Julia wore with old jeans and a sports-logo sweatshirt. She’d draped a Gore-Tex jacket around the back of her chair. His eyes never leaving hers, Lorenzo said, “Let’s start talking hearts and flowers. If I don’t marry this lady soon, I really will die.” Crossing a finger over his heart, he shot everyone a lovesick expression.
Edie smiled. “You’re in luck, Lorenzo. I brought more tapes for review. And about the ring.” She slid drawings toward the couple. “We’re hoping you’ll approve….”
“You need to decide,” urged Emma. “Our next article appears soon, and while readers have loved sharing the pressures of a rushed celebrity wedding, they want to see results.”
“The wedding’s going to be amazing,” assured Julia.
Not if she didn’t choose the music, thought Edie uneasily. And the ring. On so many other points, Julia had been amiable. The cake she’d approved was a design Edie had initially conjured for her own fantasy wedding. The traditional gown was perfect, and the pink roses twined with lavender glass beads. Edie just wished the wedding wasn’t in April. The wedding and reception were at the estate, and Edie didn’t know what to expect—a blizzard or spring rain.
Julia gasped. “Look, Lozo.” Lozo was her pet name for Lorenzo.
Unbidden, Edie’s heart pulled. These two were so in love that they’d marry happily with no ceremony, much less a ring. Lorenzo had proposed with a pop-can lid, now silver-plated and hanging from a chain around Julia’s neck. It would be on Julia’s finger if Sparky hadn’t insisted that his daughter have a diamond.
Edie still couldn’t understand why Julia had rejected the first designs. While Big Apple Brides really wasn’t officially a family business, Edie’s relatives were helping with the Darden wedding, a trend Edie hoped would continue since she was picking up clients daily, and she really appreciated how Bridget had gone the distance.
Working around her hours as a clerk at Tiffany’s, Bridget, the youngest sister, had put her heart and soul into the ring design, and the initial offering had wowed even Marley, which was saying something. Sure that Julia would be impressed, Bridget had commissioned a model made of cubic zirconia, but Julia had rejected it, after all, and now Bridget was wearing the ring, which was sort of pathetic, Edie decided. Just as determined as Edie to counteract the wedding curse, it was as if Bridget had placed an engagement ring on her own finger….
“This is it,” Julia announced.
The ring wasn’t as beautiful as Bridget’s first design in Edie’s opinion, but it was impressive, as was Lorenzo’s band. “The diamonds will be of the best quality,” Edie assured. “Set at Tiffany’s.”
Julia flashed a grin. “Great!”
“Oh,” cut in Emma. “Before I forget. Since you’re going on Rate the Dates after this meeting, Edie, I want Celebrity Wedding’s photographers to meet you at the studio. Okay?”
Edie wondered what to say. Just days after she’d been hired by the Dardens, Celebrity Weddings had phoned, asking for exclusive rights to cover the wedding. In turn, Edie had broached the subject with the Dardens, feeling sure they’d decline, only to find that Sparky was ecstatic. Despite Julia’s camera-shyness, he wanted her to have the documentation of her special day forever. Well and good. But one thing had led to another, and Celebrity Weddings—which had been a bit pushy—wanted Edie and Cash, a man she’d only casually dated, to appear on a nationally televised reality show called Rate the Dates.
“Just audition, Edie,” Emma had urged at the time. “It’s a promotional thing and you can always cancel. Since it’s a weekly show and airs live, they have alternates waiting in the wings.”
On the show, newly acquainted couples were videotaped during dream dates in Manhattan while a studio audience and two-person judging panel rated their likelihood of sharing a future. So the audience could see how well it had judged, each show included a segment called “Where Are They Today?” By generating interest in Edie’s love life, Celebrity Weddings hoped to boost circulation for the issues covering Julia and Lorenzo, and when the idea was initially broached, Edie decided to do it, since she might get new clients.
But then she’d come to her senses. After all, the Benning sisters were affected by a wedding curse, something proven by their lifelong histories of bad dates, which meant Edie’s
