Katie kissed her dad’s cheek.
“Madeline!” Mrs. Gallant exclaimed. “How is your bridesmaid dress?”
“Oh, it’s good,” I said casually. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Yes, it is, isn’t it?” Katie’s mom beamed. “Amanda looks sensational in hers.” She took a sip of wine. “Is there any chance you’d give Katie and me a sneak peek after dinner?”
“I’d love to,” I said, stomach starting to swish. “But I, um—it’s actually missing from my closet right now.”
Nana was still performing intensive surgery on the gown.
Austin, who knew about the dress’s seriously screwed-up condition, gave me a look that said:Bad wording, Mads.
“Excuse me?” Mrs. Gallant’s eyes widened. “It’smissing?”
“She’s joking, Stacy,” Da quickly said. “Mads tried it on and it was evident that a few alterations were necessary.”
“Well, that’s nothing to worry about…” Katie said disinterestedly.
Her dad nodded just as disinterestedly.
“You took it back to Petal & Lace, I hope?” Mrs. Gallant asked. “Because bridal salons know the designers and styles intimately; other tailors won’t be familiar with it.”
“Yes,” I lied. “Yes, Nana and I went back so they could fit me. Just a few nips and tucks here and there.” I smiled. “It’s so beautiful, though.Stunningfor a Christmas wedding.”
“Seasonal,” Katie muttered. “December fourteenth isseasonal, not Christmas.”
Austin covered his laugh with a cough, then raised his napkin to hide his smile. “It’s totally a Christmas wedding,” he’d said recently. “Everyone who has RSVP’d with regrets notes that they’re either traveling or had holiday parties that weekend.”
“Andwhydid Katie pick that date again?” I asked. “Didn’t you tell her it’s Grandma’s birthday?”
“Mrs. Gallant actually picked the date,” he said. “Probably because St. Paul’s and Bedens Brook were available, but she thought it might be a sweet tribute, too.”
“Oh,” I said. Because it was. It was a sweet tribute to our grandmother.
Just like Austin proposing with her ruby would’ve been a sweet tribute, I thought.
I felt a little bad about the ’tis-the-season teasing, but dinner was going twenty-five miles per hour and wasn’t speeding up anytime soon. It was so boring that I nearly jumped for joy when my phone started pinging incessantly in my pocket.
Connor!!!the screen read.
“Hey,” I said after Da had given me permission to leave the table. “What’s up?”
“Do you think I should rewatchEmily in Paris?” Connor asked. “Or startThe Marvelous Mrs. Maisel?”
“You aren’t allowed to startThe Marvelous Mrs. Maiselwithout me,” I said, smiling. “In fact, youpromised.”
“Then will you come over so we can watch it?” Connor asked—no,whined. “I need to become overly invested in someone else’s drama.” He went silent for a second. “So I can forget about my own.”
I gripped my phone tighter. “Wait, what do you mean?”
Connor sighed. “Lauren and I broke up.”
Oh my god, I thought, suddenly unsteady on my feet.
“Oh my god!” I blurted. “Con, are you okay?”
“I’m considering rewatchingEmily infreakingParis,” he replied. “Doyouthink I’m okay?”
