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Mom was still gazing at me. “Put on the shoes and do a little turn.”
I slipped into the pumps that the boutique had provided and did a slow turn for Mom, and then another one. “So? What do you think?”
“C’est magnifique.” Mom’s eyes met mine. “I think we found the dress.”
I clapped my hands. We’d agreed to pick my dress together, and ultimately Jacob was paying for it. She was right that I couldn’t afford it. “Thank you! I love it.” I’d seriously never been so excited about a dress before. But if I had to go to this wedding and so did Shane, I was going in this dress.
There were actual tears shining in Mom’s eyes as I twirled in front of the mirror, getting used to the high heels. I didn’t wear heels often. She handed me a fake-flower bouquet that the boutique had also provided and I held it for her perusal. I felt amazing. Maroon 5 was playing and everything about this moment screamedwedding. For a split second I almost got carried away and asked if I could try on a bridal dress. I’d never tried one on before. And now that we were done getting my bridesmaid dress sorted, maybe we could just keep having fun?
But then Mom just had to ruin it.
“I’m so glad to see you really embracing this wedding,” she said, suddenly pretending to look through a rack of veils, “because my wedding planner just quit and I’m going to need some extra help.”
I stopped twirling. “Your wedding planner did what now?”
“She quit,” Mom said lightly, avoiding my eyes. “I mean,theyquit. The whole service. Wedding planner, wedding designer…”
“What are you talking about? What wedding planner quits the wedding this close to the big day?”
“Well, mine did, Jolie.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. They said something about a difference of opinion.”
Oh, God. Mom’s wedding planner and her wedding designer quit her wedding a month before the event. Because she was a freaking bridezilla.
“Mom.What did you do?”
“I didn’t do anything, Jolie,” she said defensively. “I was paying them a lot of money to do their jobs. It’s not my fault if they don’t fulfill their obligations!”
Just then, the owner of the boutique strode in from the back to check on us. “And how are we doing, ladies? Can I get you any…” She drifted off when she saw me broiling and Mom looking perturbed.
“We’re doing just wonderfully,” I told her.
“Yes,” Mom agreed. “We’ll let you know when we need anything.”
“Of course.” The poor woman turned on her heel and vanished into the back room.
I drew a deep breath. I’d promised myself after the fight we’d had four years ago in a salon in front of the entire staff that I wouldn’t get in public fights with my mom anymore. Granted, it was a lot easier to uphold that promise when I didn’t actually live in the same country as her.
“Have you talked to Madeleine about this?” I asked her.
“Oh, Madeleine is so busy with her interior design clients. She said she’d have a final look over everything for me. But she can’t actually get her hands dirty on this…” She was gazing at me with a certain expectant look that I did not love.
“Uh-huh.”
“So… well, I thought you could do it, Jolie.”
“But, I can’t.”
“You aren’t working while you’re here. You’ll have time.”
“Time isn’t all that’s needed to design a wedding, Mom.”
“Of course not. But you just designed that wedding for your friend, what was her name? In California. You’re so good at it.”
What’s-her-name was the friend of my coworker. But that was just a small wedding and I wasn’t even paid much to do it.
