Bridesmaid Undercover: An incredibly steamy, hilarious, friends to lovers, love triangle romantic comedy

HARDY

“So she didn’t think what I was looking for was weird?” Polly asks as we take a seat at the coffee house where we are meeting Everly.

“No,” I say. “Helping out brides and their bridal party is exactly what she does. They range from planning the entire wedding with Maggie, to helping with more intimate events like the bridal shower, to even smaller duties like assistance just on the day of with wrangling family members. They truly do it all at whatever capacity you want. And trust me when I say, she’s excited.”

“Okay, because when I spoke to Maple about it, she was nervous, apprehensive, and embarrassed.”

“Everly reassured me that this was normal. Not everyone is cut out to be a maid of honor. And that’s okay. That’s why they do what they do.”

She eyes me suspiciously. “Why are you being so nice about this?”

“What do you mean?” I ask. “I’m always nice.”

“You are, but you’re being helpful, and I don’t know how I feel about that. Ken’s not even here.” She studies me slowly, her eyes wandering. “You’re hiding something.”

“I’m not hiding anything,” I say as I try to remain calm and collected.

“Yes, you are. There’s a reason why you’re doing this.”

“Yes, that reason being that you’re my friend.”

She shakes her head. “No, that’s not it.” She pauses, wets her lips, and then her eyes widen. “Hardy Hopper, you’re not trying to get in my good graces so I grant you access to Maple when she gets into town, are you?”

It’s annoying how perceptive she is.

“No,” I scoff. “Because first of all, I should already be in your good graces. We’ve been friends for a long time. Second of all, you said she didn’t want me around, so I’m going to listen to you because I’m a good man like that.”

Now she crosses her arms. “I don’t believe a single word coming out of your mouth.”

I chuckle and then level with her. “Listen, I’m not going to approach her, okay? But I’m also not going to be a dick to her when we’re in the same room. But that said, I don’t want you thinking I’m making a move when I do talk to her when we first see each other. I think it’s fair for me to say a friendly hello, don’t you think?”

“I do,” she says. “But as long as it’s a friendly hello and nothing else…like…like you stick your head up her shirt and whisper hello, old friends.”

“When the fuck have I ever done that?”

She shrugs and chuckles. “I don’t know, it was the first thing that came to mind.”

“Christ, acquire a better image of me in your head.”

She places her hand on the table. “Listen, I just don’t need you scaring her away.”

“I wouldn’t do that. If anything, I’m just as happy that she’s back in town as you are.”

“Hey”—she points her finger at me—“none of that. There will be no happiness that she’s back, understood? You will remain neutral.”

I chuckle. “Whatever the bride wants, the bride gets.”

“Good answer.”

Just then, Everly walks through the door of the café. She glances around for a moment, but when she spots me, a beautiful smile passes over her face before she waves.

Yeah, I said beautiful.

It’s no secret that Everly is a very attractive woman, especially dressed in a tight black skirt that reaches just above her knees, a black, tucked in button-up shirt, and heels. She’s always put together, professional, and ready for business. Sometimes I wonder what she would look like if she took her hair down from that tight bun, if she wasn’t so buttoned up, but actually let loose. Because every time I’ve seen her, she looks like she’s ready for any sort of professional experience to land on her lap. Not that it’s a bad thing.

I stand as she approaches, and when she reaches me, I place my hand on her side and press a quick kiss to her cheek—like I greet almost everyone. When I pull away, I gesture toward Polly. “Everly, this is Polly. Polly, this is Everly…” I pause and wince. “Well, hell, Everly, I don’t know your last name.”

She chuckles and holds her hand out to Polly. “Everly Plum. It’s very nice to meet you.”

“Plum?” I ask. “As in Professor Plum?”

“Yes, a great-uncle of mine,” she jokes before taking a seat. She also has a great sense of humor, something I was surprised to find out when I initially started talking to her. “I hope you weren’t waiting too long. Finding parking around here can be a real nightmare.”

“Tell me about it,” Polly says. “Sometimes I wonder how Hardy can live in Nob Hill.”

Everly looks up at me with those crystal green eyes, a color so soft and different that I don’t think I’ve ever seen it on another person. “You live around here?”

“I have an apartment,” I say. “I also have a place out by the farmland as well. I split time, but at the moment, it seems like I’m spending more time in the city.”

“And you’ll be spending even more time out here now that we’re getting married in the next two months.”

“Two months?” I say, feeling just as surprised as Everly looks, as her eyebrows shoot up.

Polly nods. “Yes, we had a bit of a change in plans. We were planning for a longer engagement, more like a year, but then Ken’s sister’s husband got orders to Germany, and they leave in a little over two months, so we’re speeding up the timeline. I hope that’s okay.”

“Not a problem at all,” Everly says, her face smoothing out as she opens up her notebook and starts taking notes. “We can work with that. I’m assuming you’re going to want help with the bridal shower and bachelorette party?”

