Two
Julianne wasn’t sure what she expected when they arrived at Enchanted Bridal, but it wasn’t the massive greeting that was standing before her.
A banner.
Balloons.
Mimosas.
And muffins.
Was this the norm for all bridal parties, she wondered?
Hailey James stepped forward with a big smile on her face. Her blonde hair was pulled back in a sleek chignon and she was wearing a gray pencil skirt, white blouse and heels. She looked completely stylish and professional and Julianne couldn’t help but wonder how she became involved with the wedding business.
Standing beside her was a woman Julianne didn’t recognize–she looked younger and had long, fiery red hair and huge blue eyes. Dressed in a similar style to Hailey, the only thing Julianne could think of was how this had to be Hailey’s assistant. She was smiling broadly and you could almost feel the enthusiasm vibrating off of her.
“Good morning, Julianne, and welcome!” Hailey and her assistant waved to the banner behind her and Julianne did a double-take as she read it.
Welcome Saturday Morning Squad.
“Um…”
Hailey’s smile never faltered. “I hope you don’t mind, but the girls and I decided that was going to be your nickname–well, the group’s nickname. We remembered you referring to the girls as your squad last week and the talk about only being able to come in on Saturday mornings and it just stuck.”
“So…you made a banner?”
This time Hailey’s smile fell just a little. “Well…um…we thought it would a fun way to kick off the festivities.” Then she looked behind Julianne to where Harper, Natalie and Kayla were standing. “Is it just the four of you today?”
Julianne nodded as she continued to look at the banner. “Last-minute decision. We thought it would be easier with just us. My mom wanted to come but Harper and I convinced her to sit this one out. She’ll come in a few weeks to start looking for her own gown, but for now I wanted the bridal party dresses to be chosen by the girls – just the girls.”
“Smart choice,” Hailey agreed. “Sometimes it gets to be too chaotic when there are so many opinions being thrown into the pot.”
All Julianne could do was nod.
Were those rhinestones on the banner?
“Good morning, ladies,” Hailey said as she stepped to the side. “Come on in and relax for a few minutes. I’d love to talk to all of you over some mimosas and muffins and get your input on the style of dress you’re all thinking of.”
“Hi, Hailey,” Natalie began as she stepped forward. “I don’t know if you remember me but…”
“Natalie Walsh-hyphen-Michaels!” Hailey said enthusiastically. “How could I forget?”
Julianne had to stifle a snicker because she had a feeling Hailey didn’t mean that as a compliment. Either way, it pleased Natalie that the owner of the business remembered her.
“I have several ideas for our gowns. As a matter of fact, I saved them all here on my phone but I did email them to you. Did you get them? Maybe they went to your spam folder…hmm…there were about fifteen different pictures. Do you remember seeing them?”
Hailey’s eyes went a little wide as she listened to Natalie’s questions. “As a matter of fact, I did and I have them in Julianne’s file, but I prefer to talk to the group as a whole before we start pulling dresses down to try on.”
“Oh,” Natalie said, her disappointment obvious. “Okay.” Then she turned to Kayla and Harper. “But you guys got the email, right? Did you love the dresses? The style was perfect, right?”
“To be honest,” Harper began, “I really didn’t like them. I’m not a fan of lace and you had a lot of gowns with lace.” She turned her attention to Hailey. “And I would love a mimosa!”
“There’s some fresh fruit here too,” Hailey said as she motioned for them to follow her to the main seating area. It was set up like a formal living room with enough comfortable seating for at least a dozen people. “This is our new assistant, Penny. She’ll be observing everything today and helping out when it’s time to start pulling gowns out for all of you. In the meantime, please make yourselves comfortable while I go and get the rest of the girls.”
As Hailey walked away, Penny stepped forward. “Would anyone prefer some coffee or something else to eat?”
“This all looks wonderful, Penny,” Julianne said as she reached for a mimosa. “Thank you.”
Penny took a step back before walking over to stand beside the coffee cart. Julianne looked at her sister and her friends and raised her glass. “Here’s to some successful dress shopping today. I hope we find something that everybody likes and that we’re done in time to go and grab some lunch before I have to be back at the gym.”
The girls raised their glasses with her and everyone was quiet as they sipped their drinks.
