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“Come close?”
“I’ve never been proposed to, so that’s a no.”
“Nonsense, we all know Rylan was going to ask you,” Aubrey says, checking out some of the other dresses.
“Let’s do the maid of honor first,” Ashlyn says and waves me over to the fitting room.
I give Aubrey a dirty look as I depart. Rylan was years away from asking me to marry him, but it doesn’t mean we weren’t deeply in love and committed to each other. He was never a commitment-phobic person or gave me reason to think he’d cheat on me. Sure, he wasn’t an over-the-top romantic guy, but he showed me he loved me in other ways.
Like the time I said, no one ever makes signs for the women’s soccer league like they do for the guys. The next game he showed up, he held a white cardboard sign with “#24 Owns My Heart” written on it. Or the times I missed home and he’d fly out my mom or Dion or Brinley to visit me at away games. He’d always act interested when my dad told him to visit one of his friends’ restaurants in the city, even if they weren’t his thing. The baths he’d draw for me after a game, the ones he’d join me in after the horrible losses. I could go on and on about how Rylan showed me how much he loved me.
“There you go.” Ashlyn’s voice pulls me back to reality as she hangs my dress on the hook in the fitting room. A phone sounds somewhere in the bridal shop and she looks between me and the direction of the phone.
“Go answer it, I’ll manage.” I wave her off.
My fingers slide over the satin of the burgundy dress. I take off my jeans and sweatshirt, kick off my shoes, and slide into the dress. One shoulder is bare, and there’s a strap on the other shoulder. It’s formfitting and has a slit that goes to midthigh. Aubrey picked it because she said it looked good with my skin and hair color. She truly is the best friend a girl could have. Especially since Alice was here that day and she wanted me to wear a hideous pink tulle dress.
I hold the dress in the back and look into the mirror—and that’s when I see it.
“Oh shit,” I murmur, stepping closer to the mirror. There’s a bite mark on my collarbone.
“Come on, Calista, I have a lot on my list today.” Aubrey knocks on the changing room
door. “And I can only hold off on those donuts for so long.”
I go to my purse on the bench and dig for concealer, but my makeup bag isn’t in there. “I’m coming!”
Aubrey’s going to have a fit even though I can definitely cover it with makeup.
I open the door and turn so she can zip the dress up for me. Then I turn back around and she steps away, eyes wide. “You’re gorgeous. Damn, you’re gonna upstage me.”
The fact her eyes didn’t go to the spot right away has me hoping she might miss it completely. It should heal in time for the wedding, but I’ll have to tell Rylan to control himself.
“Come. Stand on the pedestal.” Ashlyn waves me into the bigger room.
“Oh, it’s a perfect fit. Like a glove. Aubrey can go,” I say.
Ashlyn shakes her head. “Nonsense, get over here, Calista Bailey.”
I nod and walk over to her, Aubrey following. “Your ass looks amazing in it. I should’ve put you in the pink tulle number.”
“Told you!” Alice says to her granddaughter. “You’re the bride. Everyone else has to resort to looking crappy on the day of the wedding.” She sits down.
Meanwhile, Jean is flitting around everywhere.
I step onto the pedestal and Ashlyn zips me up, tugging and running her hand along the dress. She walks around me, inspecting as she goes, and Aubrey smiles at me through the mirror. Ashlyn lifts the hem and lets it float back into place.
She stands in front of me and takes off her glasses, biting the end, her head shifting from side to side. “It’s perfect.”
I move to step off the pedestal, but her hand on my stomach stops me.
“Oh.” She points at the spot on my collarbone with her glasses. “What’s that?”
“What?” I play dumb because Aubrey’s ears just went up like a German shepherd’s.
“What?” Aubrey walks toward me.
“She has a blemish.” Ashlyn puts her fingers over it and scratches it. “It’s a…” She leans in so close she’s millimeters from my skin. “Bite mark?” She rears back. “Were you bitten by a dog?”
