Page 12

Twelve

Jade

“Wait, wait, wait!” Eloise stops in the middle of the sidewalk with her hand up, making the Saturday foot traffic groan and mumble curses for having to go around us. “You’re his son’s teacher?”

I tug on her sleeve to keep walking. “Yeah.”

Eloise and I became friends freshman year in high school when I had to leave the safety of St. Pat’s and venture into a public high school. She’s been a great friend to me, and although I’m always thousands of miles away, I hope I’ve done the same. Since I’m the maid of honor at her wedding this summer, I think I must have.

“Okay, you’re gonna need to start over. Why are you even teaching?”

I don’t want to get into my reason for taking the teaching job instead of spending my days wandering the city and taking photographs to sell. This is her day to go to a bridal store and try on dresses so she can get married.

I hook my arm through hers, walking us in the direction she told me the shop was. “We’ll talk about it over lunch.”

She blows out a breath. “I’m holding you to that. You always push off talking about anything to do with him, and I’ve been rambling all morning about the wedding, evil mother in-laws, and how my fiancé would rather watch football than fuck me.”

I laugh and lay my head on her shoulder. I’ve missed her so much. This road to a happy wedding isn’t going to be easy with all the issues she has going on this early in the game, so I’m happy I can be here for her.

We arrive outside the bridal shop. It’s quaint, with headless mannequins wearing beautiful wedding dresses in the shop window. One in white and the other in a candlelight ivory gown. Dried flowers are scattered around them.

I have the brief thought that if I had returned to Chicago with Henry all those years ago, I’d probably be married to him by now, and we’d have already gone through this stage together.

We walk through the doors to Bridal by Kyleigh and are greeted by the luscious smell of vanilla mixed with apple cider. I inhale deeply, in love with the boutique bridal salon vibe going on here.

“I’ll be with you in a sec,” a woman says from somewhere in the back.

There are a few lines of dresses on the racks and a three-way mirror with a pedestal in the back. Small velvet benches and plush velvet chairs are strewn around for people to sit and relax. We step in farther and see a woman in a dress standing in front of a set of mirrors while a woman with her back to us is crouched near the bottom of the dress.

“Will you just stop fidgeting?” the woman with the pins says to a bride.

Her dress is amazing. The mix of fabrics, the way it almost looks as if it’s been sewn to her body, it fits so well. Nothing is out of place. It’s just beautiful.

“See why I want her to make my dress?” Eloise points at the woman now lying on the ground with pins, trying to put another in place. Her face is obstructed by the layers of what I think are silk or satin.

“She’s the owner?” I whisper.

“That’s Kyleigh.” Eloise pulls me over to the side and quietly tells me the owner’s story. How she used to work with her mom, who is a big deal in the industry, and now she’s an up-and-coming designer herself. Eloise swears that soon everyone will want to wear Kyleigh’s dresses.

“You need to treat me better,” the bride says. “I demand better service.”

“If you’d listen to my instructions, I wouldn’t poke you.” The woman stands and deliberately pokes the bride in the shoulder with a pin.

“Ouch. Jesus.” The bride puts her hand on the back of her shoulder and inspects it as if she thinks there’ll be blood.

“Do you want help getting out of it?” Kyleigh asks.

The bride scoffs and lifts the skirt of the dress, stepping down from the pedestal. “I don’t need any more help from you.”

“Ungrateful,” Kyleigh says to the bride’s back.

“Go get some coffee into your bloodstream before you lose customers,” the bride bites back, disappearing to where I assume the changing rooms are.

I eye Eloise while trying to appear as if I’m perusing dresses. I’m not sure she wants to use this woman. She’s got a whole mean, entitled girl thing going on.

“Jade?”

I swivel around and realize that Kyleigh is the woman who was at the concert last night with Henry and his friends. I’m pretty sure she’s dating Rowan Landry because she was at the bar that night too, sitting in his lap.

“I thought that was you.” She breaks the distance, putting out her hand. “I’m Kyleigh, Rowan’s girlfriend. I wanted to introduce myself to you a couple times now, but there never seems to be the right time.”

Eloise’s head volleys between Kyleigh and me.

“Are you…? I mean…” Her attention shifts to my left hand.

“Oh no.” I shake my head, placing my hand on Eloise’s shoulder. “My friend Eloise is getting married.”

Kyleigh laughs. “I was gonna say, we might have to lock Henry up. Either that or get him really drunk.”

Eloise glances at me.

