Page 20 of Whatever Lola Wants (Odyssey #2)

S he barely had time to be sad over the next several days.

Work was heating up, unexpectedly turning her lie about a heavy work load into truth.

She worked late nearly every evening, getting home sometimes as late as nine-thirty or ten.

By then she was so tired she would nuke some dinner— Anna had taken to stocking her fridge with leftovers—and fall into bed.

When she wasn’t working or sleeping, she spent most of her free time wedding dress shopping.

She and Anna had managed to have lunch twice, poring over photos and websites, and she felt like she had a good handle on what Anna’s dream dress entailed.

Traditional , but not too traditional. Sexy , but not too sexy. Unusual , but not too unusual.

Impossible, but not too impossible.

There were a few designers Anna really liked, but there wasn’t nearly enough time to order a gown and get it in before the wedding at the end of June .

Most designers needed a lead time of at least five months, many of them longer.

The only way they were going to get a gown would be to look for a previously worn one.

Which was bridal gown industry speak for used .

Thankfully, Anna didn’t care. She just wanted to look and feel beautiful. If a previously worn gown could make that happen, then she was all for it.

On Thursday afternoon, Lola was sitting at her desk slogging her way through a contract one of the junior associates had put together, this one even worse than the previous one.

“ Who the fuck is teaching these kids how to write a non-disclosure clause?” she muttered and slashed her red pen through another paragraph.

The buzzing of her intercom made her frown. She’d been trying to get through this for most of the afternoon, and at this rate, it’d be ten o’clock before she got home again. She hit the intercom button. “ Yes ?”

“Lola, I’ve got Jennifer from accounts on the line,” her assistant Bridget said. “ She says she needs to talk to you about a wedding dress?”

Lola frowned. Did she know Jennifer from accounts?

She didn’t think so. But then, she’d asked a few of the women she was friendly with in the firm to spread the word that she was hunting for a dress, so maybe Jennifer had a lead.

“ I’ll take it,” she told Bridget and picked up the receiver when the call rang through.

Five minutes later, she was running out the door.

* * *

Grant opened the door with a smile. “ Lola . Long time no see.”

She nodded. “ Hi . Good to see you. Leave .”

His eyebrows shot up. “ Excuse me?”

“Leave,” she repeated, shifting the enormous garment bag over her arm. The thing weighed a ton.

“It’s my house,” Grant reminded her.

“Yes, and it’s your fiancé who’s an anxious mess trying to find a dress for your ‘ I -ain’t-waiting-six-months-babe’ wedding.”

He eyed the garment bag, his face lighting with interest and no small amount of relief. “ You found a dress?”

“I might have found a goddamn miracle,” she corrected. “ Anna hasn’t seen it yet, so I don’t know if it’ll work. Leave so we can find out.”

Now his eyebrows drew together in a frown. “ I don’t get to see it?”

She gave him the look she normally reserved for brain dead judges and junior associates. “ No , jackass, you do not get to see it.”

His lips twitched at jackass , but his expression didn’t change. He folded his arms over his chest. “ I think I should get a vote on this.”

“Well, too bad. If Anna wants to show you before the wedding, that’s her business, but right now, finding her a dress that won’t make her cry is mine, and you can’t be here.”

He winced, guilt erasing the frown. “ Shit . She cried?”

“More than once,” she said ruthlessly. “ She’s afraid she’ll have to walk down the aisle in a department store suit.”

“Shit,” he repeated, and dragged his hands through his hair. “ Okay , we’ll make ourselves scarce.”

“Good.” She strode past him into the hall, then paused. “ We ?”

“Yeah. Simon’s here for some bachelor party planning. Hey Simon , we gotta split,” he called out.

Lola watched Simon emerge from the first floor guest room they’d outfitted as Grant’s office.

“Hey,” he said to Lola with a casual nod, then turned his attention to Grant . “ What’s up?”

“Dress emergency.”

Simon eyed the garment bag. “ You found her a dress?”

“I may have found her a dress. I won’t know until the two of you get the fuck out.”

Simon’s brows rose at the profanity, then drew together in a frown as he looked at Grant . “ How come you can’t be here?”

Grant shrugged. “ Apparently it’s some kind of wedding rule.”

Lola rolled her eyes. “ Jesus , you know nothing. Go on, get out of here, and take your equally dim friend here with you.”

“We’re going, we’re going.” He jerked his head at Simon . “ Come on, I’ll buy you a beer.”

“Works for me,” Simon said, agreeable. His golden eyes lingered on Lola as he walked past. “ Good to see you, Lola .”

“Yeah, you too. Bye , now,” she called sweetly, and slammed the door behind them.

“Lola?” Anna emerged from the kitchen, Henry at her side. “ Why did Grant and Simon leave?”

