A Billion Reasons Why

by Kristin Billerbeck

  She didn’t answer.

  “Katie, the point is, I’ve seen you go through an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s Phish Food when the wrong bachelorette won on that show. You are denying who you really are. And, girl, face it, you’re tacky. You’re in the dentist’s office. Do you pick up US News & World Report or People?” Eileen leaned on the doorframe. “Wait, I’ve got another one. Dexter buys you a Kindle and he stocks it full of biographies on dead presidents and scientific heroes. Do you a) pretend to read them and scan them so you can discuss them at the dinner table or b) say thank you and go score some real books online?”

  “Dexter is not that interested in what I read.”

  The doorbell interrupted them, and they stared at one another, then scrambled—Eileen to the kitchen and Katie to the front door. She drew in a deep breath to clear her head. Dexter had nothing to worry about with Luc, and she’d be sure he understood that. She opened the door briskly and nearly jumped the UPS man before she realized he wasn’t Dexter.

  “Oh.”

  “Sorry to disappoint you.” He grinned. “Usually people who get a box this big are happy to see me.”

  Their UPS man was a burly African American with abs you could see through his shirt. Katie had definitely watched too many Bachelor episodes, because she always expected him to tear it off in the hallway.

  She stared at the box. “Sorry. I was expecting someone else.”

  “I figured. But you got yourself a nice present here.” He held out his electronic clipboard, and she signed for the package. He maneuvered the box, which was large enough to hold a small child, through the doorway and left it beside the entry. “See you next time.”

  “Yeah, thanks,” she said absently, shutting the door.

  “That wasn’t Dex?” Eileen emerged from the kitchen. “I put the shrimp in. They only need like a minute. I don’t want rubbery shrimp.”

  “Relax, he’ll be here. You could set your watch by him, remember?” The doorbell rang again. “See?” She pulled the door open again, and the UPS man stood there again.

  “Sorry to bother you. You forgot to print your name beneath your signature.”

  Eileen ran to the kitchen and came back with scissors. “I turned the soup off.” She kicked the door shut with her foot behind the departing deliveryman and, without waiting for an invitation, sliced into the box and peered inside. “I think it’s clothes. Who would send you clothes?” She pulled out a lavender crepe paper bundle and ripped it open. A dress tumbled out.

  “It’s a swing dress.” Katie grabbed it and felt the material. “It’s an original!” An accompanying tag announced the dress’s credentials. It was a navy polka dot sheer dress with a white sailor collar. Katie ran to the mirror that hung over the love seat. “It’s gorgeous!” She flattened the dress against her chest and twirled to let the skirt gain flight.

  Eileen grabbed the dress from her and shoved it back in the box. “It’s from Luc. I’d recognize his carefully choreographed moves anywhere. Send this back.”

  “It was part of the deal. If I go to the wedding, I get clothes from the era. I negotiated it. It’s mine.”

  “Was this?” Eileen pulled out a Tattler magazine. On the cover was Katie’s backside slung over Luc’s broad shoulder.

  On a Post-it he’d scrawled, I’m sorry about this, but at least I kept your name out of it.

  The headline splayed across the picture read MILLIONAIRE BACHELOR, TARZAN; UNNAMED REDHEAD, JANE. Mortification washed over Katie, and she grabbed the magazine and thumbed through it until she came to the photographs. There was Luc’s face all bunched up as her ponytail connected with his nose.

  “The pictures are like one of those cartoon drawings where you turn the pages. You know what I mean? Look at me! You can see my face in this one! Anyone who opens this rag is going to know it’s me.”

  “Look at it this way; they’d have to admit to buying a tabloid first. So are you planning to tell me why Luc has you hoisted midair like a tub of crawfish?”

  Katie stared at the image on the cover again. “You can’t tell that’s me.” She grabbed the magazine and scrutinized it from all angles, then she shrugged. “You can’t tell it’s me!”

  “But I know it’s you. This is exactly what happens when Luc DeForges is around. What is Dex going to say to this?”

  “Where would he see it? Dexter probably doesn’t even know that magazine exists.” Her mind raced. She knew she had to come clean, but it would just be easier to do so after she got back with her engagement ring.

