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Reggie, on the other hand, was missing a man who wasn’t communicating with her. Nearly as uncomfortable, she was wearing a strapless dress trimmed in—wait for it—faux feathers, and except for the lining, made entirely of tulle.

“What was I thinking when I wore this?”

“You begged Mom to get you the dress. You said if she did, you would never ask for anything again.”

Reggie grimaced. “I was so wrong.”

“At least it fits.”

“It has feathers! If I’d known I was going to have to wear it, I could have taken them off, but there wasn’t time. I’m humiliated. The dogs look better than me.”

Reggie pointed at Belle and Burt. Belle had on the pretty dress Reggie had made, while Burt was in a doggy T-shirt printed to look like a tuxedo. His back was better, and the two of them had kept their odd connection.

“There are going to be pictures,” Reggie whined. “I’ll have to look at myself in this dress forever.”

“I’m trying to be sympathetic,” Dena said, patting her bare shoulder. “It’s a wedding. People dress weird.”

“They don’t usually dress in old prom dresses.” Reggie sighed. “All right. I’m done complaining. After the ceremony, I’m taking the dogs home. Mom said I could change into the cocktail dress I’d been planning to wear. So it’s only for, what? Another hour? I can survive that.”

Compared to missing Toby and worrying that it was over for them, once again, the dress was kind of no big deal. Why hadn’t the man called? Or texted? Or come by? They lived in a very small town—he could walk to her house from his office.

The complete absence of any communication had her worried that the silence was the answer. Maybe he’d heard everything she’d said and come to the decision that he wasn’t interested in her that way. Maybe he never had to even wonder about it—maybe everything that had happened had been in her head. Now, there was a depressing thought that really put her feathers into perspective.

Paisley walked into the bride’s room. “We’re about ready to start.” She paused and stared at Reggie. “Oh, my. You weren’t kidding. That’s your old prom dress. I remember because I was so jealous that you got to wear it. You were so beautiful and cool.”

Dena grinned. “Mention the feathers. She likes that.”

“Don’t, I beg you.”

Leigh hurried into the room, looking happy and beautiful. “This is so much fun. Your father is so handsome in his tux. I’m enjoying every second of the day.”

She reached for her daughters. “My wonderful girls. Thank you for indulging me and being my bridesmaids.”

“We love you, Mom,” Reggie said. “We want to be here for you.”

“Dressed however you want,” Dena added with a laugh.

“You both look lovely. Reggie, I don’t know why you were worried about the dress. It’s very pretty.”

“Thank you,” Reggie said, doing her best to act like she meant the words.

Paisley got them lined up. They’d agreed Dena and Reggie would each walk a dog down the aisle. Then Leigh would follow. Paisley cued the music, and the procession started.

Dena went first, with Burt. His handsome self caused the guests to laugh and point, but that reaction was nothing compared to the one when Belle made her wedding debut. She walked perfectly, the basket of flowers in her mouth, her whip-like tail wagging in time with the music.

Reggie kept her attention on her dog, trying not to look at the guests. She wasn’t even sure if Toby was going to show up. Maybe he’d decided not to bother.

At the end of the aisle, she got Belle in position, then went to stand next to Dena. Involuntarily, she looked at the guests and immediately saw Toby. He was seated next to his grandmother, looking incredible in a dark suit. Their gazes locked, and she tried desperately to figure out what he was thinking. He’d shown up, so that had to mean something. At least, she hoped it did.

The ceremony was beautiful and exactly right. Reggie cried more than she’d planned to, her parents were obviously still madly in love, and the dogs behaved. When everyone had headed for the reception, Reggie took the dogs back to the bride’s room, where she quickly changed into jeans and a sweatshirt before grabbing her coat on her way to her car.

The trip back to the house only took a few minutes. Once she’d relieved the dogs of their finery, she ran up to her room and put on a slightly more contemporary cocktail dress. She was halfway down the stairs when the doorbell rang.

“Who on earth?”

She pulled open the front door and saw Toby standing on the porch.

“What are you doing here?” she asked, stepping back to let him in. “Aren’t you staying for the reception? The food is going to be amazing. I should know. I saw the menu.”