“Why did you schedule a class for this afternoon?” Kayla asked. “I mean, you knew we’d be shopping so why add that pressure on yourself to have to rush through this?”
She shrugged. “I don’t think we’re going to have to rush and the class isn’t until four. Gavin’s going to help his father paint their house, so I figured I’d do an extra class. Besides, weddings aren’t cheap. I can use all the extra income I can get.”
“Oh, stop,” Harper said as she reached for a strawberry. “You know Mom and Dad have a hefty wedding savings put aside for you.”
“It’s not just for me, Harps. It’s for us. That money is to be split down the middle. You know that.”
Harper rolled her eyes. “Please. I think we proved that I’m not walking down the aisle any time soon. And as the older sister, I’m telling you that if you need help with the wedding, feel free to dip into my share of the funds.”
Julianne sighed as she leaned back against the seat cushions. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Put yourself down like that.”
Harper gave her a disbelieving look. “Jules, I’ve been engaged three times before the age of thirty. That does not make me look good in any way, shape or form. You know it, I know it and mom makes sure everyone knows it.”
“I knew that was bothering you. I’ll talk to her and get her to back off. She shouldn’t keep bringing it up.”
“It’s like she can’t even help it,” Harper said casually, but Julianne knew this was definitely something that was hurting her. “I don’t know what she’s hoping to accomplish by continually bringing it up. And, if we’re being honest, my engagement to Johnny shouldn’t even count. We were eighteen which is way too young to think about getting married!”
It wasn’t a new argument, Julianne thought. Yes, her sister had been engaged multiple times, but calling each of them off had been the right decision. Besides being too young with Johnny, there was cheating Dominic and lastly, snooze-fest Steve. Honestly, she had no idea what her sister saw in him. Johnny and Dom were at least attractive and nice guys – aside from the cheating part. Steve was just…boring.
“Can I ask you something and then promise never to bring it up again?” Julianne asked.
Harper narrowed her eyes at her. “Is it about my failed relationships?”
“Just one of them.” Thankfully, her sister smiled at her honesty.
“Fine. Go ahead.”
“Why Steve? I mean, I never understood what you saw in him.”
“Yeah, me either,” Kayla commented as she broke off a piece of a muffin. “What made you even date him?”
With a helpless shrug, Harper simply replied, “I thought he was the kind of guy I should be with.”
“You thought you should be bored for the rest of your life?” Kayla asked. “That’s just wrong.”
Harper laughed. “I thought he was stable,” she explained. “After two failed engagements, I thought it was because both Johnny and Dom weren’t stable enough – they didn’t have careers or real ambition. Steve worked as a bank manager and I thought, if nothing else, we’d have a decent life.”
“Oh, Harper…sweetie,” Julianne said as she reached for her sister’s hand. “That’s just wrong. You can’t go into a relationship looking at it like that or with that kind of expectation.”
“Well, physical attraction wasn’t doing it for me either,” she argued lightly. “So now I don’t know what I’m supposed to be looking for.”
“What do you want in a man?” Natalie asked and when everyone just stared at her for a minute, she clarified her question. “I mean, if you could find your ideal man, what kind of qualities would he have?”
“I just said that I tried going for stable, which is something that I want and it didn’t work,” Harper reminded her.
But Natalie wouldn’t be deterred. “You should make a list of all the things you want - everything. Nothing is off limits - looks, money, stability, whatever - and when you meet a guy, you can refer to your list to see if he meets any of the criteria. Do the same thing with a list of things that are deal-breakers for you. After a while you’ll see what you can and can’t live with.”
Harper blinked at her and didn’t speak right away and Julianne was afraid she was going to blast Natalie for her ridiculous suggestion.
“Am I crazy or does that make sense?” Harper asked them as a group. “I tend to jump right into a relationship - usually based on physical attraction - and I don’t really think about what I like or don’t like in a guy. I should probably think about that a little more, shouldn’t I?”
“What traits are a definite no-no for you?” Natalie asked as she whipped out her tablet and began to make a list for Harper.
“Seriously? We’re doing this now?” Julianne asked. “Hailey’s going to be back any minute to start talking about dresses.”
