Jenny
When he sent her the info on the shop, Erik told her that he had already chosen and paid for this dress, so she could have it altered in any way she liked.
In any case, he had certainly chosen something lovely for her, something perfect for a special bride on her wedding day.
This dress was so different and yet somehow the same.
The material was a beautiful snowy satin, so soft it slid like water when she moved.
She was sure it must have cost a fortune.
Yet the lines were simple and modest enough that she could happily greet her grandmother or dance all night without a second thought, just like that dress she wore all those years ago.
It was exactly what she would have wanted for herself, but nicer because Erik had chosen it.
He didn’t choose it for me, she tried to remind herself. I need to remember that this is just a fantasy.
“You look incredible,” Ana, the owner of the little shop, said softly. “I don’t think you even need alterations.”
“It does fit well,” Jenny said, shaking her head in wonder.
In the mirror, she could see Gael talking with Ana’s mother, Mariangel, over by the counter. Mariangel was the co-owner and she created most of the clothing, but right now she was fully focused on Gael, smiling with shining eyes as he spoke with her excitedly in Spanish.
“He’s a wonderful boy,” Ana said. “Erik Anderson is a lucky man.”
“He’s a good man,” Jenny said. “We’re the lucky ones.”
She felt an awful pang of guilt for deceiving the sweet lady who was standing beside her.
“Shall I pack it up for you?” Ana asked. “Or I can just hold onto it and bring it to the venue early if you’d prefer.”
“I’ll take it with me,” Jenny told her. “But do you have shoes and accessories here? I lost a bag on my way.”
More lies, but what else was she supposed to do?
“Of course,” Ana said. “Hang on.”
“Mrs. Gutierrez speaks Spanish and English,” Gael sang out as he ran over to Jenny. “Just like my abuela, and just like me.”
He was so delighted that Jenny could only smile. She had been learning words and phrases slowly ever since he came to live with her, but that was nothing compared to being able to have a whole conversation with a native speaker.
“She said she doesn’t get too many chances to speak Spanish at the shop,” Gael said. “So today was special.”
Jenny glanced over to see that Mariangel was helping a customer now. And that customer had a little boy about Gael’s age who was gazing curiously at him.
When Gael smiled in his direction, the boy smiled back and marched right over.
“Hi,” he said. “I’m Ben. Ben Webb.”
“Hi, Ben,” Gael said. “I’m Gael.”
“Would you boys like to play a little game while your mothers do their shopping?” Mariangel called to them, pointing to a little table in the corner with two chairs and a box of checkers.
“Can we?” Gael asked eagerly.
“Of course,” Jenny told him with a smile.
The boys rushed over and opened up the box right away, and the other mom gave Jenny a wave. But Ana was back with a stack of shoeboxes before Jenny could do more than wave back.
“Feel free to use the dressing room,” Ana said. “The bench in there is great for sitting down to try on shoes. My mom and I will keep an eye on Gael.”
“Thanks so much,” Jenny told her.
She headed for the dressing room, but before she got inside, her phone was ringing.
She slid it out of her pocket and saw that it was her mom calling.
There was no point putting off the inevitable.
Her mom had been pretty upset the other night hearing the scheme she and Erik were pulling.
If she wanted to talk now, it was probably only to continue telling Jenny how worried she was.
But Jenny knew better than to ignore a call from her mother.
And besides, with all that was happening, she felt like she could use a friendly ear.
So she accepted the call, bracing herself.
“Hi, Mom,” she said.
“How are you holding up, sweetheart?” Sure enough, her mom’s tone was a little too high. She was trying to be light and cheerful, but Jenny could still hear the worry there.
“I’m fine, Mom,” Jenny said with a calm she didn’t feel. “I’m actually glad you called.”
“Why?” her mom asked. “What’s happening?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” Jenny said. “It’s just… I think this might be turning into something real.”
“What are you talking about?” her mother demanded.
“He asked me to go on a real date with him last night,” Jenny said. “We went out to dinner, and it was really, really nice.”
“I know you had a crush on him in college,” her mom said carefully. “But things are different now.”
Jenny blinked in surprise. She thought she’d kept such a good lid on her feelings back then. Had everyone known about her infatuation with Erik Anderson?
“You still there?” her mom asked.
“Yes,” Jenny said. “Sorry. How did you know that I liked him?”
“You talked about him constantly,” her mom said, chuckling. “It was very sweet. He really does seem like a lovely person.”
“Oh,” Jenny said. “But you don’t think I should give him a chance?”
“Listen,” her mom said, sighing. “Try to remove yourself from the situation and look at it from the outside. The man was just engaged to someone else a few days ago.”
“I know,” Jenny said. “But it sounds like it was an unusual situation.”
“That may be true,” her mom said. “But it doesn’t change the facts. And you can’t afford to be his rebound. Not when my grandson needs every bit of love and stability you can provide. I know you didn’t ask for my advice, but I think you need to pull back, honey.”
That last sentence was spoken softly, and with so much love that Jenny couldn’t find it in herself to rebel even a little bit.
“You’re right,” she said, blowing out a breath.
“I know,” her mom said. “I wish I weren’t. You and Gael should probably head home now, sweetheart, before you get in too deep.”
She thought about it. It probably would be a lot easier to take off this dress and tell Erik she couldn’t do it. She could just head back to Boston with Gael and try to forget all about the time they had spent together.
But then she thought about the veterans at the Center, and the looks on all those faces, young and old, when they saw her and Gael stop in.
“I think I have to stay,” she said slowly. “I don’t think we can disappoint the veterans, or Gael. They’re all so excited about the wedding.”
“Do what you feel you have to do,” her mom said. “But please don’t risk your heart, Jenny.”
They both fell silent.
Neither of them wanted to say it out loud, but Jenny was pretty sure they were both thinking about the time just after she lost Jason. She had been so devastated for so long. It was hard to eat or sleep, impossible to do anything but drag herself to work and home again.
Her mom had come out to stay with her for a while, and that helped some. But mostly she’d had to find her way out of the darkness very, very slowly on her own.
I can’t risk feeling like that again, she realized. Not even a little bit, not when I have Gael.
“Mom,” Gael called to her from outside the dressing room. “Ben has to go, but he wants to know if we can meet them in the park later.”
“Go on,” her mom said. “We’ll talk soon. You call me anytime.”
“I love you, Mom,” Jenny said.
“Love you too, chipmunk,” her mom said with a smile in her voice.
Jenny hung up and hurried out to Gael, her heart aching at the idea that she really couldn’t afford to have Erik in her life.
When she got out to the shop, Gael and his new friend started jumping up and down and pleading for a playdate at the park, huge smiles on both their faces, and the icy splinters in her heart began to melt.
This is who I’m doing it for, she reminded herself, looking at Gael’s beautiful smile. His happiness is worth everything.