Keeping Secrets in Seattle

chapter Eleven


November 1, 2004

I hate going to school. I hate the way I have to look over my shoulder all the time, watching out for that bastard Cameron. I don’t know how the hell Gabe can stand that piece of garbage. He tortures me…every…single…day. Someday I’ll get revenge. Someday I’ll make him pay, I swear it…

My phone buzzed as I climbed the steps to my apartment, and I fumbled through my purse to grab it in the dimly lit hallway. It had to be Landon, calling to say good night. This is what having an adoring boyfriend was about. The late night calls, the cute little text messages, the impromptu tickets to Victoria, B.C. he’d presented me with…

Aw, hell. It was Gabe calling. It was a whole lot easier not to obsess over him if he didn’t call me late at night. We still hadn’t finished our conversation, and over a week had passed with us sidestepping the topic altogether.

Squeezing my eyes shut and mouthing a curse word—or two—I pressed talk. “Hello?”

Gabe’s deep voice rang through the phone. “Hey. How’s it going?”

I will not get into a long, drawn-out, borderline inappropriate conversation, I told myself. “Not bad,” I squeaked. “How ’bout yourself?”

“I’m good. Drowning in wedding hell around here.”

I rolled my eyes at the mention of The Wedding of the Year. “My mom told me it’s turning into quite the lavish affair.”

He made a sound that was a cross between a scoff and a snort. “Yeah. Seems to be. And it’s breaking the bank.”

I climbed the steps to my apartment. “Wait…isn’t the bride’s family supposed to pay?”

“Alicia wants us to be self-sufficient.” Gabe’s voice had a bitter edge. “We’re trying to cover most of it ourselves.”

About a dozen red flags went up in my mind. “Dude. My mom said the wedding is at the Royal Regency Hotel. How can you afford that?”

“We’re getting by,” he said defensively. “You only get married once, so we might as well do it up right.”

“Unless you’re my mother.”

“Ha, ha, ha. Seriously, though, stop worrying. I’ve got it under control.”

“Fine. So…whatcha calling me at ten-thirty at night for? Is this the only time of day Alicia gives you phone privileges?”

“Okay, ease off. I have a favor to ask, a wedding request, and I think I may have heard a rumor about you.”

“Oh, yeah, what rumor?”

“I’m sure I heard your mother say that you were looking into a couple of positions in Portland.”

I fished my keys out of my purse. “Um…well, yeah. I actually sent my résumé to a salon where my friend works.” I failed to add that the idea of seeing him and his waifish wife around the city was the number one reason why I was considering it.

“Why would you do that?”

I gulped as I turned the key in the lock. “Just a change of scenery, I guess.”

“I’m fairly certain that my ears doth deceive me,” Gabe said. “There’s no way you would leave the Emerald City. You wouldn’t really leave…would you?”

I grinned, letting myself into the darkened apartment. “Remember my friend, Chloe? She opened her own salon and she’s looking for a lead stylist.”

“Is she the one with the dreads?”

“That’s her.”

“That’s really cool, Vi.” Gabe’s voice had dropped an octave, and he sounded sad. “You’re perfect for the job. So…if she offers you the job, are you gonna go for it? What does What’s-His-Name think about this? Should I plan on wrapping your knickknacks in bubble wrap soon?”

I shut myself in my bedroom and started to undress. “His name is Landon, and I haven’t decided yet. No need for bubble wrap just yet.” Pulling a T-shirt over my head, I looked down, realized that it was Gabe’s, and grimaced.

“Well,” he went on, “you can’t leave me. How can you make logistical decisions like this without my input?”

I climbed into bed with the phone pressed to my ear. My insides were whirling like a helicopter. Gabe cared about where I lived? “Whoa, sorry. Didn’t realize you still wanted input in my logistical decisions now that you’re a claimed man.”

“First off: Just because I am no longer a wild mustang doesn’t mean I will be walking around in shackles,” Gabe announced proudly.

I pulled my quilt up over my body and grinned. “Whatever, my friend. I hate to burst your bubble, but you are now an obedient quarter horse.”

“A quarter horse? Not cool.” He sighed. “Have you discussed moving with your new boy toy?”

I sucked in a sharp breath. “His name is Landon, and no. Not really.”

Gabe paused. “Trouble in paradise, Vi?”