“And I’ll put this away when she does,” Natalie said and then looked at Harper. “So? Give me five things off the top of your head that you don’t want in a guy.”
“He can’t be a sports fanatic,” Harper began. “I’m really not into watching any sports and I certainly don’t want to date a guy who spends all his time doing that.”
“There’s nothing wrong with sports,” Kayla started but Natalie held up a hand and shushed her.
“And not too…muscly,” Harper added. “I don’t find that attractive at all.”
“Really?” Julianne asked. “Since when?”
“Since always,” Harper said with a laugh. “I hate those body-builder guys. I think they look ridiculous. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I like a guy who’s in good shape, just not overly built.”
“Got it,” Natalie said as she tapped away. “What else?”
“Hmm…he can’t still live at home. Total deal-breaker there. If he’s still living with mommy and daddy, then we can never, ever go out.”
“Like…ever,” Kayla said and then cracked herself up. When no one else laughed, her eyes went wide. “Oh come on! Classic Taylor Swift line!”
“Next!” Julianne called out.
“How many is that?” Harper asked.
“We’re up to number four,” Natalie said.
“No rap music,” Harper said with a laugh. “I don’t mind doing hip-hop in Zumba, but I can’t date a guy who listens to that on a usual basis. I just can’t.”
“You’re not going to get an argument from me,” Natalie said as she typed. “Okay, one more!”
“Make it a good one, Harps,” Julianne said before finishing her mimosa.
Harper was quiet for a moment and then said, “And he can’t call me babe.”
“What?” all three of them cried.
“What? I hate that! It’s right up there with dude. Ugh. It’s like surfer-boy language. It’s awful and no grown man should say it – either of those things! So no babe or dude or surfer talk,” Harper said with finality.
“I hate to say this,” Kayla said as she stood. “But that is the lamest list ever.”
“What?! Why?!” Harper cried. “What’s so lame about it?”
“Because those were all very superficial things, Harper! How about no unemployed deadbeats? Or no former criminals? Or no bankers? Or drug addicts? Those are serious deal-breakers!”
“I was put on the spot!” Harper said defensively. “Obviously if I had more time to think about it, I would have added your things to the list!”
Julianne was about to speak up but Hailey was coming their way along with her own squad – Angie, Ella and Becca. She really liked them because they reminded Julianne of her and her friends in about five to ten years from now.
“Okay, ladies!” Hailey said as she took a seat with them. “Let’s talk dresses!”
****
Was that it?
Was that her problem?
Was she totally superficial?
If her mother were here right now, she’d probably tell Harper yes. And she wouldn’t totally be wrong. Still, she didn’t see how there was anything particularly wrong with her starter list. Those were things that she didn’t like in a man, so why not own it? And on top of that, it didn’t matter what kind of guy she found because he was never going to be as perfect and wonderful as Gavin St. Claire.
Ugh, that just sounded wrong even in her own mind.
Harper did not have those kinds of feelings toward Gavin. At all. He was a great guy and she really did love him like a brother. But honestly, the man had no faults! None! He treated Julianne like a princess. He had a great job working as a financial advisor at his father’s firm, and he was a perfect gentleman, kind, considerate…
Yeah, she totally sounded like she was crushing on him, but she wasn’t!
Gavin and Jules were perfect for each other because they balanced each other. Julianne tended to be a little high-strung and needed to be in control and Gavin had a way of relaxing her and getting her to give up the reins once in a while. And where Gavin could be a little too laid back – seriously, nothing bothered the guy! – Julianne had a way of motivating him. And then they’d stand together and the sun would shine down on them and show the world what a perfect couple they were.
Okay, fine. She was a little jealous of them.
All right, a lot jealous. She was extremely jealous. Borderline green with envy.
Not that she was looking for them to break up. Uh-uh. No way. More like…why can’t I find a guy like that?
Because God could only make one perfect man, Harper. And your little sister found him first.
And how could she begrudge her sister that kind of happiness?
She couldn’t. She wouldn’t. And so she’d take the digs from her mother, be the maid of honor to Mr. and Mrs. Perfect, and deal with the fact that there clearly wasn’t someone for everyone. No doubt there’d be the pitiful looks from the rest of the family on the day of the wedding – that had been the case ever since Julianne had gotten engaged. Apparently when your younger sister gets married before you, this is the sort of thing that can bring shame to your entire family.
