Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91536 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 458(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
That's something.
Progress.
I'm not exactly Miss Fashionista, but I think I'm getting somewhere.
I find a few more dresses I think she'll like, bring them to the dressing room, and give her time to assess them.
Finally, Meredith sends a reply with instructions.
Stick with the simple cuts. She looks gorgeous in a sheath, but it may feel too staid for her. A shorter cut might be fun, especially if it's something sassy with a skater skirt. Or hell, go full cocktail and show off those long legs.
Ivory is classic and it looks great, but if she really can't stand how bridal everything is, the answer is color. Color is a hammer though. It takes a dress from a bit bridal to not at all bridal.
I think that fits what I've got, but just in case, I go and grab two more.
As I hand the dresses over the door, I ask, "can I confess something to you?"
"If it's not 'I'm jealous you're so slim.' Or 'you look like a model.' I used to shop with friends, but they'd never stop with the, 'oh my gosh, Cynthia, you're so lucky you can eat whatever you want and stay so thin,' as if I'm lucky I get so anxious I can't eat, you know?"
Uh… I do, actually. "What if I'm only jealous you're so tall?"
"Hmm… I'll allow it, but only because you're tall, so you know about the downsides already." She laughs. "My five-foot-two friends always wish for my legs, but do they want to have to scrunch to fit into an airplane seat? I don't think so."
"No, uh, it's about Rome."
"Oh? Well… you did sorta yada yada over those details, Ivy. I get you don't want to share just exactly how he blew your mind in the bedroom, but, 'we had great sex, and I really liked hanging out with him, so I'm here' isn't the story of a relationship."
"You're right. I, uh, that's kind of what I'm confessing here." This is true, at least. Well, mostly true. "See, Rome and I have been dating, but it's been more casual. I do like him. A lot. But I'm not ready to be a part of someone's family again. I'm not ready to be in someone's life. I just… it's too fresh. Since my divorce."
"I get that," she says.
"But one morning, his mom called, and she heard me, and she got the idea to invite me, I guess. Or the idea to ask Daniel to offer Rome a plus-one. I’m not sure, exactly.”
“It could go either way with the two of them.” She laughs.
This is an easy conversation for her. I try to match her energy. I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. All true so far. Here goes the big move. "I was going to say no. Especially when he focused on the business. I mean, I appreciate what he's going for, but I'm not married to the idea."
"Or to him. It's only been a few months. You should be able to sit back and enjoy the sex."
"Right." A laugh spills from my lips. That is certainly something I enjoy. "Then he told me something else… that he was worried his brother had the wrong idea about you two."
"What?"
"Yeah." I take a deep breath. "He worries Daniel thinks you still have feelings for him. Or he has feelings for you. I'm not sure exactly."
"No," she says.
"Yeah."
"But that's…" In the dressing room, she stops moving. "That explains a lot, actually."
"And I thought it was silly until I saw you two together." I play with my purse. I guess I am nervous to hear what she says. Because what if she does have feelings? What if he doesn't realize his? "You have so much chemistry. And you are gorgeous. And I… I guess I felt it too, that same worry that Daniel must feel. You have this rapport."
"You have rapport too."
"Maybe, but we'll never have history the way you two do. I'll never be able to compete with that."
"Huh." She lets out a low sigh from behind the door. "We haven't, I never… I mean, we have kissed. I don't know if he told you that. Probably not. I never told Danny. But we did. When we were young. It was my idea. I did like him. But it was fucked up, honestly. He was always a consolation prize to me. That's why I never talked about it. Because I always wanted Daniel, and I didn't use Rome to get to him or anything. I just…"
"Were young and he's beautiful," I say.
"And they look very similar," she says. "And I let myself imagine it was Danny. But he's just not. We weren't. It didn't work. There was no magic, you know?"
"I do."
"Can you get my zipper?" She unclicks the door.
I push it open.
She's standing there in a long gown with a square neck. It's beautiful and simple and positively bridal, except for its vibrant purple color.