Page 79 of Hot As Ice

“Okay,” Heidi says. “I just need someone to pay for my therapy, please.”

Victoria, Celeste’s cousin, walks up and sits down on Celeste’s other side on the couch. “Are you all done with your fittings?”

Celeste nods. “Yes, but I can’t gain even half a pound in the next two weeks. Please don’t let me eat, like, anything.”

Victoria rolls her eyes. “Can I put a slice of lemon in your water at least, or will that be too many calories?”

“Stop. I have to look perfect. Ben’s invited more than 500 people.”

“You will look perfect. You always do. Don’t even worry about that.”

Celeste chews on her lower lip. “I just—I need it all to go off without a hitch. This is a big deal, you know? A lot of important people will be there. It means a lot to Ben. And to me.”

Victoria pats Celeste on the knee. “It’s going to be wonderful, perfect beyond your wildest dreams. You have the top wedding planner in the state.”

Celeste takes a sip of her champagne. “That’s true. I know I’m in capable hands with Wendy, but I can’t control everything.”

“You’re not supposed to worry about things you can’t control. And it’s just a party to celebrate you getting married, not the moon landing. Just relax a little.”

“I try. I just want Ben’s son to like me. He barely talks to me. I have a stepson now, Vic. A stepson! Can you believe it? I need him to accept me. And that’s why⁠—”

Victoria clears her throat and looks pointedly in my direction. I’m still standing like an idiot on the platform, terrified to move lest I get a pin stuck in my ass. It’s pretty obvious Celeste forgot I was there. And I’m pretty sure she was about to say that she only invited me to be in her entourage to appease Hunter.

She gets up abruptly, putting her champagne down, and walks over to me, pretending to admire my dress. It’s a sparkly gold gown that molds over my curves and pools around my feet, dozens of beads sewn into the soft fabric. I wonder if it’s silk. It feels delicious against my skin. I don’t dare to wonder at the price tag.

“This is your color,” Celeste says. “You’re really glowing, Stevie.”

“Thank you, Celeste. I really appreciate being a part of your big day.” It seems like the right thing to say anyway. I would never tell her how I really feel.

Celeste beams. “I can’t believe it’s in only two weeks.”

“It’s so exciting,” I say.

“Yes, it is,” Celeste agrees, turning away and reaching for her champagne again, but not before I see the doubt in her eyes.

THIRTY MINUTES LATER, I leave the fitting and drive back to my apartment, grateful to be away from the weird energy in the boutique.

Celeste and her friends invited me to dinner afterward, but I declined as politely as I could, and I think they were secretly relieved about that. Why would a bunch of 30-year-old women want to hang out with a college sophomore anyway?

Not to mention, Celeste probably wants to talk about private things that I should not be privy to, like being a new stepmom to a man only nine years younger than her. That’s gotta be a crazy reality for her, one that’ll take a lot of getting used to, and knowing Hunter, he won’t make it easy on her.

Becca is home when I walk in, watching another reality TV show. I’m so glad to see her and be in her very normal aura that I rush to the couch, grabbing her and hugging her tight.

“What’s up with you?” she asks, returning my hug with one arm. “Should I be worried?”

“I just got back from a dress fitting with Celeste.”

Becca leans away from me. “Uh oh. Was it awful?”

“It was…weird.”

“Weird in what way?”

“Just…weird. I felt like I was some kind of experiment for them. Celeste is really sweet, but her friends are a little snobby.”

“Screw them. What did your dress look like? Did you like it?”

I settle myself comfortably on the couch. Becca hits pause on the TV. “It’s a long gold dress, fully beaded,” I tell her. “Kind of heavy. But it fit me pretty well. The seamstress is just going to adjust the bust to make it more secure.”