Kate pulls the hanger off the curtain rod and holds the dress up to herself. I ignore the slight jab in my chest over being left out of being there when she bought her wedding dress and focus on the fact that she’s purchased mine.
My dream wedding dress.
My baby sister is holding my dream dress.
“I . . .”
I have no right to be mad considering I’m not even planning a wedding. But isn’t this breaking some type of girl code? Or am I just asking for too much?
“I thought you hated it.”
“I don’t think I said I hated it.”
“You said the lace looked cheap and the fabric looked tacky and you’d never be caught dead in something so matronly.”
“Yeah, okay, I did say something along those lines.”
“That was nearly verbatim.”
“But I figured for my wedding day, I wanted to look more like you. A little more . . . mature. Subdued. Modest.”
“Modest,” I repeat slowly.
“Yeah. Less fun and flirty and more . . . I stay home Friday nights. Wifely. Matronly.”
I shake my head, trying to come to terms with all the insults she just lobbed at me.
“So after roasting my wardrobe, telling me you didn’t trust me to pick out my own outfits for this, sending me actual links for dresses to wear for this entire saga, you still decided that the wedding dress I’ve envisioned since I was a little girl was exactly what you were looking for?”
She shrugs. “Yeah.”
“What the hell is wrong with you?” The words are out of my mouth before I can stop them. She finally lifts her eyes from the dress of my dreams and glares at me.
“What did you just say?”
“I asked what the hell is wrong with you,” I repeat. Even Lydia’s jaw drops at this. My volume must be rising because mom and dad come out of their rooms in the villa to investigate the fight.
“Jane, what is going on?” my mom asks. I don’t miss her attention immediately flying to Kate.
I point an accusing finger at my youngest sister. “Kate bought my wedding dress.”
“You’re not even engaged. You’re not even dating,” Lydia pipes in.
“You knew this was my dream dress too! And you let her buy it! Because nobody in this family ever says no to Kate. No one ever tells her that she’s wrong or making a mistake or hurting people’s feelings. Kate is an angel. Kate can do no wrong. Kate can ask for whatever she wants and everyone bends over backwards to make it happen while everyone else is left in the dust.”
“That’s just ridiculous,” mom snaps.
“Is it?” I spin on her now. “Is it ridiculous, mom?”
Mom pinches the bridge of her nose. “Do we really need to do this tonight of all night?”
I’m sure I am being dramatic. And I’m choosing the absolute worst day and time to air all of this out, but the dress was like unlocking a floodgate of emotions I’ve bottled up for years. Letting it all flow out now felt . . . good.
No, it felt absolutely phenomenal.
Another door creaks open beside me, more footsteps coming our way.
“Is everything okay?” Charlie asks. “We heard shouting.”
