Ghouls Night Out: From Weddings from Hell

By Terri Garey

Previously published in the print anthology Weddings From Hell, with New York Times bestsellers Jeaniene Frost, Maggie Shayne, and Kathryn Smith.

Nicki Styx sees dead people. Worse, she's a replacement bridesmaid forced to wear a hideously yellow dress that makes her look like a pineapple. If only the chatty ghost of the original bridesmaid would just leave her alone, Nicki may just survive this ceremony yet. From the RITA-winning author of Dead Girls Are Easy, an unforgettable tale of unholy matrimony and the wedding guests in attendance . . . living or otherwise.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Jan 17, 2012
• ISBN: 9780062184139

Terri Garey

A Southern girl with an overactive imagination, RITA® and PRISM Award winner Terri Garey lives in Florida, where anything weird is considered normal. A former computer analyst, she left the dry world of logic behind in order to write novels filled with fantasy, romance, and happily-ever-afters.

Book preview

Chapter 1

I look like a giant pineapple, I muttered. Put a bowl of fruit on my head and I could give Carmen Miranda a run for her money.

How many ruffles did one dress need? Ruffles from waist to ankle—in shiny yellow taffeta, no less.

I’m Chiquita Banana and I’m here to say, bananas need to ripen in a certain way…

If I craned my neck just right, I could see in the mirror how the giant bow on my butt made my ass look at least four sizes bigger. The waist was too big, and the flat bodice and off-the-shoulder sleeves squashed my boobs down to nothing.

Not like they were big to begin with, but they were usually something.

And this particular shade of yellow was so not my color—it didn’t go with the pink streaks in my hair.

How are you doing? Need help with the zipper?

I whipped the curtain to my dressing room back with a rattle.

Oh, the saleslady smiled, clearly blowing smoke up my newly huge ass. You look lovely.

Are you sure this is the dress Debbie picked out? I asked hopefully. She said she was going to keep it simple. The stiff tulle of my underskirt rustled as I stepped forward—walking in this thing would be a nightmare, and I was going to have to do it in front of witnesses, with a smile pasted on my face.

The woman actually looked disappointed. Don’t you like it? All the other bridesmaids loved it.

That’s because they’re all morons, I thought to myself. Redneck morons.

Though to be fair, only half of the Hathaway clan were morons, the rest were idiots. Debbie and her three sisters would welcome the chance to dress up like a Brazilian bombshell in pineapple season, particularly if there were hats or ribbons involved.

Cousins on my mom’s side, the Hathaway sisters made me glad I was adopted. But I knew my mom would’ve wanted me to do the right thing, and when Debbie called me out of the blue and begged me to be in her wedding, it had been Emily Styx’s voice I’d heard in my head. Family is everything, Nicki, she’d have said. Besides, as cousins go, Debbie had always been my favorite—I couldn’t erase the mental image of the little tow-headed girl who used to follow me around at family reunions.

Which is why I’d driven an hour into the middle of nowhere to be fitted with one of the ugliest bridesmaid dresses I’d ever seen.

Taking my silence for consent, I suppose, the grimly cheerful saleslady ushered me up onto a pedestal in front of a wall of mirrors. I stared at myself in dismayed silence as she fluffed a few ruffles and tugged at the sleeves.

And here’s a lovely hat to complete the ensemble, she said, fake smile firmly in place.

I watched in horror as she held out a floppy yellow concoction, dripping with ribbon.

You’re not serious, I said, unable to muster even a pretense of politeness.

Oh, but I am, dear, she answered, nodding. It’s your cousin’s day, after all, isn’t it?

Her day. Her beautiful, precious, I’m-getting-married-and-you’re-not day.

No bride in the world is going to let a bridesmaid outshine them on their wedding day, dear, the woman said, not unkindly. Now put your hat on and stand up straight. Time to break out the measuring tape if we’re to have this dress ready by Saturday.

Ten minutes later I was still standing there, waiting impatiently while the hem was pinned; it was going to have to come up at least an inch and the ruffles made the pinning difficult. The shop door opened, and a woman came in. She was in her early twenties, dark hair in a messy ponytail, and stopped short when she saw me standing in front of the mirrors.

That’s my dress, she said, clearly surprised to see me in it.

The seamstress, whose name I’d learned was Bebe, looked up. I have to get that door fixed, she said absently. It keeps blowing open.

Who are you? the dark-haired girl asked me, and why are you wearing my dress?

Bebe ignored her, rising to her feet with a relieved sigh. That’s it, she said to me. Be careful of the pins when you take it off.

Hell-ooo, said the girl, obviously exasperated. Cat got your tongue? I know you can see me. You’re looking right at me.

My heart sank to the level of my newly pinned hem.

Not another one.

I glanced at Bebe again, hoping against hope that the seamstress saw the dark-haired girl, too.

Bebe gave me a quizzical look. You okay, hon? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.

Ghosts, spirits, phantoms, spooks—call them what you like, just don’t call them too loudly.

They might hear you.

Trust me. I know what I’m saying.

My life had changed in an instant a few months ago; one minute I’d been lying on the couch with what I thought was heartburn, the next minute I’d woken up in the hospital after being declared legally dead. In between I’d been to the Other Side—Heaven, Nirvana, or whatever it was. I thought of it simply as the Light. The incredibly beautiful, amazingly wonderful Light, where I’d known everything, seen everything, and understood everything.

Until I’d regained consciousness.

And unfortunately, I’d brought a little extra something back from the Light with me: lifetime instructions to do unto others as I would have them do unto me, and the ability to occasionally see and hear spirits.

And boy, did they wanna be heard.