“No. There is no trouble in paradise,” I said, biting my lip. “In fact, we’re going on a trip together. He surprised me with tickets to Victoria, B.C. tonight.”

“Wow. A trip? Already? Sounds like it’s getting serious.”

“Yeah, it’s serious. I mean, getting serious.”

“I don’t mean to pry.” Gabe paused. “Isn’t it moving a bit too fast?”

I scowled at the phone. “This from the guy who got engaged on some sort of hormone-induced whim? Are you kidding me?”

“It wasn’t a hormone-induced whim. But this trip sounds like one.”

“What does it matter to you if I go to Victoria with my boyfriend?”

Gabe’s voice softened. “I don’t want to see you get hurt.”

“Just…let me worry about my own love life.” I rubbed my eyes and turned off my lamp. “What’s the favor you wanted to ask?”

“Can you come give me a haircut Saturday afternoon? Alicia said my hair is getting too shaggy. I keep telling her it makes me look rugged. Like the Marlboro man.”

I snorted. “You do not look like the Marlboro man. Yes. I will cut your hair on Saturday.” Gabe had been mooching free haircuts from me from the moment I started cosmetology school. Not that I minded. And we could have our conversation about Cameron.

“Thanks.”

I pretended that my heart didn’t tumble when he said that. “So what was that wedding request, anyway?”

“Alicia needs you to come to a dress shop for a fitting with her bridesmaids. She wants you to try on the dress she picked out. I told her that you really dig animal prints and plaids, but no go. I imagine she’ll be putting you in something very proper. Sorry about that.”

“Nice try.” I snickered. “I’ve already seen a picture of the dress. No plaid in sight.”

Trying on dresses in front of the girls I’d met at brunch sounded like about as much fun as getting a root canal without pain meds. I suddenly had the urge to step outside my apartment and walk in front of a bus, just so that I had a relevant excuse not to go. Which reminded me, the dress was going to be a gigantic expense I’d forgotten to plan for. I groaned loudly.

“I don’t want to,” I whined.

“Come on. For me?”

“Okay, fine. But you owe me.” I dragged a hand down my face. “Brunch with those girls was…well, let’s just say I was like a lamb led to slaughter.”

“Alicia means well. She really does,” Gabe said. “Just go to the dress shop on Coupler Boulevard, Saturday morning at ten. Give Alicia a chance. She will grow on you.”

I made a gagging sound. “She’ll ‘grow on me’? Now you’re comparing your fiancée to a fungus? Nice. No comment.”

Gabe laughed again. “Okay. I’ll tell her you’re coming. And Vi?”

“Hmm?”

“I really don’t want you to move. I would miss you so much.”

This was the point at which I wanted to climb underneath the blankets on my bed and scream. “I would miss you, too, Gabe.”

“’Night.” His velvety voice made my middle tighten.

“Good night.”

After closing my phone, I set it on the side table and squealed into my pillow. There was nothing better than talking with Gabe right before bed. My day was complete. Just as my eyes started to droop, I heard my phone buzzing again. Another message.

“Gabe, you dork.” I giggled and opened the phone.

It was an e-mail from Landon.

“Whoops,” I said. “Forgot all about you.”

Hey, beautiful…thanks for the wonderful night. Can’t wait to go to Victoria with you. But I need to see you much sooner than that. How’s Saturday looking for you? Love you…

--Landon

Landon was the one I was supposed to be thinking about while I fell asleep. He wanted to spend Saturday with me, but Gabe needed a haircut. And I wanted to try to get the rest of my secret out. Quite the conundrum. I needed to be a good, loyal girlfriend and spend the day with Landon…but I missed hanging out with my best friend.

I shook my head and pulled my quilt up over my face. I would figure it out in the morning.

…

There was something about being around Alicia’s bridesmaids that made me feel like I was back in junior high school. All that was missing was the acne and training bras.

I spent the night before the dress fitting choosing my outfit carefully. I settled on a black-and-white plaid button-down shirt that would be easier to slip in and out of in the fitting room, and a full red skirt that matched the oversized tomato-red birdcage bow I pinned on top of my platinum waves. To top off my look, I put on a wide patent-leather belt and black kitten heels. Compared to my usual clothes, I looked demure.

