Knots_Jinx and Wyatt's Wedding Read online

  “Aiko, I–”

  “No, no. I love you.” Aiko lifted their hands to her face and pressed her sister’s hand to her cheek. “I love you more than anything,” she said fiercely. “But you know things are hard for me sometimes, relating to people is hard. So sometimes, when I’m less than my best, I’ve taken a small pleasure in your dramas.” Aiko kissed her sister’s hand, a single tear dropped from her cheek. “But when all that shit happened, with Mitchell, when he–”

  “The asshole ex-boyfriend that proposed to you instead of Jun?” Wyatt interjected, the memory of that story lacing his tone with anger.

  “Yes.” Aiko nodded. “When that happened I didn’t find it fun anymore. I just, I didn’t feel any sense of triumph or superiority. I just felt…horror. Because it was all my fault.”

  “Why?” Jinx said. “Why do you think it was your fault?”

  “Because you bought into this idea of being jinxed. You believed it, almost expected it. Maybe if you didn’t, you would’ve seen that fucking tool for what he was sooner. But because of me, you thought it was fated or something. You never should’ve gone through that. That shit was fucked up.”

  Jinx nodded, pulled their hands to her lips and kissed Aiko’s knuckles. “What happened with Mitchell wasn’t your fault.”

  “Whatever,” Aiko said feebly.

  “And it wasn’t my fault either. I know that. I’ve known that for a long while.”

  “Then why do you still think of yourself as unlucky?”

  “Um…I don’t.” Jinx said flatly.

  “You don’t?” Aiko said, scowling. “What about all this? Literally everything you planned for the wedding fell apart this week!”

  “Yeah but look at all the good I’ve got going,” Jinx said, wiping her eyes. “A job I love, two successful clubs under my belt, kind and generous friends–”

  “An amazing fiancé’,” Wyatt interjected, and both women laughed.

  “Yeah,” Aiko said. “And, not to mention, you’re really, really good looking.”

  Jinx grinned and punched her sister softly in the arm. “Yeah well, you should see my sister, she’s the prettier one.”

  “Seriously sis,” Aiko said, frowning. “It was a teenage joke that kind of went on too long, and it went on too long because it made me feel good. And that’s gross. You’re not a jinx, you’re my best friend, and I love you.”

  “I love you too Aik,” Jinx said. “And thank you for the heartfelt speech, but I never felt bad about the nickname, I always thought it was cool, and it looked good on a business card.”

  Aiko sighed. “I’m gonna kill Dad.”

  “After I kill you first,” said Jinx. “You still kept all this wedding disaster stuff a secret and I don’t appreciate it one bit.”

  Wyatt pulled both women into his big embrace and kissed each of them on the top of the head in turn. “Kiddo here thought we could fix it and surprise you. Her weird idea of a wedding gift or something.”

  “Weird and insane.” Jinx scowled at her sister. “Have we even met? How can you imagine I’d want you to do this for me?”

  “Alright! Point taken.” Aiko stood and held out her hand. “Come back inside, have some dinner and some more wine. See what we’ve been working on. We’ve already got a few ideas.”

  “Whatever it is, it’s going to cost a hell of a lot of money,” Jinx said grimacing.

  “Hell yeah,” said Aiko. “But don’t worry about that, Jack’s footing the bill.”

  “Oh, I don’t know–” Jinx began to protest, but Wyatt cut her off.

  “Babe,” he said with a shrug. “It’s just money. He’ll make more.”

  Chicken and coleslaw, fresh corn on the cob, plenty of good wine, and Mama Mimi’s homemade apple pie for dessert. It wasn’t big city dining, but as far as Jinx was concerned, it was five stars. Good food, great friends, watching her parents have a good time with Wyatt and his Mom, and she was already feeling a little better. After dessert, Aiko broke out her iPad, and went over her plans for saving the wedding festivities.

  “Aiko, you’ve thought of everything.” Jinx leaned back in her chair and played with the stem of her wine glass thoughtfully. “I’m impressed,” she said, smiling warmly at her sister, who sat across from her at Bryce’s enormous dining table. “And grateful. Really. Thank you.”

  “Aw, don’t go getting all sappy now,” Aiko said, grinning. “I only did the leg work. Jack’s the one greasing palms. He’s the real miracle worker.”

