Friday Night Brides (6 page)

Becca nodded. “After a while they all do. Now that she’s narrowed down the style, the differences in them are going to be minute.”

“Do you guys not like this style?” Ella asked nervously. “I thought we all agreed this looked the best on me. Should I try something else?”

Judith stepped in front of her and gently grasped Ella by the shoulders. “Deep breaths,” she said softly. “I want you to pretend that no one else is here and you’re looking at these dresses for the first time. Don’t think about what other people tell you looks good on you. What style do
you
want?”

Nancy, Ella’s mother, stepped forward. “We talked about this all day, Ella. You wanted a traditional gown. Lots of lace, remember?”

One look in Ella’s eyes and Judith had her answer. “Why don’t we take a break and have a little something to eat? I’m going to help our bride here get out of this dress while you all get the food set up in the back room. We’ll be there in a jiff.”

Luckily no one argued and quietly she led Ella back to the dressing room. Once the curtain was closed, she faced her.

“Okay, sweetheart, we’re all alone. Why are you trying on dresses you don’t want?”

Ella’s eyes immediately went misty. “I…I didn’t say that.”

Judith smiled at Ella in a way only a mother did. “You didn’t have to. Those blue eyes of yours gave you away.” She cupped Ella’s cheeks. “What’s going on?”

Sighing, Ella turned and faced her reflection in the mirror and grimaced. “Mom and I were going through some bridal magazines today. She had a snarky comment for every gown I picked out. It didn’t take long for me to realize she had something completely different in mind and I thought it would be easier if I just went along with it.”

Judith stepped behind her and began unhooking the long row of buttons down the back of the gown. “From what I’ve been hearing, you’re doing an awful lot of that lately.” She paused and finished her task before asking, “You know this is supposed to be your big day, right? No one else’s. Well…except for Dylan.”

Ella smiled at the mention of her fiancé.

“What does Dylan have to say about all of this?”

Ella told her about the last conversation she and Dylan had about the wedding Friday night after the show. “He doesn’t think any of it’s bad, but he’s a guy. The less decisions he has to make, the better. At least that’s what it seems like.” She stepped out of the gown and reached for her jeans.

“I’ve known you since you were five, Ella, and we’ve talked a lot about weddings over the years. For as long as you’ve talked about marrying Dylan, your description of your perfect wedding never changed—small, intimate ceremony and you were going to wear a strapless, princess-style gown and tiara.” Judith motioned to the gowns hanging around them. “And that doesn’t describe even one gown you chose to try on tonight. I’ve worked with enough brides and their mothers. It may not be comfortable for you, but you’re going to have to talk to your mom and tell her how you feel.”

“But…”

“Go and eat,” Judith said, an understanding smile on her face.

“Let me help you hang this back up,” Ella said quietly after she finished dressing.

“I got it. I’ll be out in a minute.”

Ella walked out and joined everyone in the back room where there were sandwiches, salad and cookies set out for everyone to enjoy.

For the next thirty minutes, everyone talked and laughed and asked about the wedding plans. Ella did her best to look cheerful, but Judith’s words kept coming back to her. She knew she was going to have to sit her mother down and remind her of whose wedding this actually was. She just wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Okay,” Judith called out when everyone was done eating, “are we ready for round two? I think I found the perfect dress!”

There was a round of oohs and aahs as everyone went back to the showroom and took their seats.

Ella stepped into the dressing room and stopped short. “What…?” She quickly looked around. “What happened to the dresses that were in here earlier?”

Smiling, Judith closed the curtain. “Those were all wrong for you. I did a quick run through the store and found several that I think fit the criteria.”

“But…I…I didn’t get a chance to talk to my mom yet,” Ella stammered.

“And now you won’t have to. At least…not alone.” With a wink, Judith began removing the first gown from its garment bag. “I already talked to Hailey, Becca and Angie. We’ve all got your back.”

Ella just stood there staring as if in shock.

Gently, Judith pulled her into her embrace. “If I thought for a second that any of those other gowns made you happy, I wouldn’t have said a word. But like I said before, I’ve worked with a lot of brides and their mothers and I know when to send in the troops. And you, my dear, need your troops.”

