Chapter 19
“What about this one?”
Amy peered over the dress rack and looked at the black off-the-shoulder formal gown Laura was holding up. “Not enough coverage,”
she said, sliding a few more unsuitable dresses to the side.
“Oh, please.” Laura walked over to her and held the dress in front of Amy. “You’d look sexy in this.”
“I don’t want to look sexy. I want to look appropriate.”
“Appropriately boring.” Laura folded the dress over her arm. “Try it on anyway. For me, your dearest friend who is teeming
with jealousy.”
Amy’s head popped up, but she relaxed when Laura winked at her. Amy almost hadn’t told her about Max’s invitation, considering
their conversation on the patio a few weeks ago when Laura had admitted she was lonely. But the two of them had been shopping
buddies for years. Besides, it was just another friendly outing with Max. She’d made that clear when she called and asked
Laura to help her shop for a dress. However, Laura hadn’t sounded convinced.
This was their fourth dress shop, including hitting the mall, and Amy was starting to lose hope that she would find anything. And while she wasn’t going to compromise her standards, she’d humor her friend. “Okay.” Amy slid over two more dresses, then stopped at a caramel-colored gown with a high, jeweled collar. It was sleeveless, but backless, like Laura’s choice. “Ooh, I like this one.”
Laura nodded. “It’s beautiful. Even better—it’s in your size.”
Amy took it. A short while later after combing through all the gowns, she found one other dress, a red and silver number that
looked more suitable for Christmas but was pretty and modest. She took them to the dressing room while Laura sat nearby.
When she put on Laura’s suggestion, she immediately wanted to take it off. She’d never been a bosomy woman, but the neckline
still felt way too low. The dress was also formfitting, and even though she was fit, the gown outlined the slight tummy bulge
she could never get rid of. If she chose this, she’d have to fight with shapewear to get it to look good. Still, she showed
it to Laura, who promptly gave it a thumbs-down.
“You’re right,” she said. “Too revealing.”
Amy quickly took it off and rehung it, then slid the silver and red dress off the hanger. When she slipped it on, it was much
more flattering. The top was completely covered in silver sequins sewn onto thin, silver fabric. The neckline was acceptable,
and unlike the other two, it had three quarter sleeves. The red skirt flared out a little at her hips and the hem brushed
against the floor. She nodded at her reflection and showed Laura.
“Definitely a contender,” she said.
But when Amy put on dress number three, she knew she had a winner. The collar wasn’t too confining, and it was decorated with
the perfect amount of jewels so she wouldn’t have to wear a necklace. The bodice was slightly formfitting where it needed
to be, and the rest of the gown was flowy and comfortable.
When she came out of the dressing room, Laura grinned. “That’s the one.”
Amy nodded, turning around in the three-way mirror to see all angles. “I feel like a princess.”
“You look like a queen.” Laura got up from the chair and stood beside her. “Max is going to flip when he sees you.”
Her cheeks pinked. “I don’t want him to flip.”
“Are you sure?”
She stared at the mirror, unable to answer. Now that she had the dress, she couldn’t deny the anticipation threading through
her. Or the happiness. She’d never worn a gown this fancy or expensive, and that included her wedding dress. She’d opted to
go with a simple white sheath with no train or veil. That wasn’t out of the ordinary these days, but back in the nineties,
she was an anomaly. Considering how bad her marriage had been, she was always grateful her parents hadn’t blown a lot of money
on the ceremony.
“Let’s get this puppy and go find you some shoes,” Laura said.
Amy faced her. “I’ve got some black pumps at home.” Then she almost laughed at her friend’s appalled expression.
“Pumps? Absolutely not. You’re getting some strappy sandals with no less than a three-inch heel.”
“My feet will hurt all night.”
“And it will be worth it. Now march in there and get dressed. We have more shopping to do!”
After finding the perfect pair of pain-inducing heels and getting Laura’s hearty approval, Amy purchased the dress and shoes,
trying not to throw up at the sight of the final bill. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And as Laura kept telling
her, she rarely treated herself and had never splurged like this.
“I can’t wait to hear what Britt thinks of your outfit,” Laura said as they left the shop and walked into a wall of Texas
heat.
Amy pressed her lips together.
Laura cast her a side glance, and when they reached the car she said, “You’re going to show her the dress, right?”
“Um... I haven’t told her about the party.” She unlocked the doors, opened the back passenger side, and hung the garment
bag on the hook. “Or about Max.”