The boutique Alicia picked was among the most posh in the wealthy area of Bellevue. It was known for carrying wedding gowns by some of the most sought-after dress designers and carried couture gowns worth tens of thousands of dollars. As I scurried from the bus stop to the boutique door, late again, I checked my bank account balance on my BlackBerry. I needed to have enough to, at the very least, put money down on whatever dress I would be purchasing. After that, it would be up to me to ask Lizzie for some extra hours in the salon and hock most of my belongings, in order to pay it off. Oh, well…I didn’t need to pay the electric bill before May, right?

Nodding to the salesgirls standing at the register, I walked past the showroom to an immaculately decorated room lined with mirrors where Alicia and her bridesmaids sat on a silk couch. Each of the girls had a glass of champagne and a sourpuss expression.

“Hello, Violet.” Alicia stood and kissed the air on either side of my cheeks. “I was afraid you weren’t going to make it.”

“Sorry,” I said, peeling off my coat. “The buses are running a bit late today.” I approached the silk couch and noticed that Alicia and four of her bridesmaids were all dressed completely in taupe. Did they call each other to coordinate? I smoothed down my red skirt. So much for blending in.

Kate leaned forward to look at me and took a long pull of her champagne. “There’s a red net on your head.”

This one was observant. “Yes.”

She scowled. “No, I mean, you’re wearing a hat with a net on your head?”

I nodded proudly. “It’s vintage. I bought it at a flea market downtown.”

“How very…Seattle of you.” Kate’s surgically reduced nose wrinkled. “You’re so funky.”

I planted my butt down next to Shawn, whose braids were woven into a bun on the back of her head. “Thanks…I think.”

As soon as we were seated, Alicia and a gray-haired woman stood before us, causing the girls to fall into a hushed silence. I watched as Alicia raised her glass to the rep and announced, “Girls, this is Juanita. She is the best of the best. A seamstress extraordinaire.” The bridesmaids clapped excitedly, and Alicia’s eyes danced. “It usually takes brides months before they are able to get in with Juanita, but she was willing to squeeze us in. I am beyond thrilled. She is an absolute genius.”

Again, they applauded, and I clambered to join in, offering a few half-hearted claps after the others had already stopped. I leaned over to Shawn and whispered, “Did Juanita design Alicia’s wedding dress?”

She shook her head the tiniest bit, so as not to be spotted being inattentive. “No.” Her voice was so quiet I had to lean closer to hear. “Alicia’s dress is being made in France. But Juanita apparently fit her for it and will be doing the final touches once it arrives.”

“Ahhh.” I straightened back up.

“Juanita is going to see which of the dresses looks best on each of you. Then she will take your measurements and work her magic.” Alicia announced this as if Juanita had cured cancer.

“And,Violet.” She pointed a tiny finger at me. “We’ve got the perfect black dress for you to wear. The one in the picture I showed you?”

I smiled tensely. “Thanks.”

As if they were summoned by ESP, a line of four clerks bustled into the room, holding up every possible version of a deep-red bridesmaid dress one could imagine. There were scoop necks, backless, sleeved, sleeveless, sequined, plain, floor-length, tea-length, full skirts, fitted skirts, and more. They quickly guided the bridesmaids off into dressing rooms, so I settled back on the couch and poured myself a glass of champagne. I watched as Alicia stood primping in front of one of the mirrors.

“So when do we get to see your gown? I’ve heard so much about it,” I said.

“Not for a while yet. It’s still overseas. And it is a sight, let me tell you.” She whirled around to face me, her bony body moving with the grace of a swan. Grace I’d not been blessed with. “I’ve had a team of eight women working on it since four days after Christmas. It’s a mixture of three couture dresses that were melded into one extraordinary gown. It is absolutely breathtaking.”

Alicia sounded like a game show host, revealing what was behind door number one.

“Three different dresses?” I raised my eyebrows. “Wow, I can’t wait to see it. What style is it?”

Her eyes lit up. This was obviously her favorite topic to discuss. “Well, it could be considered a mermaid dress, except that the bustles are raised slightly. And then they pull back to reveal the most exquisite antique lace underneath.” She used her tiny hands to imitate the fluffiness of the fabric. “And the top is fitted, sort of like a corset, but with a very low dipped ‘v’ on the chest and tiny cap sleeves of the same antique lace as the bottom. Then they’ve sewn in the most incredible fabric roses amongst all the ruffles of satin. It’s amazing. I’m almost certain I’ll get my picture in Puget Sound Bride with this gown.”