A lone tear trailed down Ella’s cheek. “I…I don’t know what to say,” she said quietly.

Stepping back and going back to the gown, Judith grinned. “Say we may have a winner in this one. You wore it last month in the show at the Hilton. I didn’t say anything then but…” She shrugged. “As soon as I saw you in it, I just knew.”

Ten minutes later, Ella got the first glimpse of herself in the gown she had marveled at when she wore it in the show Judith had mentioned. It was beyond stunning—the perfect balance between ornate beading and simplicity and the skirt was full enough to make her feel like a princess. She couldn’t help but smile.

“Are you ready to knock their socks off?” Judith asked.

Ella’s smile grew. “Just as long as you’re ready to swoop in if I need you.”

Stepping back, Judith let Ella walk out of the dressing room first and then bent down to pick up the train. “Always, my girl. Always.”

****

It was the usual after-show chaos Friday night and as much as Becca wanted to chip in and help, she needed to go find Max and give him the pictures for the DVD he was putting together. She had already changed back into her street clothes and was making her way around the boutique in hopes of finding him.

After stopping a few times to talk to some brides-to-be, Becca spotted Max heading toward the back room carrying all of his photography equipment. She quickly made her way across the room and followed him out the back door. “Max!”

The wind was whipping but the torrential rains that had come through earlier had finally stopped. She would have preferred to talk with him inside, but she could make do with the crappy weather—even as she cursed her long hair and did her best to keep it pulled away from her face.

He stopped and turned around, smiling when he spotted her. “Hey, Becca,” he said, making his way back toward her. “Great show tonight.”

She blushed. “Thanks. I um…I have those pictures for you. You know, if you still want to do the DVD.” Reaching into her purse, Becca pulled out a large envelope and handed it to him. “There are a couple of picture CDs in there and a flash drive too. Hailey’s been trying to organize a project like this for years so she was able to get them in some kind of order for you. I hope it’s okay.”

Max continued to smile. “I’m sure it’ll be great. I’ve been thinking a lot about how I want it all to look so all I should have to do is plug in the pictures. If all goes well, I should have something for you to look at by next week. There’s another show Friday, right?”

“There is. It’s an off-site event at one of those massive bridal expos. Mrs. J tries to get into all of the local ones and occasionally we travel to the tri-state area to participate.”

“She told me,” Max replied. “I guess she wanted to make sure I’d be okay with traveling along with the show to document it all.”

“I’m glad this one is only an hour away. It makes for a late night but the driving is doable.”

They both grew silent and Becca wasn’t sure what else to say to him. They didn’t really know each other and as much as she found him to be a nice guy, she also couldn’t forget how he had pretty much seen her at her lowest moment, one that she wanted to forget.

“So I should go,” she finally said. “I need to go make sure the girls don’t need my help.”

Max nodded. “Thanks for the pictures. I think Judith is going to like what we put together. Since the show is out of town next weekend, maybe I’ll send the DVD home with you and you can show it to Hailey and the girls and give me some feedback before anything is finalized.”

“Oh, that would be great. Thanks.” They stood there in the darkened parking lot for another minute. “Anyway, thanks again, Max. I’ll see you Friday.”

“Have a good night, Becca.”

As she walked back into the boutique, she couldn’t help but smile. Guys like Max restored her faith a little in the male species. He seemed to be very nice and she felt comfortable talking with him. He was good looking and an interesting mix of nerdy hipster and just a little bit sexy. And she had no doubt that she wasn’t his type in the least. Good looking guys like him…well…good looking guys in general never worked out for her. Look at what had happened with Danny. If Max had simply been a nerdy hipster she might have considered flirting a little – that would have made him safe in her mind - but dammit, he was too nice to look at.

With a sad sigh she made her way around the room and spotted Hailey and Logan putting chairs away. They were laughing and smiling and knowing how much Hailey was crushing on Logan, she decided to find something else to do. Turning around, she bumped into Jack. “Oh! Sorry.”

He didn’t even make eye contact with her. He was too busy staring at Logan and Hailey. “No problem,” he murmured.

Stepping around him and making her way toward the dressing rooms, she found where the girls were busy hanging up gowns and silently stepped in to help them.

Three

“So he never texted you back?” Hailey asked the next day over lunch.

