As it was, Terri hated having to go through this whole wedding charade, not least because of her own deceit. So much for being a loyal bridesmaid.
Her friend was currently standing in a slinky mermaid-style gown that looked like it was literally made for her curves. Rachel was holding her hair up and examining herself in the mirror. “What do you think of this one?” she asked.
While under normal circumstances, Terri would suggest she buy it straightaway, instead she grimaced and shook her head. “I’m not sure… Do you think it might be hard to walk around in all day?”
Rachel walked a couple of steps and then turned around. “No, it’s fine actually.”
Terri wrinkled her nose. “I dunno. I’m still not sure if it’s really you.”
“You’ve said that for every single one I’ve tried today,” her friend said testily, and again Terri felt like a heel. But what could she do? How could she allow Rachel to spend money on a dress knowing deep down that the entire wedding preparations were the result of a lie?
“Maybe, but you know I won’t let you settle for second best,” Terri said, even though Rachel would be oblivious as to her true meaning. But the comment also seemed to annoy the sales assistant, and the atmosphere in the bridal studio grew tense.
Rachel turned around to let the woman unzip her, and they waited in silence as she put the dress back on its hanger and got out the next one.
It was a strapless princess gown made of ivory silk. It had very little detail, just yards and yards of the luscious material. Rachel stepped into the dress, and once it was all zipped up, she stood up onto a small riser to examine herself in a three-way mirror.
“Oh my goodness. This one is beautiful,” she gasped, staring at her reflection.
Terri had to admit, it was. There was no way anyone could find fault with that dress.
“Ah, I almost forgot the finishing touch.” The saleswoman rushed forward with a simple ivory veil, which had the smallest amount of lace running around the edges. Rachel fastened her dark hair into a loose bun on top of her head, letting the saleswoman slide the comb of the veil over the top of it. The result was spectacular.
“This is the one. I know it,” Rachel whispered.
Again Terri felt racked with guilt for putting her through this. What if Rachel really was over the moon about marrying Gary—irrespective of how the proposal had come about?
Rachel continued to stare at her reflection. “I know it’s cheesy, but this is the type of dress I’ve always pictured myself in. It’s not too fussy or fashionable—more sort of…timeless, isn’t it? The kind of dress that could be passed down through generations.”
Oh Christ.Terri knew how much this sentimental stuff mattered to Rachel, and she also knew that if she was looking for tradition, Gary Knowles was the last person she should be marrying.
The guy’s notion of tradition was drinking the same pint in the same pub every Saturday night. Terri pursed her lips together, not sure how to respond.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Rachel urged. “Do you think Gary will like it?”
Terri waited for a moment and then decided to ask the question. “Are you absolutely sure about this?” She looked meaningfully at the sales assistant, who caught the look and reacted appropriately.
“I’ll give you both a minute.”
Rachel turned to look at Terri. “Sure about what?”
“About marrying Gary.”
Her friend colored. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know. It just all seems to have happened very quickly, doesn’t it? I mean, you two haven’t been seeing one another all that long, and then in New York, he just proposes out of the blue?”
Rachel paused ever so slightly, and there was a strange look on her face that Terri couldn’t pinpoint. Was it hurt, or could it be doubt?
Rachel turned back to the mirror and squared her shoulders. “Look, I know you don’t particularly like him. You’ve made that perfectly clear. And that’s fine. You don’t have to, but the truth is I’m committed to the idea.”
Terri sat up straight. “Committed to the idea? What the hell does that mean?”
“It means…it means that yes, of course I love him. Okay, so he might seem a little…brash at times, but at the back of it all, I know he’s a good guy. And I know that he loves me. He wouldn’t have asked me to marry him or bought me that amazing ring if he truly didn’t want me to be his wife.”
Terri took a deep breath, desperate to blurt out the whole sorry truth so that her friend would finally be able to see the light. But looking at Rachel’s face, again she knew she couldn’t do it.
“Maybe you should take that dress,” she said finally.
