Bridal Jitters Read Free

told you,” Virginia said to Adeline. “Sam wants to hang on to this house until some developer is willing to pay big bucks for it. He offered to cut me in on the profits. It’s a terrific business opportunity for me.” Who was she trying to convince? she wondered.
    Adeline reached for a piece of neon-orange candy. “Maybe the fact that it’s just a business deal is part of the problem. Maybe that’s not what you want.”
    No, Virginia thought. It most definitely was not what she wanted. Late this afternoon, after a long walk and a cup of coffee in the lonely little park at the end of the street, she had finally forced herself to face that fact. She was in love with Sam, but all he wanted from her was her signature on a contract. Marriage, especially a marriage-of-convenience, would be hell. The frustration factor alone would probably drive her to the nearest para-psych ward within a month. She was almost sure now that she could not go through with the arrangement.
    But she had not yet figured out how to tell Sam.
    She had planned to get things out in the open tonight. Then she had opened the door of the office and walked straight into the engagement party.
    She could hardly bring up the subject now in the midst of a party. She would wait until morning. Tomorrow would be soon enough to tell him that she was having second thoughts.
    She felt a guilty sense of relief at having made the decision to put off the inevitable for another few hours.
    •   •   •
    She was getting cold feet. He could feel the chill clear across the room. Every time he caught her eye, she averted her gaze or started up an earnest conversation with whoever happened to be standing nearby.
    The last of the guests finally departed shortly after midnight. Sam closed the door behind the laggard and turned to see Virginia sinking down into the chair behind her desk. His bride-to-be looked both relieved and exhausted. She also looked cross. But then, lately she frequently looked tense and irritable. Bridal jitters. The odd thing was that the more anxious she got, the calmer and more certain he became.
    She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes. “Thought they’d never go.”
    “They meant well,” he said.
    “I know.” She rested her head against the back of her chair. “But they don’t understand.”
    “Sure they do. We’re getting married. People like to celebrate marriages. Even MCs.”
    “I don’t see why.”
    “Because there is a streak of the romantic buried somewhere inside most people,” he explained patiently. “Deep down, everyone hopes that marriages-of-convenience will morph into the real thing.”
    “That’s a highly unrealistic expectation. Statistically speaking, most MCs end on the first or second renewal date unless someone makes a mistake and gets pregnant.” She paused meaningfully. “And there is absolutely no excuse for that kind of mistake.”
    “Right. No excuse.”
    Few mistakes of that sort were made because the First Generation colonists who had settled Harmony had crafted very strict legislation covering marriage and family. The more liberalsocial policies of Earth had been abandoned when the energy Curtain that had served as a gate between worlds had unexpectedly closed, stranding the settlers. The founders, desperate to provide a social structure that would ensure the survival of the colony, had opted for stern laws. But in their wisdom, the First Generation planners had also understood that harsh rules that did not take human weaknesses into account would ultimately fail. Failure of the social structure of the tiny band of desperate settlers would mean catastrophe.
    In an effort to deal with basic human foibles, the founders had provided the socially and legally sanctioned marriages-of-convenience to cover many of the traditional and less-than-romantic reasons that drove people into wedlock: family pressure, business, or simple passion. Couples who elected to have children were expected to