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Chapter Twenty-Two
Elizabeth stood beside Holly as she slipped on her bridal gown and stepped onto the raised platform in front of the mirrors. She looked like the picture perfect Barbie doll bride.
Jody smiled and glanced up at Holly. “You look stunning, absolutely stunning.”
“I couldn’t agree more,” Elizabeth added.
Holly smiled down at the both of them. “I can’t believe this is happening. It’s all happening so fast.”
Silently, Elizabeth agreed with her friend, this wedding was happening fast. She loved her friend dearly and hoped she and Sam, and their family, would live a long and happy life together.
The seamstress pinned up the hem of Holly’s dress as the girls chatted, and then she started adjusting the shoulders and bodice.
“Miss Cartwright, you mentioned earlier that you were pregnant, how far along will you be by the wedding?” the seamstress asked.
Holly scowled at the seamstress.
“I’m sorry Miss Cartwright, but I need to know how to fit the dress.”
“Oh, the wedding is in a few weeks, and I’ll be about twelve weeks along, so I would imagine you can just fit it for the size I am now, right? I mean, I shouldn’t be showing by then, right?” she asked as she glanced down at the seamstress, and then at Elizabeth and Jody.
The seamstress’s gaze softened and she smiled warmly. “Miss Cartwright, I just want you to be comfortable on your big day, so I think it’s best we leave a little room. We can refit you a couple of days before the wedding. I’ve been pregnant twice, and what I can tell you is that by twelve weeks I was showing a bit.”
Disappointment washed over Holly’s face. Elizabeth felt bad for her friend. She knew her friend wanted everything to be perfect for her big day, and she knew Holly well enough to know that not fitting into a size four was detrimental to her.
Elizabeth and Jody slipped into their dresses. They were short, fitted strapless, red velvet dresses with matching three-quarter length sleeved jackets. The bodice of the dress was detailed with sequins and the length of the dress was designed to fall just above the knees. The garment was actually quite beautiful but seemed more appropriate for a New Year’s Eve party rather than a wedding.
Elizabeth eyed herself in the mirror. “What are the guys going to wear?”
“They’re going to wear the typical black tuxes with white shirts and red ties,” Holly replied.
As Elizabeth slipped out of her bridesmaid dress her cell phone rang. She answered quickly when she saw it was Joe.
“What are you up to?”
“We’re at the bridal shop getting fitted.”
“Oh. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight?”
She sighed. “I can’t. When we’re done here, we’re going to catch a bite to eat, and work on some of the wedding plans. It could take a while.”
“Oh, okay. Well, maybe tomorrow,” he replied with a tinge of disappointment in his voice.
“I can’t tomorrow either. I have a client dinner scheduled, but how about Friday?” she asked, hoping he didn’t have any plans because the thought of going three days without seeing him and his family was unbearable.
“Friday’s good. See you then.”
Elizabeth scooted into the booth at the country club where Holly’s wedding reception would be taking place. She placed her tablet on the table, fired it up, and opened the checklist she used for her wedding planning responsibilities. Since they had stopped at the bakery on the way to the country club to check out the banquet room, she was able to check off ‘wedding cake.” And though she had sampled several pieces of cake, along with Holly and Jody, her stomach still growled. She needed real food.
The waiter came by and took their orders. She went with the flow and ordered a Cobb salad, thinking if she ordered a simple salad as well, it wouldn’t take too long to get the food.
