*Natalia*
The next morning, my driver took to pick up a couple of coffees from my favorite cafe and then to pick up Mia. When she got into the car, she was dressed in a very expensive-looking sundress without a hair out of place.
“I’m so excited,” she said. “Thank you again for bringing along.”
“Thank you for offering,” I replied. I handed her a coffee and she took it gratefully. “I feel so much better about this now that I’m not going it alone.”
“So, do you have so idea of what you want?” she asked. She took a sip of her coffee and smiled in satisfaction.
“The dresses that I liked the most at the bridal show were rmaid and sheath cuts,” I explained.
“Oh,” she said with a smirk. “You’re going to be a total bombshell in a dress like that.”
I laughed and waved my hand dismissively. “I just think that those dresses look really elegant, you know? They’re modern, but not too edgy.”
“How much cleavage are you comfortable showing?”
I hadn’t thought about that aspect of it. I looked down at my chest and frowned. “I don’t want it to be too much, but I think it should be a little sexy, right?”
“Okay,” she said thoughtfully. “How about the fabric?”
“I am so unprepared!” I said in distress.
“No!” Mia said. “Lots of won walk in with no idea what they want. There are so many options. You just want to have a good place to start.”
“I don’t want to waste anyone’s ti,” I said.
Mia scoffed. “Are you joking? I can’t think of a better way to spend my day than finding the perfect dress.”
I nodded. She was right. I told myself that I had plenty of ti to try again if I didn’t find anything today. I took a sip of my own coffee and sighed. This was major though. I knew that if I found a dress that I really liked enough to buy, that would make the upcoming wedding feel incredibly real. It was much more tangible than a cake flavor, after all.
The car pulled up in front of the bridal shop and Mia and I stepped onto the sidewalk. I looked up at the sign and took a deep breath to steel myself before going in.
“You’ve got jitters, huh?” Mia asked. “That’s normal.”
“Thanks,” I muttered. “That actually makes feel better.”
Not much about my life was normal, so it was nice to know that this was par for the course.
Mia opened the door for and we went in. There was a nicely dressed young woman standing near the entrance who greeted us and brought us to a nook off to the side with plush seating. She instructed us to wait while she got our stylist for us.
It was less than five minutes later that a tall, slim woman with blonde hair and sharp green eyes approached us. She smiled broadly and offered her hand. I stood and shook her hand firmly.
“I’m Angelica,” she said in a breathy voice. “I take it you’re Natalia?”
“I am,” I said. “And this is my friend Mia.”
“It’s a pleasure to et you both. I’m very excited to help you find the perfect dress today. Can you tell a little bit about what you’re looking for?”
I wasn’t sure what to say, and I looked at Mia uncertainly.
“Sothing that’s sexy without being too revealing,” she jumped in. “She’s leaning toward a sheath or rmaid silhouette.”
Angelica smiled. “Perfect! I’m going to grab a few dresses that I think you’ll love. I would suggest that the two of you take a look around and pick a few out, too. Then we’ll get you into a fitting room and start the show!” She gestured toward a long row of dresses hanging at the other end of the room. “The style you want is over there, but don’t feel limited.”
“Okay,” I said nervously.
Mia linked her arm with and led across the room. We spent the next several minutes looking at dresses, and Mia kept joking about so of the more extre designs and it helped to relax and loosen up. After a little while I had chosen two dresses and Mia had chosen one that she wouldn’t let get a good look at.
Angelica approached us and looked at the dresses in our arms appraisingly. “It looks like you’ve had so luck,” she said. “Are you ready to try so on?”
I nodded excitedly. “Very ready.”
She led us to another section of the shop that had a row of comfortable-looking seats across from a small circular platform that was lined by mirrors on the opposite side. There was a long coffee table in front of the seats that held an array of light snacks and an ice bucket with a chilled bottle of champagne.
She took the dress from Mia, then gestured for her to have a seat. “Help yourself to champagne and snacks,” she said. “And we’ll be right out to show you the first dress.” She looked at and smiled. “Before we’re through, we’ll find you a dress that gives you that magical, bubbly feeling in your chest,” she promised.
I followed Angelica to the dressing room and stared in surprise at the half-dozen dresses that were hanging on hooks around the room. There was one tall mirror in the room and a chair, but that was all.
The next few hours passed in a blur. I tried on dress after dress and trotted out to the platform to show Mia. It felt silly at first, feeling like I was trying to imitate the models at the bridal show, but soon I was twirling and laughing as Mia either lavished with praise or made witty remarks about the dresses. It felt so light-hearted and was a ton of fun. I was so glad to have her with .
