Chapter 20 #2
“Excellent.” Victoria smiled at Cindy, who looked surprised.
“I could have held my own with her,” she whispered. “But thank you.”
“You’re welcome. I’m not my mother’s daughter for nothing.”
Twenty minutes later Cindy was wearing a very princessy wedding gown. It was white and quite fluffy in the skirt. The bodice
was fitted to the waist, then layers and layers of fabric spilled down to the floor. Victoria stared at her, trying to figure
out what was wrong. In theory Cindy had the height and body to carry it off, but somehow it was just kind of blah.
“It’s awful,” Cindy said, staring at her reflection. “I don’t understand. Am I too old? Too fat? Is it the color?”
“Stop,” Victoria told her, hobbling around the dais, getting different views of the dress. “You’re not too old or fat. You’re
beautiful and tall and perfectly thin. But yeah, that is not the look for you.” She squinted, trying to see it from a different
perspective. “Maybe if the skirt wasn’t as full.”
Tears filled Cindy’s eyes. “I should just wear a suit or something.”
“Oh, please. You’re not wearing a suit. This is your wedding. Tell me what you see when you think of the princess dress. Not
this one—the one in your mind.”
“I don’t know. Something magical and floaty. Like in that movie, Runaway Bride. A dress that swings like a bell.”
“You want a bell dress?” Victoria asked, trying not to sound doubtful. “Okay.”
Cindy laughed. “Not a bell dress, but something.”
Angelina walked in and immediately shook her head. “What do you think?”
“She hates it,” Victoria said flatly, knowing Cindy would hem and haw and not tell the truth. “She needs something more tailored
and elegant. It’s the whole tall, blonde thing. Elegant is required.”
Angelina nodded. “Please go back to the dressing room. I have just the gown for you.”
Victoria followed Cindy and helped her out of the dress.
“Did you want to try it on?” Cindy asked generously. “It could be fun.”
Victoria nearly recoiled in horror. “No and no. For one thing, I would drown in that much fabric. For another, I’m not the
fancy-wedding-gown type.”
“How would you know? Have you ever tried?”
“I’ve never had cod liver oil, and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t like it.” She patted Cindy’s arm. “This is your magical day,
not mine. We’re going to focus on you.”
Cindy looked back at the failed princess dress. “Maybe I should just—”
“No,” Victoria told her. “You’re not sacrificing your wedding-dress dreams because the first one isn’t perfect. When Shannon
started walking and fell, did you tell her that was fine? That you would carry her for the rest of her life?”
“No, but—”
“When she was learning to ride a bike, did you both give up on the first day?”
Despite her tearful eyes, Cindy smiled. “I get what you’re trying to do.”
“Try? There’s no try. Ask my mother. I figure it out and get it done. You will find the perfect wedding dress, no matter what. Now it’s a mission.”
Angelina returned with a dress over her arm. “It’s not what you said you were looking for, but I think it’s going to look
beautiful.”
Cindy looked from her to the dress, obviously disappointed by the plainness. The gown was a silvery champagne color with a
wide neck and sort of netting lace-ish overlay.
“I don’t know,” Cindy began.
Victoria privately agreed with her doubts but refused to let them show. “Nope. You’re trying this one on. Then we’ll judge.”
Cindy dutifully stepped into the dress. She was already wearing a strapless bra and shapewear, so the fabric slid up easily.
The gown molded to her body while the overlay gave the garment a beautiful, ethereal quality. The wide neck flattered her
face and her shoulders. Victoria helped her with the satin belt, then stepped back.
The dress was stunning. It fit as if it had been made for her, and the silvery-blush color was perfect with her skin tone.
She looked tall, slender and “Regal,” Victoria breathed. “Like you’re the queen of one of those small, rich European countries.
I’m not a big wedding-gown person, but this one has to be in the best Top Ten ever.”
Cindy’s eyes filled with tears again, but this time they were happy ones. “It’s so pretty. I feel elegant.”
Angelina knocked once and let herself in, then pressed a hand to her chest. “You must come and see yourself on the dais. You’re
a beautiful bride.”
Cindy moved into the other room and let Angelina fuss over her. They discussed veils, but then Angelina found a charming lace
and feather fascinator that would be perfect for the ceremony and easily removed for the reception.
“I love it,” Cindy gushed when they were back in the dressing room. “Can you take a couple of pictures with my phone so I can show them to Shannon later? If she likes it, I’ll bring her back to try it on in front of her, and then we can decide.”
