One Bride Too Many: One Bride Too Many / One Groom To Go

“Jillian, hello.” Tess smiled automatically as she did with any customer. “Can I help you with something?”

“I hope so. I’m so excited! My sister is having twins, two girls if the doctor is right. Naturally I need something special for her baby shower.”

Jillian Davis was in kickboxing class with Tess and was so good she could easily have been the instructor, except she already had a supergood job as a bank loan officer. She was one of those adorable women who made other women feel as if they had spinach stuck in their teeth and a run in their panty hose. In her spare time, Jillian volunteered for community causes and usually ended up as chairperson.

“We have some darling stretch jammies, almost like aerobics outfits for infants,” Tess suggested.

“No, something more feminine, I think. By the way, I’ve almost decided to drop kickboxing.” Jillian gave a cursory glance at the outfits Tess pointed out. “I’m absolutely fascinated by yoga. It enriches the total person, and the yoga academy looks like a wonderful place to meet Mr. Right.”

When Jillian started moaning about how difficult it was to meet the perfect man, it usually meant she’d had a bad date the night before.

“How about quilts? I have a really good sale on them today.”

Jillian took a quick look at the cutesy cows and shook her head.

Darn, thought Tess, all those attributes and good taste, too. Did the woman have no flaws?

She looked up to offer another suggestion and saw Cole striding through the mall entrance to the store. Someone could make a fortune by devising a calendar with no Mondays if they were all as bad as they were today.

He was wearing jeans so threadbare she was afraid to look closely for fear of learning the color of his underwear. His ensemble included dusty tan work boots and a faded blue T-shirt with a Detroit Lions football logo. Jillian perked up so much she looked two inches taller and a shade blonder.

“Hi, Tess,” Cole said offhandedly, eyeballing Jillian with slightly narrowed eyes. “Don’t let me interrupt with a customer.”

“Oh, I’m a friend of Tess’s, not a customer.” Jillian was quick with the smile.

Wrong on the first count, Tess thought, ready to write off any sale she might have made to her non friend.

“Nice to meet you.” Cole was quick with the handshake.

They both had good people-meeting skills—glad hands, big smiles, eye contact.

“I’m Jillian Davis.”

“Cole Bailey.” Still pressing her hand.

“Actually I’m a customer today, too. I need two baby gifts because my sister is expecting twins.”

“No kidding? I’m a twin myself.”

“What a good omen! I’m sure to find perfect gifts here.”

“Looks like Tess has anything you might want for babies. What’s this?” He picked up a Kozy Kountry crib sheet. “Cows. Cute.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Jillian looked at them again. “Look at all the things that match it—a quilt, a bib, even a wall hanging! I couldn’t be more excited about twins if I were having them myself. Of course, I’m not married…not even involved with anyone right now.”

“Hey, you’re in luck,” Cole said. “Tess only has a few quilts left, and they’re marked way down.”

One word from Cole, and Jillian was grabbing up cows without even checking the prices.

“I think this will do it,” she said a little breathlessly. “I can just see the little darlings cuddling up with these adorable cows.”

Jillian wiggled her shoulders under a champagne silk blouse that matched her skimpy skirt, and it occurred to Tess that banks were open by now.

“I’ll write them up fast,” she promised. “You must be expected at work.”

“Oh, my boss is so understanding,” Jillian assured her. “The shower is tonight, and this is absolutely the only time I have to shop today.”

Cole caught Tess’s eye as Jillian carried her selections to the counter.

“Her?” He mouthed the question.

“No way.” She spoke in haste, then wondered if this could be a way out for her. It would almost certainly save one or more of her friends from the pain of being dumped by a Bailey.

“Her!” he said in an emphatic whisper, nodding.

Convenient or not, Tess didn’t like it. If he could come into a baby store and find a woman he wanted to date, why bother involving her at all?

He chatted up Jillian while Tess tallied the purchases. She should have been delighted to get rid of the cows, but the inane conversation at the counter was so distracting she had to check the total twice.

“Actually, I came here today because Tess promised to do me a small favor,” Cole said.

“What’s that?” Jillian’s tone questioned whether there could possibly be anything a hunk like Cole needed from a drab shop girl like Tess. Or maybe Tess only wanted her to have nasty thoughts. Perfect people should have noble, uplifting thoughts. If Jillian’s were unpleasant, then she didn’t qualify as perfect.

“She promised to fix me up for Friday.”

Jillian’s jaw dropped. She recovered quickly, but Tess had seen what she’d seen.

“I thought you said Saturday.” She didn’t want any part of this pickup.

“Change of plans. You will vouch for me, won’t you?” he asked.

“I vouch,” she said, disgruntled by how pointless it had been to worry about finding him a date.

“I didn’t know Tess had such a beautiful friend.” Cole focused those dark smoky gray eyes on Jillian’s pert little face. She giggled.

“Do you want a date Friday?” Tess asked Jillian.

“Well, I don’t know. I never accept blind dates, but I have seen you, haven’t I? And Tess vouches for you.”

Whatever that meant, Tess groused to herself.

“I had in mind a late dinner, maybe pick you up at eight,” Cole suggested.

“That would be very nice.”

Tess had to give her credit for not showing too much eagerness. Jillian scooped up two big plastic bags and power walked to the exit, feet perfectly straight so there was no suggestion of a duckwalk. In a fair world, she would at least have had thick ankles or saddlebags on her hips

“I guess you’re not here to buy a baby gift,” she said to Cole when they were alone. “Jillian is probably planning to have a set of twins with you as the daddy after that come-on.”