  “It’s just money,” Jack said, shrugging. “I’ll make more.”

  Wyatt pointed at him and wagged his finger. “See! What’d I tell ya?”

  “Still,” Jinx said, turning to her boss. “Thanks to you too.”

  “Darling,” Jack said, raising his wineglass. “After what I put you through, and how admirably you handled all of the challenges at both Glow and Lux, it’s truly the least I can do.”

  Jinx smiled, and raised her glass in acknowledgement.

  “And maybe don’t thank him yet,” said Wyatt. “This is going to take a ton of work too, on all our parts.”

  “Yes,” Mr. Yoshida said, raising his glass. “Let us have a toast. To hard work made easier with good friends and family. To happy unions.” His gaze flickered to Jinx and Wyatt. “And to good luck.” He smiled, clinked glasses with his wife, and everyone around the table followed his lead. “Lots of luck,” he said again. “Because statistically speaking you’re going to need it…a wedding in less than a week, I don’t know–”

  “Dad!” Jinx and Aiko complained in unison, and Mrs. Yoshida took the glass of wine from her husband’s hands and set it on the table with a frown.

  “But I just meant–” he began and she shook her head.

  “Just stop talking.”

  “Yes dear.”

  Crazy day. Faking kidney stones takes a hell of a lot out of a guy. Not to mention covert wedding planning. He was super glad it wasn’t covert anymore, and he was very much looking forward to getting horizontal with his woman, asap. But after dinner, Aiko, Jinx, and the Moms began poring over wedding details again and chattering away.

  Jack paced and grumbled into his phone. Bryce disappeared to write somewhere and Malcolm was nowhere to be found. Mr. Yoshida was banished to his guest room for being negative one time too many times, and as the evening dragged on Wyatt decided he wasn’t going to be any good to anyone if he didn’t get some sleep. Besides, the dogs had been hanging out by themselves in the guest room for a few hours, so he figured they would welcome some company.

  And they did, jumping and slobbering all over him the minute he walked in. The guest room had French doors that led off to a small walled garden, and Wyatt was glad to see the dogs had made use of the space, sparing Bryce’s hardwood in favor of pooping in petunias. Although he doubted Bryce wanted them pooping anywhere, really. He made a mental note to clean up after them in the morning, or at the very least, kick the evidence further under the foliage.

  Wyatt got dressed, brushed his teeth, rolled around on the floor for a bit with the dogs, and reached for his phone so he could text his woman and beg her to come to bed. That’s when he noticed her suitcase, the one he’d placed in the room earlier, was missing. What the hell–

  Wyatt: No suitcase, no fiancée. I’m guessing you’re still pissed at me.

  His phone rang, a video call. Wyatt answered and Jinx’s face appeared on screen, freshly scrubbed of makeup, her hair in a messy bun on the top of her head.

  “No cowboy,” she said. “I’m not still pissed, I reached unmad sometime during dinner.” She grinned.

  “Well you could’ve fooled me, where are you?”

  The video panned and Wyatt saw Aiko, Mrs. Yoshida and his Mom waving from a large over-pillowed bed.

  “Girls night,” Jinx said, turning the camera back to herself. “We’re bonding.”

  “Okay,” he said, trying not to pout. “But can’t you do that and then come back here?”

  “Nope!”
Jinx said a little too cheerily. “In fact, I’ll be here until the wedding night. You and I won’t be sharing a bed again until we’re man and wife.”

  “The hell?” he said.

  “It’s romantic!” Mama Mimi shouted in the background.

  “It’s not romantic!” Wyatt protested. “It’s stupid and lonely and cold!”

  “Cuddle with the dogs,” Jinx said, her eyebrows knit with false concern. “They’ll keep you warm.”

  “It’s not!…it’s not the same,” he grumbled. “Alright fine.”

  “Goodnight Wyatt,” Jinx said sweetly. “Hope you don’t get any more kidney stones.”

  The screen went dark, and Wyatt looked at the dogs. They’d circled around him during the call, a gesture of male solidarity.

  “We’ll have our own slumber party,” Wyatt said. “A manly one. A SEAL and his best mates.”