Who knew that such outmoded reasoning could still be used?
Harper could have lived her entire life without that little bit of knowledge, but…as usual, people felt the need to point it out to her. It was kind of annoying how no one acknowledged that she had three men who wanted to marry her - three! - while Julianne only had Gavin. Why wasn’t that a thing, huh? Why wasn’t anyone congratulating her on having multiple men vying to have her as their wife?
Probably because it wasn’t as good as it sounded. They may have wanted to marry her, but the fact was, they didn’t actually marry her. None of them fought for her when the relationship ended and no matter how much she tried to put a positive spin on it, it didn’t help. Her favorite was, “At least I don’t have to deal with three divorces! That would be the worst!”
Harper was the only one to laugh at that one.
At this point she was going to have to start wearing all black and cover her face with a veil. Sure it was an outdated custom, but it might serve to shut people up.
“Do we have a color scheme yet?” Hailey asked.
“I really liked the peach and ivory combination,” Natalie said with a smile.
Harper was just about to say something, but Angie – clearly the outspoken one of the Enchanted Bridal team – spoke up. “We need to know what the bride’s color choices are.” She said it firmly but with a smile and in that moment, Harper thought she’d found a new best friend.
For a minute, Julianne looked like a deer in the headlights. Her blue eyes widened as she looked at the group of women around her. She swallowed hard. “I’m supposed to have color choices already?”
Ever the professional, Hailey patted Julianne’s hand with a patient smile. “If you and Gavin haven’t decided on one yet, let’s take a few minutes to talk about it.”
Harper watched as her sister began to visibly relax and she wanted to go over to tell her to chill out. Although, even though Harper could tell that she was ruffled, she doubted anyone else did. Her sister had a gift like that too. Juliane’s long blonde hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail held by an antique silver clip, her jeans fit her like they were made just for her and the blue sweater she had on matched her eyes. She glanced down and…
“Are those my boots?” Harper asked. Not that this was the time to question that but how was it possible that her sister was still stealing her clothes? They didn’t even live together anymore!
“You really want to talk about that now?” Julianne asked with a sweet smile, but Harper knew her question had served its purpose – her sister was distracted enough to quit freaking out and get on with the task at hand.
“Not particularly. I’d much rather talk about colors,” Harper said with a grin.
And just like that, things started to progress.
Julianne’s choice of colors.
Becca stepped forward with a binder and placed it on the table in front of Julianne and then Hailey took over from there.
“We have several popular trends this year and I’m sure you and the girls will find one that’s perfect for you.”
“No pastels,” Kayla called out. “Please. I just look…really bad in pastels.”
“I second that,” Harper said, remembering how they needed to stick together during this part of the process. And really, she hated pastels too.
“Okay, good to know,” Hailey said. “Let’s look at our first option – mauve and gray. It’s a more neutral palette but some might consider it to lean a little more toward a pastel.”
Julianne studied the pictures as Harper, Kayla and Natalie came to stand behind her so they could see it too. Julianne turned to Harper. “What do you think?”
“It’s pretty, but…a little boring.”
“Agreed,” Kayla said quickly. “What’s next?”
“I kind of like it,” Natalie commented before anyone could turn the page. “I think it’s very classy and elegant. And look at the bouquets you could pair with it!”
“Let’s see what other options there are,” Julianne said instead of agreeing or disagreeing with Natalie.
“Navy, coral and gold,” Hailey said as she turned the page. “This makes a bold statement and gives a beautiful contrast in colors.”
“Ooh…I like that,” Kayla said. “I like that a lot.”
“I do too,” Harper said, and she heard Natalie sigh beside her. “You don’t like it?”
“That’s not the point. I see what the two of you are doing – constantly agreeing with everything the other one says!” Natalie accused. “It doesn’t seem to matter what I like or don’t like because the two of you are going to keep going against me! And as matron of honor…”
“Ladies,” Angie said as she walked over and gently led Natalie back to her seat before motioning for Kayla and Harper to do the same, “dress shopping can be tense. Here’s what I propose – let Hailey give you all of the color options. Then everyone gets to pick their choice and then we’ll choose dresses in those colors for you to try on. Sometimes you find the color or style you least liked in a picture is the one that looks the best on you. Okay?”