  “You’re not going to tell him?” The doorbell rang, and Eileen giggled in her trademark knowing way.

  “What is so funny?”

  “I was just thinking how you said Luc’s mother wanted to have a Cinderella-style lineup.” Eileen raised the cover back at her. “Wouldn’t it be something if instead of a glass slipper, they were looking for a glass girdle? Spanx?”

  Katie raked her fingers through her hair and groaned. “What have I done?”

  The doorbell rang again.

  Eileen threw the magazine into the box. “There’s more.” She brought up a gold box the shape of an oversized hatbox.

  “Not now. Dex is here. I have to think about how I’m going to tell him about the photos.”

  “A picture’s worth a thousand words. Show him!”

  Katie stared at the door, then at the box, and without willpower, she tore into the gold cardboard.

  “You always did have to eat dessert first,” Eileen said.

  Katie tossed the lid off and tore through the tissue paper. Inside shone the coup de grace. The Holy Grail for vintage lovers. She could very nearly hear the heavenly host singing. She had to stop and take a moment. “Luc knows me better than I know myself.” She got choked up. “I can’t touch it.”

  “Well, what is it?” The doorbell rang a third time, and they both ignored the sound.

  “It’s a replica of Ginger Rogers’ iconic ostrich feather gown in Top Hat where she danced with Fred Astaire.”

  Eileen placed her fists on her boyish hips. “A replica? He bought you a replica? What’s the point of being a gazillionaire if you can’t buy the real thing? I mean, Nick Cage bought a real dinosaur skull before he went broke.”

  “Maybe that’s why he went broke. The real dress is light blue, too close to white maybe for a wedding?”

  “You better put that away for now until you figure out how you’re going to explain the picture to Dexter. And you’re going to explain it to him, or I will. The moment you start protecting Luc, it’s over.”

  “No, you’re right.” Katie snuggled the dress to her collarbone. “Oh, the feel of it. Eileen, feel it!”

  “Did they kill something to make that atrocious thing?”

  “No, it’s ostrich feathers.”

  “So what’s the ostrich wearing now?”

  “Ginger fought for this dress. Had lots of tantrums over it, in fact. Look what Luc wrote on the card.” She thrust the card toward Eileen. It’s been defeathered and is ready for dancing. Of course, by defeathered, he meant edited. A feathered dress would always lose some of its feathers. She imagined birds had no better luck. She pressed the card to her chest. “I love Luc.”

  “You did not just say what I think you did.” Eileen crossed her arms. “Because only a crazy person would say such a thing, especially when her fiancé is on the other side of that door, and she has to explain why her heart-shaped bum is on the cover of a tabloid. Katie, Luc’s trying to manipulate you, can’t you see that? He sends over what he wants you to wear.” She started to dig through the box, throwing pieces of small, feathered fluff all over the floor.

  “What are you doing?”

  “I’m looking to see if he sent you lingerie too, with a fake note about what Ginger wore under the dress.”

  “It was just a figure of speech. I meant that I loved Luc for knowing that Fred Astaire was annoyed by the feathers. It took sixty takes to get the dance right, and the dress shed everywher
e. Astaire was a perfectionist, and his temper flared over the extensive takes.”

  Eileen snatched the dress from her hands. “This is all fascinating, but your fiancé is here.” She shoved the dress back into the box and dragged it across the room. “I’ll put this in my bedroom until you’ve had a chance to explain yourself to Dexter over dinner.”

  Katie waited for Eileen to disappear into the hallway before flinging open the door. Luc filled the doorway, leaning on the doorjamb. But before either of them could say a word, Dexter appeared at his side.

  All that Katie could think of was Bette Davis saying, “Fasten your seat belts. It’s going to be a bumpy night.”

  Chapter 4

  AT LAST

  Luc’s brows rose as he drank in every aspect of Dexter’s appearance: his clothes, his height, his net worth. Katie could practically see Luc’s mind churning, the cogs and wheels rotating with all the calculations doubtlessly arriving to his satisfaction. Her insides shook with anger. How dare he!

  She glanced at her watch. 7:15. Dexter was punctual as usual and still wearing his workday khakis and white button-down. She loved that he was so dependable. In contrast, Luc showed up unannounced, uninvited, and at the worst possible moment for all involved but showing no remorse for his social faux pas.

