Disclaimer: I do not own the Hardy Boys or any of the canon book characters, and am making no monies from this story. Any Original Characters belong to the author(s).
This story was originally written in 2009. There are many technological differences from today's world. Co-written with RokiaHDA, who wrote back then under the name of Aspen. It is also the last story in the series; after June Brides there aren't any more written.
As always, many thanks to Jenn "Sparks" Hart, who graciously allowed us to use Bella Scarpetti and April Wayne in our stories.
June Brides
By EvergreenDreamweaver and RokiaHDA
Chapter 1
Vanessa Bender carefully placed the glittery rhinestone-and-pearl-flowered tiara on top of her head, and settled it into place, closely watching herself in the dresser mirror. With great tenderness, she adjusted it minutely, then fluffed the shimmering white illusion veil over her shoulders and smiled at her reflection.
"You look absolutely beautiful," a soft voice said, off to one side, and Vanessa turned and smiled at her best friend, Megan Wright.
"It is nice, isn't it? I love this style."
"And the flowers are so lovely," Megan agreed. "I like it better than the ones that are just princess crowns, all glitter. This is softer-looking, but it's fancier than those fabric bands. It definitely suits you, Vanessa."
"Mmm-hmmm." Dreamily, Vanessa returned her gaze to the mirror. "And I like the fingertip-length veil, too."
Megan giggled. "Fingertip-length on you would almost be waltz length on me," she acknowledged ruefully, alluding to the ten-inch height difference between herself and Vanessa. "When I was little I dreamed of having a floor-length veil and long train – it would be so elegant...but I'd be simply drowned in something like that!"
"Poor, short little Megan," a new voice chimed in, laughing. April Wayne stood on tiptoe, doing her best to loom over the diminutive red-haired Megan. "Let me try it now, Vanessa, can't I? I'm the right height, after all – well, closer, anyway!"
"No, no, me, let me or Megan try it on! Even if it is too long. Us short people have to stick together!" Tiny blonde Bella Scarpetti bounced on the bed, adding her giggles to the noise. "I love weddings," she sighed blissfully, "And the next three weeks are going to be simply mah-vel-ous! Two big, fancy weddings right here in Bayport, and I'm invited to BOTH!"
Ostentatious throat-clearing from the bedroom doorway interrupted Bella's delighted words. "AHEM! And just who, might I ask, said you all could try on my wedding veil anyway?" Trying to look indignant, Dani Tanner marched into the room, but her assumed scowl melted quickly into amused laughter. She stood back and admired Vanessa frankly. "It looks better on you than me, Vanessa!"
"Not likely," Vanessa scoffed. She removed the bridal headpiece with great care and held it out to its rightful owner. "It's perfect for you and you know it!"
"Anyone else want to try it?" Dani invited, rather than accepting it. "Megan? You're probably the next in line, girl; you've got that promise ring, after all – give it a shot! Let's see how you look. Not you," she chuckled, adroitly parrying April's attempt to grab the finery. "You're too young, almost-sister-in-law! No wedding in your future for years and years and years and—ACK!" Dani let out a squawk as Bella slid in between April and Vanessa and snatched up the tiara. "Be careful with it!"
"I am, I am." Bella hummed to herself as she delicately placed the crown on her blonde curls and admired herself in the mirror. "I think I ought to show this to Tony," she mused, turning this way and that to view it from all angles.
"I'm gonna tell Tony to head for the hills and not look back!" Vanessa threatened. "Dani's right; you and April are both too young to be thinking of —"
"I'm almost eighteen! And Bella's eighteen already! Anyway, like you're so much older!" April derided. "You're thinking of it!" She took the headpiece from Bella and perched the tiara on her light brown hair, then tilted it saucily over one eye.
"Now, now," peacekeeper Megan intervened soothingly, "Every girl loves to dress up in bridal clothes, no matter how old she is; I think it's genetic." As April reluctantly removed the veil and headpiece, Megan took it and gently set it atop her red-gold curls. She eyed herself critically and then shook her head. "It looked better on Vanessa," she admitted, and took it off, handing it to Dani.
