AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Gee, I’m so glad I brought my best friends to help me pick out a dress,” I say.
Shannon shrugs and takes a sip from her travel mug. It’s full of champagne. And ice. Since David’s Bridal doesn’t offer complimentary champagne while shopping, Shannon claimed it’s a BYOC kind of situation.
Jenny and I stuck to coffee. Which I quickly realized was a terrible idea because I’m so terrified I’ll spill on an ugly dress and have to buy it. Now Jenny is balancing both of our travel mugs. She keeps forgetting and drinking out of mine, then making a face because she’s a monster who doesn’t like sugar in her coffee.
“Do you want me to lie?” Shannon asks. “Or would you prefer I tell the truth when you look like the newest Marvel character—the bird bride of vengeance?”
“Ooh,” Jenny says, pushing up her glasses with a forearm, nearly spilling both coffees. “And she only goes after men who cheat on their girlfriends with their former high school rivals.”
Shannon pats Jenny’s arm sympathetically at the not-so-vague reference to Jenny’s ex. Then narrows her eyes and punches her in the shoulder.
“Ow!” Jenny says, jerking away from Shannon.
“Watch the coffee!” I warn.
“It’s high time to get over Chet.” Shannon bends herself over the arm of her chair to meet Jenny’s eyes. “His name isChet. That alone should make it easier. Your high school rival is the big loser here. You know that, right? You are a gorgeous, amazing human, and Chet and what’s her face are the tiny cubes that get spit out of a trash compactor. Nod if you agree.”
Jenny nods, her smile a little wobbly. “Thanks.”
The very young and very bored David’s Bridal employee appears, like a bad spirit we’ve summoned. The expression on her face tells me this sentiment goes both ways.
“And how are things going?” she asks, giving us a sweeping look that’s somehow both bored and judgmental. “Finding everything you need?”
“Tell me”—Shannon leans closer to read the woman’s name tag—“Becky. Does this dress come in yellow?”
Becky glances at me, and I’ll give the woman credit because she keeps a totally blank face.
“No. White and ivory. Anything else?”
“We’re good. Great, actually,” I say quickly before Shannon can say whatever she opened her mouth to say next. Probably to ask if there’s a rolling discount in proportion to the ugliness of the dress.
When Becky’s gone, the three of us dissolve into giggles. The feathers sway as I laugh, which only makes me laugh harder.
“I think we need to buy this one for funsies,” Shannon says.
“You could hang it in a field and scare birds away from the crops,” Shannon says.
“Or put it outside at Halloween to scare children,” Jenny adds.
Twisting uncomfortably, I manage to read the price tag. “Uh, sorry. It’s almost a thousand dollars. Too expensive for Halloween decor.”
“Okay, well, how many dresses are left?” Shannon asks. “I need to head out to the car for a refill if it’s more than five.”
“I think only three.” Which does not bode well for me finding a dress I actually like.
“I meant to ask you—did Eli’s mom not want to come?” Jenny asks, and I freeze, having taken two steps toward the dressing room.
“What?”
Both my friends blink at me, wearing matching expressions that let me know exactly how much I screwed up.
I spin Eli’s ring. “Was I supposed to invite her? Is that … a thing?”
Bridal etiquette is not in my wheelhouse. The last wedding I went to was probably ten years ago. Or more. And I wasn’t joking when I told Eli I don’t have a dream wedding in mind. It wasn’t the kind of thing I pretended or planned as a little girl. I was busy pretending to perform surgery on my stuffed animals.
“It’s not, like, required or anything,” Jenny says quickly.
Shannon is silent. Which says more than words could. Dread burrows deep, cozying up to the growing sense of guilt I’ve been carrying around for lying to so many people about this thing. The very last thing I want is to hurt Maggie. Sweet, funny Maggie, who unscrewed half the lightbulbs in her house just to meet me.
