Joshua had the takeout menus on the counter and was about to eeny-meeny-miny-mo when the doorbell rang. Joshua made his way to the door, wishing for a concerned church member with a casserole and not Missy with a basket of horse biscuits. He cracked the door and saw Sidney’s face through the narrow opening. He swung the door wide open, then flushed with embarrassment. She probably thought his exuberance bizarre.
“What brings you by?” he asked, kicking himself for feeling like a teenage boy talking on the phone with his crush. Even after all the pretty nurses who had stopped by today to flirt with his father and cheer him up, Sidney was the most beautiful woman he’d seen.
“Is it a bad time?” Panic filled her voice. “Penny said Buck had another treatment today, and I thought you might be in need of some sustenance.” She held up an aluminum foil-covered casserole dish. From her hand dangled a plastic bag. “I also have his pants.”
Joshua grinned, hoping whatever frazzled face he had on disappeared. “Just in time. I was about to make something.” He gestured for her to come in. “And by make something, I mean I was deciding who to call for take-out. Dad will be happy to have some pants that stay up.”
“If you’d rather, I can pop this in the fridge, and you can heat it up whenever.” She headed for the kitchen, stopping for a moment beside his dad. “How was it today?”
His dad raised his hand and imitated a seesaw. “Tougher than the first one.” Even his voice shook.
“We’ll be praying for you.” She met Joshua’s eyes over his dad’s head.
He nodded slightly.
“I brought some chicken and stuffing. You eat it whenever you feel up to it.” She peeled up the edge of the foil and a heavenly scent wafted out.
Joshua’s stomach rumbled at the injustice of having to wait another minute to devour the dish. Home-cooked food beat take-out any day of the week. Well, home-cooked by anyone but him.
Sidney reached for the refrigerator door, but Joshua stopped her. “We’ll put some away for Dad, but I’m eating some now.”
Sidney moved to the counter and peeled the rest of the aluminum foil off, while Joshua retrieved a plate from the cupboard. “Would you like to join me?”
Sidney’s stomach growled before she could respond. “Excuse me.” She pressed her hand to her stomach.
“I’ll take that as a yes.” Joshua grabbed another plate, then searched the drawers for a scooping utensil. Sidney found some forks. He eventually discovered a spatula and filled their plates with the chicken dish. He handed a plate to Sidney and led her to the dining room table.
He angled his chair, so he could keep an eye on his dad whose eyes drifted shut. Today must have worn him out. Hopefully sleep would back the nausea away. He dug into the chicken and took a bite. It was as delicious as it smelled. “Thank you. This is wonderful.”
Sidney took a small bite. “You’re welcome.”
“Any presents from Missy?” Joshua asked.
Sidney winced. “I’m sorry about that.”
Joshua stopped mid-fork. “What did you get? A live skunk?”
“Missy’s hardly that creative. She usually copycats someone else.” Sidney stabbed her fork into a piece of chicken and slid the meat between her teeth. “Unfortunately, I seem to be her unintentional mentor.”
“You put doggy poo on someone’s porch?” There was a devious side to Sidney he hadn’t seen before. He leaned closer to her. This was getting interesting.
“Noooo,” Sidney said indignantly, but her eyes sparkled.
“Then how could Missy get the idea?”
Sidney focused on her chicken a little too hard. If she wasn’t eating, she’d have been whistling.
Joshua arched his eyebrow. “You said she copies you.”
Sidney slapped her fork on the table. It clanged against her plate. A snore erupted from the recliner, and they both froze. Sidney peered over her shoulder. His dad did another galumph noise, then rolled his head to the other side. Joshua snickered. Sidney twisted back to her plate and met his eyes through her eyelashes. Then she snorted. She slapped her hand over mouth.
The weight of the day slipped away. “Don’t think you’re going to get off that easily. I want to know what prank you pulled to fuel Missy’s imagination.”
“Seriously?”
“Yes. I’ve had a rough day.” He gestured with his fork toward his dad. “While the food is amazing and much appreciated, I don’t think I can be satisfied without this information.”
“You’ve got to be kidding.”
