Chapter 9
Susan watched Kathleen adjust the rearview mirror after she’d parked her truck in downtown Bozeman. The drive from Sapphire Bay had been filled with laughter, memories of buying Isabel’s wedding dress, and Lynda’s creative reasons for not needing a wedding dress.
“I still think we’re making too much fuss over this,” Lynda said from the passenger seat. Her fingers twisted the strap of her purse in a way that contradicted her words. “We could be doing something more productive than searching for a dress for me.”
Susan glanced at Kathleen from the backseat. They’d heard variations of this argument since leaving home.
“You don’t get married every day,” Kathleen said gently. “After everything you’ve been through, you deserve to feel special.”
“I already feel special.” Lynda opened her door but didn’t immediately exit. “Matt proposed. We’re having a wedding. Why do I need expensive clothing to prove anything?”
Susan climbed out and stretched, breathing in the crisp November air. With its mix of local shops and galleries, the historic area of downtown Bozeman was charming.
“Your clothes don’t need to be expensive, but they need to be special,” she said, walking around to Lynda’s side of the truck. “Memories matter. Photographs last forever. And deep down, I know you want to wear something that makes you feel like the most important person in the room.”
Lynda finally emerged, smoothing her hands down her practical khaki pants. “Fine. But I’m not trying on anything with excessive lace or those puffy sleeves that make women look like they’re wearing lampshades.”
Kathleen laughed as she joined them on the sidewalk. “You’ve got a deal. No lampshades.”
Susan pulled out her phone and opened the video call app. “Before we go inside, let’s bring Isabel into this adventure.”
The phone rang twice before Isabel’s face appeared on screen, bookshelves visible behind her. “Perfect timing! I just finished helping a customer find the entire Longmire series. Show me everything.”
“We haven’t gone inside yet,” Susan said, angling the phone so Isabel could view their surroundings. “But Lynda’s already complaining.”
“I’m not complaining,” Lynda protested. “I’m being realistic.”
“You’re terrified,” Isabel corrected warmly. “Which is completely normal. I was a disaster when we shopped for my dress, remember? I tried on seventeen gowns before finding the right one.”
“Seventeen?” Lynda’s eyes widened. “We’re not trying on seventeen dresses. I’ll wear my pantsuit first.”
“No pantsuits,” all three friends said simultaneously, and even Lynda had to smile.
The first person they saw when they walked into the boutique was the owner, Emily. She greeted them immediately, her enthusiasm infectious.
“Hi everyone. It’s great to see you again! Are you shopping for something specific today?”
Emily’s smile was as warm as Susan remembered from when they’d bought dresses for Kathleen’s wedding. The boutique owner had helped them navigate countless decisions back then, and Susan felt grateful they could return for Lynda’s big day.
“Our friend needs a wedding gown,” Susan said before Lynda could redirect the conversation. “She’s getting married on Christmas Eve, so we’re hoping to find something that doesn’t require a lot of alterations.”
Emily’s expression brightened. “A Christmas wedding sounds wonderful.” She gestured toward the back of the boutique. “Let me show you our winter collection.”
Susan held up her phone so Emily could see Isabel. “Isabel’s stuck at her bookstore, but wants to help choose a dress for Lynda.”
“Hi, Isabel!” Emily waved at the screen. “I remember you from Kathleen’s wedding. It’s good to see you again.”
“I want to see everything!” Isabel called from the phone.
Emily smiled and led them past racks of formal wear toward a section with ivory, cream, and champagne-colored dresses. Susan watched Lynda’s shoulders tense as they approached.
“What’s your style preference?” Emily asked Lynda. “Traditional? Modern? Somewhere in between?”
“Comfortable,” Lynda said firmly. “And practical.”
“She means elegant but understated,” Kathleen translated diplomatically. “Nothing too fussy.”
Lynda bit her bottom lip. “I really liked the dress you found me for Kathleen’s wedding.”
Emily nodded thoughtfully, then pulled three dresses from the rack. The first was a sheath-style dress in champagne silk. The second was an A-line in ivory with minimal beading. And the third was a simple cream dress with a fluffy wrap that would keep Lynda warm.
“Try the champagne one,” Isabel urged from the phone screen. “The color would be stunning on you.” She looked over her shoulder and sighed. “I have to help a customer. Don’t choose anything without me seeing it first.”
And before Susan could say goodbye, Isabel had ended the call.
Lynda took the champagne dress from Emily’s hand and examined the neckline. “I don’t think this is me. It feels too over-the-top.”
“Just try it,” Susan encouraged. “If you hate it, we’ll move on.”
While Lynda changed, Susan and Kathleen settled into the plush chairs outside the fitting area. Emily brought them sparkling water, just as she had during Kathleen’s dress shopping.
“Matt’s going to love whatever Lynda picks,” Kathleen said quietly. “That man lights up when she enters a room.”
“They’re perfect for each other,” Susan agreed, remembering how comfortable they were together. “He balances her intensity, and she keeps him grounded.”
“I know another couple like that,” Kathleen said with a smile.
Susan didn’t know who her friend was talking about. “Do you mean Isabel and Frank, or you and Patrick?”
Kathleen placed her glass on a small table beside her. “I meant you and Paul. You’re at your happiest when you’re talking to him.”
Susan’s eyebrows rose. “For one thing, Paul and I aren’t a couple. We’re working together to create a new menu for his restaurant, that’s all.”
