Page 134 of Seale the Deal

Remi rolls her eyes. She is odious.

I laugh. I’m sorry she brought up Brandt.

Remi waves it off. New gossip will bury this before it really becomes a thing.

If you’re trying to keep this quiet, especially considering Ruger doesn’t know, make sure you don’t give people a reason to ask questions, I say.

Whatever, she says, turning to the food table and piling her plate. In this place, it’s only a matter of time before anything I do becomes a permanent, notarized record.

Again, I laugh because I’m starting to realize that’s exactly how this town operates.

Besides, she continues, if Bonnie wants to spend her life tracking people’s romantic activities, that’s her business. Personally, I have more important things to worry about.

Such as?

These cucumber sandwiches. She holds one up. Who made them, and what is the recipe?

I shake my head. We better get back to helping.

Remi nods. Agreed.

We separate back to our respective tables.

Find something to eat? Audrey asks as she drops a flower into the pile.

Yep, I say with a smile before popping a tomato in my mouth, then getting back to work.

We work in silence for a few minutes. Around us, conversation drifts through the room, and the bridal shower as a whole buzzes with the energy of people working toward a shared goal.

Have you seen the wedding dress yet? Audrey asks.

No, I say. Actually, I missed even seeing the plans.

Be glad, Beryl says. The original plans didn’t factor in that you already found your perfect dress.

She reaches beside her into a large tote bag and pulls out a leather folio. When she opens it, I’m surprised to see a printed photograph of me in the dress from Anchorage, standing on the pedestal while the consultant fuses with the train behind me. My smile is so wide it almost doesn’t look like me.

Beryl moves the first photograph and reveals another one, then another. At some point, Remi must have been snapping pictures from every possible angle, but I don’t remember. I only remember the feeling of being in this dress. I’m laughing, smiling, or staring at my reflection with a look of wonder on my face in every photo. I’m genuinely happy.

My breath hitches when I see a photo of Ruger and me standing together on the pedestal. The dress is still beautiful, but it’s not the first thing I notice. It’s the way he’s looking at me. Like the rest of the room disappeared. For a moment, I forget there are other people around us and can think only of that day in Anchorage, of the way my heart stumbled when I caught him watching me, and every moment after that changed the trajectory of our relationship.

I’ve already pulled off all the organza, and the vintage silk beneath is stunning, Beryl says, pulling me from my thoughts.

She taps the first photo. I can use the lace to recreate this mesh panel, and if you’re okay with a shorter train, I think we can make something very close to this.

She pulls out a sketch, and I look between it and the photographs. There are differences, of course. The bow won’t be there, and the open back will be a full panel, likely to work with the fabric that’s already there and lessen the amount of work. But the deep V-neckline remains, and the overall silhouette is remarkably similar. I actually like Beryl’s design better.

Beryl, this is… I trace my gaze over the sketch again. God, I don’t even know what to say. This is incredible.

You say that until we get you in it and you realize there are about a million buttons, Audrey says with a laugh.

I shake my head. I don’t care. This is perfect.

As I study the sketch and photographs spread across the table, I’m struck all over again by how generous these women are. When Beryl first offered me the dress, I felt overwhelmed by the responsibility of it. The gown carries so much history and meaning, and I wasn’t sure I could give it the ending it deserved, especially when I wasn’t even certain what my own ending would be.

Now that I can picture a life here, I feel up to the task of giving this dress everything it deserves. I feel excited to see this dress come to life and wear it, and by the possibility that this wedding is leading to something real.

I’ll have to get you measured up this week, Beryl says. And then I can get to work on the alterations.