Kyleigh puts her hand out to Eloise. “So, you’re the bride?”

Eloise shakes her hand, and her smile is so wide I’m a little envious. “I am.”

The other bride comes out of the back room in joggers and a sweatshirt. “The dress is in the room, tyrant.” She stops at the sight of us and bites her lip.

Kyleigh must see the expressions on our faces and fear strikes her beautiful features. “Oh no. You must think I’m a total bitch.” She looks back at the other bride, and both women laugh. Kyleigh recovers and gestures to the other woman. “This is my best friend, Alara, who is also getting married.”

Alara steps forward and digs out a ChapStick from her purse, sliding it over her lips. “She is a bitch, though.”

Kyleigh elbows her in the ribs, and Alara feigns injury. “Why don’t you get me a coffee now?”

Alara puts her ChapStick back in her purse. “Anyone else want anything?”

“Oh no. Thank you, though,” I say, loving their dynamic now that I know they’re friends.

“Please, it’s the least I can do for us having a rough start, and Alara loves doing my coffee runs.” She puts her arm around her friend.

Alara rolls her eyes. “It’s my dream to be her bitch.”

Eloise and I give her our coffee orders, and Alara leaves the shop.

“Okay.” Kyleigh claps her hands as she addresses Eloise. “Let’s get started. I always like to start by having you try on some simple dresses with different silhouettes so we can figure out the fit and style you like the most. From there, we’ll talk fabric and any additions and veils and all the things that will make the dress unique to you and have everyone green with envy as you walk down the aisle. How does that sound?”

Eloise nods in approval.

“Great, why don’t you tell me what you’re thinking you might want?”

Kyleigh listens intently to Eloise and pulls out some dresses based on her preferences, then a few for her to try on in addition to what Eloise says her eye is drawn to in the magazines.

“Only Jade with you today?” Kyleigh asks.

“I’m a people pleaser and trying to make sure I don’t end up in a dress I hate.”

Kyleigh laughs. “Good decision. I mean, you have to look at these pictures your entire life.”

Eloise blows out a breath, and her hands stop shifting through the dresses for a moment. I worry something is going on that she’s not telling me about. “So true. Although my soon-to-be monster-in-law will be in all of them, so they’re already going to suck.”

“That bad, huh?” Kyleigh cringes.

Eloise nods and says nothing more.

When it’s time for Eloise to try on the dresses, Kyleigh instructs me to sit in one of the plush velvet chairs. I don’t love the pressure of being the only one here for Eloise, but she told me she doesn’t want a million opinions, so I’m going to take my cues from her. If she seems like she loves a dress, I will too.

“Okay, come take a look.” Kyleigh walks out of the dressing room after helping Eloise to get into the dress.

Eloise steps up onto the pedestal in a beautiful A-line strapless dress. She’s taken out her ponytail, and her blonde hair cascades over her shoulders. The dress’s simplicity only makes her shine more.

“I know you wanted all the tulle and everything, but my salon, my rules. I always ask the brides to try on a dress I picked out before we try on all the ones they think they want.” Kyleigh sits in the chair next to me. She winks and laughs.

Eloise stares at herself in the mirror. No tears well in her eyes, and she doesn’t swivel right and left to get a look at the sides or back. She just straight-on stares at herself. There’s no smile. No amazement over how stunning she looks. No outward physical reaction in the least.

Kyleigh must see what I do because she bolts up out of the chair and rushes over to the pedestal. “You hate it. It’s okay. We’ll try on one of the Cinderella ones with the big poofy skirts.”

Still Eloise says nothing, and her gaze diverts to Kyleigh for a second, a smile creasing her lips. “I love it,” she says, although her voice is small and meek.

The words people pleaser ring in my head.

“Maybe you should try on another one,” I say.

Eloise shakes her head again. “No. Just give me a minute.”

Kyleigh turns and walks back over to me. “Everyone has a different reaction,” she says in a low voice. She pats my shoulder, and we both wait for Eloise to say anything else. The door chimes, and Kyleigh eyes me, smirking. “Finally, Alara, we’re dying of caffeine withdrawal!”

“Good thing I know you always want an iced coffee,” a deep voice says.

She turns around, and the smile that forms on her face… well, her eyes might as well pop out of her head with two big hearts. “Rowan! What do I owe you for this treat?”

“I’ll tell you tonight,” Rowan says. “But a kiss will do for now.”

I stare at the mirror in front of Eloise, and my heart skips a beat because Rowan isn’t alone. Henry stands right next to him.