Chapter 29
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Cara
Mel calls me Saturday afternoon, just as I’m closing up the shop. When the phone rings, I think it might be Hayden, who has sent me many emails from Boston, and I squash the pang of disappointment when I see my best friend’s name on the screen.
“What are you planning to wear?” she says as soon as I answer. “Are you and Gin going wedding dress shopping? If you are, I want to go.”
I almost tell her I’m just going to dig something out of the back of my closet, but I remember just in time I’m supposed to be swept up in a whirlwind romance.
“There’s no chance Gin wants to help me find something to wear to a Reilly wedding, even if I’m the bride.
Maybe especially if I’m the bride. She did okay at the flower shop, but I’d like to involve her as little as possible. ”
“Since I’m your maid of honor, I’m going with you.” There’s a pause. “Wait, I am, right? Did you ask me to be your maid of honor?”
“I don’t remember. There was a lot of wine. But also, we might have just assumed because of course you are.”
“Okay, good. Now what kind of dress are you thinking?”
Honestly, I’ve been trying not to think about it at all because it’s overwhelming and I can’t keep hyperventilating while I’m working. It makes the dogs nervous. “I’m not sure.”
“Are you done for the day? Let’s go to Concord and find a dress.”
“Right now?” I’m not sure any dress I can afford will be worth the cost of the gas to run to the city. “I was planning to mow the lawn before it gets dark. It’s supposed to be hot and humid tomorrow.”
“Mowing the lawn,” she repeats in a voice that’s so flat, she almost sounds angry. “You are getting married a week from today and you don’t have anything to wear. You know, some brides would be panicking a little.”
A week from today. Okay, now that panic’s starting to kick in. “There’s a box of Gin’s old dresses in the garage, from back when she and my dad were young. I can probably find something cute and retro in there.”
“As your maid of honor, I have to tell you that every time you talk, you’re making the situation worse.
We’re not rummaging through boxes that would have been rejected by donation centers back before we even started school, looking for something you can wear to your wedding.
I’m coming to pick you up now, and we’ll go to Concord, find a dress, and then binge on fast food. ”
“We can look, I guess,” I say, because it actually does sound fun.
“Wait. How hairy are you right now?”
“I don’t think it matters if I’ve shaved my legs just to try dresses on, Mel. I’ll shave them before the big day.”
“I meant dog hair, but good to know.”
We laugh together, and then I tell her I’m good. For whatever reason, other than a cat, I had low-allergy dogs today and very little fur flew. She promises to be here soon and disconnects. I finish the cleaning and sanitizing, and I’m just locking the door when her SUV pulls up to the curb.
“This is going to be so fun,” she says once we’re on the road.
I nod, hoping it’s true. I took a peek at my banking app after she called, just to confirm it was as bleak as I remember.
I’ll try things on and make her happy, but unless I find something very deeply discounted—and then an additional 75% off the lowest clearance price—I won’t be buying a dress tonight.
Just the trip through a fast food drive-thru will hurt.
“Back to being hairy but promising you’ll shave your legs before your wedding day,” Mel continues, and I groan. “Are you and Hayden not doing anything razor-worthy or what?”
“I…” Dammit. I remember an arcade game I played once as a kid that was about jumping over pits and avoiding quicksand, and my engagement is starting to feel a lot like that game. I wasn’t good at that one, either. “Hayden doesn’t care about a little peach fuzz on my legs.”
“Mmmhmm.”
“Also, I live with my mother and he’s staying with Colleen, so we don’t exactly have a lot of alone time.” I can offer her up a small truth, though. “Trust me, the spark is still there, even after all this time.”
“Have you talked about the wedding? Like the actual planning, I mean?”
I guess it depends on her definition of talking, but exchanging emails is talking, I think. “Yeah, we kind of have to since it’s in a week.”
“Everybody knows you picked your flowers, but what about a reception? Cake? Music? An officiant? All that stuff.”
“He hired Debbie to be the officiant, since the town hall is closed every other Saturday and she’s free.
Hayden wanted somebody from somewhere other than Sumac Falls, for obvious reasons, but it was too short notice.
And I have pictures of possible cakes.” I start to pull out my phone, then realize having her look at cake photos while driving is probably a bad idea.
“I’ll show them to you while we’re eating.
We’re just going to use a Bluetooth speaker and do the music ourselves. ”
“You’re not doing food and everything, are you?”
“No, because we don’t really have time to plan all of that, other than a champagne toast and the cake.
Plus, we decided we want to keep it moving.
People hanging around, socializing and eating, is when gossip starts and we’d like to keep the amount of time our families are together and on display to a minimum. ”
“That’s probably a good idea.” She snickers. “Less exciting for the guests, of course, but still a good idea.”
We’re deep into a debate about cake flavors when she pulls into a parking lot. It’s not exactly a high-end clothing store, but it’s several steps up from where I usually shop. I’m about to object when she holds up her hand.
“We’re just looking,” she says. “This is the best place to find a variety of summer dresses, so we can get an idea of what you want.”
In my jeans and T-shirt, I feel too underdressed to even walk through the door, but Mel sails through the entrance looking like she owns the place. I follow along as she heads straight for the dresses and starts rummaging through the racks.
I pull one out and hold it up, but she makes a face and takes it away, putting it back. I laugh and stand back, letting my maid of honor work her magic. The fourth one she draped over her arm, I vetoed. The jewel tone floral pattern is gorgeous, but it’s a little loud for a wedding dress.
Once she’s chosen half a dozen, we head for the dressing rooms. I’m not surprised at all when she pushes her way in with me.
“You might need help with zippers or buttons,” she says.
