“I’m pleased to hear it, Mother. I wasn’t sure the dating app was a good idea. In fact, Tyler and I were both skeptical. But there’s a kind of intelligence that operates on an instinctual level. Mia, Grace and Annie all possess it. I do not like to stereotype based on gender but perhaps there’s something to this women’s intuition thing after all.”
“I’m glad they talked you boys into their crazy scheme.”
“As am I.”
“Breakfast. Don’t forget breakfast,” I said as I closed his door and went down to my own bedroom to shower.
God blessedus with a perfect day for an outdoor wedding, clear and in the upper sixties, without a cloud in the sky. On the patio below, guests had started to arrive. The woman I’d hired to domy hair and makeup had just left when my friends knocked on the bedroom door.
“Come in,” I called out, taking one last look at my hair in the mirror. I’d asked for a loose chignon, with jasmine blossoms in the twist. My dress was ivory silk with layers of soft ruffles that cascaded down the skirt, and hand-sewn floral appliqués—tiny, delicate blossoms in blush and champagne—climbed from the hip to the shoulder.
In they came, all four women, plus Madison, who someone had already helped dress. Grace had done a fantastic job on her hair, sweeping it into a style similar to mine. I’d saved a bit of jasmine for her, which Grace had carefully placed in the back.
“Mommy, look at me.” Madison twirled in a circle to show me every inch of her dress.
“You’re like my little flower,” I said, holding out my arms.
She ran to me, hugging me around the waist. “Mommy, you have to put your dress on. Everyone’s down there.”
Gillian, looking radiant and very pregnant in a flowing blush dress with flutter sleeves that skimmed her belly, was already tearing up. “Oh, Esme, you look lovely.”
“You all look beautiful too,” I said.
Lila was elegant as always in a pink lace sheath that fit her small frame like it had been made for her. She carried a small clutch and wore heels that would have put me in the emergency room.
Delphine wore a red sleeveless midi with a sculptural ruffle at the hip. Only Delphine could pull off a dress like that for an afternoon wedding, with her dark hair cascading down her back. She looked like a movie star.
Seraphina had chosen a sage green halter dress, soft and flowing, her red hair loose around her shoulders.
All right,” Lila said, lifting the gown carefully from its hanger. “Let’s get you into this dress.”
They helped me step in, with Lila holding the bodice and Gillian managing the skirt so I didn’t step on the ruffles, Seraphina gathered the train while Delphine stood back, taking photos on her phone. Madison, for once, was quiet as a mouse, simply sitting on the chair in the corner and gazing at me like I was a beautiful movie star.
Lila buttoned me up and stepped back. Everyone went quiet.
I turned to face the mirror and, I had to admit, I looked good. “This dress cost more than I made in a month at the shop. But Grady insisted I get exactly what I wanted, and it was this.”
“Mommy, you look like a princess,” Madison said.
“The hand-sewn flowers are stunning,” Lila said, peering more closely at the detail on the dress.
“I think Esme is more goddess than princess,” Seraphina said. “The goddess of flowers. Making the world more beautiful in her realm.”
Delphine, who never gushed, looked me up and down and said simply, “Perfect.”
“Oh no,” Gillian said, fanning her face. “I said I wasn’t going to cry. I’m already puffy enough.”
“You could never be puffy,” I said, fighting tears myself.
“Look at this belly.” Gillian placed both hands over her pregnant stomach. “I feel like I might burst at any moment.”
“How many weeks are you?” I asked. “Thirty-eight?”
“That’s right. And I’m so ready,” Gillian said. “Alex put his foot down and told me I couldn’t teach any more classes until after maternity leave. I’ve been bouncing off the walls.”
“You have a baby in there,” Delphine said. “He’s absolutely right to make you slow down.”
“I miss seeing my feet,” Gillian said.