I feigned amazement and took a big gulp from my glass. Just as the silence between Alicia and me stretched toward becoming awkward, the bridesmaids came parading out of their dressing rooms wearing their red gowns. Rose wore a light sheath of a gown with a low back and plunging neckline; Kate’s was a floor-length taffeta number with bustles; Marissa was grinning in a dress that bore intricate beading on the front that rivaled her giant teeth in the sparkle department; Rose strutted like she were walking a runway in Milan; and Shawn’s skin positively glowed in her strapless wrap gown.

Alicia walked down the line of girls, surveying their presentation, while Juanita furiously took notes on her pad of paper. After examining each of the bridesmaids thoroughly, Juanita waved a hand and barked, “Be gone! All of you!”

The row of now-deflated women skulked back to the dressing rooms, and Alicia turned to me with an exasperated sigh. “I don’t know what I’m going to do. I picked a color I thought would work for everyone.”

“I thought that they looked great.” I craned my neck to see the girls as they left the room, trying to see what flaws Alicia was referring to. A tiny seed of doubt sprouted in my mind as I saw Juanita’s and Alicia’s heads together, hissing back and forth about how the bridesmaids had all looked atrocious. Alicia’s face was pinched, and she was waving her arms wildly as they spoke, and I was dying to hear what they were saying.

She ignored me and focused on the seamstress, who was clicking her tongue at her notes. “What did you think, Juanita?”

“Jes, zee brunette needs to drop a few pounds, if it iz okay to zay zo.” Juanita spoke in an accent I couldn’t place. Certainly not Spanish, as her name would’ve suggested.

“Of course you can say so,” Alicia confirmed. “I’ve been telling her that for weeks.”

“And zee blonde should consider zeeing a dermatologist, if you azk me. Zee ozzer two would be fine, but zey look like absolute hell in zat color. You’ll want to ztick them in the back of the pictures and dim zee lights,” Juanita announced with a scowl.

I pretended to be completely captivated by the pattern etched on my glass, and my gut churned. If this was how Alicia treated her thin, perfect friends, then what was she going to say to me? Or behind my back when I’d left? Good grief, could the bridesmaids hear what they were saying? I looked longingly at the glass doors leading to the street and wished that the building would catch on fire so we would have to evacuate.

Alicia just rolled her eyes and flopped down on the couch next to me. “These girls think this is a joke. Good Lord, I caught Rose eating scrambled eggs the other day, and we’re not talking scrambled egg whites. We’re talking about the whole egg.”

I gulped. Alicia was a wedding Nazi. Dread set in as my turn in the hot seat approached. I listened to her rattle off the diet plan she’d set up for her bridesmaids shortly after asking them to be in the wedding and began to daydream about falling dreadfully ill on May fifteenth.

A few minutes later, the girls came shuffling back into the room wearing a new variety of dresses. I noticed that Kate was now holding her middle in as tightly as she could, causing her neck to vibrate, and Marissa’s giant white teeth were now hidden behind her trembling lips.

Alicia walked along the line of women, plucking at invisible lint and tugging on hemlines. “What do you think? We could take the skirt off this one and attach it to the top of this one? And is this a good length for everyone?”

Juanita began whipping her tape measure around violently. “Jes. I think we will want to hide the calvz on zis one. Zey look like jarz of mayonnaise.”

Alicia nodded in agreement.

I flinched and crossed my ankles underneath the couch. Note to self: buy some Spanx before the wedding.

One by one, all of their faces dropped as their flaws were scrutinized, then catalogued on Juanita’s pad. They were each measured carefully, not one inch of their bodies left untouched by the yellow tape. Then they were ordered back to the dressing rooms to get into their own clothes. Sure that I saw Shawn swipe at her eyes quickly as she left the mirrored room, I felt strangely sympathetic toward the bridesmaids as they all stumbled away, their egos officially knocked down a few pegs.

“I am going to find some ozzer samples,” Juanita said, shaking her head as she stomped out to the showroom. She stopped after a few feet and waved a hand at Alicia. “Come!”

Alicia jumped up and ran behind her like a faithful puppy.

“Holy shit…” I sighed under my breath before draining my glass. This was going to be painful. Right as I reached for a refill, a puffy-eyed Shawn emerged from the dressing rooms and grabbed the champagne bottle.