Angie shook her head.

“Oh…so…how do you feel about it? I mean…are you happy? Sad? Relieved?”

“Honestly,” Angie began, “I’m kind of disappointed. It’s one thing to think you don’t mean a whole lot to someone, but it’s quite another when it’s pretty much confirmed.”

“Well that just sucks,” Ella said as she reached across the table and helped herself to some of Becca’s french fries.

“At least I can say I have closure. Sort of.”

Becca held up her hand. “Maybe he was just taking you at your word and figured you really did have to go. You can’t get mad at him for respecting your request.”

All three of her friends stared at her like she had grown a second head.

“What? What did I say?”

“I got this,” Hailey said before Angie could speak. She turned to Becca. “While I think it could be okay if he was simply being polite, the fact is that was a week ago and he hasn’t tried to contact her since. If he was being sincere and genuine in wanting to talk to Angie, he would have tried to get in touch with her the following day.”

“Or any of the following days,” Angie added and then sighed. “Just forget it. It’s not a big deal. It’s not like Sean’s the one or anything.”

“How do you know?” Ella asked.

Angie snorted with disbelief. “Because I know.”

“Yeah but…how?” Ella asked and then looked at Hailey and Becca for back up. “I knew after the first time Dylan kissed me that he was it for me.”

“For crying out loud,” Angie muttered. “You were in the sixth grade!”

“But I
knew
!” Ella cried and then lowered her voice. “All I’m asking is…how do you know for certain that Sean isn’t the one?”

“Other than the fact that he dumped me, disappeared, blew me off and…oh yeah…hasn’t tried to contact me again? Is that what you’re asking?”

Ella slouched down in her seat. “Never mind.”

“Okay, we’re all getting a little cranky about this,” Hailey said diplomatically. “Personally, I don’t think it’s the same for everyone.” She turned to Ella. “You looked at Dylan and knew he was it for you. The majority of the population would not know at that age or even be thinking about the possibility of forever with someone, at least not realistically. You’re just lucky.” Then she turned to Becca. “You thought Danny was your ideal when you met him in the tenth grade. And it took you years to actually start dating him and after everything you built up about him in your mind, turned out not to be true. Correct?”

Becca nodded.

Lastly, Hailey looked at Angie. “You felt something for Sean almost from the get-go. And if we forget about the current negative situation, how did you feel about him before that? Did you think he could possibly be the one?”

“This is ridiculous,” Angie said as she waved the waitress over and asked about the dessert specials.

“Avoiding the question isn’t going to make it go away,” Hailey sang.

Once the table was cleared and they all ordered dessert, Angie looked at her friends and glared. “Okay, fine. If we’re basing this on Sean’s pre-desertion days, then yes. There was a…possibility…of him being the one. But that changed! Why is it okay for everyone to see that Becca was wrong about Danny and I’m not allowed to be wrong about Sean?”

“It’s not that we’re saying you’re not allowed to be wrong,” Ella said.

“And to be fair, you all warned me Danny was a douche from the very beginning,” Becca said with a grin.

“We may have only met Sean a handful of times, Ange, but he seemed like a really nice guy. Maybe you need to hear him out and see why he pulled back,” Hailey said.

“Need I remind you how you and I had this conversation that night,” Angie snapped at Hailey. “You know why I didn’t want to get on the phone with him and the fact that he hasn’t tried to contact me since that night only adds to my pissed-off mindset! How am I supposed to pick up the phone and call him now when I feel even
more
anger toward him?”

“She has a point,” Becca said. “And she does have a temper. There’s a good chance she’ll start yelling at him and scare him off.”

Ella nodded in agreement. “She scares me.”

“This isn’t helping!” Hailey interrupted.

“No, it is,” Angie said sadly. “It really is. Obviously I need to clear the air with him otherwise I’m never going to be able to move on. And whether or not I move on with him or without him…well…that remains to be seen.”

“But you’d totally rather move on with him, right?” Ella asked hopefully, a huge smile brightening her entire face.

For a minute, Angie could only stare at her. “What the hell is it like to be that happy all the damn time? Honestly, it’s got to be exhausting.”

Ella blushed.