“Because I told them to,” Lola said firmly. She locked the front door and held the garment bag out of a curious Henry’s reach. “ Guess what this is?”

Cautious hope lit Anna’s eyes. “ Did you find a dress?”

“I didn’t just find a dress,” Lola told her. “ I found a miracle. Come on, I’ll tell you about it while you try it on.”

“Henry, stay,” Anna ordered and headed up the stairs. She turned right to go into her bedroom, then stopped when Lola tugged on her sleeve.

“Uh-uh. Guest room.”

“Why?”

“Because if your man comes sneaking back he’ll look there first, and we’ll hopefully have enough warning to hide you before he sees.”

“I don’t actually mind if he sees it ahead of time,” Anna said, leading the way into the guest room.

“And if you want to show him, you can—but after you’ve decided if it’s your dress.” Lola closed the guest room door—and locked it. “ It has to be your call, not his.”

“Right. Sensible .” Anna rubbed trembling hands on her thighs. “ Let’s see it.”

“Give me a hand getting it up here. It’s heavy and I’m short.” Anna lifted the hanger to hook it over the top of the closet door, and Lola laid a hand on the zipper. “ Now , it’s not the exact one you liked, and it’s not white, so…” She unzipped the bag, peeled it back, and held her breath.

Anna stood frozen, mouth slightly agape, eyes wide. “ Oh , my God . Oh my God , Lola . Where did you find this?”

“Remember I told you I put the word out at my office that you needed something fast?”

“Uh-huh.”

“Well, someone’s cousin was planning this huge wedding, but eloped instead. Apparently , the bride found out she was pregnant, and the wedding was six months off, and she knew her family would have a fit over it. So they ran off to Vegas . But she’d already ordered the dress.”

“It’s pink.”

“Blush,” Lola corrected. “ I know you were looking at white or ivory, but?—”

“That was just because, well, wedding.” Anna reached out a tentative hand, fingertips brushing over the soft, sheer fabric. “ It’s gorgeous.”

Lola’s breath sighed out in relief. “ I was hoping you’d say that.”

“I have to get a strapless bra.”

“Go,” Lola ordered. “ I’ll get it off the hanger and out of the bag. Hurry , before Grant decides to crash the party.”

“Right. Right . Oh , my God !” Anna squealed, running from the room.

By the time she got back, stripped down to panties and a white strapless bra, Lola had the dress out of the bag.

“Do I step into it, or does it go over my head?”

“I have no idea.” Lola eyed the dress. “ Let’s try stepping first.”

She held the dress open while Anna stepped in, thendrew it carefully up. She helped Anna work her arms into the delicate illusion sleeves, tugged and shifted them over Anna’s shoulders, then circled to do up the row of covered buttons at the back.

“Okay, I say get it for the buttons alone. It’ll drive Grant mad with frustration to have to undo all of them on your wedding night.”

Anna gave a breathless laugh. “ Hurry up, I can’t wait to see.”

“Okay, I’m almost done.” Lola fastened the final button, then bent down to straighten and fluff the skirt. “ Is there a mirror in here?”

“On the inside of the closet door.”

“Okay, close your eyes.”

“What?”

“Close your eyes,” Lola repeated. “ I want you to get the full effect all at once.”

Anna gave a frustrated whine and closed her eyes. “ Okay , but hurry. I’m dying to see how it looks.”

“Keep them closed,” Lola warned as she opened the closet door, positioning it so Anna’s reflection stared back. “ Hang on, let me fuss with the skirt a little.”

She fluffed fabric until she was satisfied, then stepped back. Watching Anna’s face carefully, she said, “ Okay . Open them.”

Anna sucked in a breath as her eyes flew open, then just stared. “ Oh .”

Lola didn’t need to ask if that was a good oh or a bad one. It was written all over Anna’s face. “ Honey , you look amazing.”

Anna’s eyes flooded with tears even as pure joy beamed across her face. “ It’s perfect.”

Her shoulders and arms were covered with the thinnest layer of fabric, the illusion neckline so sheer that the smattering of freckles that adorned Anna’s shoulders were visible underneath, the soft, barely there blush color the same shade as the rest of the gown.

The top of the dress under the chiffon was a straight line across the tops of her breasts, nipping in at the waist before floating out in dreamy puffs of soft silk to the floor.

Lola felt her own eyes well up with tears at the happiness on Anna’s face. “ You’re so beautiful, Anna .”

Anna simply beamed. “ I am. I really, really am. Oh God , Lola , this is my dress.”

Lola blinked back tears. “ You’re damn right it is. Okay , take it off.”

“What? No . I want to keep wearing it.”

Lola shook her head. “ You can’t. It’s going to need to be altered; you’re a little narrower in the shoulders than the previous owner, and in the hips.”