Joshua leaned across the table, catching the scent of vanilla. He could add to the list of things he needed to be satisfied, but he’d have to settle for Sidney’s prank. “In fact, I might need to know every prank you’ve pulled, so I can be prepared.” The pranks were a tiny sliver of everything he wanted to know about her.
“I haven’t pulled many pranks,” she said, but crimson rising in her cheeks disproved her statement. “There are rumors.”
“Ah-ha! I knew it.” He leaned back in his seat. Victory was tantalizing close.
“It wasn’t dog poop,” she whispered.
He cocked his head and cupped his ear. “I’m sorry, I missed that. It wasn’t—”
“It wasn’t dog poop. It was horse apples.”
“Oh well yes, those are completely different.” He laughed. “And who did you present these delectable apples to?”
Sidney pursed her lips. “Our high school principal.”
“Now this is getting serious,” Joshua said, loving every minute of this conversation. Sidney’s eyes had appeared a bit blank when she arrived. Now they twinkled, and the stars mesmerized him. “What brought about this great honor?”
“It’s silly.” She shook her head.
“Of course, it is. It’s horse apples.” He nodded for her to continue.
“You aren’t going to let this go, are you?”
“Not a chance.”
“He refused to let the girls bring shampoo to school. He wanted us to use some awful orange gunk that turned our hair to straw. I was big into the Mane and Tail stuff back then, and he made me dump the whole bottle down the drain.”
“So horse apples.”
“It seemed fitting.” She crossed her arms over her chest.
Joshua let out a huge guffaw, then clamped his mouth shut and pressed his hand over his lips. Every time he tried to let go, his whole body would start to tremble again. Through the tears in his eyes, he saw Sidney staring at him. She tried to hide it, but her lips curved. Finally she couldn’t hold it in any longer, and she burst out giggling as well.
Joshua had noticed the strain in her features earlier, but it was absent now. Her face softened; her eyes glowed. He couldn’t tear his eyes away from her. She was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Not in the flashy-jerk-your-head on the street way. She was beautiful because she completed a man’s life and made his house a home. He couldn’t help but be enchanted. She would make someone a very lucky man.
Then Joshua’s face froze, and the warmth in his blood chilled. She would make Colin a very lucky man.
Chapter Eleven
Sidney’s mother led her into a boutique wedding dress shop in Spring Arbor. The floors were marble, and the walls were draped with sheer, white chiffon. Tiny lights cascaded through the filmy draping. Only one wedding gown was visible from the front door. Translucent gauze twinkled under the soft lighting. It was the physical replica of Cinderella’s ball gown.
“Oh, it’s gorgeous!” her sister, Bailey, exclaimed, rushing over to examine the dream gown. Her sister had jumped at the chance to go shopping in the trendy boutiques. Her petite figure and choppy hair cut suited the slim-fit of their fashions. It was hard to imagine that this was the same girl who crawled through the mud in search of caterpillars and fly larvae.
A twinge of excitement tickled Sidney’s stomach. This was what she needed—a special event to pick out her dress. She joined Bailey by the gown. It glittered and shimmered a
s if it had indeed been charmed out of rags by a fairy godmother. This wasn’t her dress, but it gave her hope her gown could be in this building.
“There are actual crystals sewn into the fabric,” Sidney said as she studied the dress. It was gorgeous. Ideas sparked. How could she replicate this in an affordable way? Fairy-tale-themed weddings were popular. She knelt down to peer at the underside of the overskirt.
A saleswoman approached with a tray of sparkling champagne glasses. “Hello, ladies. Isn’t this dress beautiful?”
Sidney stood up and brushed her hands on the back of her shorts. The lady handed the glasses around, and Sidney sipped hers while her mother commented on the dress. “It’s magical.”
“Well, hopefully we will find something as magical for you.” The woman handed the empty tray to a passing sales associate and clasped her hands in front of her. Sidney’s eyes were drawn to a vintage button bracelet encircling her arm. Antiques of bone and mother of pearl created a unique piece of jewelry. Sidney had found a creative spirit in the sales consultant. “Who’s the bride here?”
Sidney held up her champagne glass and introduced herself. “I love your bracelet.”
