Chapter 32 #2
“He’s different now,” I said finally. “Perhaps he’s grown out of all that.”
“People don’t change that much,” she replied almost absently as she started flipping through another rack. “At our core, we remain the same, don’t we? Even if the little things do change.”
My unease grew deeper, but she wasn’t even done yet.
“Take Jesse, for example. That sarcastic sense of humor and how he always seems to be on the go. That won’t change.
He doesn’t know what it means to relax or slow down.
Keeping up with him was exhausting at times.
His energy is simply boundless. The same with his inconsistency.
That will remain, ironically, consistent. ”
Aaaaand, it’s official. The version of Jesse she seemed to know didn’t match the man I was getting to know at all.
I pulled out another dress I thought was rather pretty. Not perfect but not bad either. “I haven’t found him to be exhausting. Perhaps my energy simply matches his.”
Eugenie arched an eyebrow at the dress again. “No. Be serious, Eliza. We don’t have time for that nonsense.”
“It’s a dress. I thought that was what we came here for.”
“Yes, but we came for a suitable dress, not…” She flicked a finger at the dress in my hand like it was unworthy of even the name. “Whatever that is.”
“Are you going to keep bulldozing my choices?” I asked. “I am getting married for the sake of the family, after all. You’d think I’d get to choose the garment I do it in.”
She didn’t even look up from the rack she was rifling through. “You always did have a flair for self-sacrifice.”
“That’s not what I—”
The corners of her eyes tightened. “You do realize you’re making yourself sound like some kind of martyr, don’t you? It’s very noble. Very tragic. Very you, actually.”
Once again, there was an ugly edge laced into her tone. I lifted my chin a little higher. “I’m not being a martyr, Eugenie. This is simply practical.”
“Of course,” she said, entirely unconvinced. “If that’s what you need to call it, then feel free.”
I exhaled slowly but decided not to engage any further. She and I were never going to see eye-to-eye on this, so instead, I turned back to the dresses, and moments later, I found the one. I knew it by the way my heart soared and my lips parted. I even sucked in an involuntary breath.
It wasn’t the most extravagant one in the shop and it certainly wouldn’t demand attention from across the room, but there was something about its clean lines, soft structure, and whimsical lace detailing that made it feel special.
I reached for it before Eugenie could tell me not to. “This one.”
She glanced over and rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not it. That one is pretty, but it’s not right.”
“It feels right.”
She pulled out another dress instead and handed it to the assistant. “This one is right.”
I eyed the layers of lace, the volume that defied physics, and shook my head. “That dress could house a small family. It’s an event in itself.”
“It’s called presence, Eliza.”
“It’s called being unable to sit down.”
She ignored me. “Just try it on. It’ll be breathtaking.”
Finally, after a few more seconds of just standing there, I nodded. “Alright. I’ll try it on.”
We moved through the shop together, with her vetoing just about everything I showed her, but once I was standing in front of the mirror, I had to admit that the physics-defying dress was impressive.
In the way that a chandelier is impressive, or a particularly elaborate cake. It swallowed me whole, though. I didn’t have the appropriate amount of presence for a dress that had so much of its own.
“Now that’s a bride,” Eugenie said from behind me, sounding satisfied. “I don’t even think we need to keep trying. We’ve already found it.”
I inhaled a deep breath. “You don’t think it makes me look like I’ve been upholstered?”
She let out a cool, almost uncaring laugh. “Don’t be dramatic, Eliza. Honestly, if it was supposed to be just another dress, it wouldn’t have been called a wedding dress.”
“I’m serious. I can’t even see my own arms. There are too many layers and details. Too many things going on.”
“That’s because you’re not meant to be fidgeting. You’re meant to be making an entrance.”
I turned to face her slightly, careful not to knock anything over in the process. “I really liked the other one.”
“Yes, well, this wedding isn’t about what you like, is it?” she said smoothly, stepping closer and adjusting something at my shoulder without asking or warning me. “You said it yourself. You’re doing this for the good of the family, ours and his, and what we need is to make a statement.”
“A statement?”
She suddenly met my gaze in the mirror, intensity blazing in her eyes. “We need people to know that the Rodericks are back, stronger than ever, and that we stand united with the Westwoods.”
I wanted to argue, but for some reason, I couldn’t find the right words. “Of course.”
We went through a few more options, but by the time we left the shop, I felt like I’d run a marathon I hadn’t trained for. In heels. Through emotional quicksand.
The drive back was quiet, which I actually appreciated, but somehow, it felt more ominous than the conversation at that shop. When we pulled up outside Jesse’s house, I let out a small breath of relief, glad to be back at the closest thing I had to home in this country.
“Thank you for the help,” I said, unbuckling my seatbelt. Then it dawned on me that I might not be able to simply rush inside and make myself a cup of tea. My hand was already on the door handle when I turned back to her. “Are you staying here, with us?”
Her eyebrows swept up, but when she realized it was a serious question, she burst out laughing. As if I’d suggested something truly outrageous. “No, Eliza. I wouldn’t be caught dead staying in a townhouse like this.”
I looked at the house, a gorgeous historic brownstone, then looked back at her. “No, of course not.”
“Honestly, it reminds me far too much of the castle,” she said, wrinkling her nose. “All that history. All the weight.”
That was not a comparison I ever thought I’d hear, but I nodded anyway, relieved to be off the proverbial hook. “Alright. Well, there’s more than enough room if you change your mind.”
“I won’t. I have somewhere else to be, and after that, I’ve already got a hotel suite with my name on it.”
“You’ve got somewhere else to be? I thought you came here because Mom sent you to help with the wedding dress.”
She smiled again, that same knowing expression settling into place on her features. “She did, but I’ve also got some business to attend to here in Chicago. We thought it would be two birds with one stone.”
Right. Business. Eugenie. That didn’t sound quite right either, but I finally said goodbye and headed into the house, not even glancing back when I heard the tires squealing as she raced away.
That same uneasy feeling from earlier crept back in, but it was more insistent this time. Eugenie didn’t do anything without a reason and I sincerely doubted that the real reason for her visit was to help me.
I just had no idea what else it could be.