“I’m sorry,” she said in a hushed voice, emptying the champagne into her glass. “I need this. Badly.”

I shook my head. “Agreed.”

Shawn threw her head back and drank most of the champagne in one gulp, then flopped down next to me.

“You all right?” I asked.

She stared down at the floor in a daze. “I’m about to spend about a thousand dollars on a dress I will never wear again.”

I nodded. “I think I’ll have to wear my dress to work a few times…maybe while I am cleaning my apartment, too. Hell, I might wear it every day for a year.”

She laughed quietly, then looked over her shoulder carefully. “I might try to resell mine.”

“Ooh, that’s a good idea.” I smiled at her. “My mother would kill me, though. She would say it’s tacky to resell it. She has a closet of dresses she’s only worn once.”

“Does she shop a lot or something?” Shawn took another sip of champagne, and hiccupped.

I almost pointed out that she might want to slow down, then remembered that she was a model. This and a cigarette would probably be her lunch. Instead, I just nodded enthusiastically.

“I’ll bet your dad didn’t appreciate that. My dad used to hate my stepmother’s shopping obsession,” she said.

“I didn’t have a dad growing up.” I folded my arms across my chest, the early morning wine making me more forthcoming than usual. Before too long I was going to share the story of how badly I wanted a kitten as a child. “Well, I had a few stepfathers, but never a dad, you know?”

Shawn nodded. “It was the opposite for me. Lots of stepmothers, but no real mom.”

I sighed happily. “Then you understand why I loved Gabe’s parents when I was a kid. I still do. They’re like my surrogate family.”

“It would have been nice to find a surrogate family when I was little,” she mused.

I looked down. “I don’t know why I told you all of that.”

“Because it’s ten a.m., and you’ve already had a glass of champagne. And because you think you have to explain yourself to me.”

“So true. I don’t want all of you girls to think I am just hanging around trying to steal Gabe away from Alicia. I’m not. I’m just…part of the Parker family. I know that’s hard for her to understand.”

One of Shawn’s eyebrows rose. “Don’t be too sympathetic, Violet. Alicia’s not as fragile as she pretends to be.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

She took another long drag. “I mean…” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “Alicia knows exactly where you stand with Gabriel’s family. She knows you’re a part of them, and she’s going to change things.”

Worry churned inside of me. “Why would she do that?”

“Because you take the focus off of her. Gabriel, Nora, Gabriel’s sisters, everyone. They’re drawn to you, and they’ve accepted you, and she is jealous.”

“Of me?” I didn’t get it. She had no reason to envy me. She had Gabe completely wrapped around her finger.

Shawn shrugged. “Because of how Gabe feels about you.”

“She’s beautiful, she’s smart, she’s marrying into this incredible family, and she’s got him.” My voice broke at the end of my sentence.

Shawn looked at me closely. “Alicia Long doesn’t compete with anyone. Not other models. Not other hostesses at her job. Not other women, including relatives or best friends. She’s got her eye on the prize, and she’ll stop at nothing to get it.”

I furrowed my brow. “Why did you say her name that way?”

Shawn looked at her glass thoughtfully. “If you look far enough into Alicia’s past, you’ll figure it out.”

Good Lord, I was walking around in a living, breathing episode of Dallas.

“What’s the prize?” I squeaked.

She shivered and glanced at her watch. “The prize is Gabriel. And we’d better get this fitting wrapped up soon. I’ve got a bus to catch.”

I gaped at her. “What did you say?”

“I missed my bus coming here, so I had to catch a cab.” She patted her hair to make sure it was still in place. “I can’t afford another cab home.”

I gasped. “I thought you hated bus people.”

“Shhhhh.” Shawn looked around carefully. “My car broke down three months ago, and I haven’t had the money to fix it. I can’t afford to park it anywhere in this city, anyway.”

“You’re a closet bus rider?” I whispered.

Shawn nodded. “It makes sense here in the city.”

“I hate Gabe’s giant car,” I grumbled. “Talk about excess.”

“Well, he’s got to have a nice car to drive Alicia around, you know. She likes to travel in style.” Shawn winked at me.

“Well, if she’s so anti public transportation, why doesn’t her rich daddy buy her something to scoot around in? Does she love Gabe at all? Be honest.” My chest tightened.

Shawn nodded. “Yeah, I think she does. But…and if you tell anybody I told you this, I’ll deny it…I think when she saw Gabe, she saw an opportunity.”

