In Memoriam

Unforgettable Encounter

Eddie's face was a mask of congeniality—but his eyes were alight with the desire to murder.

"I can assure you, madam, I have the documentation on hand. This is the exact shade of coral that you ordered. The material has already been paid, in full, and the dresses are ready for fitting. I'm afraid I cannot offer you any kind of refund," said Eddie Gluskin. He stood behind the counter of Gluskin's Bridal wearing his usual uniform of nice slacks with a matching vest and bow-tie over a white dress shirt. The stripe of hair on top of his head was slicked back without a single strand misplaced, and the sides shaved short. The fake smile plastered on his face was growing uncomfortable.

"You're wrong. The documentation is wrong," said Lisa, bride-to-be of the day who was making Eddie's life a living hell. Her brown hair was combed into a complicated hairstyle, and she wore a beautifully tailored cream skirt and jacket over a petal pink blouse. "The color you used is hideous. Coral is last season. I never would have picked such an orange shade. I'm not doing a beach wedding, for Christ's sake—we're going to be on the mountain side. This is all terribly unacceptable. Waaaaaaay," the last part came out as a long whine directed at the blond man standing nearby. Eddie guessed Lisa had dressed them both, considering her fiance's pink collared shirt and cream colored slacks that matched hers perfectly.

Waylon's brown eyes suddenly reined in from whatever spot they were studying on the ceiling. His eyebrows shot up in confusion. "Are you even listening?" demanded Lisa. "This is important! This wedding is going to be attended by every manager and executive officer at Murkoff. A tacky wedding reflects poorly on you. That could affect your future prospects at the company."

"I highly doubt that," said Waylon giving a snorting laugh. "Be reasonable. I designed their latest in-house software, they can't really function without me until I can train the others how to use the interface. I doubt they would fire me because of coral bridesmaid dresses..."

"This is so typical of you," said Lisa, turning her chin up and pouting. Soon, Lisa's bottom lip was quivering and her eyes shone with unshed tears. Eddie could not stop the automatic narrowing of his eyes at the disgusting display. What type of spineless man would give into such obviously manipulative behavior? The pouting only seemed to confuse Waylon further.

Lisa grabbed Waylon by the elbow and pulled him away from the counter. She spoke in hissing whispers that were still audible to Eddie. "Is this how it's going to be, Waylon? You'll always let everyone walk all over you? We've talked about this."

Waylon Park gave a resigned sigh. He pulled his shoulders back, and walked purposely up to the counter. He was inches shorter than Eddie. He had to gaze up to meet Eddie's predatory blue eyes. "There has been a mistake," said Waylon. "My fiancee and I will not be paying anything for these dresses. It was your fault for completing the dresses out of this material without first showing it to me, or my fiancee, for approval. I expect you will want to order a different fabric color, and re-make these dresses in order to keep your sizable commission we agreed upon for the job. We will not pay a cent until Lisa is completely, one-hundred-percent, satisfied."

"Mr. Park. Is this your signature?" asked Eddie, calmly pressing a printed page down on the counter and sliding it toward Waylon.

"I don't care what kind of contact you think you have. I have access to the best lawyers in Colorado. I work for Murkoff, heard of them?" Waylon narrowed his brown eyes. He may have been shorter than Eddie, but he was able to pull rank with the best of them. "You wouldn't get a cent, and the court fees would bankrupt this business. Now. Are we going to be able to fix this problem, or should my fiancee and I find another tailor?"

"You will not find another dress maker of my quality in this state," said Eddie, his voice still calm despite the intense glare in his eyes.

"Then we'll go out of state. We can afford the best. Clearly, this is not it. Sorry to have wasted your time, Mr. Gluskin," said Waylon. He lifted his chin and walked over to Lisa, chatting away on her phone. "Come on, we're leaving."