The Wedding: A Faces of Evil Short Story Read Free

make it beautiful.”
    Maddie looked about as convinced as Jess felt.
    In the entry hall, Jess hesitated to catch her breath. She couldn’t actually see Dan through the front door’s stained glass, but she could make out his form. Tall, broad shoulders. Her mind easily filled in the rest. With every fiber of her being she wanted to go to him. She wanted to feel his arms around her and to rest her cheek against his chest.
    Just a few more hours
.
    She went to the door and opened it just a crack so they could hear each other without shouting. She pressed her hand to the glass, wishing she could somehow touch him through it. “Good morning.”
    “Hey. I know I’m not supposed to be here.”
    Jess heard the smile in his voice and her heart melted a little more. “The rules don’t say we can’t talk.”
    His soft laugh had her trembling with the renewed urge to throw open the door and fall into his arms.
    “I have something for you.” His hand appeared inside the door, a small black velvet box clutched in his fingers.
    “Dan.” She reached for the box, her fingers lingering on his. The delicious tingles that shivered through her body were almost her undoing. “You didn’t have to bring me a gift.”
    “I know you don’t wear a lot of jewelry, but I wanted you to have these.”
    Her heart pounding, Jess opened the box. Diamond earrings sparkled up at her. “They’re beautiful.” They must have cost a small fortune.
    “I’ve waited for this day my whole life, Jess. It means the world to me that you want to spend the rest of yours with me.”
    God, she was going to cry. She pressed her hand to the glass again. “Love you.”
    On the other side, his hand closed over hers. “Love you.”
    Jess dabbed at her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’ll see you at the altar.”
    “I’ll be there.”

 
3
    7:50 a.m.
    Before Jess could turn away she heard her maid of honor and the bridesmaids coming up the sidewalk. Greetings were exchanged with Dan as he walked away, and then the doorbell rang.
    Hoping no one would run when they got a good look at her, Jess opened the door wide and beamed a smile. “Good morning.”
    “Good morning!” her friends shouted in unison.
    “I brought donuts,” Gina Coleman, Birmingham’s award winning television journalist announced as she waltzed in carrying a Dunkin Donuts box.
    “Coffee!” Lori said, strolling in right behind her with a tray of cups from the same donut shop. “And a milk for Maddie.”
    Dr. Sylvia Baron cruised in next. She lowered her sunglasses enough for a closer inspection of Jess’s face. “You look like hell, Harris. We have to do something about that ASAP.”
    Jess wanted to hug the snarky medical examiner. This was exactly what she needed this morning.
Normalcy
. “To the kitchen, ladies.”
    Halfway down the entry hall, the group stopped at the door to the living room to admire the Christmas tree.
    “It’s very elegant, Jess,” Gina raved.
    Jess was quite proud of how the tree had turned out. She and Dan had selected genuinely beautiful ornaments that evoked the Christmas spirit. Nothing too frilly or showy, just—as Gina said—elegant.
    “Wow. You have to show me how to do this.” Lori turned to Jess. “It’s really gorgeous. So’s the mantel.”
    “Lily is the one with the real talent,” Jess admitted. “Save your compliments for her. All I did was follow her directions.”
    “You have to stop this,” Sylvia scolded. “You and your sister are making the rest of us look bad.”
    Laughing, they moved onward to the kitchen. Lil and Maddie were already munching on bacon and eggs.
    After greetings and hugs were exchanged, the ladies gathered around the kitchen island to indulge in the scrumptious breakfast Lil had prepared. She’d even baked homemade biscuits. Her sister was really going the extra mile to make this day special.
    Jess sipped her coffee. “Did you sleep at all after we finished the decorating?”
    Lil grinned. “I’ll