It was a very diplomatic approach, Harper thought. And when she looked over at Kayla, she nodded in agreement.
“Excellent,” Angie said. “Now, let Hailey and Julianne talk colors without too much input from the squad. Okay?”
Another round of nods.
After what seemed like an endless list of options, they narrowed it down to three – the navy, coral and gold followed by cranberry, orange and ivory and, for Natalie’s sake, peach, gold and green. The only reason why Harper didn’t vehemently argue Natalie’s choice was because the peach in question was very muted and soft and very unlike the borderline-neon orange she had chosen for the dresses she’d emailed to them.
Once the colors were decided and sizes were given, Penny, Becca, Ella and Angie went to work to pull dresses in various styles and in the colors Julianne selected while Hailey talked to them about the styles they were about to see. It was way too much information to process so Harper just sat back and waited. She knew she’d do better once she actually saw the dresses and almost sagged with relief when the girls started to put dresses in the fitting rooms.
“Okay!” Hailey said as she stood up. “Let’s try on some dresses!”
****
“They’re all so beautiful. I just can’t choose!” Natalie gushed as she twirled around in the fifth dress. “I never want to take this off! Maybe we could do something like choose two different styles and wear one for the church and one for the reception! What do you think?”
“No,” Harper said.
Natalie didn’t let it deter her. “But they’re all so fabulous! It’s like I want to wear them all!”
“Well…you can’t,” Kayla said from beside her as she frowned at her reflection.
She should frown, Natalie thought. That dress looked horrible on her. Although, maybe it wouldn’t if she stood a little taller, put on some makeup, took her hair out of that sloppy ponytail and maybe tried smiling.
Oh, that was a totally mean thought. Bad Natalie!
Only…it felt kind of good right now. She was feeling like a princess and she wasn’t going to let anyone bring her down. Turning, she looked at Julianne.
“What do you think of this style? It’s so pretty and flattering and it feels so good on! And maybe if we paired it with either little tiaras in our hair or decorative hair clips…”
“I don’t know,” Julianne replied as she studied her. “I’m not crazy about the way the off-the-shoulder thing falls. It almost makes it look a little sloppy.”
Natalie turned back toward the mirror and saw exactly what her friend was referring to. “You’re right! It does. I can’t believe I didn’t notice that before.” Well damn, she thought. This one had looked really good on her. Turning toward where Harper was standing, she almost cringed at the dress she had on. “I know we’re not supposed to throw out negative comments, but I can’t wear the one Harper has on.”
Becca was helping Harper and asked, “Why not?”
“It’s way too sexy. Risqué. I would not be comfortable walking around all day – or being in a church – in a dress like that,” she said primly. “I’m sorry. I’m sure it’s fine for some people, but I’m not one of them.”
Everyone was silent for a moment.
“It’s okay, Natalie,” Hailey said as she walked around looking at all of them. “This is the kind of feedback we need. It’s important for everyone to feel comfortable in their gown so if that one makes you uncomfortable, then we’ll make a note of it and remove that style from the list of options.”
Natalie turned to Julianne. “You’re not mad at me, are you? Did you like it? Am I being overly critical?”
Julianne shrugged. “I don’t know. I don’t think it was that bad but I do see your point. And now that I’m looking at it, my mother would probably have a coronary if she saw how high the slit was in the front. That’s a wardrobe malfunction just waiting to happen.”
Thank God. She hated to be the one to make things difficult – that seemed to be a job better suited for Kayla or Harper. And Natalie remembered what a nightmare it was when she was planning her wedding and people had differences of opinion. It was maddening! So she really wanted to try to alleviate some of that stress for poor Julianne.
“If you remember, Jules,” she said with a compassionate tone, “the dresses you and my girls wore at my wedding were simple and elegant and easy to move in. I don’t think anything too form-fitting would be a good thing for us, with all the posing and having to do so much to help you out. Something that flows would be much better. Remember? You commented on that at my wedding.”
“I did?” Julianne asked. “I don’t really remember. I know I liked our gowns but…” She shrugged.
Natalie stiffened a little. “You were helping me with the train of my gown and said how grateful you were that you could move in your dress. Remember?”