Dani shook the layers of veiling out, then set the flowered crown on her head. "It'll look different for the wedding," she commented. "I'm going to wear my hair up. I'd thought about taking the blue streaks out," she went on, "but Jack said he loved them, so I decided to leave them in."
"They're definitely you," Vanessa observed, flopping down on the bed beside Bella and flinging her arms out to her sides. "Two weeks of wedding fun!" she exulted. "What could be better? And you're not the only one invited to both," she reminded Bella. "So's Megan...and I'm IN both, so there!"
"That's got to be so much fun!" Bella enthused, bouncing excitedly again. Vanessa groaned and reached to hold her still and stop the jouncing of the bed. "Two beautiful bridesmaid dresses and flowers and rehearsal dinners and the ceremonies and—"
"Stop, stop!" Vanessa pleaded, this time meaning the recitation of events, not the bouncing. "I'm trying to forget all of that; it's too overwhelming to think of it in a big chunk."
"You're kidding! I'd love it!"
Vanessa rolled her eyes. "No you wouldn't. You just think you would, until the actual fact. As you say, dress fittings for two weddings, shoes, hairdresser and makeup appointments, rehearsals and rehearsal dinners, parties, photographers…and then there's coping with those manic-depressive brides—ack! Help!" She broke off, shrieking with laughter and holding her arms over her face to defend herself as Dani swooped down to whack her with a pillow. Bella prudently moved off the bed and out of the way, taking refuge behind April and Megan. "Dani! Don't! If you give me a black eye it'll ruin the photos…"
Dani snorted in derision, but dropped the pillow and ceased the attack. "You'd have time to heal. My wedding's not for over two weeks. And I don't care how you look for the other one…no, that's not really true," she amended. "That was mean of me. I want you to look nice for Callie's wedding too."
"See?" Vanessa appealed to the others. "Look at the mood swings! I was right about the manic-depress— no, Dani, don't hit me again!" Giggling, she rolled off the bed and away from the beautiful firefighter. "I'm glad Callie's wedding is first," she went on. "It's a gorgeous venue and all, and I was honored to be asked to be in the wedding…but I don't feel as close to her as I used to be. I think she just asked me and Liz Webling for old times' sake. She has other friends from college now."
"Well, you have other friends now too," April reminded her, indicating herself, Dani and Bella. "You didn't know Dani or Bella when you graduated from high school, and you barely knew me."
"And I didn't know any of you at all," Megan said softly. She smiled at the others. "And you're the best friends anyone could ask for."
Bella sighed. "I wanna be a bridesmaid," she mourned. "And no, Dani, don't feel guilty; there's no way I would have expected you to ask me. You just met me! But I want to be in a wedding – somebody's wedding – and organizing the catering from Marco's for the rehearsal dinner and the reception simply doesn't have the cachet that being a bridesmaid does!"
"It's essential, though," Megan comforted her. "And you were so generous to offer it, too!"
"Alexander pitched a fit, but who cares? I wanted to do it."
Dani stared at Bella thoughtfully, wheels evidently turning busily in her mind. "Bella," she said slowly, "I maybe could use a candle lighter. We were just going to have one of the ushers do it, but…there's still time to make changes like that. I don't know about getting you a matching dress, there probably isn't time for that, but…"
"DANI! Do you mean it?! I'd love to, I'd love to! I can find a dress that coordinates, don't worry about that – and I absolutely forbid you to even think about having to give me an attendant's gift, or anything like that Just letting me be part of it… Oh, you're absolutely the best!" Bella capered around the room, stopping to give Dani a fervent hug. "Oooh, an excuse to go shopping for a beautiful dress, in New York…" She pranced again, ignoring the other girls' laughter.
"Tony is going to absolutely have a cow," Vanessa predicted. "He thought he was merely escorting you as a guest; now look! He'll have to dress to match you."
Bella sniffed dismissively. "No problemo. Tony is a lamb, and he has to wear a tux all the time to work at Marco's anyway, so where's the difficulty? I can sit with him after I light the candles, can't I?"
"Yes," Dani affirmed.