“ What? ”
Amy quickly slid into the front seat and started the engine.
Laura’s eyebrows had shot up almost to her hairline. “You haven’t told her?”
“No.” Amy put the car in drive and backed out.
“Why on earth not?”
“Because I don’t know where this thing with Max is going.” She avoided looking at Laura as she drove out of the lot.
“You’ve been out twice, and he invited you to a fancy-schmancy party. I think it’s going well.”
“Two dates don’t define a relationship. I’m just being careful.”
Laura leaned back against the seat. “I’d understand that if Britt were a kid. She’s twenty-eight, though. I’m sure she’d be
able to handle it if you and Max didn’t work out. I think she’d be mad that you didn’t tell her about him when you first met.”
Amy didn’t want to consider that Laura might be right. But she couldn’t go against her mama bear instincts. Britt wasn’t like
other kids. She never had been. And Amy was aware of the judgment she occasionally got from others about her twenty-eight-year-old
daughter still living at home. But Britt couldn’t even go shopping without stressing out about being in public. How was she
supposed to live on her own?
“I’ll tell her after the party,” Amy said. “If Max and I are still seeing each other at that point.”
“I don’t know why you’re waiting—”
“Laura, I know what I’m doing.”
Her friend paused. “I hope so.”
They drove in silence for a few minutes. Then Laura said, “What kind of jewelry are you going to wear?”
Amy smiled, relieved that Laura had dropped the subject and wasn’t mad at her. “Gold hoops?”
“Do you have any rhinestones?”
Amy smirked. “What do you think?”
“That would be a no then. We’ll get you some. And you must get your hair and nails done too.”
“I’ll do that later this week.” Oh boy. She could practically feel the cash sliding out of her account. Oh well. After decades
of scrimping and saving, she finally had enough margin to spend frivolously like this. As they headed for an accessories store,
she hoped it would be worth it.
***
“Oh, I just knew you two were meant to be together!”
Britt arched a brow at Maude as she set her sketchbook on the table in the education room. After she left Yo Jo’s yesterday,
she’d gone home and sketched out some preliminary dress ideas. Her dad was probably expecting her to go to a fancy dress shop
to get her gown for the party, but after dress shopping with Savannah, Britt knew she wouldn’t find anything she liked at
those stores. With Maude’s help, she’d create the perfect outfit, though. “What are you talking about?”
“You and Hunter. He’s taking you to the party, right?” Maude sat down next to her.
Britt fiddled with edge of her sketchbook. “Um, no. It’s not just a regular party. It’s black tie.” Hunter would never go to one of those parties, even if he did have the opportunity, and she couldn’t imagine he ever would. Britt was still stunned that she was going.
“Then who are you going with? Savannah?”
“No. I’m going with Dad.”
For once, Maude was speechless. Her eyes widened behind her red-framed glasses. “ Your dad?”
Britt nodded.
“The one who hasn’t been around for years?”
“Yes.”
Maude frowned. “Does your mother know about this?”
“No, and please don’t say anything to her.” Britt explained about Dad coming back into her life. “I’m going to tell her when
the time is right.”
Maude shook her head. “Keeping secrets isn’t good. It isn’t right either.”
“I know.” She turned up the bottom corner of the sketchbook page. “I feel so guilty about it.”
“Then tell her.” Maude covered Britt’s hand with her own. “Be honest with her.”
“I will, after the party.” She pushed the sketch in front of Maude. “Can you help me make this?”
Maude lifted a brow, then sighed and looked at the drawing.
Instead of taking her inspiration from the seventies, Britt went back a decade and designed a simple dress with a rich, crimson
velvet tank top and a long, straight white skirt. Around the waistline she drew a bright pink belt with a bow on the side.
Next to the dress she’d penciled in some long white gloves.
“Very Audrey Hepburn,” Maude said, her expression relaxing. She took off her glasses. “I expected more ruffles and chiffon.
That was the style in the late seventies and early eighties.”
“I thought about that. Then I was looking at some online images and fell in love with this.” She smudged the hem of the dress with her finger, giving it a softer look. “What do you think?”
Maude smiled. “I think you’ll be stunning.” She tapped on the gloves. “I have a pair just like these. Would you like to borrow
them?”
Britt grinned, thankful Maude had dropped the subject of telling Mom about Dad and seemed excited about the dress. “Will it
be hard to make?”
“Not at all. We’ll need a pattern, but I’m sure we can find one online.” Maude got up and went to the storage room, then returned
with a tape measure around her neck. “I’ll get your measurements. Then we’ll look for a pattern, and tomorrow I can shop for
the fabric.”