“Um…yeah. I guess,” Julianne replied as she stepped over to look at Kayla’s gown.
Why? Why was she the only one thinking of the practical matters? This was all very helpful information and no one was listening! She was about to turn and ask one of the Enchanted Bridal staff if they thought comfort and ease of movement was important when Hailey came and stood in the middle of the room.
“Ladies,” Hailey called out. “What are your thoughts so far? Other than Natalie’s veto on the style Harper currently has on, what did you think of the other styles? Did you have any other objections that we should know of so we can start narrowing down the list or do we need to pull a few more gowns off the rack for you to try on?”
For the next several minutes they talked and weeded out the gowns they didn’t like. They all agreed that they had seen enough styles and that bringing out any more would only serve to confuse them. By the time they were done, they narrowed it down to three styles.
Go figure.
Hailey began to talk about all the pros and cons of each dress but Natalie zoned out. She was studying her reflection and thinking about how good the dress she had on felt and how she’d love to see Jayce’s reaction to her in it – and how it would feel when he slid it off of her.
Memories of their wedding night came to mind when he’d worked all the tiny buttons of her wedding gown open and then gently slid the gown from her body. He could do the same thing with this dress. Tingles went down her spine at the thought. She loved dressing up for him and imagining it was her wedding gown all over again. It had been the perfect moment – one she loved to relive again and again.
Okay, so reliving her wedding night had become one of her hottest fantasies and Jayce was always on board with her on it. Her wedding gown was preserved and packed away but she normally improvised with other dresses or negligees. If she got this gown…
Was there a way to suggest a veil with this dress?
“I really think I like the cross-sleeveless chiffon,” Julianne said, interrupting Natalie’s sexy thoughts. “It was the second one Kayla tried on and I really loved it. Does that count? Does the bride get a vote?”
Natalie heard the humor in Julianne’s voice and remembered feeling that way too. “I loved that one too,” she said, showing support for her friend. She shot a pointed look at the other two and hoped they wouldn’t argue. It was one thing to disagree with her, but quite another to disagree with the bride.
And shockingly, both Harper and Kayla were on board too! Natalie liked to think that she had a little something to do with that. Maybe they were following her lead because they realized how their petty disagreements with her were starting to wear on Julianne.
Or maybe her firm glare had convinced them.
Yeah, that was probably it.
Back when she and Jayce first got engaged, Natalie remember how she agonized over whom to put in her bridal party because she wanted everyone to get along. She ended up with eight girls and for the most part, everyone became great friends over the course of the wedding planning. Once a month Natalie invited them all over for brunch and, if she did say so herself, she knew how much her friends appreciated it. It was a tradition she’d kept up for the last eleven months since her wedding.
It was harder for Julianne, she knew. Her hours at the gym were not exactly banker’s hours, so it was harder for her to plan things like brunches, but Natalie hoped she’d make some time for some fun things for the four of them that weren’t just about Zumba or dress shopping. Maybe she should talk to Harper about that.
Ugh. Harper.
Natalie realized that as Julianne’s older sister, Harper was going to have a lot more of a say in the way things were done, but honestly, should anyone really be following her lead? After all, three engagements and no wedding meant she had very little authority on how things went. Meanwhile, Natalie had pulled off a spectacular wedding that people were still talking about.
She glanced at Harper and the dress she had changed into. She looked good in it and unlike Kayla, she knew how to hold herself. Of course, Harper had been blessed with a good figure, but not as good as Julianne’s who was willowier. Either way, most things did look good on her. Plus, Natalie knew their mother had raised them both to have good manners and taught them how to behave like ladies.
Another side glance at Kayla had her wondering if her mother was a tomboy too.
Either way, Harper was going to make a beautiful maid of honor with her dark hair and green eyes and flawless skin. Natalie made a mental note to ask Harper about her skin regimen. She always did manage to look…well…flawless. Maybe it was the makeup she used…hmm...
Great skin and figure aside, Harper was also going to be a constant source of angst during this entire process. Natalie could tell she was primed to disagree with whatever suggestion she tried to make and, as Julianne’s sister, Harper was going to be the winner by default. Apparently, it didn’t matter if someone had more experience in this area or not!