After about five dresses, Angelica helped into a dress that was far from what I had asked for. I was skeptical about it, but I didn’t say anything.
It had a full, multilayered skirt that had a long train behind it. The dress was silky smooth against my skin, but many of the skirt layers were stiff in order to hold its shape under the weight. Despite how heavy it felt, I quickly grew accustod to the feeling.
The dress was too big, so Angelica used a few large clips that reminded of oversized clothespins in order to hold the back closed so that the bodice fit snugly around my waist.
The dress had an off-the-shoulder top and showed a bit of cleavage without being too revealing. The entire dress had small pearls sewn into the top layer. It was stunning, and I was shocked by how much I liked it when I looked in the mirror.
“This is the dress Mia chose,” Angelica inford . “Shall we go show her how it looks?”
I nodded mutely and turned toward the door. Angelica followed after , carrying the long train of the dress so it didn’t get caught on anything.
Mia gasped as I stepped onto the small stage. Angelica flared the dress behind and then stepped back. I looked into the mirror ahead of and stared.
“This might be it,” I said softly.
“You look incredible,” Mia said. “I’m not just saying that because I picked the dress.”
“I think I want it,” I said. I turned slowly and watched the dress move with . It looked almost unreal.
“So, there’s good news and bad news,” Angelica said nervously.
“Uh oh,” I replied. “Better start with the bad news.”
“So, the way this normally works is that you choose a dress you love based on the floor model and we order you a brand new one in your size,” she explained.
“But–” I prompted her.
“But, this dress is from a discontinued line. We can’t order one.”
My face fell. I was imdiately upset that she had let try it on if I couldn’t have it.
“Now, the good news is that the floor model is in good condition and is just a little bit too big on you, so we could sell you this exact dress and have it custom-fitted to you by our seamstress.”
“So people think it’s bad luck to wear a dress that others have worn, but if it doesn’t bother you, then it’s a good option,” Mia said hopefully.
“I see,” I said. I looked down at the train of the dress and twisted slowly. I really did love the dress, and I couldn’t see a single flaw in it. It didn’t bother that it was the floor model, especially if they were going to customize it to fit perfectly.
“I do really like it,” I said.
Angelica smiled and nodded. “We have a couple more to try if you still want to.”
“Of course,” I said happily.
“We’re still looking for that mont,” she said with a knowing smile.
I nodded in agreent then we went back into the dressing room.
After a few minutes of fussing with the clips, I slipped into another dress. This one was satin and felt amazing against my skin. There was no lace or beading, but it had a very shiny jeweled belt.
I walked out to show Mia. I twirled as soon as I stepped onto the platform and she laughed in delight.
“Now that’s sleek, but I think it’s too simple,” she said, “especially compared to the last few.”
I looked into the mirrors and turned slowly. “You’re right,” I said. “I really like the way it feels, but it’s not very eye-catching.”
“It’s got to be the other dress,” I said. “I want that one.”
Angelica smiled broadly. “Well, it’s all yours then. We just need a deposit.”
I frowned. Was I being too hasty? I didn’t really want to put money down on anything yet. If this dress sold and I couldn’t get over it, I had no doubt that Tallon would hire a seamstress to make one just like it. It wasn’t like I would really be missing out.
I went back to the dressing room and changed into my normal clothes, then Mia and I went to the front with Angelica. The dress was hanging on a hook by the front desk waiting for us. I looked at it longingly, but I just wasn’t ready to commit to a dress.
“I think I’m going to have to think about it more,” I said.
Angelica looked disappointed. “We can’t hold it for you,” she pointed out. “It’s the last one we have, so if soone else snatches it up, then it’s gone.”
“I understand,” I said. “I want to sleep on it, though.”
“Nothing wrong with that,” Mia said firmly.
We thanked Angelica, then turned to leave. The mont we did, my face fell.
Standing near the door and waiting patiently was Bianca. Mia saw the look on my face and linked her arm with mine protectively.
“We have to stop running into each other,” Bianca said as she approached . She wasn’t looking at .
She was staring over my shoulder at the dress.
“Bianca,” I said coolly.
“Sorry, we don’t have ti to chat,” Mia cut in. “We have too much to take care of today.” Without another word she pulled toward the door, leaving Bianca behind us with a sour look on her face.
I knew that she was going to buy that dress. I could just tell by the way she was staring at it. It didn’t really matter to because I could get one just like it if I wanted, but it still pissed off.
I couldn’t help but feel like Bianca was intentionally trying to sabotage .
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