Page 97 of None Of Your Business

“Not today.” My voice wavers despite my best efforts. “Please.”

I can almost see the argument forming behind her eyes. “After your show.”

I blink. “What?”

“You tell Madison and Noah after the show. Not after the wedding.”

“That wasn’t the deal I offered.”

“I don’t care. That’s my deal.”

I consider it.

The show is significantly sooner.

Piper folds her arms. “Take it, or I go get Madison right now.”

“When did you become terrifying?”

She ignores that.

“Fine.” I sigh. “After the show.”

“No more hiding it.”

“I said fine.”

She raises her finger. “Pinky promise.”

Shit.

“Secure the vault,” she says, “or I don’t believe you.”

I wrap my finger around hers and tug. “I promise.”

She finally exhales.

Then, quieter, she adds, “And for the record, needing help doesn’t steal anything from Madison.”

I look away. “Zip me up before she realizes we’ve been in here too long.”

Piper watches me for another second, but mercifully lets it go.

When we step out of the fitting room, we stand side by side in front of the giant three-way mirror for the verdict.

Madison is sitting on the velvet pedestal, scrolling on her phone. She slowly lowers it, looks at Piper in her rust dress, looks at me in my forest green gown, and blinks. She doesn’t even look at the cut, the fabric, or how the colors look next to each other.

“I tried to be cool. I tried to be a chill bride. It felt wrong in my soul. Rowan, the green makes you look like poison ivy, and I don’t mean the character. Piper, rust is for patio furniture. We’re doing blush pink. Matching A-lines. High necks.”

She marches off toward the sales associate.

Piper turns her head to look at me in the mirror. I look back at her.

“Blush pink,” I murmur. “High neck?”

“At least it covers your ribs,” Piper whispers back.

I let out a breathless laugh and turn back toward the fitting room. “God bless Madison’s control issues.”