I chuckled. I had heard this threat a thousand times before but always wondered if Charlotte protested too much. She hadn’t seen her ex in more than thirty years. I wondered what would happen if he showed up in town.
“Now,ma chérie,” Charlotte said to True, a soft smile on her face. “We will finish this beautiful gown for my beautiful daughter-in-law-to-be. Yes?”
My heart sank at the words. The number of times I wanted Charlotte to address me like that.
“Shall we sit?” Rowan asked, leading me to a comfortable couch in view of the fitting stage.
I nodded and followed him. Then, I accepted a glass of sparkling water that he offered.
Rowan draped his arm across the back of the couch behind me, then leaned in to whisper, “You wouldn’t have dumped that red wine on her dress, would you?”
I shrugged. “Maybe.”
His blue eyes darkened. “Is that who you want to be? Someone who goes to those lengths to ruin a wedding?”
“Keep your voice down,” I hissed at him, looking around to see if anyone heard. No. They were all paying attention to the bride. “I don’t know what lengths I would go to.”
“Has it ever occurred to you that doing these childish pranks isn’t the way to go about it? Ruining a wedding dress or hiding rings won’t do as much damage as undermining their relationship,” Rowan said.
I frowned and considered his words. That was a good point.
“Isn’t this gorgeous?” True called from the pedestal.
“It is,” I admitted. “Charlotte is a whiz with silk, tulle, and seed pearls.”
True smoothed her hands down the bodice. “This is a modern version of my grandmother’s wedding dress.” She nodded toward a faded vintage dress hanging outside a dressing room. “My grandmother wore that when she married my grandfather. Strapless was a little scandalous then, so she wore a shawl over it. They had been married 50 years before he died. We had to finish my dress today because my grandmother will be buried in that one on Wednesday, and we won’t have the original anymore.”
I blinked a few times. “Your grandmother is being buried in her wedding dress?”
True shrugged, and Charlotte chided her as the hem moved. “Sorry, Charlotte.”
“Maman, I told you to call meMaman,” Charlotte corrected, then returned to pinning the hem.
An ache started in my chest, and I rubbed the spot to alleviate the pressure. The whir of a sewing machine from the back room seemingly grew louder. The sharp snip of scissors mingled with laughter between Charlotte and True. The bite of the red wine I drank earlier formed acid in my throat. The cloying scent of roses from the counter was suddenly too much.
“I need air.” I scrambled off the couch and tried not to break into a run as I escaped the bridal shop with Rowan hot on my heels.
I didn’t stop fast walking until I made it around the block to the parking lot. Then, I bent over with my hands on my knees and took several deep breaths. Rowan caught up to me and rubbed my lower back.
“Are you okay?” He asked.
I lifted my head. “Do I look okay to you?”
He considered me. “No. You look like you’re in the throes of a panic attack, but I thought I’d ask anyway.”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I don’t know what I’m doing. What I’m thinking. You said it yourself - if he wanted me, he would have said something before now, right?”
I watched a muscle tic in Rowan’s jaw as he considered the question.“Goldilocks, I only said what I would do if I were in that situation,” Rowan sighed. “I don’t know Jesse. Maybe he’s as scared as you are of saying anything.”
“I’m not scared.”
Rowan tilted his head and squinted at me. “Seems like you are.”
“No way. I’m not scared.”
“Then why didn’t you tell him?”
“It never seemed like the right time.”