“Thank you. Something I threw together this morning,” she said as she touched the bracelet with pride. “Lovely to meet you. I’m Marcia, and I’ll be helping you create your dreams. Let’s go into the showroom and get started.”
They followed the consultant’s black jacket through an archway to a runway flanked by lighted mirrors. Sidney’s mom and sister settled on the overstuffed loveseats beside the runway. Sidney chose the seat next to her mom, and Marcia swung an upholstered rolling chair in front of them. Her eyes widened, then rested on Sidney, and she clapped her hands together. “So tell me about your wedding.”
“I’m planning—” Sidney stopped. While technically true, since Colin had dumped all the planning on her the last few weeks, it didn’t sound right not to include him. She started again, “My fiancé and I are planning a small backyard wedding. Well, actually the reception is going to be at the Spencer Hotel. The wedding too, if the weather doesn’t cooperate.”
Marcia’s lips tightened, then wrinkled as she processed the combination. From a backyard wedding to the Spencer Hotel was like saying the band was a combo of Jimmy Buffett and Yo-Yo Ma. Despite all the plans Sidney had reworked, her brain couldn’t settle on the change of venue. A schizophrenic bride. Marcia probably wished for her own glass of champagne, but she listened to the information without flinching.
“What about colors? Flowers?” Marcia crossed her legs and leaned her chin on her hand.
“I’m thinking a hunter green for my maid of honor.” She indicated Bailey. “And asters for flowers. They’ll be in season in October.”
“Sounds fabulous. Asters are such sweet flowers. So do you have anything in mind for your gown? A style you prefer? Pictures of your dream gown?” Marcia’s eyes positively sparkled, and Sidney took on the blinded deer look she always did when anyone asked about her gown.
She floundered, her mouth gaping like a proverbial fish. “Nothing too fancy or formal, of course, but beyond that…”
“What have you tried on?”
Sidney pleaded silently with her mom for help. Anything to make her seem less scatter-brained.
“We went last week, but nothing stood out. We came here for a better selection,” her mom supplied.
“Okay, why don’t we go back and take a look at some dresses.” Marcia grabbed Sidney’s hand and pulled her away from her mom and sister. She led Sidney to a showroom with several different styles of gowns on mannequins and bags of dresses dangling around the outside of the room.
“Let’s look through a few things, and you tell me if you see anything you like.” Marcia patted her shoulder. “I’ll pull a couple things I think fit your wedding and flatter your figure.”
Sidney nodded and paged through the gowns on her right, working counter-clockwise around the room. Her enthusiasm sank with each hanger she slung across the rod. Didn’t like the sleeves, didn’t like the beading on the neckline, didn’t like the waistband. Butt bow? Definite no.
Was she so picky? She liked dresses, gowns, fabric, and fashion. She studied bridal magazines for fun, analyzing the styles and the illusions created. Sidney stopped slapping the hangers. Settle down. Don’t be negative. Focus on things you like. She closed her eyes and tried to breathe slowly and calm her agitation. What questions would she ask if she was discussing a custom order with a client?
What did she like? A soft, quiet fabric. Romantic, simple, not fussy. So look for that. The dresses flipped along the rack a little easier with that off her chest. She found two fitting the bill. The skirts were made of filmy chiffon. It was a start. Each dress had something she liked. Better than the approach she’d attempted at the previous store.
Marcia sashayed over to examine Sidney selections. “Lovely. I think we had similar ideas.” Marcia displayed the four dresses she’d chosen, all with a similar chiffon skirt. “Let’s try these on and see if we’re heading in the right direction.” Marcia spoke as if she was certain one of these dresses would be Sidney’s dream gown.
They filed around the shop to the dressing rooms closest to where Mom and Bailey lounged sipping their champagne. Marcia snatched a silky lavender robe from a hook outside the dressing room and gestured for Sidney to precede her. The dressing room was much larger than any Sidney had been in. It had a lighted three-way mirror in front of a small platform and several upholstered chairs. In one corner, there was an oriental screen. Marcia pointed to it and said, “If you want to slip off your clothes over there, we can try some of these out.”
