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Lily’s smile grew. “What about a vintage wedding dress from a thrift store?”
“What are the odds that we’ll find a thrift store with a wedding dress that I like?”
“Low, but we have time. Come on.”
She grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the store. The first few places had very few dresses that suited me, yet we still found stuff to look at. The next was more of the same, and by that time, our coffees were empty and I was getting discouraged.
“If this place doesn’t have anything,” I said as we pulled up to the next shop, “then we go back to the bridal salon. I can’t keep dragging you all over town.”
“You’re not dragging me anywhere if I’m having a good time,” Lily replied as she opened the door. “Besides, the reviews called this shop eclectic and fun. That describes you.”
But even those words weren’t enough to describe the 70s color on every surface. My jaw dropped, and I could see myself buying all the furniture they had and finding a place for it in my house.
If only I could wear furniture as a wedding dress.
Lily took me to the back where all of the clothes were, and they had a decent selection of white gowns for brides.
“I think we hit the jackpot,” Lily said.
And we had. All I saw was gorgeous lace and floral patterns. My eyes widened. “I’d wear every single one of these.”
Lily flipped through the tags, trying to find a size. “I think this one will fit.”
She pulled out a long-sleeved dress covered with intricate lace, the body of it flowing to the ground like a waterfall.
“Oh my god. It looks similar to Gram’s dress.”
Her smile was bright. “Want to try it on?”
The fitting room was nothing more than a broom closet, but I didn’t care. I was focused on the feel of the dress in my hands, the way it stretched over my skin. It wasn’t a perfect fit, but it could be altered.
The second I walked out of the dressing room and saw myself in the mirror, I actually felt like a bride.
A fraudulent one, but a bride nonetheless.
“Oh my God,” Lily said. “That’s gorgeous.”
It was. I looked like Gram when she was getting married in the black-and-white photographs stashed in one of the closets at the house. My throat went dry at the sheer sight of me in the dress and tears welled in my eyes.
Lily caught it immediately. “Are those tears of joy?”
I slowly shook my head.
She stood and put an arm around my shoulders. “What’s going on?”
“T-this is perfect,” I said under my breath. “Too perfect for this.”
“We could go back to the other place.”
“But Iwantthis one. It’s ... I can’t just leave it here.” I swiped at my eyes frustratedly. I wasn’t an emotional person, but something about getting fake married to a man who only cared about getting revenge on my brother made me one.
Lily pursed her lips before squeezing my shoulders. “We can repurpose it for after the wedding. Then you could wear it every day and give it new life.”
“Or I could renew it and give it to a bride in need.”
“Yes. That too. You get to wear it and make it beautiful for a day, and then someone else can. We can do the same for everything with this wedding. Nothing goes to waste.”
The thought made me feel better. “That’s a good idea. This all just seems too . . . good.”