“An opportunity?”

“Yeah. Think about it. Hot, young ad exec. One sister is an architect. The other sister and her husband own a successful CPA firm. Dad is a college professor. Mom is a lawyer.” She watched as the wheels in my mind started to turn. “Look at the house they live in. Look at Gabriel’s car and his apartment. She saw an opportunity, and she took it.”

“That little gold digger—”

Shawn sighed sadly. “I used to love my friend. Really, I did. But…over the past few months, I’ve seen her in a different light.”

Anger bubbled in my gut like a cauldron. “Why are you still in the wedding?”

She chuckled bitterly. “Because I’ve already forked out three hundred dollars for her bachelorette party and another seventy-five for her bridal suite. I’m going to get through this wedding, and then I will stay as far away from her as possible.”

I opened my mouth to release an arsenal of swear words to describe my feelings on Alicia but heard the shuffle of Juanita and the lovely bride-to-be returning.

Juanita looked at me over the top of her half-glasses. “Iz zis the one who iz ztanding wiz ze men?”

Alicia glanced her shoulder at me. “Yes. Violet is the one we need fitted for the black dress I picked out.”

“What kind of woman standz on ze manz zide?” Juanita spat.

Alicia’s white cheeks pinked prettily. “She’s my fiancé’s oldest friend. It’s a little…unorthodox. But we’ll make it work.”

I stood and turned so that Juanita could measure my arm span. I wanted to Chuck Norris roundhouse kick Alicia in the face but couldn’t make a scene. Shawn had planted a pumpkin-sized seed of doubt in my mind, and it was growing at a rapid rate. Alicia didn’t deserve Gabe. She didn’t deserve any of the Parkers.

Juanita barked at me from below my armpit, where she was measuring my bustline. “What size are you?”

“A…size eight.” Irritated, I glanced down at her and nodded briskly.

She glanced at Alicia over the lenses of her half-glasses and they exchanged a ‘yeah, right,’ look.

Juanita grunted. “Iz not your size.”

Alicia touched my arm and batted her eyes at me sweetly. “Listen, Violet, it’s important to tell the truth. We don’t want to have to take it out later on. It’s an awful hassle to add fabric.”

I hated her. I wanted to hurtle myself over Juanita’s head, land on Alicia’s skeletal frame, and scratch her eyes out all over the white carpet.

“I said what size are you?” Juanita’s voice echoed, and Shawn looked down at her glass.

Flabbergasted, I hissed down at her. “Twelve, all right?”

I noticed that Alicia’s expression took on a wicked quality as the other girls began emerging from the dressing rooms. Rose looked like she was planning to escape into the plush bathrooms in a few minutes to purge, Kate looked just plain pissed off as she furiously punched buttons on her phone, and Marissa glowered at Juanita as if she were wielding a knife instead of a tape measure.

“Okay, you go to ze drezzing room, and try on ze dress Alizia picked out for you,” Juanita ordered. “Go. Move your big behind.”

I scooted off toward the changing rooms, every set of eyes in the room wearing holes in the back of my head. I wouldn’t be able to hide what I looked like in this dress behind a birdcage hairpiece or hot-pink fingerless gloves in this get up. Nope. It would be me, the dress, and the eyes of five hundred guests scrutinizing the way I looked.

Groaning, I unbuttoned my blouse and peeled my skirt off while the conversation tensely picked back up in the mirrored room. I heard Marissa’s commanding voice first. “Well, when I get married, I’m going to let each girl pick her own dress. We’ll just have them all made in my signature color.”

“Which is?” Rose asked.

Alicia giggled. “Purple.”

All the girls gasped like this was a cardinal sin.

“Shut up, you guys,” Marissa said. “It’s been my signature color since I was thirteen.”

Shawn piped in. “When Ivan and I get married—”

“How long have you two been together now?” Kate sounded bored.

Shawn sighed contentedly. “Four and a half years. We’re waiting until he gets his doctorate to get married.”

“Isn’t he, like, thirty now? For heaven’s sake, get out and make some money,” Alicia chimed in.

“Well, he really loves anthropology.” Shawn’s voice was metered. “And money isn’t a big deal to Ivan. We just want to travel, and—”

“Oh, please. Tell him to get a real job so you don’t have to work anymore, and then I’ll consider him a real man.”

