Chapter 34 Stella
Stella
“So, I was going to ask if you had plans next Saturday night?” Colt inquires, leaning against the headboard of my bed while I hang my laundry up in my closet.
“Nope. My schedule’s wide open. What’d you have in mind?”
“There’s this…gala, I guess is the correct word, that I was going to see if you wanted to go to.
It’s basically just a bunch of rich people who get together to raise money for cancer research.
The Warrens have attended for several years.
They used to go before my mother got her diagnosis, and after she passed, they started inviting my dad and me along.
They usually donate a bunch of money in her name. ”
“Wow, that’s amazing of them. I’d love to go with you, but I don’t know that I have anything to wear to an event like that.”
“Jill thought you might say that, and she told me to tell you that she’d take you dress shopping. And before you refuse, she also told me to tell you that she misses having a girl to spoil and buy pretty things for, so you aren’t allowed to say no.”
Jaw slack in astonishment, I have no response to what he just said. Before I can contemplate a reply, he continues.
“She’d asked me if I felt up to going this year, is how the conversation started. Then, she’d said that if I wanted to invite you, they’d get two tickets for me, just like they used to.”
I finish hanging up the last of my clothes and crawl onto the bed next to him, cuddling up into his side. “If you want me to go, then I’ll be there,” I reply. “But know that I will absolutely feel bad about her spending money on me.”
Colt chuckles softly, kissing the top of my head and scratching his fingernails lightly over my back.
“Trust me, sweetheart, she really doesn’t mind.”
“What color dress should I wear?” I ask offhandedly, leaning into his warmth, breathing him in.
“Surprise me,” Colt answers, and I smile, savoring this quiet moment with him.
Colt gave Jill my phone number, and she texted me to see when I was free to go shopping with her.
This semester, I got lucky, only having Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes.
I respond with my availability, and the next thing I know, we have an appointment at a designer dress shop that I don’t think I could even afford to walk past the front entrance of.
Dozens of breathtaking gowns fill the showroom, displayed in their full glory on mannequins and behind glass cases. The crystal chandeliers, the marble floors, the floor-to-ceiling gold mirror situated in front of velvet sofas. I’ve never felt more out of place, but I’m also beyond excited.
“Jill, baby, lovely to see you,” a spectacularly dressed blonde man greets as we make our way inside.
He’s wearing flowy, high-waisted pants with a black silk dress shirt.
I don’t know much about fashion, but I know his matching belt and shoes cost a pretty penny.
He also has a small diamond stud in the left side of his nose.
“Hello, Cade. Thank you for squeezing us in on such short notice!” Jill and Cade take each other by the elbows and do the rich-people-kiss-on-the-cheek thing.
“Anything for you, dear,” he replies. “Now, who do we have with us today?” Cade asks, turning to face me.
“This is Stella, Colt’s girlfriend—you remember Colt, yes?” Jill’s pushed her sunglasses up on her head and has set her purse down on the sofa. She peruses the room, walking around like it’s her second home.
“Of course, handsome boy. How is he doing?” Cade walks around my body, looking me up and down, taking in every inch of my appearance. I feel severely underdressed in my brown corduroy pants and white sweater.
“He’s much better! Right, Stella?” Jill asks, settling down on the sofa beside her purse, content to let Cade take over the dress-choosing.
“Yes! He’s doing well,” I reply, trying not to sound out of place.
“Stella, honey, don’t worry. Cade is the best in the business. He tells you what you need, not the other way around.” Jill smiles reassuringly at me, easing some of the tension in my shoulders.
Cade makes his way back in front of me, waving a hand in the air to emphasize his words. “You are gorgeous, darling. This is going to be fun. Head over here to the dressing room, I’ll bring you some options. And champagne!”
After a few moments, Cade wheels over a rack weighed down with gowns. They all seem to be in the same color scheme of rich, deep gemstone shades, along with some blacks.
“These are the ones I think will complement your complexion best. Now, we just need to try on and see which silhouette you’re comfortable in.
I spend the next two hours trying on so many gorgeous dresses—fitted, A-line, strapless.
Every style I could name, and many more I couldn’t, Cade had me try on.