Sidney undressed behind the screen and slipped her arms into the silky robe. As she stepped out, Marcia held the first dress. Sidney recognized the quality immediately. The fabric was high end and delicate in filmy silk. Its fragility made her nervous. How could something so flimsy hold up through an evening of dancing? The seams were French. Alterations would be a bear. Hopefully Marcia knew her way around a tape measure. Sidney slithered into the gown, and Marcia zipped the back. She fluttered around, adjusting things here and there. Sidney cringed when the consultant pinched the back of the dress tighter with some clamps, hoping the industrial-looking clips didn’t snag the intricate embroidery. Marcia gently spun her toward the mirror.
Sidney squeezed her eyes shut, straining her ears for angels’ voices as she peeked through her lids. The dress floated comfortably around her, despite the clamps cinching the bodice around her chest. Opening her eyes, the vision almost caused tears. But not good ones. If the dress she’d tried on with her mother had made her look pregnant, this one made her appear she’d forgotten to give birth two years ago and now harbored a toddler in her abdomen. Despite the softness of the skirt, it added feet to the width of her hips and made her chest look like she’d stuffed her bra with packing peanuts.
“It’s awful,” she cried, and Marcia released the clamps and tossed them on a table before another syllable was necessary. The dress was stuffed back in the bag, and Sidney clutched a tissue before she had a chance to slip the robe back over her strapless bra.
“We know what shape doesn’t work. Let’s try a different one.” Marcia produced another dress so quickly Sidney feared the beading would tear off as she hauled it out of the garment bag.
Marcia held it up, and Sidney stepped in, ready to cleanse the image of the other dress from her vision. The saleslady eased the dress over Sidney’s shoulders. Sidney watched in the mirror, so she wouldn’t be overtaken by sudden horror again. This one wasn’t so bad. The fabric crisscrossed her torso, accentuating an hourglass figure Sidney never knew she had. It was a little more va-va-voom than she had in mind, but it was an improvement.
“I don’t see any tears,” Marcia hinted, hope tingeing her voice. “Is this one better?”
Sidney nodded. “It’s not the dress, but it’s better. Let’s show Mom and Bailey and see what they think.”
Marcia led Sidney up to the runway. Sidney watched her mother’s and Bailey’s faces to gauge their reactions. Her walk amplified the seductress element so foreign to Sidney’s personality. Her hips wobbled like a dashboard hula girl. Her mom’s eyebrows shot off her face, and her eyes bugged out. Bailey’s jaw dropped to her sternum. Definitely not the reaction she hoped for as they viewed her in a wedding dress, but it was the expected response for this gown. She stepped onto the runway and took her place in front of their chairs.
Bailey snickered and slapped her hand over her mouth. “That is so not you,” she managed between snorts. “Have you body-snatched Marilyn Monroe?”
“What do you think, dear?” her mother asked as she slapped Bailey’s knee. “It’s certainly figure-enhancing.” Sidney caught the insinuation her mother did not approve of the accentuated curves.
Sidney shook her head. “Colin would wonder if he was at the right wedding.”
“Then let’s try something else.” Marcia steered her back to the dressing room. They tried on the rest of the gowns with similar reactions. Sidney didn’t hate them, but they weren’t right either, but she couldn’t name the missing element. The manager of the store brought one final dress. Instead of the laundry-commercial white of the previous selections, the white was aged, giving the dress a vintage aura. The bodice and the skirt were draped in a delicate Chantilly lace. The gown hugged her figure, showing off her athletic body rather than exaggerating her curves. The back bunched into a huge bustle. Sidney studied her reflection and felt weights tumble from her shoulders. “I like this one,” she said quietly as if speaking the words might jinx it. “For the most part.” She spun, so she could view the bustle in all its butt-enlarging glory. The bustle evoked a more formal style than she envisioned for a backyard wedding, but would coordinate with the elegance of the Spencer Hotel. She could get behind the lace.
She and Marcia headed for the runway. Her mother gasped, and Bailey jumped out of her seat. “That is awesome!” She circled as Sidney stepped onto the platform. “This lace is gorgeous.” She twitched the overlay to study the intricate pattern.
In For a Pound Page 9
