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8:00 p.m. arrived faster than usual, the sun still shining over the city as I sat at my desk, the glass of wine untouched as the music gently played in the background. My phone pinged, and Madeline’s contact showed on my phone. Lifting it up, I answered, placing it up on the desk so I could keep drawing.
“Hey, Maddy!” I answered, not even looking at the phone.
“Hey.” Milo’s voice forced my head up. My heart jumped. He needed to begone.“Don’t worry, Madeline is currently covered in raw chicken, but she told me Ihadto start the call before you forgot.”
“I wasn’t going to forget, but you need to be gone,” I said bluntly, my Southern drawl turning “gone” into a longer word than it needed to be.
Milo shook his head. “Don’t worry. I need to go pick up—” His voice stumbled. “I’ll be leaving really soon.”
“He really is, Phe!” Madeline called. “I just need to wash my hands. Milo, you can put the phone down to go get Clay. Dinner will be done soon.”
Clay?
I shook my head. “Yes, Milo. Take your time. I need complete privacy.”
Milo waved goodbye and then set the phone down. I could still see the kitchen. He must have propped the phone up on something. Madeline had her auburn hair up in a messy bun, still wearing her scrubs from work. Milo came over and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek as she washed her hands. I grinned at them, still in awe that they finally found one another, and returned to the drawing on my desk.
This wedding dress was riskier to show Madeline. The deep neck went down to the waistline, and the bust was almost completely see-through. This was not the one I wanted Madeline to wear, but it was still fun to design.
“Okay, okay, I’m here, and my hands are dry, and Milo is gone.” Madeline picked up the phone and turned. “I heard the door lock, I promise.”
“I need to see the house.” I pointed my pencil at the phone.
Madeline narrowed her eyes and flipped the screen, showing me an empty kitchen and even emptier living room before she flipped it back to her.
“Okay good. This is about the dress.”
Madeline gasped. “You can still design it, right? I haven’t even gone shopping yet. Even Milo was kind of freaking out about it.”
“Oh, I’m still designing it, but it just got a whole lot more excitin’,”Excitin’. . .there was that Southern drawl again. I honestly tried to hide it where I could, but talking with Madeline, it came out more often than not. “Do I have some news for you.”
I began to tell Madeline everything and watching her expression was the best part. Her eyebrows were raised, and her jaw would drop. During my show in Portland, the one that landed me JoAnn, Madeline left before she saw the finale of the show to go get Milo. I was never bothered by this. I knew how important Milo was to her. Plus, I knew I was going to get her in that dress. That dress wasn’t in any stores. Even though it made a hit at the show, it was always meant for Maddy.
“I signed the paperwork for it this morning. It’s officially happening!” I exclaimed. “You’ll need to come out for the grand opening.”
“Well, duh.” Madeline smiled. “I wouldn't miss that even if I was dying, but Milo could have been here for that. Well, except for the dress part.” Her eyes lulled to the side, her lips pursing and head tilting.
“Well, yeah, I haven't gotten to your dress yet. JoAnn wants to use the dress as a promotion for the store. She hired a photographer to capture all the elements of the design and post it on the stores and my Instagram feed so that it gets people excited.”
“Phe!” Madeline shouted. “Phe! That’s going to be amazing, plus such good publicity for you!”
“Maddy, the dress withyou in itwill get photographed and postedbeforethe wedding,” I emphasized.
She nodded. “I won’t have to be in the photos, will I?” Her voice dropped.
I shrugged. “Well, I need to make it to fit you. You are my framework. So. . .yes?” I trailed off.
Madeline furrowed her brow and nodded. “Milo needs to be blocked fromallphotos.”
“Carter, the guru who I can just see is going to be so fun to work with, is aware of how sensitive this is. I shouldn’t have even agreed to this before talking to you.”
“No, Phe. I love it. It’s going to allow me to look back at the making of my dress. We just need to make sure Milo doesn't see anything. But really, this guy needs to make me look like a princess.”
“Who’s going to make you look like a princess?” I heard the front door, and Madeline’s eyes looked up. Milo’s voice was faint as he walked back into the house.
“He wasnotgone long enough,” I grumbled.
Madeline laughed. “Oh, trust me. He was gone the right amount. We’ve been on the phone for forty minutes. My lips are sealed. Hey, when's your flight?”