Yoo-hoo, said the dark-haired girl sarcastically, waving her arms in the air. What the hell is going on? I’ve been in here three times today and every time she’s acted like I’m invisible. If this is Debbie’s idea of a joke, it’s really getting old.

I shook my head, numbly, but didn’t answer her. Instead, I spoke to Bebe. Um, was someone else supposed to wear this dress?

Bebe’s eyebrows rose. Well, yes…I thought you knew. In fact, she gestured vaguely toward the main counter, "when she was here for her fitting the other day, she left her cellphone in the dressing room. I don’t suppose you know how to get

Reviews for Ghouls Night Out

[angelajmaher · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Quite an enjoyable anthology, if you like this genre. Good variety.

[luckbell · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Enjoyed most of the stories.

[misfitrhi · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Weddings From Hell is another paranormal anthology in the vein of Dates From Hell and Holidays Are Hell. Pick a theme and throw some popular paranormal romance or urban fantasy authors at it. And just in time for wedding season we've got this collection of tales sure to make your horrific bridesmaid dress woes and cold-feet fly right out the window. [Till Death by Maggie Shayne] is the first offering in the anthology. When a heartbroken witch of the McLellan clan lays a curse on the women of her family they are cursed to either die at the hands of their cheating husbands or never know love. When Aunt Iris passes away and Kira heads to Scotland for the will reading the last thing she expects is to encounter ghosts or start falling for handsome family friend Ian Stewart. Can she break the curse and find her happily-ever-after? I've never actually read anything by Shayne, though I have several of her books waiting to be read. This story was short, cute and felt only slightly rushed by the limited time frame. But what really impressed me was her well written dialog, her Scottish brogue was near flawless and read so well! Can't wait to get caught up enough with other books so I can start reading hers! [Happily Never After by Jeaniene Frost] is the second tale, when grandma Greta's grandson and grandaughter get into trouble with a local mob-wannabe she calls in a favor from her vampire buddy Bones. Happy to serve, Bones sends in Chance to look after Isabella and hopefully find her missing brother Frazier. Unfortunately Frazier is likely in the hands of Robert Bertini, who has strong armed Isa into marrying him. But Chance isn't about to let the strong and independant woman marry the murderous lout, especially not since he himself is falling for her. Will he be able to save her brother and prevent her from this forced marriage? Another author I've not read, but she's on my wishlist. This story was amusing with its intentional mobster cliches and the banter between Isa and Chance. If the writing here is any indication of Frost's writing for her series I doubt I'll be dissappointed when I get my hands on it. [Ghouls Night Out by Terri Garey] is the third story, introducing us to Nicki Styx (who has her own series--2nd book comes out later this month). When Nicki's cousin needs a bridesmaid who is she to deny the family, even if it means dressing up in a pineapple yellow dress meant for the bride's best friend Michelle who just so happens to be dead! Of course, no one knows about Michelle's death yet so when she appears to Nicki, she can't help but feel compelled to help find out what happened. Will Nicki find out what happened to Michelle before it's time to kiss the bride? This story ended up being my favorite in the anthology. I've never read Garey's first novel as it never hit my radar, but now I'm thinking I should hurry up and get it going! The redneck comments got a little judgemental at times but the stereotypes were nicely handled. Anyone who has some redneck relatives will likely find the entire wedding planning to be realistic and amusing, bachelorette party at a country bar complete with Shania Twain karaoke and round after round of beer anyone? [The Wedding Knight by Kathryn Smith] was the final story, rounding out the anthology with a historically set scene. When Payen Carr returns to London the last thing he anticipates is that he's arrived on the eve of Violet Wynston-Jones' wedding. When he realizes that her groom-to-be is a member of the Order of the Silver Palm--a group of former Templars seeking the Blood Grail and the destruction of the vampires who protect it--he can't let the wedding happen. But he has other reasons for wanting to stop the wedding as five years ago he and Violet shared one blissful night in which she proclaimed her love. If Payen stops the wedding will he be doing it to protect her from the Order or because of his own unspoken love for Violet? Another author I haven't read, but have her series sitting on my shelves waiting--this short storty turned out to be my least favorite. I'm not sure if it was because of the historical setting or because I felt like I didn't get enough back story. Maybe a little of both. The dialog was a little dull and very little descriptive scene setting took place to frame out the world in my mind. I believe this story ties directly into her series though so fans of it might enjoy the side trip. Overall this was a really enjoyable anthology. Three authors I was interested in and hadn't read gave me a good taste for what they write and an author I hadn't even noticed yet smacked me between the eyes and made me take notice. From what I do know of the authors and their series Frost's ties into hers as does Garey's and Smith's. I can't say about Shayne's but I get the impression this is just its own story but well worth reading to feel out her style.

[jjmachshev_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Cool anthology with stories from Maggie Shayne, Jeaniene Frost, Terri Garey, and Kathryn Smith. Each tale provides a quick glimpse at characters from the authors' series about paranormal creatures. "Till Death" from Maggie Shayne tells the story of a curse and the brave woman who's willing to place her life in the hands of a near-stranger. HOT!"Happily Never After" by Jeaniene Frost is a hilarious and sexy romp pitting a wannabe mobster against a woman with a delicious vamp on her side!!"Ghouls Night Out" by Terri Garey. You'll laugh as the heroine solves the mystery of a ghost who's all wet with the help of her hot boyfriend."The Wedding Knight" by Kathryn Smith revisits the story of Payen (a Templar vampire) and Violet, the woman who still loves him...even after he took her virginity and ran five years ago. He's here to stop her from making a disastrous marriage, but they'll have to save each other in order to be happy together.Nothing dark about this anthology. Most of the stories have more humor than suspense. I enjoyed all the stories.