She had shared with Jayce the way the girls constantly chose the opposite of whatever she did. And he was so sweet about telling her that she had impeccable taste – she had married him after all – and she had to remember the same couldn’t be said for everyone.
About having taste, not marrying him.
She smiled at the memory. That was her Jayce – loyal and diplomatic and always complimenting her. It was just one of the things she loved about him. He really listened to her and did his best to take her side. Natalie knew she could be…well, she could be difficult at times and did tend to have a single-minded focus when she felt strongly about a subject. But no matter what she did, there was Jayce, right there and ready to listen. She should thank him for that. Maybe tonight she’d make a romantic dinner, dress up, light some candles and thank him properly.
In her mind, she envisioned him in a dark suit and tie, her in an ivory dress and…
“Okay, girls, let’s talk colors!” Hailey said, effectively pulling Natalie right out of her romantic fantasy.
****
By the time they decided on colors, got measured, and paid their deposits, Kayla was ready to call it a day. She had eaten not one, but two muffins already today and was contemplating a burger for lunch.
“I’m starving,” she said as she slid her shoes on. When she straightened, she finger combed her hair. “Where are we going for lunch?”
“Oh! There is a great little cafe around the corner,” Ella said excitedly. “The girls and I used to always go there on Saturdays for lunch. You should try it!” She gave them the address and then excused herself to go put gowns away.
“That sounds good to me,” Kayla said as she looked over at Julianne and the girls. “You guys up for it?”
They all agreed and, after confirming that Julianne was coming back the following week to try on more bridal gowns, they left. The temperatures were fairly cool for October but it felt good after a marathon of clothing changes for the last two hours. They opted to walk to the cafe and the conversation was primarily about the dresses. Kayla let them talk. The dress was already ordered and as far as she was concerned, she didn’t need to think about it again until it was time for fittings.
The leaves were all changing colors and looked so vibrant that she wished she had one of her good cameras with her. Instead, she whipped out her phone and took a couple of shots as they walked along.
Julianne looked over her shoulder at Kayla and smiled. “You just can’t help yourself, can you?”
Why deny it? “What can I say? It must be in my blood or something. I know this isn’t anything unusual – leaves change color every year – but this all looked too good not to capture.” She shrugged. “Sometimes it’s fun to take pictures for pleasure rather than for work.”
“Any word on your next assignment?” Harper asked.
“I have a meeting with Adam on Monday to talk about that. I need to give him my availability for the next six months so we can try to avoid any conflicts with wedding stuff.” She looked at Julianne. “You can help me with that, right?”
“I have a calendar all set up,” Natalie said excitedly. “It’s on Google so I can easily share it with everyone and it has all the pertinent information like dress fittings and going with Julianne to find her dress. I blocked off several Saturdays just in case she needed them. And…” She paused for a moment. “Although we do need to finalize our bachelorette weekend – when we want to do it and where we want to go – and then there’s Julianne’s shower…but she can’t know about that!” Then she laughed and Kayla had to fight the urge to roll her eyes. Natalie reminded her of a needy little Chihuahua dancing at your feet to get attention.
Very needy.
And, if she really thought about it, she was kind of small too. Petite. Soft waves of shoulder-length dark brown hair, huge dark eyes to match and the kind of classic features that made her an attractive woman overall.
Until she started to speak.
Then Natalie had a tendency to go on and on and normally, it was about herself. And her wedding. And how happily married she was since her wedding.
Yeah, she was exhausting.
Kayla had no patience for that sort of thing. She wasn’t one who obsessed about hair or makeup and she supposed by now she should be thinking about the possibility of getting married and having kids but…how could she keep traveling and doing the things she loved if she had a husband and kids waiting for her at home?
Oh right. She couldn’t.
Well…okay. She could. But was that really a healthy relationship? Looking at Julianne and Gavin made it seem so easy – they were completely in sync with each other and they talked about everything without being overly dependent on each other. They both worked and did things on their own. They just bought their first house together and really, they were just…well, they were the perfect couple. It was a long-running joke in the group and that’s what everyone called them because it simply fit.
