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“They’re all so incredible. I don’t know how to pick,” Cyrus said as he went back to the zesty lemon for a second taste.
“I think my favorite is the salted caramel. What frosting is that on top?”
“It’s a caramel and vanilla swirl with toffee bits,” Ivan answered. He exchanged a look with Dani. “And a surprise ingredient.”
“Bourbon,” she said with a wink.
My eyes rolled in the back of my head. “That is amazing.”
“That settles it, then. We’ll go with the salted caramel.” I appreciated Cyrus’s desire to appease me.
“Excellent choice,” Ivan said. Dani took out a small notebook no larger than the size of her palm and jotted down our preference. “Next up are table centerpieces. The interior decorators have set up a variety of options for you. I’m sure you’ve already noticed them.”
The cake decision had been easy for me, but the décor was a different story. Every table was so beautiful, with expertly chosen complimentary colors and flowers. We’d stop at one table and I’d determine it was my favorite. But by the time we made it to the next table, I’d changed my mind and decided that one was my favorite.
I finally gave up. “I can’t decide. Do you have a preference?”
Cyrus rubbed his head and sighed. “I’ve got to be honest. I don’t know what half of these flowers are and I can’t tell the difference between the eggshell and cream tablecloths.”
I laughed. “Me neither. Can they just surprise us?”
“Let me see.” He searched for Dani with her notepad and then waved her down.
I barely overheard them discussing options. Based on Dani’s facial expressions, she was confused by our lack of decision. I read her lips. “You want us to surprise you?” she asked with a raised brow.
I stifled a laugh. She looked to be about my age and I felt a tidbit of remorse for making her responsible for an important detail of our big day. She was probably mortified that she might choose the wrong thing and upset the King and Queen of Osavian. Poor girl.
“We’ll go with this one,” I said, my voice loud enough for Cyrus and Dani to hear. I pointed at the table in front of me—a mix of turquoise and golden flowers paired with ivory satin linens. The light teal napkins were wrapped with a golden metal decal that matched the plates and silverware. Simple but elegant.
“Does that work for you?” I asked Cyrus.
He nodded in agreement, and Dani visibly sighed with relief.
That evening Sophia showed up at my bedroom door with three other women whose names I didn’t know. Sophia took all of five seconds to introduce them—Adelaide, a woman in her late sixties with gray hair and a look of permanent exhaustion on her face, and her two helpers, Emma and Daphne, who I immediately observed were twins. They were mirror images of each other, with short auburn hair, bright blue eyes and matching blue cotton dresses. Emma’s hair was pulled up into a half ponytail and Daphne’s was left down, the only way I was able to tell them apart.
Adelaide and Sophia moved into my room without an invitation, chatting in hushed tones like two young girls sharing secrets with their best friend. Emma and Daphne both followed, their arms full of white fabric wrapped in clear plastic coverings.
It wasn’t hard to tell what they were carrying. Wedding dresses.
A loud popping noise pulled my attention away from the piles of dresses, finding Sophia pouring sparkling wine into two glass flutes.
“For you, bride-to-be,” she said, pushing a glass into my hand.
“What is all this?” I asked. Of all the wedding planning events, I’d been looking forward to dress shopping the most. I thought we’d go to a boutique in town. Surely, they had more than one to choose from. I’d been stuck inside this castle for two weeks. I was dying to see the city, and it felt like my one chance to get out had been taken from me.
I was being dramatic, of course. I had the rest of my life to stroll the streets and visit the shops, but that didn’t ease my disappointment.
Sophia took a drink from her glass and opened her arms wide. “We’re trying on dresses! Well, you’re trying on dresses. I’m going to watch and tell you how gorgeous you look while secretly wishing I was still young and beautiful.”
Sophia was my favorite of the Castelli crew.
Emma magically conjured a rack out of nowhere. Or maybe she was hiding it under that stack of dresses. She and her sister began to hang the dresses, and I watched the rack go from empty to overflowing in a matter of seconds.
How many dresses did they bring? Did I have to try on all of them?
The room buzzed around me and I took a drink of the fizzy beverage to settle my nerves. Adelaide was sifting through the dresses now, with Sophia looking over her shoulder.
“Excuse me, Miss.” Daphne tapped my arm and prompted me to lift them while she circled me with a tape measurer. She rattled off numbers, and Emma wrote them down.