  Inky yawned in reply, a high pitched squeak that ended with a lot of lip smacking. Blinky circled three times in place and then sat down, head on paws, eyebrows wiggling nervously. Pinky just sat there, smiled up at Wyatt, and did little hops like he wasn’t sure what was going on right now, but whatever it was, he was ready. Clyde whined and backed up, wheels squeaking loudly. He stopped, tilted his head and got a funny look on his face.

  Pppppppttttt.

  “Jesus!” Wyatt waved a hand in front of his nose. “Out Clyde!” He pointed out the french doors to the garden. “Take that stench outside, you monster. Good lord.”

  Clyde whimpered and circled wide, turning towards the garden.

  Poot. Squeak. Whimper.

  It was going to be a long and stinky night.

  Chapter Four

  The Dress

  “Is it supposed to look like they sewed it with a woodchipper?” Wyatt scrubbed a hand along his jaw and looked at Jinx.

  “Shut up,” she said. “You’re not helping.”

  “No, wait,” Wyatt shook his head. “Mom, it looks like those curtains you had.”

  “Oh yes!” Mama Mimi threw a hand over her mouth and giggled. “The ones in the sitting room, when that squirrel got in the house and Rufus chased it up the drapes and the whole thing clattered to the–”

  “Okay I get it!” Jinx threw her hands in the air. “I mean, you guys do know I didn’t choose this dress right? The boutique ordered the wrong damn–”

  Whoomp. Whoomp. Whoomp.

  “That’s Jack!” Aiko shouted excitedly. “Come on! This should be good.”

  “Why should this be good?” Wyatt asked as Aiko led the way out of the room and down a hall toward the helipad out back.

  “Because,” Jinx replied. “He said he could get the dress fixed, arguably the most difficult part of this whole endeavor.”

  “What’s he gonna do?” Wyatt said, wrinkling his brow. “I can’t even….” He shook his head and followed the women outside to greet the copter. “Seriously? He asked for the dress job?”

  “Ladies!” Jack shouted at them over the sound of the propellers winding down. “You’ll be happy to know I’ve brought you the top wedding gown designer in the entire world!”

  “What?!” Aiko yelled. “Who’s that?” She looked at Jinx and mumbled “Seriously who is that? I have no idea.”

  “Cherise!!!” Jinx jumped up and down and clapped her hands. “He’s brought Anton Cherise here! Oh. My. God.”

  “No. Way.” Aiko shook her head. “That guy’s dresses are crazy expensive. No way he’s–”

  Jack opened the door to the helicopter and reached inside to give someone a hand. Moments later, a petit redhead popped out, a stack of binders in her arms and a strained smile on her face. She slid her arm through Jack’s as they walked toward the spectators.

  “Hello,” Jinx said stepping forward to greet the woman. “So kind of you to come…”

  “This,” Jack interrupted, “Is Tessa Faire, she’s–”

  “Anton Cherise’s wife,” Aiko said, glancing at her phone.

  “Did you literally just Google her?” Jack asked.

  Aiko shrugged. “It’s a gift. Fastest Google fingers in Manhattan.”

  Jack shook his head. “Now listen,” he said, ushering them inside. “I have to swear you all to secrecy. Can I have your word, or do I need to break out some NDAs?”

  “No, of course not,” said Wyatt. “Secret stays here, with us.”

  “I’m the designer behind the Cherise wedding line,” Tessa said, setting her binders on the kitchen’s marble island. “I have been for about four years now.”

  “So basically since the line took off and became super successful,” Aiko said, pulling up a stool. “You’re the reason it’s so hot.”

  “Oh I dunno.” Tessa blushed. “I’m really proud of my work there, definitely, but honestly it’s Anton, his vision, his name that has made it so successful.”

  “If you say so.” Aiko spun in the chair, looked at Jinx and Wyatt, and rolled her eyes. She spun back around, grabbed one of Tessa’s binders, and started flipping through the pages. “Seems to me a fancy fashion name doesn’t matter much if the dresses are ugly, but hey, what do I know.”

  Jack pinched the back of Aiko’s arm, hard.

  “Ouch! Hey!”

  “Mosquitos!” Jack said. “Can’t leave that door open.” He turned to Tessa and smiled. “Malcolm is getting all of the supplies you said you needed. They’ll be delivered soon. So, shall I show you and the bride the workspace we’ve set aside for you?”

