Something in my chest tightened. The Jesse I knew wasn’t wishy-washy or inconsistent.
“He’s different now,” I said finally. “Perhaps he’s grown out of all that.”
“People don’t change that much,” she replied almost absently as she started flipping through another rack. “At our core, we remain the same, don’t we? Even if the little things do change.”
My unease grew deeper, but she wasn’t even done yet. “Take Jesse, for example. That sarcastic sense of humor and how he always seems to be on the go. That won’t change. He doesn’t know what it means to relax or slow down. Keeping up with him was exhausting at times. His energy is simply boundless. The same with his inconsistency. That will remain, ironically, consistent.”
Aaaaand, it’s official.The version of Jesse she seemed to know didn’t match the man I was getting to knowat all.
I pulled out another dress I thought was rather pretty. Not perfect but not bad either. “I haven’t found him to be exhausting. Perhaps my energy simply matches his.”
Eugenie arched an eyebrow at the dress again. “No. Be serious, Eliza. We don’t have time for that nonsense.”
“It’s a dress. I thought that was what we came here for.”
“Yes, but we came for a suitable dress, not…” She flicked a finger at the dress in my hand like it was unworthy of even the name. “Whatever that is.”
“Are you going to keep bulldozing my choices?” I asked. “I am getting married for the sake of the family, after all. You’d think I’d get to choose the garment I do it in.”
She didn’t even look up from the rack she was rifling through. “You always did have a flair for self-sacrifice.”
“That’s not what I?—”
The corners of her eyes tightened. “You do realize you’re making yourself sound like some kind of martyr, don’t you? It’s very noble. Very tragic. Very you, actually.”
Once again, there was an ugly edge laced into her tone. I lifted my chin a little higher. “I’m not being a martyr, Eugenie. This is simply practical.”
“Of course,” she said, entirely unconvinced. “If that’s what you need to call it, then feel free.”
I exhaled slowly but decided not to engage any further. She and I were never going to see eye-to-eye on this, so instead, I turned back to the dresses, and moments later, I foundthe one.I knew it by the way my heart soared and my lips parted. I even sucked in an involuntary breath.
It wasn’t the most extravagant one in the shop and it certainly wouldn’t demand attention from across the room, but there was something about its clean lines, soft structure, and whimsical lace detailing that made it feel special.
I reached for it before Eugenie could tell me not to. “This one.”
She glanced over and rolled her eyes. “No, that’s not it. That one is pretty, but it’s not right.”
“It feels right.”
She pulled out another dress instead and handed it to the assistant. “This one is right.”
I eyed the layers of lace, the volume that defied physics, and shook my head. “That dress could house a small family. It’s an event in itself.”
“It’s called presence, Eliza.”
“It’s called being unable to sit down.”
She ignored me. “Just try it on. It’ll be breathtaking.”
Finally, after a few more seconds of just standing there, I nodded. “Alright. I’ll try it on.”
We moved through the shop together, with her vetoing just about everything I showed her, but once I was standing in front of the mirror, I had to admit that the physics-defying dress was impressive.
In the way that a chandelier is impressive, or a particularly elaborate cake. It swallowed me whole, though. I didn’t have the appropriate amount ofpresencefor a dress that had so much of its own.
“Nowthat’sa bride,” Eugenie said from behind me, sounding satisfied. “I don’t even think we need to keep trying. We’ve already found it.”
I inhaled a deep breath. “You don’t think it makes me look like I’ve been upholstered?”
