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“Where did you move here from?” I ask.
“Chicago.”
“That’s a big change,” I say, leading her to the window.
“I’m hoping it’s a good one.” She sounds uncertain, which I can totally understand. Junior high school can be like that old high school classicLord of the Flies. Everyone is trying to figure things out, but no one knows how to go about doing it.
“Are your hands clean?” I ask.
She looks down at them before holding them up for me to inspect. “I washed them before I left the diner.”
“Did you have the Belgian waffles? Those are my favorite.”
She grins from ear to ear. “With strawberries and extra whipped cream.”
“That’s the only way to eat them,” I agree. Then I hold out the train of the dress for her to inspect. “All of the beads are hand-sewn. It takes two hundred hours to make a dress like this.”
She touches it tentatively. “Two hundred hours! It must cost a fortune.”
“It’s quite expensive,” I confirm. “But hopefully you only get married once, so it’s worth it.” That’s the line I use regularly with prospective brides. I used to believe it, too.
“Did you wear a dress like this for your wedding?” she asks, clearly still in awe.
“I’m not married.” Just saying the words out loud makes me sad. I hurry to add, “I don’t think I’m the marrying type.” Lies, but it helps me to regain control of my emotions.
I never used to mind being single, but I was actively dating then. Matt asked me to marry him after only nine months together. My mom and I threw ourselves into planning a party that would rival any royal affair, but then I found out he was cheating on me. I was so devastated it took me a year before going out on another date. I dated Dillion for a year and thought we were on track for our happily-ever-after, when he was killed in a car accident. At his funeral, his mother gave me the engagement ring he’d bought for me.Is it any wonder I’m such a piece of work?
Sammy interrupts my pity party. “I’m not sure I’m going to get married, either. I don’t think it’s all that important.” It sounds like her parents may be less than happy.
“The most important thing is to be happy with yourself,” I counsel. “That’s the first step to being happy with someone else.”
Her eyes light up like this is some deeply profound wisdom. “Huh. So, you’re saying if you don’t like yourself, you can’t be happy with anyone else?”
“I think that stands to reason, don’t you?”
Sammy tips her red head to the side. Her coloring is very similar to my own. “I’m going to have to think about that.” She gently releases the train and turns to look around the store. “Do you only sell wedding dresses?”
“No. We sell bridesmaid dresses, too. A lot of girls in high school buy those for prom and spring formal.”
Sighing deeply, she announces, “I’ll buy my prom dress here if I’m asked.”
“Don’t wait for someone to ask you,” I counsel her. I waited for Tommy Keyes to ask me as my mom felt it unladylike for me to do the asking. Tommy didn’t ask anyone which means that neither of us went to prom. What a waste.
“I don’t think the guy has to be the one to do the asking, it’s just that I’d be worried I was going to get shot down, you know?”
“That’s exactly the kind of fear boys face every day,” I tell her.
“Do you think there are any cute boys at Elk Lake Junior High?” she asks.
“We could ask my friend Paige,” I tell her. “She teaches seventh grade math, so you’re probably going to have her.”
Sammy’s eyes light up. “I’d love to meet her before school starts. That way I’d at least know someone.”
I pull my phone out of my pocket and call Paige. “Are you thinking more about going on theMidwestern Matchmaker?” she asks in lieu of a more standard greeting, like “hello.”
I thought about it all night long, but I don’t tell her that. “I don’t want the whole world watching me try to find love.” Before she can respond, I add, “I’m standing here talking to the most delightful soon-to-be seventh grader. She and her family just moved to town, and she doesn’t know anybody. Any chance she can meet you before school starts?”
“Sure. I can stop by your shop on my way to school today, if that works.”
