“That is…” Courtney beams.
“Perfect,” Brianna says.
“The one,” Ashley adds.
As Holly spins, the dress flares around her like Cinderella's. It’s perfect in every way. My eyes are stinging with tears, but I can’t figure out why.
“I love it,” she says. “This is it. This is the one. And I owe it all to you.”
She turns to face me with tears streaming down her cheeks. “I can’t thank you enough, Charlotte. You really are the best wedding planner ever. This dress is amazing.”
“It really is,” I say with a smile, but my throat is tight.
“Ben is going to love it,” she says.
And with that, I rush off to the bathroom.
I don’t know if it’s too hot in here. I don’t know if it’s the dress and how perfect it is. I don’t know if it’s her mentioning Ben. I don’t know if it’s a symptom of my recent condition. Whatever it is, it has me puking the moment I bend over the toilet. It’s violent and gross and out of nowhere, leaving me panting and sweating and a mortified hot mess.
Suddenly, to make matters so much worse, I hear the door open. “Charlotte? Charlotte, are you alright?”
It’s Holly. Of course. Because why wouldn’t she be checking on me?
“Yeah. I’m fine, I just…”
“Are you sick?” she asks, and as much as I want to lie, I can’t. I’m so green around the gills I don’t know if it’s safe to leave the stall just yet. So I don’t. I sit down on the floor, hoping and praying that the bridal shop recently cleaned its floors with bleach.
“Yeah, I am,” I admit woefully.
“Gosh, was it brunch? I know you got the crab cake benedict,” she says, standing outside the stall door. I can see the dress underneath, and it’s honestly not helping. My head starts to rushagain, and the next thing I know, I’m leaning over the toilet again for round two.
“Oh, Charlotte,” she says. “Should I call someone?”
“No,” I say between wretches. Then I wipe my mouth, hoping the worst of it is over. But as I sit back again, my back to the door, my head is still spinning.
“Are you sure? You seem like you’re really struggling in there. I could call for medical help. Or Ben. Ben and the guys are supposed to be at the tux side of the shop right now. I bet he could give you a ride to–”
“I’m pregnant,” I blurt out. I don’t know why I tell her. Maybe because it sucks hiding it and not telling anyone. It doesn’t change the fact that it’s true. Maybe I just needed to say it out loud.
That, and I’d rather do anything but get in a car with my ex-boyfriend right now.
“Oh,” she says softly. “Well, that’s great. Isn’t it?”
The way she asks the question, I know she knows it isn’t all that great.
“It’s complicated…” I admit. She slides down the door and sits on the floor on the other side of the door in the unpaid-for wedding gown. I can feel her back on the other side of mine, and my heart aches in my chest. Right now, I am feeling a million things at once.
She’s my ex’s fiancée. My ex wasn’t in love with me because he needed someone like her. I know I wasn’t in love with him either, but this is still hard.
“I’m sorry,” she says softly. And that’s all she says. It’s like she knows that this moment doesn’t need more than that.
I am actually the first to break the silence. Because I need air. I need to get out of here. I need to clear my head about literally everything, so I push myself to my feet, square my shoulders and open the door.
“You can’t tell anyone,” I say.
Holly looks up at me with tears in her eyes. Not only is she pretty, fun, outgoing, and sweet. She’s an empath too. She’s cryingforme. I hold out a hand and help her to her feet.
“I would never. Promise,” she says, and I believe her. I believe her because she is that great. “If you want to take a break, that’s okay,” she says, and I nod.