Victoria took the requested pictures, capturing Cindy from every angle. Once she was dressed, Cindy insisted they go to a
nearby bar for a celebratory glass of champagne.
“Thank you so much for coming with me,” Cindy said earnestly. “I was so scared to start the process, and I don’t know why.”
“You said before you’ve been mentally planning your wedding since you were a little girl,” Victoria said. “That’s a lot of
pressure to put on satin and lace.”
Cindy laughed. “You’re right.” She looked around. “This is where Luis asked me out for the first time. We sometimes came here
after a hard day, just to talk and unwind. For the first couple of years after we lost Gina, we mostly talked about her. Then
we started talking about each other. Looking back I realize figuring out that we were in love was a gradual thing.” Her smile
returned. “Although I would guess you’re the more impulsive type when it comes to love.”
“I don’t do love,” Victoria said flatly.
“No, don’t say that. Loving someone is wonderful.”
“It rips out your heart and leaves you alone and stupid.”
Cindy nodded slowly. “So who’s the guy?”
Victoria knew she could pretend not to know what the other woman was talking about, but they would both know she was lying.
“Prescott Jameson.”
Cindy’s mouth dropped open. “The actor? Prescott Jameson, the guy from the space movie and that Western trilogy that made
all of us want to move to Montana?”
“That’s the one,” Victoria said, telling herself she was long over Prescott. What she couldn’t seem to shake was the stupidity
that had overtaken her when it came to the man.
“Despite the Montana references in the movie, it was actually filmed in New Zealand. I was on the stunt team.”
“Oh, you must have doubled for Morgana. I can see it. You look a lot like her, and you have the same body type.”
“A lucky accident for my career. The movie was a huge break for me. We filmed all three movies at the same time. A logistical
nightmare, but one that was cost-effective for the studio. We were on location nearly six months.”
She held in a sigh. “I knew set romances were always a bad idea. I went over there knowing I wouldn’t get involved. Prescott
came on to me a couple of times, but I told him no.”
Cindy leaned forward. “He won you over?”
“He wooed me. He was funny and charming and easy to be with.”
And sexy, but she didn’t say that. No doubt Cindy would figure it out all on her own.
“We started hanging out together. At first it was as friends, but then it was more and I fell hard. He swore he felt the same,
but the second we got back to LA, he dumped me. And I do mean the second. We were literally standing in baggage claim. He
grabbed his bag, told me it was over and walked away.”
She’d been both jet-lagged and devastated. Worse, she had no one to blame but herself. She’d known what he was, and she’d
fallen for him anyway.
“Oh no.” Cindy’s tone was sympathetic. “I’m so sorry. What a jerk.”
“He was, but the final revenge is mine. I’m working through my feelings in my screenplay, and he comes out as a total asshole.”
“Perfect. Who does she fall for instead?”
“No one.” Victoria shrugged. “Love isn’t required for a happy ending.”
“Sure, it is. We all need love in our lives.”
“I agree that relationships are important, but romantic love is for fools.” She paused. “Present company and my parents excluded, of course.”
Cindy looked at her. “Is that what you learned from your relationship with Prescott? Because it’s the wrong lesson. He was
a terrible man to use you like that, but he’s the exception, not the rule. Victoria, you have to allow yourself to believe
in love. You don’t want to spend the rest of your life alone. And what about children?”
“They’re not on my radar, but if and when they are, technically I don’t need a man for anything but getting pregnant. I could
be a really cool single mom. Maybe not as good as you, but I’d sure try to be.”
“It’s a lot harder than you think,” Cindy told her. “It’d be much easier with a partner. Having someone you can count on makes
life so much better. You’ve seen your parents’ relationship your whole life. Why hasn’t that influenced you?”
“Because they’re the exception. I’ll never have that kind of luck.”
“Not with that attitude, missy.”
Victoria laughed. “Are you trying to mom me?”
“Yes. Is it working?”
“Sorry, no. You’re too nice. You need a little more edge to make it believable.”
“You’re saying I should be more like Ava.”
“Not so much that you should be, just that she gets her way a whole lot more than anyone else I know.”
“Same as you.”
“What?”
“You get your way most of the time. You set the rules. It’s not surprising. Like Ava, you’re also strong, independent and
fearless. It’s nice to see.”
Cindy was saying she was like her mother? No! That couldn’t be true. Except the way Cindy described them, maybe it was, and
didn’t that totally suck?