Then there was Natalie and Jayce. Jayce was way more laid back than Natalie, since she had enough nervous energy for the both of them. Kayla had to imagine that it must work for them because they always seemed to be smiling and happy. They each had their careers but Natalie tended to lean more toward the more outdated traditional role where the wife came home before the husband and did the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry and all Jayce had to do was work and come home and be served.
Yeah, that didn’t sound appealing at all.
For starters, Kayla wasn’t a great cook. Sandwiches and salads and takeout were just fine. And as for cleaning? Well…she always made sure she had clean clothes. That counted, right? No one really came and hung out at her apartment but it was clean enough that she was okay with it; if anyone did want to come over, she could straighten it up relatively quickly. Whenever the topic of a girls’ night in came up, Kayla never volunteered her place – they usually went to Julianne’s. Come to think of it, the only one who’d been to her place recently was Adam.
Adam. He was her boss, technically. He owned one of the magazines that Kayla freelanced for. He was an adrenaline junkie just like her and from the moment she met him, she liked him.
Like a friend. Like a buddy.
Except...they had kind of become more. Like friends with benefits more.
And sadly, it was the healthiest relationship she’d ever had.
They had so much in common and never seemed to run out of things to talk about and - like her - he didn’t seem to be interested in a serious relationship. She figured he dated other women. He never mentioned any to her but...come on. He was six feet of pure athletic yumminess. With dirty blonde hair and blue eyes, he was like some sort of Norse god. It always seemed odd that he was still single but hey, who was she to complain? It was definitely working in her favor.
The thing was…lately things had seemed…off. She had a feeling that maybe that part of their relationship was coming to an end. Not that she wanted it to happen, but it seemed like maybe Adam did. He wasn’t giving her the really great assignments like he used to and he was growing a little distant. It was really hard for her to handle because she enjoyed their time together – and not just the times they spent in bed, but all of it.
Oh, God. Maybe that was it. Maybe Adam sensed that and thought she was looking for something more. Something…exclusive. Well, she’d just have to talk to him on Monday and let him know that he had nothing to worry about. She wasn’t looking to change anything and unless he’d…gulp…met someone else, she really wanted to keep seeing him.
She only hoped his change of attitude was that he was reading her wrong and not because of another woman. For some reason the thought of that really made her stomach churn in knots.
The cafe was small and slightly crowded and they had to wait a few minutes for a booth. They were still talking about dresses - a topic that Natalie seemed to keep bringing up - and while Julianne and Harper were willing to go along with it, Kayla grabbed a menu and started looking at it.
Less time wasted at the table that way.
Burgers. Salads. Sandwiches. Standard cafe fare, she thought. And as much as she knew she was going to order an obnoxiously unhealthy burger, she also had to prepare herself for the lecture that was going to go along with it.
Julianne would talk to her about how she was wasting the good workout from this morning. Natalie would remind her of how they had dresses to fit into and how the camera adds ten pounds, and Harper? Well…Harper would ask if she could have some of her fries because she’d cave to the pressure and order a salad.
She knew this group well.
When the hostess sat them, Kayla gave Harper a look that said she was clearly done with wedding talk. Or at the very least, dress talk.
“Who’s hungry? How about we talk food for a while?” Harper suggested.
Yes, thank God for Harper, Kayla thought. And – just as she had mentally predicted – Julianne cruised the salad selection along with Natalie. Harper talked about some of the sandwiches they had on special but soon caved to a salad after Julianne reminded her of all the calories she’d burned doing Zumba this morning.
But Kayla held firm and when Julianne gave her the calorie-burning speech, she had the perfect comeback.
“So, really, they cancel each other out and I’m good with that. I burned about 700 calories in class and this burger will replace them. That is just plain and simple math!”
Yeah, she was a smartass and it was okay. Sometimes she knew it frustrated her friends but they couldn’t all be the same. And really? Who would want that? There was no way a foursome of the same person could be a good thing.
Especially if it were four Natalie’s.
She had to suppress the eye roll at the thought.
As soon as they ordered, Natalie put her tablet on the table and pulled up her calendar. “While we’re waiting for our food, why don’t we take a look at the calendar and see what we all have available and how we can coordinate everything so that it’s easier for Julianne? Then Kayla can have it to give to her boss for future reference.”
Oh, joy. Let the fun begin.