  Tessa Faire was a sweetheart. Gorgeous, talented, and fun to be around. And yet Jinx noticed a touch of sadness in her, a sense that something wasn’t quite right. The two women clicked quickly and fell easily into a comfortable workflow, but Tessa kept checking her phone, and Jinx could actually see the tension building in her shoulders.

  “Everything okay?” she asked as she stood on a stool in the center of the room while Tessa pinned elaborate folds of silk fabric around her slender frame.

  “Yes, sorry.” Tessa grimaced, her gaze briefly meeting Jinx’s. “My husband is out of town, and I haven’t been able to reach him since yesterday.”

  “I’m so sorry,” Jinx said. “Do you think something’s wrong?”

  “Heh.” Tessa laughed cynically. “I’m sure he’s fine.” She sighed. “Just doing what he does.”

  Tessa patted Jinx’s hip lightly as she moved around her, prodding her to turn. “There, take a look at that. We’ve got no time for embroidery or other embellishments, I’m afraid. That stuff all takes weeks to complete. But that’s why I thought this fabric, with the subtle pattern would look nice. And then the added detail of ruching around the waist…”

  “Ohhhhh,” Jinx sighed as she looked at herself in the full length mirror. Tears started to well and she felt her throat grow tight. “It’s sooo–”

  “And I think I can salvage some of the embellishments from your other dress.” Tessa picked up a length of embroidered lace and knelt, holding the fabric against Jinx’s thigh, draping it artfully around the back so that it fell like a short train. “There,” she smiled at Jinx in the mirror. “What do you think?”

  “I think you’re a genius is what I think,” Jinx said, pressing her palms to her cheeks with joy. “This is spectacular.” Jinx bent down, and caught Tessa around the wrists, drawing the other woman up for an awkward hug. “Thank you so much. Oh my god. You have no idea. Thank you. This is the dress of my dreams. It’s brilliant.”

  “Aw honey,” Tessa said, as she returned the hug. “It’s my pleasure. I’m so happy to help.”

  “It’s the most beautiful dress.” Jinx said. “Better than I could have imagined. You’re amazing.”

  “I’m glad you think so.” Tessa smiled, but that sadness flashed behind her eyes again, and Jinx couldn’t help but wonder when was the last time her husband had told her she was amazing.

  The Music

  “Mr. Calvert?” Malcolm spoke from the doorway of Bryce’s library, a corner of which Jack had commandeered for a makeshift office.
>
  “Yes?”

  “Mr. Yoshida would like a word.”

  “Certainly!” Jack stood and walked from behind the desk. Leaning against its edge, he beckoned Jinx’s father into the room and gestured for him to take a seat.

  “Mr. Calvert,” Jinx’s father shuffled forward. The shuffling, Jack could see, was not due to age or ill-fitting shoes, but because the older man’s attention was entirely consumed by his iPad. “I think I’ve found our musicians.”

  Mr. Yoshida sat down on the chair in front of Jack, pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and tapped a few times on the surface of his iPad before handing it over to Jack. “See,” he said, pointing to the surface. “Just there. They will do nicely I think.”

  “Um….” Jack frowned at the screen and then glanced up at Mr. Yoshida. “What am I looking at? Exactly?”

  “Oh, my apologies.” Mr. Yoshida rose and moved to stand beside Jack, swiping his finger over the surface of the iPad until a new graph appeared. “The father of the bride traditionally has very little to do. I hate that feeling, actually. Don’t you?”

  Jack raised an eyebrow.

  “Being useless,” Mr. Yoshida said. “Having no purpose, no way of helping, especially when you’d very much like to be.”

  “Oh yes, I’m sorry. We haven’t really had anything–”

  “No, no.” Mr. Yoshida waved a hand. “I don’t need anyone to find me busy work. Instead I took action myself, and set up a search algorithm. Something that would mine the internet for information about musicians for hire. Quartets, chamber, small orchestras. I cross referenced that information with review websites. Yelp was particularly helpful, then I cross referenced those findings with social media hashtags and information that suggested cancellations.”

  “Cancellations?” Jack echoed.

  “Yes, at this late notice, I assumed any professional group would have had a job already booked for this weekend, so we needed to know who might have cancellations. Sudden break-ups, wedding tragedies etc.”