“Can I go with you?”
Maude nodded, delight in her eyes. “Of course.” She gestured for Britt to stand up. As she measured Britt’s dimensions, she
said, “X keeps telling me not to be nosy, but I can’t stand it anymore. Are you and Hunter dating?”
Britt almost told her no. When she and Hunter hung out at K&Bs, they made sure to keep their distance. Maude had given up
dropping hints and trying to force them into compromising positions. But after Maude’s insistence on honesty, she had to tell
the truth. “Yes,” she said. “I’m pretty sure we are.”
“That’s wonderful!” Maude crouched and stretched the tape from Britt’s waist to the tops of her shoes. “He’s a catch for sure.
Such a polite, friendly young man.” She stood, her knees audibly creaking. “Quite delicious looking too.”
Britt couldn’t help but grin.
“I take it your mom doesn’t know about him either.” She wrapped the tape measure around Britt’s waist.
“No. Neither does Dad. But I’ll tell them,” she added quickly.
“After the party, right?” Maude supplied.
“Right.” She waited for Maude’s censure, or even an eye roll.
But she simply wrote down the measurements on Britt’s sketch. “Why aren’t you sure you and Hunter are dating?”
“Because I don’t know how all this works.”
She went to Britt and smiled. “No one does, sugar. If we all knew the mystery about relationships, everyone would be blissfully
happy. Every single couple is winging it as they go along, including me and X.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Because people change over time. Sometimes quickly, sometimes at a snail’s pace. It depends on how hard life hits them.
X and I aren’t the same optimistic young couple we were back in Vermont. Back then we thought we had all the answers, that
nothing was going to stop us or make us unhappy. We were in love. That was all we needed.”
Alarmed, Britt asked, “You don’t love each other anymore?”
“We love each other more deeply now than we ever have. But love isn’t all you need to make a relationship work. You must have
communication, patience, and empathy, along with understanding and honesty. Above all, you have to be willing to make it work.
If you give up, the relationship is over.”
“I don’t think Mom gave up on Dad,” Britt said, suddenly feeling defensive of her mother. “He made it impossible for them
to be together. Even I knew that back then.”
“Then he wasn’t being honest with himself. And he wasn’t willing to work on whatever the problems were between them.” Maude
touched her shoulder and smiled. “I’m not judging Amy, not at all. She’s told me a little bit about your father. Being with
an alcoholic is difficult. Impossible, if they’re not sober. Just ask X.”
Britt was stunned. “You’re an alcoholic?”
Maude nodded, her expression the most serious Britt had ever seen it. “A high-functioning one, which was why it was easy to
hide it from him when we were dating. But soon we had the pressures of moving here, opening our store, and trying to conceive
a child. When I found out we couldn’t have children, I didn’t care if he knew or not.”
“I had no idea.”
“I’ve been sober for most of our marriage. X could have left me, but he didn’t. He stayed by my side. Not sure if I would
have made it if he hadn’t.” She wiped her fingertips under her eyes. “Oh boy, I hadn’t planned to spill those beans today.”
“I’m glad you did.” Britt hugged her. “My dad’s been sober for a while now. I hope Mom can see him for the man he is today
and not hold the past against him.”
“That’s why you’re afraid to tell her.”
Britt nodded.
“We’ll just have to pray that they’ll keep the past where it belongs.” Maude stepped away. “Now, we have five days to get
this dress done. Let’s do it!”
She and Britt got online and searched for patterns similar to Britt’s design. But it was hard for Britt to concentrate. She
was still reeling from Maude’s revelation. She was also thinking about her assertion that everyone in a relationship was winging
it. That was how she felt—ungrounded. Maybe it had more to do with not being honest with her family about him than with Hunter
himself. Because when she didn’t think about the secrets she was keeping from her parents, and when she was with him and only
thought about him, she definitely felt secure.
Maude was right—she had to come clean about everything, including telling her parents about Hunter, telling Hunter about her parents, and telling Mom about Dad. But the last thing she wanted was upheaval before such a big event. It was going to be hard enough settling her nerves, and the only way she could keep the anxiety from taking over the rest of the week was to not think about it, except when she and Maude were making the dress.
But once the party was over, no more procrastinating. She’d tell the truth. How bad could it be?
