A Coventry Wedding. Becky Cochrane

When Evan kept a firm grip on her shoulder, holding her down, she said, “I need to—”

      “Just wait,” he warned in a low voice.

      “But I’m not—”

      “The TV near the hair dryers is on Inside Hollywood, too. Your long red hair is a dead giveaway. Let me wrap this towel around it before you get up, and my customers might not realize that they just saw you on TV. Directly behind you are stairs leading up to an apartment. You can have privacy up there. As soon as the shop’s empty, I’ll come up, and we’ll talk about how I can help you, okay?”

      “But I don’t need help. I’m not a runaway bride.”

      “Do you want to be recognized and gossiped about?”

      She considered Evan’s words. Of course she didn’t want people gaping at her and thinking she was some kind of freak. This was all just a big misunderstanding that either she or Hud could clear up with a few phone calls. She was surprised his publicist hadn’t already taken care of it. Chandra knew they hadn’t called off the wedding, only postponed it. Why didn’t she just tell everyone that? How had the media gotten the idea that she was a runaway bride? Why did the media even care? At least Sorel had sort of stood up for her. Or maybe she’d done that for Hud, because none of his friends would want the world to think he’d been left at the altar.

      And what on earth was her mother up to? Jandy knew even if her mother hadn’t listened to her voice mail, her secretary—Frida? No. Nelda—would have given her the message about the wedding rather than let her think foul play was involved. Since Chandra had taken on the arduous task of notifying everyone and canceling the ceremony, reception, and honeymoon, the only inconvenience her mother would suffer was deciding which business contacts she wanted to wine and dine on Friday and Saturday now that her schedule had opened up.

      “This is insane,” Jandy said, sitting up as Evan tucked a towel around her wet hair. She reached for her purse and headed for the stairs while Evan walked in the opposite direction and asked who was next.