With each new gown, he’d lead me out to the little round platform, have me stand in front of the mirror, and would walk around, taking in the dress from every angle.
Sometimes, he would hold my hair up a certain way, mimicking a certain style, or he’d bring me over a piece of jewelry to try on.
No matter what he put me in, it was never perfect enough for him. The thing about Cade, though, is that his energy was contagious. He was fun and sassy, and it was always the dress’s fault for being ugly, and nothing was good enough for me to wear.
Finally, after trying on what felt like hundreds of dresses, I come out of the dressing room in a gown that has both Cade and Jill gasping in awe.
I stand on the platform, turning to face my reflection, and my breath catches.
The dress is satin, in a deep, emerald green that makes my eyes glow.
It’s strapless, with fabric tastefully layered at the bust to create the illusion of a cowl neck.
The body of the dress is an elegant, structured corset, with fine boning detailing.
The skirt flows out from beneath the corset, a drop-waist, loose enough not to be considered form-fitting, but slimmer than an A-line cut.
It molds over my hips but gives me room to walk.
It’s the most stunning thing I’ve ever put on my body.
“That’s the one,” Cade announces as if he’s stating a fact of the universe. “It just needs one final touch.” He disappears for a second, returning with a strip of silk in the same color as the dress, and places it around the front of my neck so each end is draped down my back. “There. Perfection.”
Jill stands and claps her hands. “It’s stunning! Oh, Stella, that dress was made for you.”
I’m unable to pull my eyes away from the mirror. I don’t even look like myself. The shimmering satin makes my skin shine with a soft glow, the dress molding perfectly to my body. I never want to take it off.
“Accessories! Shoes, we need shoes!” Cade disappears to the back once again, and Jill continues to beam at me.
“He’s going to be struck speechless, honey.”
Sitting in a sleek but casual cafe, Jill and I order some lunch. After we left the dress shop, we went to the nail salon, and then made our way here.
“Well, I think that was a very successful morning,” Jill says, sipping her iced tea.
“I just want to say thank you, again, for all of this. It’s really too much.” Every time Jill suggested another purchase today, I tried to refuse, but the woman was having none of it.
“You don’t have to thank me,” she says warmly. After a brief pause, she turns more somber. “I haven’t been able to do something like this for a very long time.”
“I didn’t want to bring it up, but I’m sorry about what happened to your daughter. It’s so horrible.” I mention Gracie with caution, but Jill doesn’t seem to mind.
She nods. “Yes. The not-knowing is the worst part, I think. The lack of closure.” The waiter brings over a couple of salads, halting the conversation momentarily.
“You remind me of her, in a way. She was talented, smart, beautiful. She was already playing on the varsity volleyball team as a freshman in high school,” Jill continues, huffing out a dry laugh.
“Anyway, I always imagined going shopping with her for her first prom, or for her wedding dress, like any mother does. I’m grateful you let me have a tiny glimpse of that today. ”
I reach across the table to squeeze her hand, unable to think of any words adequate enough to speak into this moment.
“Colt’s mom would have loved you, you know,” Jill says, switching gears. “She was so fun and kind and warm.”
“Like her son?” I ask, smiling softly.
Jill lets loose a smile of her own. “Yeah, like her son. Just like him. We were best friends growing up, Delilah and I. Then my family moved away, you know, in the time before cell phones, and I didn’t talk to her for close to twenty-five years.
Then, one day, I’m taking Beau to his first youth hockey practice, and there she is, sitting in the stands, watching this feisty little miniature version of her skate around the rink.
“She didn’t know she was sick then, but it wasn’t long after we reconnected that she told me about the tumor.
Inoperable. She would never take any money from us; always told me to donate it to someone who it could actually benefit.
But she asked me to watch after Colt before she passed.
She didn’t want him to grow up without a mother, and I told her I’d try my best. That’s all she wanted for him, was the best. And I think he’s found that with you. ”
Her praise makes me blush, and I shake my head to deny it, but she doesn’t let me. “Through all of this, Stella, you didn’t waver. You didn’t give up, even when he was at his lowest. So, yes, you’re his best, honey.”