I bit the insides of my cheeks. That last comment sounded like Alicia.

“Anyway.” Shawn’s voice was pointedly irritated now. “When we get married, we are going to go to Bulgaria, where his family lives. We are going to fly my family there and have a traditional Bulgarian ceremony, complete with breaking of the bread and everything.”

“Ooh, a destination wedding,” Rose squealed. “Ask me to be one of your bridesmaids.”

“Where the hell is Bulgaria, anyway?” Kate demanded.

I pulled on the dress and turned from side to side, looking at my reflection in the mirror. It was the tea-length gown from the picture she’d shown me, but with a satin rosette on the waist to match the color of the bridesmaid dresses. It was lovely and fit my curves to a “t”, despite the fact that it was heartbreakingly understated.

“What it really needs,” I muttered to myself as I smoothed down the skirt, “are my red knee-high Dr. Martens. That would make this outfit.”

“Hey, Violet? How’s that dress fitting?” Alicia called over the chatter of the bridesmaids.

I emerged from the dressing room and stood in front of the group. “It fits just fine.”

Juanita approached me despite my glare and began tugging and pulling on the fabric. “Eet fitz juzt like eet iz.”

Alicia’s mouth dropped. “I can’t believe it. That’s straight off the rack.”

I suppressed my grin. Take that, skinny bitch.

“You mean she doesn’t need alterations?” Kate looked at me as if I’d rolled in dung.

Juanita shook her head. “No.”

Shawn caught my eye and gave me a discreet “thumbs up” sign, but Rose just flared her nostrils. “Look at her boobs. It’s not fair.”

My eyes wandered back to where Alicia was sitting on the couch and caught her icy glare. As soon as I realized I was looking at her, her demeanor snapped back into her old, sweet-as-pie persona. “You’re a lucky girl.” She beamed. “You won’t have to do any more fittings.”

“Great.” I backed out of the room. “I’ll just go change, then.”

“You do that,” she said stiffly.

“Hey, wait, Violet,” Shawn called after me.

I stopped. “Yeah?”

“What kind of wedding would you want?”

I looked around. Could it be that Shawn was being nice to me? “Actually, my dream wedding is kind of cool. I’m not going to make it ugly and wear purple or anything.”

Marissa cast me a dirty look.

“Just kidding.” I took a deep breath, imagining the wedding I’d dreamt of having since I was a little girl. “Actually, I want to have my wedding in October. Around Halloween. We’ll have a tent in my mother’s backyard that is draped with orange, black, and purple fabric. There will be pumpkins everywhere, and tiny smoking cauldrons on all the tables. I’ll wear a big black ball gown and a headpiece with orange flowers. My bridal party will be dressed as witches and vampires, and the guests will all dress in their favorite costumes…as long as they aren’t gory.”

Alicia’s eyes widened. “Oh, right. Because that would be tacky.”

“Right.” My cheeks heated, and I shuffled toward the dressing rooms.

“I’ve never hear of anything so hideous in my life,” Marissa snickered as soon as I rounded the corner.

“Who would go to a Halloween wedding?” Kate cackled. “Hello, gauche.”

“Why did you ask her that, Shawn?” Rose asked.

“I just wanted to make her feel like she was part of the group.” Shawn sounded embarrassed.

“Well, she’s not.”

“Did you see her in that dress? Good gracious.”

The other girls all tittered obediently.

“Shhh, you guys, she can hear you,” Shawn’s soft voice warned them. “She looked better than the rest of us did.”

My eyes welled up with grateful tears as I tore myself out of the dress. It had taken me many years to come to terms with the fact that I would never be a skinny woman. I worked out a few days a week to ensure that my stomach stayed flat and my behind didn’t get astronomical, but other than that, I’d come to enjoy my body for what it was.

Well, that is, until Gabe decided to marry a stick figure.

“So, Alicia…” Marissa giggled. “When are you and Gabe going to start having babies?”

I tripped on the hem of my skirt and banged into the wall. The last thing I would be able to tolerate was overhearing a conversation on Gabe and Alicia’s procreation plans.

“Ugh,” Alicia said. “Never, if I have anything to say about it.”

I froze, one leg in my skirt, the other in midair. Alicia didn’t want kids? That was peculiar, because Gabe had always wanted a whole slew of offspring. He’d always said that he wanted enough kids to form either a baseball team or a family band. Now he was marrying someone who didn’t ever want kids?