“You’re afraid I’ll just say I hate them all because they’re expensive.”
“I’m not afraid you’ll do that. I know you will. Now strip.”
The first one is a little too cutesy, with its embroidered edges and shirring around the bodice. “I’m pretty sure I had this exact dress when I was six.”
The second isn’t flattering to my curves, and I go from looking like a six-year-old to knowing people would look at me and assume mine’s a shotgun wedding.
The third is pretty, but the pale lemon tint doesn’t work well with my skin tone.
The fourth makes me look as though I should be standing on a prairie, waiting for Ma and Pa to come over the horizon in a covered wagon.
I’m pretty sure the fifth dress I try on is the priciest of the bunch, but I step into it, looping my arms through the spaghetti straps before pulling up the side zipper.
The fabric is soft and slightly shimmery, in a pale blush color. The spaghetti straps, scooped neckline and slightly fitted bodice flaring into a knee-length skirt are all so simple, but on me, it looks elegant.
Bridal.
“That’s the one, Cara.” She presses her fingertips to her mouth, and tears are actually welling up in her eyes. “It’s perfection.”
It is perfect. It’s beautiful and I can see myself at the top of the gazebo steps, framed by joyful summer flowers, as I become Hayden’s wife.
I want it so much, but I also saw the price tag before I stepped into it and I can’t.
I’m nodding, my eyes also tearing up even as I’m whispering that it’s too much.
When I reach for the zipper, Mel grabs my arm. “This is the one, and I’m buying it for you.”
“No.” Mel and Lucas don’t live on as tight a budget as mine, but I can’t let her do this. “You’re not buying this dress, Mel. It’s too much.”
She grabs her purse off the bench and unzips it.
Then she pulls out a white envelope and hands it to me.
There’s a note on the front, and it’s in her husband’s handwriting.
Happy bridal shower, Cara. Let your maid of honor spoil you.
(Save some for the french fries.) And inside there are what looks like two hundred dollars’ worth of twenties.
I’m actually crying now, and Mel snatches up my T-shirt, which she presses to my entire face. “Don’t you dare cry on that dress, Carolina Gamble.”
I can’t accept this. Not when it’s all a lie and I’m just trying to get Gin to sell Hayden the house. It’s one thing to stand on a gazebo and recite some vows we both know we don’t really mean, but accepting money for my wedding dress from Mel and Lucas is a fraudulent step too far.
I cry into my T-shirt while Mel unzips the dress and guides me through stepping out of it. I hear the hanger rattle and then she wraps her arm around me.
“You’re not a happy crier, so something’s up,” she says. “Maybe Gin and your sister are buying this—and Georgia actually gets a pass because she’s not actually here—but I know you’re lying.”
I’m thankful I have the balled up T-shirt so she can’t see my face.
But I can’t bring myself to say anything, even with my eyes hidden from her searching gaze.
I’m not sure I can convince Mel I’m telling the truth.
Even if my heart was in it, she knows me too well—probably better than Georgia does and definitely better than Gin.
“I’ve given it a lot of thought,” she continues, either not noticing or not caring that I didn’t deny her accusation. “There’s no chance you started talking to Hayden Reilly online without ever telling me.”
“Maybe I hid it because I knew you’d give me hell after what he put me through in high school,” I mumble into the T-shirt.
It’s not really a lie, since it’s a hypothetical.
Then I give my face a good swipe and look up.
I can’t hide in there forever, and I also have to wear the shirt out of here, which is going to be interesting. And damp.
“After you went to dinner with him, you said you just want him to buy the house.” She points her finger at me, bouncing on her toes as if she just scored a point against me in tennis.
“And it’s no secret that Gin made some sacred vow she wouldn’t let the house go to anybody outside the family.
Two plus Hayden being her son-in-law equals four. ”
I sigh, backed into a conversational corner. Hayden said he wasn’t even going to tell his own brother the truth, even though he and Aaron are close, so telling Mel she’s right doesn’t seem fair. Saying nothing is the best I can do.
She shakes her head. “Part of me thinks I should lock you in my trunk until you come to your senses because this is not okay.”
“You have an SUV,” I point out. “I’ll climb over the backseat and open the liftgate.”
She waves that away, not caring. When I point out plot holes in movies, she does the same thing. Mel doesn’t let reality ruin her entertainment.
“But the other part of me,” she continues, “knows that this might be the only way you get to live your life because if Gin lives to be really, really old, it might be too late for you.”
Her voice cracks toward the end, and tears well up in my eyes in response. Mel is the only person I’ve ever said the hard things out loud to.
Is this what Prince Charles felt like, having to wait until his mother passed away before he could do anything with his life?
Every time I spend a little bit of money on something that just makes me happy, something in the house breaks, so I don’t spend money on fun stuff anymore.
What if she outlives me, Mel? What will happen to her? I’ll have devoted my entire life to taking care of the house and it will still fall down around her. It’ll all be for nothing.
“I’m going to go along with this,” Mel says quietly, as if she’s talking to herself instead of to me.
“And if anybody asks me if I knew you were talking to him online, I’m going to say yes even though it’s a lie.
I’ll say that of course I knew all along and didn’t say a word because I’m Cara’s best friend and I love her like she’s my sister. ”
“I love you, too,” I say because if nothing else, that is an undeniable truth.
“Let us buy you this dress,” she says softly. “You’re going to look so beautiful on Saturday. And I’m also going to look beautiful, but I’ll downplay it a bit so nobody looks at me.”
I laugh, and then throw my arms around her neck. “Thank you.”
“Do not fall in love with your husband.” It’s such a ridiculous thing to say, we both laugh some more. “Now, let’s buy this dress and go find some very salty french fries.”