“Yes. My mom said she would take care of the parties, but I know Maple doesn’t want that. She wants to be able to have a hand in planning. She just needs assistance.” Polly pauses. “The thing about Maple is that party planning and social events have never been important to her, which is totally fine, but now that she’s taken on the role of maid of honor, she’s starting to panic that she won’t be able to throw a good enough party for me. I told her it doesn’t need to be elaborate, but I’m sure you can imagine her not agreeing to that. So, I think having you here to mentor her will be a great help. Plus, I think it would be nice for her to enjoy the event, rather than having to work the whole time, if that makes sense.”

“Completely,” Everly says, her hand moving quickly over her paper, which I find fascinating. I don’t think I’ve ever seen someone take notes as fast as her. “Are you going to be having a joint bridal shower, or will it just be the ladies?”

Polly looks over at me. “You know, it might be fun to have a joint one. Ken likes to be acknowledged, and I’m sure he’d love to be the belle of the ball at the party.”

Everly chuckles. “We can do that. I can talk to Maple and see what she wants to do, if she wants a theme or not. Would you like Hardy included in the planning? Since he’s the best man?”

I shoot Everly an appreciative look—she’s already bringing me in to have moments with Maple. She’s good.

“Um, that’s okay, he’s busy I’m sure,” Polly dismisses me.

Smiling brightly, I say, “I don’t mind helping. Might be fun to give some insight on the kind of things Ken might demand to honor him.”

Polly’s eyes narrow. “No, let’s just leave this to Maple and Everly.”

Not wanting to push her, I say, “Well, if you end up needing help, I’m here. I want to help out as much as I can. It’s not every day your best friends from college get married.”

“Wow, what a best man,” Polly says in a sarcastic tone, probably understanding exactly why I want to help.

Ignoring the staring contest Polly and I are engaged in, Everly asks, “Would you also like joint bachelorette and bachelor parties?”

“Yes,” Polly says. “We already spoke about that and would like to celebrate together, but not the night before the wedding—maybe we could do the weekend before. That way we’re not all puffy and hungover the next day.”

“Of course. I always suggest planning a night of debauchery a week before the wedding. That way, you can spend the night before the wedding with family at the rehearsal dinner.”

“Love that idea,” Polly says.

“Great.” Everly makes a few notes, and I watch as her tongue peeks out while her hand moves rapidly over her paper. It’s cute. “And I’m assuming, given the time crunch, the bachelor and bachelorette parties are going to be here in San Francisco instead of a destination party?”

“Yes, we don’t want to make anyone go anywhere. I’m sure Ken will want to do some sort of throwback to college party since that’s where we met, but Maple can clue you in on that.”

“So can I,” I say, raising my hand. “I can help out with those parties. I know all about the college days.”

Everly glances up at me. “I can touch base with you and get Maple involved as well.”

“That would be awesome,” I say, knowing Everly is handling this balancing act so well already.

She makes a few more notes and then says, “And I have to ask, because my boss, Maggie, would be upset if I didn’t, but do you need any help planning the wedding?”

“One of the reasons why I was looking for someone to help Maple is because the moms are busy planning, and I didn’t want to add one more thing to their plate. That’s where you come in. I think they have it handled on the wedding side, but if we need some help, would it be okay to reach out?”

“Of course,” Everly says. “Maggie has a lot of connections and friends around town, so even if you need her to make a phone call, she’d love to help out. If anything, just to make an introduction for you.”

“I really appreciate that. Thank you.”

“Okay, I think that’s all I have for you.” Everly looks up. “And how can I get in touch with Maple?”

“She comes into town next week, but I’ll give you her email. You can touch base that way for now, and then meet up when she gets in town. And I want you to know that she’s shy and will probably feel embarrassed about this whole setup, so just be prepared for her to say sorry a lot.”

“I’ll be sure to make her feel at ease. This is completely normal. It’s nice that you two care and have considered hiring help for her. This will be a fun experience and such a breeze for her that she doesn’t need to worry about a thing.”

“I really appreciate this,” Polly says. “With Maple moving back to San Francisco, needing to find a place, and then us moving up the wedding, she’s going to be very busy, so this will be such a weight off her shoulders.”

“Glad I could be of assistance.” Everly holds out a piece of paper to both of us. “Please write down your information for me. Name, phone number, and email, and if you can fill this out for Maple as well, I’d appreciate it.”

Polly and I both fill out the form and hand it back to Everly who stuffs it away in her notebook.

“Great. I’ll have Maggie reach out to you with the contract, and then we can get started on planning. Does that work for you?”

“Yes, that would be amazing,” Polly says and then sighs in relief. “Thank you, Hardy, for introducing me to Everly. I think you and Hudson made a wise investment.”

I glance at Everly. “I think we did too.”