Chapter 27
Twenty-Seven
On Monday, I receive a visit from Amanda.
“Hey, how are ya holding up?” she asks as I let her in and close the door behind her.
“Fine,” I answer, not really in the mood to speak to anyone.
“Ali, it’s waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too dark in here.
You’re not a bat living in a cave.” She marches directly over to the windows and draws the curtains.
Light floods the room and I have to blink a few times so my eyes can properly adjust. “That’s better.
” Amanda spins around and gives me a look over, hands planted on her hips. “You look awful.”
“Thanks,” I mutter, knowing full well I haven’t bothered getting dressed or doing anything to take care of my appearance for the past couple of days.
“Hurry up, go shower and get dressed. After that, we can get the day started.” She gently steers me toward the bathroom. “We have things to do and places to be.”
I stand rooted in place. “Amanda, I can’t go out. I’ve grounded myself.”
“Eddie’s filled me in on the four-one-one.
If you ask me, Ali, you’ve learned your lesson.
You won’t ditch your security again. I get that it was a traumatic experience, but you shouldn’t punish yourself for every mistake you make.
We’re only human.” She sighs. “Did you know I pulled a similar stunt right after Eddie and I became engaged?”
I shake my head.
“We’d planned to have a special date night together and I wanted to have something extra special to wear to it.
One of the best places to find vintage clothing is the Notting Hill antique market.
I asked the security office about it and my request was shot down.
I was told there would be way too many people and the market was too out in the open. Can you see where this is going?”
I nod. Amanda is stubborn, like Eddie. If she wants something bad enough, she’ll find a way to get it. “You decided to go anyway on your own?” I guess.
“Yup.” She smacks her lips together. “I ditched the protection team, spent the morning at the market, and shopped ’til I dropped.
I was lucky that I wasn’t recognized, and nothing happened.
But Eddie, David, your dad, and the security office made sure I understood afterward exactly how badly things could’ve gone.
Like it or not, as Eddie’s fiancée, my life as I knew it as a private citizen was over. ”
I soak in her words, processing how difficult it must have been to transition from being able to go anywhere and do anything to a life in the public eye.
“I knew I’d messed up. Yes, I was mad at myself for making a bad decision.
But you know what? Lesson learned, and I moved on.
Life is too short to be miserable.” From the outer pocket of her handbag, she passes me a slim tablet and a piece of paper.
“Now here’s what you’re going to do. Send an email or text to your man.
When you’re done, we’ll head out for some retail therapy. We have a wedding to plan.”
I accept the paper and clutch it to my chest. I’m being given a lifeline. In the craziness of the situation, I never had a chance to leave my napkin message with Art. “You’ve set a date, then?”
“Uh-huh. Eddie and I decided we’re going to tie the knot with a private ceremony in December. The state wedding will be next June. The news about that one will officially break tomorrow. We’re hoping the headlines will squash anything that’s still being printed about you.”
I charge toward the redhead and wrap my arms around her, hugging her tightly. “Thank you.” It’s not lost on me that my brother and soon-to-be sister-in-law are doing this for me. They easily could’ve waited another year, but they didn’t.
“Mm-hmm. It was a no-brainer. The wedding makes everybody happy and gets a huge monkey off our backs with the in-laws. The best bit is that my mom and your mum are doing all the work. All I have to do is find a dress for you and me.”
“You’re not going to be involved in the planning?” My eyes widen.
“I will with the December ceremony. But not the June one. I got a taste of what a royal wedding was like when I helped Clara with hers. I’m totally fine taking a back seat to the parental units this time around.”
“I think that’s brilliant.” For the first time in a week, I’m smiling.
“I’ll fill you in on the details later, but the December wedding is our secret for now.
Well, my mom knows, but she’ll keep her lips sealed.
Eddie and I were thinking we’d do our small ceremony at Disneyland Paris.
We’ll make a long weekend out of it. The castle should be amaaaazing all decorated for Christmas. ”
“Will you have a photographer or videographer on hand? I want to see it when you guys get back.”
“You’re going to be there, silly.” She elbows me.
“Eddie and I wanted to ask you to be the maid of honor slash best woman. We both agreed you’re going to be the only guest we want there.