***
Daniel tugged on his bow tie as he pulled in front of K&Bs to pick up Brittany for the Picketts’ party. After he’d called
her yesterday and asked if he could take her to the party early, she instructed him to pick her up here. He hadn’t questioned
her, figuring she didn’t want him to see Amy yet.
But he decided that next week he would ask her to tell Amy about him. Although he tried to, he still couldn’t get the image
of her and that guy at the movie theater out of his mind, and that had happened weeks ago. He kept telling himself he didn’t
have a right to know who he was or if they were together. But the curiosity was overwhelming and he’d almost asked Brittany
about it a couple of times. He’d been patient enough waiting for her to reveal that he was in town. The longer it dragged
out, the harder it was getting to maintain that equanimity.
But the truth was, he longed to see Amy. To talk to her, to ask her forgiveness, to have some sort of relationship with her, even if it was just so the three of them could all be in the same room. He also missed her and had missed her every day since he left. Now that he’d seen her twice, those feelings had come back and continued to grow, no matter how he tried to distract himself or talk himself out of them. He’d traded in the two most precious people in his life for whiskey, vodka, and gin. And he’d regretted it ever since.
But he wasn’t going to think about any of that tonight. He was going to focus on Brittany and make sure they both had a wonderful
time.
He pulled out his phone and texted her.
Daniel: I’m here.
Brittany: Be right there.
Daniel got out of the car and walked over to the sidewalk in front of the store. He would have walked inside but she had explicitly
said she’d meet him out here. He tugged on his bow tie again. This penguin suit is for the birds.
The door opened and Brittany walked outside. Daniel’s jaw dropped. She looked like she’d stepped out of Breakfast at Tiffany’s . Even her hair was tamed into a sixties hairstyle, and it was stunning. He quickly went to her. “You look beautiful, honey.”
Her cheeks turned red, and she glanced away. “You sure it’s not too much?”
“No. It’s perfect. You’ll be the star of the party.” When she cast him a panic-stricken look, he backtracked. “But only if
you want to be. There’ll be so many people there...” Great. He was saying all the wrong things. “I—”
She put her white-gloved hand on his arm. “I get it,” she said, managing a tense smile. “And I’ll be okay. Just don’t leave
me.”
“I won’t, Brittany. You can count on me.” He crooked his arm, and she slipped her hand through it. He opened the door of his Fusion, and she got inside. After shutting the door, he jogged to the other side of the car, spotting an older couple standing at the window of the store, their noses practically pressed against it. Daniel nodded to them and smiled. They both waved.
Soon they were on their way to the Picketts’. “What are the names of your friends at the art store again?” he asked.
“Maude and X.” She was fidgeting with the tips of the gloves on her right hand. “Maude helped me make the dress.”
“You made that?”
“I designed it. Fifty dollars and some change.”
He glanced at her, noting her wide smile. “Well done. Send me the bill, remember.” He’d learned how to sew buttons out of
sheer necessity, but he couldn’t fathom what it would take to make something as complicated as a dress. Then again, he was
always impressed with Brittany. “When we arrive, we’ll go in the front and then straight to the gallery. It’s upstairs.”
“Your boss doesn’t mind if we’re early?”
“He doesn’t know, remember? His wife, Lila, said it was okay. She was happy about it actually. She said art was to be enjoyed,
and she was glad someone was going to enjoy it.”
Brittany nodded. “I can’t wait to see the collection.”
And he couldn’t wait to show her. He didn’t know a Rembrandt from a Rodin, but he knew the Picketts’ collection was expensive.
He was sure Brittany could tell him all about the paintings and statues.
They were both quiet on the rest of the drive, but it was a peaceful silence. Daniel didn’t feel the need to come up with
small talk, and Brittany seemed okay sitting there tugging slightly on the fingertips of her gloves. When he pulled into the
gated neighborhood, he glanced at her. Yep, her eyes were as big as saucers.
“Oh, wow,” she said, looking out the front and side windows. “These houses are amazing.”
“That they are.” He remembered the first time he’d driven into the Picketts’ neighborhood. He had to pick his jaw up off the floor.
A few minutes later, he pulled into the circular drive. It was weird being a guest instead of an employee. A valet dressed
in a crisp black suit opened Brittany’s door for her and held out his hand to help her out of the car. “Thank you,” she said
in a small voice.
Daniel quickly bounded out of the car and gave the guy his keys. He could see his daughter was already overwhelmed. Hopefully
in a good way. “You ready to go?”
She looked up and nodded, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
He offered his arm again, took a deep breath, and together they went inside.