"Yay!" Bella was still spinning in delight. "Oooh, I need new shoes too…"
April, being a meticulous sort, was leafing through a loose-leaf notebook where she apparently had pages of lists. "Bella…candle lighter," she murmured, jotting it down. "Dress to coordinate with bridesmaids'. You won't need flowers, at least not a bouquet. But maybe a wrist corsage or something like that?" She glanced up at Dani, who nodded.
"Oooh!"
"I think Bella is rather pleased, don't you?" Vanessa murmured aside to Megan, who giggled.
"You can tease all you want. Just keep in mind that I expect to be included in your weddings," Bella warned, plopping back down on the bed. "You'll have to, because I'm the guys' only female cousin, you know! And Lord only knows, they won't think of it!"
"I'll make a note of it, for future reference," Vanessa said, straight-faced. Megan, looking dreamy, nodded assent, then asked a more practical question:
"What else is in your Book of Lists, April?"
"Everything," April said proudly. "Since I'm Dani's maid of honor, I have to keep track of all this stuff. All the bridesmaids' info, all the groomsmen info, everything. I don't go anywhere without this notebook. Appointment times, prices, telephone numbers. Dani and Jack sure lucked out – it seems like the Hardys knew someone to fill in every slot! Photographer – Matt Eckersley..." She heaved an expressive sigh. "He is so cool… Anyway….music – Allison Lewis to play the violin and Matt's Broadway-singer-girlfriend Macey as a soloist. Catering – Marco's Italian Restaurant of New York, thanks to Bella!"
Bella preened smugly.
"I am so glad I'm not Callie's maid of honor," Vanessa commented. "Her roommate Jennifer has to handle all those details, along with Callie. All I have to do is show up for fittings and rehearsals and parties and dinners and…oh dear, I'm overwhelmed again!" She collapsed back onto the bed, laughing in spite of herself.
"Remember all the details of everything, to share with us," April instructed. "I want to know everything. If anything goes wrong, then we have time to avert the same things happening to Dani and Jack."
Dani looked at Jack's little sister in awe. "You, April Wayne, are scary. I never had any idea you were so efficient."
April beamed. "I've had to learn to be, growing up with just Jack and Dad – and now, just Jack. Be warned, Dani, he might run Wayne's World efficiently, but in his personal life he's a scatterbrain." She looked down at her notebook. "The only fly in the ointment is that I don't get a handsome young hunk to escort me – not that there's anything wrong with Mr. Hardy, mind you! He's just kind of…uh…not as young."
"But still a hunk," Bella put in, with a giggle.
"I thought it was so sweet of Jack to ask Mr. Hardy to be his best man – he said he tried to choose between Frank and Joe, and then realized that he'd been friends with Fenton longer than either of them." Megan smiled. "And that way, Vanessa and I get to walk with our…significant others."
"Go on, Megan, you can say it. You're allowed," Vanessa teased. "Fiancé. Frank's your fiancé."
"Well, almost, anyway." Megan's cheeks were rosy pink.
"Don't you love how she gets all flustered when it's brought up? He's your 'promised,' then, if that makes you feel better." Apparently it did, for Megan made no more objections.
"And when do you get your ring, Miss Smarty-Pants Bender?" Dani jibed. "Or is Golden Boy too much of a cheapskate to spring for one?"
"Joe's not a cheapskate," Vanessa defended, "just perpetually short of funds." Her hand went to the locket she wore, touching it lovingly. "He'll give me one eventually." She looked at her wristwatch. "Rats, I need to go. I'm meeting Joe at four. Dani, thanks so much for letting us come over and play with your pretties."
"Next week I'll have the dress here to show you," Dani promised.
"I can't wait to see it," April sighed happily.
They began trailing towards the bedroom door, and then the front entrance to Dani's apartment, saying their goodbyes. Irrepressible Bella broke into song, directing it pointedly at Vanessa:
"Gonna find my baby, gonna hold him tight,
Lookin' forward to a little afternoon delight…"
"Bella!" Vanessa gave outraged chase.
The melody floated back as Bella dashed out the door towards her car, eluding Vanessa's clutches.
"Skyrockets in flight – WHEEE!…afternoon delight. Aaa-aaa-aaafternoon delight!"