Chapter 31 Claire
Claire
“Oh, Claire. It’s just perfect.” My mom’s voice sounds behind me as I look at my reflection in the mirror of the bridal shop.
It’s early May, just a month from the wedding, and I’m doing the final fitting for my dress. This time, Mom and Julie came along, and it’s Julie’s first time seeing me in the dress. And the dress I ended up choosing… Well, it was my mom’s favorite dress. But that’s fine, because she’s happy.
The last month has passed in a blur. Once Zach decided to set a date, it’s been a mad scramble to get all the vendors lined up.
First was the venue. The ceremony will be at our local church, but finding somewhere to have the reception was tricky at this last minute.
Thankfully, Julie has connections and found out the Pacific Island Reception Hall had a cancellation on our exact date.
It doesn’t have an ocean view, but I was willing to sacrifice some of my desires for the sake of making the wedding happen quickly.
Everything is falling into place. I feel like the universe is telling me that this was the right path all along, even though each decision feels like another weight on my shoulders. But once I accepted my fate, all the puzzle pieces fit right together.
Including this dress. The bridal shop had ten dresses available in stock, and this was one of them.
The one I originally loved—the one I sent to Ryan—was not.
And just like that, the decision was made. Simple.
Mom steps onto the pedestal next to me and wipes away a tear. “It’s perfect.”
I grin at her, my heart happy that she’s happy.
“Not perfect.” The seamstress, a minuscule woman named Olga with a hunchback and permanent scowl, pipes in with her thick Eastern European accent. “Not even close to perfect.”
“What do you mean?” Mom asks. “Look at her!”
“Bunching here.” Olga pinches my side. “Gapping here.” She sticks her finger down my nonexistent cleavage. “You lose weight. Why you lose weight? This supposed to be final fitting. You look perfect before.”
My cheeks heat, and my mom turns to me, her eyes wide. “Claire? Are you trying to lose weight?”
“No!” I shake my head. “I’m not trying to. I promise.”
Mom holds my cheeks in her hands and looks me square in the eyes. Her voice is soft. “I know a lot of brides diet, but you’re perfect just as you are.”
I smile at her. “Thank you, Mom. But it’s not intentional. I mean it. I’m just so busy, I forget to eat lunch sometimes.” And breakfast. Sometimes dinner. Or all three.
It really isn’t on purpose, but I have noticed my jeans sagging on my hips and my tops hanging looser than usual. It’s just that my appetite isn’t really there, and my mind is constantly on the wedding preparations that sometimes I just…forget to eat.
In fact, I’m so busy with the wedding that I’m not even working on my book anymore. But it’s not important. All that matters is getting ready for the wedding.
Mom holds my gaze a moment longer before I see her decide to believe me. She pats my cheek and wraps an arm around my waist, facing the mirror again. “You’re going to be so beautiful. The perfect bride.” She turns to Julie, who’s been quiet throughout this whole exchange. “Don’t you think so?”
Julie sniffs behind us, and I turn to see her with tears in her eyes.
“Oh, Julie,” I say, stepping down from the pedestal. She gets up and wraps me in a hug, burying her face in my shoulder.
“No!” Olga screeches. “No hugs! You get makeup on dress!”
“I’m sorry,” I say, pulling away from Julie. “I won’t ruin it.”
“You need more alterations,” Olga says. “This supposed to be final fitting.”
“I know.” I grimace. “I’m so sorry. I won’t lose any more weight.”
She grunts and starts pinching and pinning all around me, and I stand still as she gets all the final pieces ready.
“There. Go take off dress now.” Olga pushes me toward the dressing room. Once we’re in there, she unzips the back of the dress, helps me out of it, and leaves me to get dressed alone.
I pull on my loose jeans and top and look at myself in the mirror.
I can see the weight loss, even in my face.
I’m not happy about it; I didn’t have any issues with my self-image before and didn’t really care to lose weight.
But I can’t intentionally gain at this point, not without incurring the wrath of Olga.
Once the wedding is over, Zach and I will be able to relax on our honeymoon—not that we’re going anywhere too exciting, just San Diego, per Zach’s suggestion—and I’m sure I’ll gain it all back.
As I grab my purse, my phone buzzes with a call. I pull it out and see a contact I didn’t expect—my sister, Annie. I click the button to answer the call.
“Hey, Annie!”
“Claire!” Her cheery voice instantly warms my heart. “I’m so glad you picked up! What are you up to?”
“Just finished my final dress fitting. Well, not final anymore. I lost too much weight and Olga yelled at me.”
“Who’s Olga?”
“She’s the seamstress.”
“Pfft. Forget her!”
I snort a laugh. “Trust me, you don’t want to make Olga mad. It’s okay. How are you?” I sit on the bench in the dressing room, giving myself a moment of peace before going back out to the moms.
“I’m good. Really good. A fabric company just purchased one of my designs!”
“No way! That’s awesome.”
“Thanks!” She pauses, hesitating a moment. “So, how’s the wedding planning going? Just a few more weeks, right?”
“Yep.” I pop the P a little. “It’s going really well. Everything is falling right into place.”
“Good. I’m happy if you’re happy.”
I don’t say anything.
“Well, I actually called because I’ll be in the area in two weeks to meet with the fabric company. They’re in LA, and they invited me to see their samples in person. So I figured I’d just come early for the wedding. Maybe we can have lunch when I get here?”
“Definitely!” I can feel my grin taking over my face.
It’s so hard having this dual-sided relationship with my sister.
I love her so much, and I’ve always admired her.
She’s my big sister, after all. But the way she bailed on our family when she turned eighteen, leaving without a backward glance, really hurt us for years.
My parents still haven’t recovered. It doesn’t mean I don’t want the best for her, though, or that I don’t want to see her when she comes to visit.
Besides, she’s going to be at the wedding, anyway.
She’s part of the family, regardless of how weird things are between her and our parents.
“Awesome.” I can hear the relief in her voice. Was she nervous about asking to see me? It has been a while. I don’t think I’ve seen her in person in…a year? Maybe more? But she’ll always be my sister.
“Where are you staying?” I ask. “With Mom and Dad?”
“Uh, no. I’d rather not. I just figured I’d find an Airbnb somewhere around there.”
Her words sting a little. She’s about to come back home, but she can’t stay with our parents? How weird is that? They have plenty of space. But I guess I understand why she’d feel uncomfortable there.
The words fly out of my mouth before I have a chance to consider them. “Oh, you don’t have to do that. Come stay with me.”
She pauses. “Really?”
“Really. I have an extra bedroom.” For some reason I can’t explain, I feel a desperate need to have my sister close by at this point in my life.
“Okay, I’ll come. I’ll stay with you.”
I grin again. “Sounds good!”
“Is Zach around a lot?”
“No, not really. Don’t worry. You’ll have plenty of privacy.”
“Okay, cool.” She pauses, and I can hear her smile in her next words. “Thanks, Claire. This is going to be fun.”
“I think so.” We hang up, and I stare at my phone for a moment. It will be fun to have my sister around. But how will my mom react? I look at the dressing room door, wondering what she’ll say when I tell her. She’ll be happy, right?
Maybe I just won’t tell her. Not yet.