“No picking on Ella,” Hailey said and thanked the waitress who was putting their desserts down on the table. “We should all be so lucky to be like her. She’s the only one of us who has her shit together.”

“Who? Me?” Ella asked, wide-eyed.

“You were a total rock star Wednesday night,” Becca said with a chuckle. “The way you stood up to your mom? That was epic!”

After Ella had stepped out of the dressing room wearing the gown of her dreams, her mother had immediately begun to criticize. For a few minutes, she let her speak. Then Judith stepped in and—very diplomatically—explained how she’s dealt with situations like this before and the importance of the bride getting to wear exactly what
she
wanted.

It took all of five minutes before Ella spoke up and unleashed her pixie-like wrath. “Enough!” she’d cried. “In case anyone has forgotten,
Mom
, this is
my
wedding! Mine and Dylan’s! For years I have dreamed of my perfect day and so far you have taken over those dreams and turned them into something I no longer recognize! You see this dress?” She had fisted the satin skirt in her hands and shook it in her mother’s direction. “This is my wedding dress. I’m sorry if you don’t like it, but you’re not wearing it. I am. And you know what? Dylan happens to love this style on me and his is the only opinion other than mine I’m worried about!”

“Is your mom talking to you yet?” Hailey asked carefully, bringing them all back to the present.

“Yeah. It took her until yesterday to pick up the phone and call. I didn’t reach out to her. I needed her to see that I was serious. It was hard to confront her like that, but it had to be done.”

“Does this mean she’s going to ease up on the other wedding stuff?” Angie asked.

“I’m not sure yet. One thing at a time. That’s all I can handle.”

“What did Dylan say when you told him about it?”

Ella chuckled. “He said he was sorry he’d missed it. He likes when I get feisty.” Then she blushed. “He thinks it’s sexy.”

“Oh…yuck. Just…no,” Angie said. “We don’t need to hear anything beyond that.”

They ate their desserts in silence for a few minutes before Becca spoke up. “I gave Max all of the photos last night at the show. He said he’ll have a video put together for us to preview by next weekend.”

“Mom is going to be so surprised,” Hailey grinned. “There were a lot of pictures there. Do you think he’ll need more?”

Becca shook her head. “He didn’t seem to think so.”

“I had wanted to talk to him about it last night but everything was so chaotic. I can’t remember the last time a show went like that,” Hailey said.

“That’s because the weather sucked and people were late,” Angie added. “Hell, even we didn’t get to sit and hang out like we usually do. Thank God for our Saturday date or we’d all still be in the dark about how the week went.”

“Sarcasm?” Becca asked with a laugh.

“Just a little,” she replied. “So Max is going to put together this video DVD thing, huh?”

Becca nodded. “He’s pretty psyched about it.”

“That’s so nice of him,” Ella said. “I can’t wait to see what he comes up with.”

“He’s going to give us a copy to review before he finalizes it. This way we can tell him if we want to change anything.”

Hailey frowned. “Did I scare him off or something?”

Becca shook her head. “I don’t think so. Why?”

“I just don’t understand why he won’t talk to me about it.”

“I don’t know,” Becca replied with a shrug.

“Does it really matter?” Angie asked. “He’s doing something nice for your mom and it involves all of us. What’s the big deal?”

“None I guess,” Hailey sighed.

“So I saw you and Logan together after the show,” Becca said, hoping to cheer her friend up. “Anything new to report there?”

“No. I’m telling you, other than just blurting out that I’m in love with him, I don’t know what else to do!”

“Maybe he already has a girlfriend,” Becca said.

“No, no, no, “Angie said. “We’ve all been working together and socializing together long enough that it would have come up in conversation or we would have met the girl. Maybe he’s gay.”

“Not you too,” Hailey mumbled.

“What? What was that?” Angie asked.

“Jack keeps saying the same thing and I think you’re both crazy. I spend a lot of time with Logan. I think I would know if he’s gay.” She looked worriedly at her friends. “Wouldn’t I?”

“I’m just saying…it’s a possibility.”

Hailey groaned. “I don’t know which part of that bothers me more—the fact that Logan could be gay or that Jack could be right.”

****

That thought stayed with Hailey all day and she knew she needed a distraction. Lunch with the girls was always great, but right now she needed to call in the big guns—her mom.