“If you say so. But even before the menu changes, you spent a lot of time talking to each other.” Mercifully, Kathleen dropped the subject as Lynda emerged from the fitting room.
The champagne silk dress hung beautifully on Lynda’s frame, but her expression showed just how uncomfortable she felt. She stood awkwardly on the small platform, arms crossed as if defending herself against their reactions.
“It’s lovely,” Kathleen began, but Lynda shook her head.
“I feel like I’m playing dress-up. This isn’t me.”
Susan studied her friend. The dress was technically flattering, but Lynda was right. It didn’t capture who she was. “Try the ivory A-line next.”
After calling Isabel, they all agreed that the second dress was worse than the first. The third was better but still not quite right. Emily brought out two more options, but nothing seemed to connect with Lynda the way Susan had hoped.
“I appreciate your help, Emily,” Lynda said finally, her voice apologetic. “But I don’t think any of these are quite right for me.”
Emily’s expression remained warm and understanding.
“That’s perfectly fine. Finding the right dress takes time.
” She paused, studying Lynda thoughtfully.
“Actually, I might have something in the back that could work. It just came in yesterday—a designer sample I haven’t even put on the floor yet.
Would you mind waiting a few minutes while I bring it out? ”
“Of course,” Susan said quickly, before Lynda could protest.
Emily disappeared into the back room while Susan called Isabel so she could see everything. When Emily returned, she carried a dress in deep winter white. It wasn’t quite cream, and not quite ivory, but something in between.
The design was deceptively simple. With a V-neckline, three-quarter sleeves, and a skirt that fell in soft folds to the floor, it wasn’t flashy or over-the-top. But the fabric caught the light beautifully, and the shape would complement the wearer instead of overwhelming them.
“Try this,” Emily said, handing the dress to Lynda. “No pressure. If it’s wrong, we’ll explore other options.”
Lynda disappeared into the fitting area, and Susan waited with Kathleen. Even Isabel leaned closer to the camera on her phone, not wanting to miss the reveal.
When Lynda emerged, Susan’s breath caught.
The dress transformed Lynda into someone they didn’t often see. The fabric moved with her, the neckline framed her face perfectly, and the sleeves provided coverage without heaviness.
Most importantly, Lynda stood differently. Her shoulders relaxed. Her arms hung naturally at her sides. She looked at herself in the three-way mirror with an expression that started as surprise and softened into something like wonder.
“Oh, Lynda,” Kathleen whispered.
“That’s it,” Isabel said definitively from the phone. “That’s your dress.”
Lynda turned slowly, examining herself from various angles. “It doesn’t feel like a costume.”
“Because it’s not,” Emily whispered. “It’s simply you, on your best day.”
Susan watched tears gather in Lynda’s eyes, and her own vision blurred. This was why the shopping trip mattered. Not because they needed to convince Lynda she was beautiful—she’d always been beautiful. But because finding the right dress meant Lynda could enjoy her wedding day feeling like herself.
“I’ll take it,” Lynda said, her voice thick with emotion. “How much?”
Emily quoted a price that was reasonable rather than astronomical, then measured Lynda carefully for minor adjustments. “I can have the alterations completed in two weeks. Will that work for your December timeline?”
“That’s perfect,” Susan confirmed, squeezing Lynda’s shoulder.
As Emily disappeared to process the paperwork, Lynda stepped down from the platform and pulled Susan and Kathleen into an impulsive hug.
“Thank you,” she said simply. “I’m glad I listened to you. The right dress matters.”
“Everything about your wedding matters,” Kathleen said. “That’s why we’re here.”
Isabel’s voice came from the phone Susan still held. “I wish I could hug you all. But I’m so happy we found the perfect dress. Emily’s right—it’s absolutely you.”
They settled the details, arranged the pickup date, and finally emerged onto Bozeman’s main street as the afternoon light began to fade.
“Does anyone want to stop for coffee before we drive home?” Kathleen asked, gesturing toward a café down the block.
Lynda nodded. “That sounds wonderful.”
They sat at a corner table in Angel Wings Café and ordered coffee and pastries. Before long, their conversation turned to other wedding details—flowers, music, and the menu Susan would prepare.
“I still can’t believe this is happening,” Lynda admitted, wrapping her hands around her steaming mug. “A year ago, I was convinced I’d spend the rest of my life alone. Now I’m marrying Matt, and you’re making sure every detail is perfect.”
“That’s what we do,” Susan said simply. “We show up for each other.”
The drive home was quieter than the journey to Bozeman. Susan watched the landscape pass outside her window, the mountains darkening against the sky, and thought about community, friendship, and the unexpected ways life could surprise you.
She hadn’t realized how much she’d missed being part of her friends’ lives. If it weren’t for Kathleen organizing their reunion, Susan might not have taken the plunge and moved to the place where she’d first met all her childhood friends.
As they pulled into Sapphire Bay, Susan’s phone buzzed with a text from Paul: How did the shopping go? Hope Lynda found something perfect.
She smiled and typed back: Mission accomplished. Talk tomorrow?
His response came immediately: Looking forward to it.
Susan pocketed her phone as Kathleen stopped outside her house.
As Lynda leaped out of the truck to help her gather the small gifts she’d found in Bozeman, Susan smiled.
The last few hours had been about more than a wedding dress.
It was about showing up, caring enough to insist they keep searching, and enjoying being part of an important moment in someone else’s life.
That, Susan thought as she said goodnight to her friends, was what made life worth living.