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“Sorry.” I grinned, my cheeks heating. “I was just thinking.”
She waved away my excuse. “I like this dress on you. Simple is better with your slim hourglass figure and how petite you are. You would be lost in ruffles. What do you think about the train?”
I glanced down. “It’s pretty, but I’ll end up tripping. I’m not always the most graceful.”
“Agree.”
I raised my eyebrows, and she burst out laughing. “I meant about it being too much, not about the tripping.”
Lauralee would have said the same if I dared to wear something like that dress, and I would have fallen. We would have laughed over it because she would have saved me the embarrassment of doing it in public. With these women, I had the friendship I’d had with her and so much more. While Lauralee had sort of looked out for me by warning me about her blackmail scheme, she’d also brought their scrutiny onto me. She’d tried to look out for me and had me pack a bag to be safe, but I wasn’t. She shouldn’t have done it. I didn’t think any of these women would have put me at such a great risk and left me to fend for myself.
I shoved away the heavy thoughts and went into the dressing room to try on another dress. I bypassed the trumpet-style dresses, knowing the fuller portions around my calves would annoy me. I liked A-line dresses, but I kept returning to the sheaths Sofia had picked out, in several different fabrics of beaded, lace, stretch crepe, and satin.
My favorite was the satin one in eggshell. It was beautiful. I slipped it over my body, loving the decadent feel against my skin. It hugged my body in classic lines, a minimal flare in its cut. From the spaghetti straps to the deep-V neckline, the gown was fitted, falling straight to the floor below my hips. I sucked in a breath and took a minute, fixated on the single mirror in the dressing room.
It was the one. I didn’t need to try on any others. With the decision firm, I opened the door.
They were ready. Varying degrees of gasps to outright jumping to their feet told me the effect was what I had hoped for. Tears misted Nicole’s and Sofia’s eyes as they gaped before turning to one another with wide grins.
“That’s the one,” Sofia murmured.
It is.
I got on the platform while Sofia told one of the staff to bring her what she needed to mark for the alterations.
“Where’s the card?” Lil asked.
Luc had pressed his black card in my hand this morning and told me to go crazy. “In my clutch.”
“I’ll settle the bill, and then we can go the lingerie section and pick out a few things.”
“Oh.” I met her light eyes in the mirror. “I hadn’t thought of that.”
“Get ready for some fun!” El toasted me then laughed.
“What do you think about the rest of us wearing black?” Sofia mumbled around a few pins she held between her lips. “Or do you like another color?”
“What about rose gold? The champagne tones of the rose would go with this dress.”
“I love that. We can do a below-the-knee A-line or sheath style to match yours.” She moved around to the front of my dress and adjusted the hem.
“Matching.”
“Done.” She removed the pins, motioned for the head saleswoman, then gave her the name of a designer dress and style she’d seen on the sales floor and told her she wanted four. She gave the sizes and had them brought to the counter to pay. “I can get all the alterations finished today. It shouldn’t take long.”
“We’re trying them on for you at Nicole’s, right?” Lil asked.
“Yes, but we need to get to the lingerie store before the guys lose it from how long we’ve been shopping.”
Lil winked at me. “They worry.”
“You’re all set.” Sofia got to her feet then helped me off the platform. She undid the zipper for me, and I went into the dressing room to carefully take the dress off and put my clothes back on.
By the time I finished and had the dress draped over my arms, only Emiliana was waiting for me. After she’d taught me how to throw and also block a knife attack, I’d grown closer to the stunning brunette with eyes that masked a depth of pain at times. I’d caught flashes of the emotion but never around Stefano, as he seemed to make her glow with happiness. But it was there, and a part of me could relate. I didn’t know what had caused her trauma, and I was okay with that unless she decided to confide in me.
“You look beautiful in the dress, Summer. I can’t wait to see Luc’s face.” Her hand went to my arm, halting me from crossing the threshold from the dressing room to the sales floor, where everyone waited. “I wanted to make sure that you knew how happy we all are that you’re joining our family. We’re all close, and you fit in from the start.”
“Thanks.” I meant it. “I never thought I would be this lucky to have so many people who cared about me.”