When she walked into the boutique Sunday afternoon, she was surprised to find her mom alone in her office reading a book.

“So this is what you do when no one’s looking?” Hailey teased as she walked in and sat down.

Judith smiled. “Sometimes rainy days are a blessing. No one feels like going out and I get a chance to put my feet up and relax.”

“I wish you’d let one of your assistants work for you on Sundays so you can do that relaxing at home. You know you don’t have to be here all the time, right?”

“But I enjoy being here,” Judith said simply. “Believe it or not, this isn’t a job or a chore for me. I created the kind of environment here that I happen to find very tranquil.”

“You could make a space like that at home. I’m sure Dad wouldn’t mind.”

Judith frowned but quickly put her smile back in place. “What brings you out in this miserable weather? Everything okay?”

For a minute Hailey wanted to discuss the brief change in her mother’s demeanor, but decided to let it wait. “What do you think about Logan?”

“I think he’s a very nice young man. Polite. Handsome. He makes a very attractive groom,” she added with a sly smile. “I know you think all those things too so…why? Why are you asking my opinion?”

“I’ve spent a lot of time with Logan at the shows and…” She shrugged. “I think I’ve been kind of obvious about how I feel about him, but he hasn’t said or done anything. I had hoped he would ask me out by now, but he hasn’t. Does he have a girlfriend I don’t know about? Am I throwing out some kind of vibe that’s telling him to back off? I don’t understand what’s happening to make things…you know…not happen.”

Standing, Judith walked over to her mini-fridge and took out a couple of bottles of water. She handed one to her daughter.

“What am I doing wrong, Mom? Do you think I’m acting too desperate?”

Judith sat back down and reached for one of Hailey’s hands and squeezed it. “I don’t think you’re acting desperate, sweetheart. Maybe Logan’s just a little…shy.”

Hailey made a face. “Mom, he’s definitely not shy. He socializes with everyone before, during and after each show.” She sighed. “I guess I’m just not his type.”

“That’s a very real possibility, but if you want to know for sure, you’re going to have to come out and ask him directly. Otherwise you’re just going to keep torturing yourself.”

“Maybe.”

“How about I pair you up with somebody different this week for the show?” Judith suggested as she sat back and opened her water.

“What good would that do?”

“I think you could observe him a little bit. See if he’s flirting with any of the other girls—not our girls,” she added with a wink. “Or you might see how he interacts with everyone. I think you’re too close to him during the shows and maybe aren’t seeing things as they really are.”

Frowning, Hailey asked, “What does that even mean? How are things?”

“Hailey, you have a tendency to over-romanticize everyone and everything. All I’m saying is maybe you’ve built Logan up in your mind into the person you want him to be without really taking the time to get to know who he really is.”

“Well I would get to know him if he’d ask me out!”

“Or you could ask him out.”

“I’ve thought about it,” Hailey admitted. “I guess I just hoped he would eventually do it.” She groaned. “I’m pathetic, aren’t I?”

“No, you’re not pathetic. Dramatic? Yes. But not pathetic,” Judith said with a chuckle. “So how about I pair you up with Jackson for Friday night?”

“Ugh…no. Anyone but him.”

Judith’s eyes widened slightly with surprise. “What’s wrong with Jackson? Most of the other girls love getting paired with him. Some weeks there are fights about it.”

“Seriously? Over him? That’s crazy.”

“I’m sensing there’s a story there so you might as well spill it.”

“I hate that you know me so well,” Hailey whined.

“I’m your mom. It’s my job.”

“Fine,” she said with a pout. “He’s…obnoxious. Every time he comes near me, it’s to say something rude.”

“Somehow I doubt that, but go on,” Judith encouraged.

“And why doesn’t he ever get a haircut?” Hailey cried as she jumped to her feet and began to pace. “Would it kill him to brush his hair once in a while or maybe stop getting so many tattoos? Honestly, mom, I don’t know how you let him in the shows!”

“Well, to be fair…”

“He told me I’m cute.
Cute!
In my entire life, no one has ever called me that!”

“I don’t see…”

“It didn’t sound like a compliment,” Hailey interrupted. “I think it was a complete put-down and it was insulting.”