Clara and David were invited too, but they don’t want to travel due to her pregnancy. And I can’t say I blame them.”
“Count me in.”
“Awesomesauce.” Amanda high-fives me. “Now hurry up. The dress shops of London await us.”
“I’ll be fast. I promise.”
I squirrel the tablet away to the bathroom and flick the lights on. At this point, I could send Arthur a text, but I decide on an email. With how the universe has been conspiring against us lately, I think it’s better to play it safe. Just in case.
Logging into my account, I quickly pull up a blank template and begin typing a message similar to the one I tried to put together last week.
To: thecatdaddy@
From: a.wales@
Dear Art,
Let me start out by saying how sorry I am for the entire situation you’ve been placed in. I wanted to let you know what was going on before the news broke, but unfortunately, I failed. I’ve felt guilty ever since. I didn’t want you to be caught by surprise. I’m sure it came as a nasty shock.
I also want you to know how much I miss you!
I’ve been thinking about you nonstop, and I want more than anything to see you.
I’m so very sorry that it’s taken so long for me to reach out to you.
I promise it isn’t for lack of trying. Without going into too much detail, let’s just say that I understand how prisoners in the Tower of London must’ve felt.
I wanted you to know that I understand if things might have changed between us, and you feel that you no longer want anything to do with me. Even though I’ve done a crappy job of it, I just ask that you consider letting me remain your friend.
Best,
Alice
It’s not a message written with the grace and elegance of Shakespeare, but rather from a person who’s writing whatever comes to mind. There is so much I want to say, but now that I finally have the chance to write to Art, I’m struggling.
I read the message twice to make sure that it’s at least coherent, click Send, and watch it disappear from my inbox to the virtual world. I click the power button and the screen goes black. I let out a deep breath. That’s one weight that’s lifted off my shoulders.
I only hope Art receives it and knows I do care for him.
A lot. It’s what made writing the last paragraph all the more difficult.
If he doesn’t want to date me anymore, I understand.
I’m probably more trouble than I’m worth.
And I care about him enough to let him go so he can be happy.
The last thing I’d ever want to do is hold him back.
Dress shopping with Amanda is not at all what I expect. Instead of going to a familiar shop, like the Clarissa Lee Atelier, we end up popping into a series of vintage and second-hand boutiques along Brick Lane in Shoreditch.
“All right, Ali, let’s see if the fourth shop is the charm. Just like the others, pull anything that catches your eye,” Amanda instructs.
I nod, still not exactly certain what she’s looking for.
All she’s told me is that she’s open to any dress and any color, which basically means use my best judgment.
From past experience, I know that Amanda doesn’t usually wear large, full skirts.
I steer away from the princess-y ballgowns in favor of fishtails and sleeker silhouettes.
“Oh, this one’s pretty.” She selects a cerulean-blue chiffon dress and holds it up to my body. “What do you think?”
The dress contains a sweetheart neckline with lace cap sleeves and a ruched bodice that continues down the right side of the skirt.
The back has an arched opening that shows off just the right amount of skin.
As I run my fingers over the material, I love how light and airy the fabric feels.
“The color and the cut are amazing, but it needs a little more sparkle.”
“Sparkle can always be added. What do you think about it for you? What color are you thinking about wearing for the bridesmaid dress?”
“You want me to pick? Isn’t that normally up to the bride?”
“I’m definitely not normal.” Amanda chuckles. “I want you to be happy and comfortable with the dress you’re wearing. I don’t care what anyone else thinks.”
I stare at the dress for a moment. I do love the color. I’ve always thought I looked good in blue. It’s bold and would definitely make a statement.
“I think with a few modifications it could be perfect. Although, for a winter wedding, I might freeze without a coat.”
“Pfft. You’ll have a coat. Trust me.” She hands me the dress. “Go try it on, and we’ll see if you still love it as much when it’s off the hanger.”
“Okay.” I head toward the back of the store as Amanda moves on to the next rack.
As I turn the corner, I spot a mannequin dressed in a strapless white tea-length gown that stops me in my tracks.
It has a ruched corset top and a lace overlay skirt with scalloped edges.
A tingle of excitement shoots up my spine. “Amanda . . .”
“Hmm?”
“I need you. I think I’ve found something.”