“Why not?” Shawn asked.

“My modeling career is really starting to take off,” Alicia explained. “The last thing I need is to get stretch marks.”

The bridesmaids giggled, then Kate spoke up. “You could adopt a kid from another country. Foreign kids are all the rage, you know. Look at Angelina Jolie.”

I regained my balance and slid my skirt up around my waist. It would just figure if Gabe and Alicia adopted a gorgeous baby from some exotic country. As if they weren’t cute enough. Throw a beautiful baby into the mix, and…

“No way,” Alicia’s voice rang out. “Kids are messy, noisy, and demanding. I would rather die.”

“Fair enough,” Rose added haughtily. “Leave the child-bearing to people with hips like Violet’s.”

Swallowing back my tears, I pulled my clothes back on, hiked my purse over my shoulder, and emerged from the dressing room with my head held high. There was no way I was going to let those skinny cows get away with this kind of garbage. I wasn’t exactly one for keeping my mouth shut.

The entire group went silent as I stalked past them with the gown in hand. “Alicia,” I began, “I have to run, but thank you so much for inviting me. I’ll just go pay for the gown and be on my way.” When I noticed Rose staring at my chest again, I smiled down at her proudly. “This is how someone looks when they eat. If you all put a little bit of cheese on your eggs once in a while, you, too, can look this hot.”

She clenched her teeth. “No, thank you.”

I pointed at a nearby salesgirl. “What’s your name?”

“Mine? Um, Delia.” She pointed to her nametag awkwardly.

“Wrap this up, Delia; I’ll take it. The bride did a fine job picking out my dress. I’ll look fabulous.” My eyes fixed on Alicia’s.

Turning on my heel, I stalked to the front counter and slapped my credit card down with a snap.

Alicia was right on my heels. “Listen, Violet, can we talk?”

I didn’t look at her. If I looked at her, I was going to punch her. So I just pretended to search my purse for something instead. “Sure. What?”

She took a breath and glanced over her bony shoulder at the girls who were watching us with unabashed curiosity, then dropped her voice to a whisper. “Listen, about the dress. I, um, haven’t exactly told Gabriel all of the details.”

I glared at her. Why in the hell was she telling me this? “Isn’t the bridal gown supposed to be a surprise?”

“Well, yes,” she said quickly. “But, he doesn’t know that it’s being worked on in Europe, and…” She chewed on her lip.

“What?” I prompted.

“Gabriel doesn’t know that I’ve had three dresses combined into one.” She looked at me with wide eyes.

I saw a city bus lumber past the shop windows. Great. Now I would have to wait for the next one. “So?”

Alicia’s cheeks pinked beautifully, and she shifted between her feet. “So he doesn’t know that I bought three dresses. The cost is going to be a bit high, and I haven’t had the chance to discuss it with him yet.”

Oh, now I saw where this was going. Alicia needed me to keep my mouth shut so that she didn’t get in trouble for dropping enough money on a dress that a normal person would have used for a down payment on a condo. What a greedy little cow. Well…calf.

“You want me to keep our conversation to myself, right?”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “Yes. Exactly.”

“You know, he’s working really hard to pay for all of this.” I watched as the clerk carefully wrapped my dress in tissue paper.

A muscle in Alicia’s jaw twitched. “I realize that.”

“And you don’t think Gabe needs to know this, since he’s the one who’ll have to come up with the money for three wedding dresses?” I asked with a smirk.

“No.” She pressed her lips together as the clerk behind the counter took my card and swiped it.

I felt incredibly justified in my hatred of Miss Von Longorial. “And how long do you plan on keeping it a secret?”

Alicia’s eyes flashed. “Not long.”

“Because he really needs to know how much of his money you’re spending on this dress. He’s already having to work extra hours to pay for this extravaganza.” I signed the receipt and returned my card to my wallet.

Alicia’s eyes narrowed. “I know that.”

Dropping my wallet back into my purse, I turned to face her head on. “Then I guess you’d better tell him soon, so that I won’t be compelled to do it.”

I waved gaily at the girls, who all stared at me like I was an alien, then pushed the glass door open without another glance at Alicia. I had to get to Gabe’s house and didn’t want to miss my bus.

All’s fair in love and wedding planning. This. Was. War.