  Dexter walked in and crossed the room to a vase full of pink roses. “Pink this week,” he said, sniffing the buds. “Do you like them?”

  “I love them. You’re so generous to send the flowers every week. It makes me feel as if I’m starring in my very own movie.”

  Dexter kissed her near her ear. “You should feel that way. I hope to keep making you feel that way until you could star in Titanic as the old woman.”

  Katie giggled but stopped at the sight of Eileen, standing out of Dexter’s line of sight and sticking a finger down her own throat.

  “We have to eat,” Eileen announced. “My shrimp is already rubbery. Luc? I assume your ill-timed entrance means you’re joining us?”

  Luc lifted Eileen’s hand to his mouth and kissed her fingers. “It’s lovely to see you too, Eileen. How long has it been?”

  “Not long enough,” Eileen replied. “Sit down, I’ll go get the pot.”

  Their table, a cheap Pottery Barn knockoff, boasted three place settings. Katie kept talking while she went to the kitchen to get a fourth.

  “Yes, everyone sit down, I’m just going to get another bowl. Luc, you will love Eileen’s soup. You should hire her to do demonstrations at your stores. She is such an incredible cook, and everything is healthy so her clients can eat it. She’s taken a lot of Mam’s recipes and made them low-calorie.”

  Katie rambled until she returned to the table with a placemat, bowl, and soup spoon for Luc. “So, Luc, this is Dexter Hastings. My soon-to-be fiancé.” She gazed at Dex with pride. His short-cropped haircut was boyish in style, and his hulking boxy frame made him look like a football player next to Luc’s more cut, swimmerlike body. Not that she was comparing them.

  “So, Luc,” Eileen said as the men shook hands. “You don’t think Katie has had enough humiliation for one lifetime at a DeForges family function? You really want to dress her like a pink flamingo for this event? Maybe you can buy her a pair of stilettos and stick her in as a yard decoration when you’re finished.”

  “I don’t know if Katie can hold her balance that long, but it’s not a bad idea.” Luc brushed past Eileen and strode to the table. “I can’t wait to have some of this delicious homemade dinner of yours, Eileen. And, Dex, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Anyone who sees the beauty in my Katie is a friend of mine.” Luc shook out his napkin and laid it on his lap as if he’d been to dinner there the previous night.

  “The famous Luc DeForges,” Dex said. “So you do exist.” He leaned in. “Are you really a billionaire?”

  “She speaks of me often, does she?” Luc winked. “Multimillionaire.”

  Katie rolled her eyes at Luc’s supposedly humble admission.

  “Actually, she never spoke of you,” Dexter said. “I didn’t know you were the rich guy until you said your last name. She just said she dated a guy named Luc back in college. We all make our mistakes.” Dexter grinned.

  Katie suppressed a smile and sat down at the table. Eileen brought in a pitcher of iced tea and set it between their places.

  “You know, I think she did mention you once recently. We were taking out the garbage, and your name came up. ‘Gosh, what’s that ripe smell? Hey, how’s that Luc DeForges doing anyway?’” Eileen set down the pot, and the smell of dirty socks wafted up from the soup. It wasn’t one of her better creations to serve company, but then, Luc hadn’t been invited.

  Luc grinned.

  “Katie tells me you’re planning to fly her home for our engagement ring. That’s very generous of you, I must say. Getting home on a teacher’s salary isn’t easy,” Dex said.

  “I would think you’d spring for the ticket, Dex, seeing as how you’re saving on the ring and all. Not to mention common courtesy.” Eileen wasn’t going to let anyone off the hook.

  Katie giggled awkwardly. “Let’s eat. We don’t want that shrimp to get any more rubbery, do we?”

  “You need to try the dress on after we eat, Katie. That’s why I’m here. I’ll need to have it refit before we leave if it isn’t right. Not sure we'll have time once we’re in Nola—that’s New Orleans, Louisiana, Dexter.”

  “I figured,” Dex said. “Thanks for the clarification, just the same.”

  “There will be rehearsals, garden parties, and of course the wedding itself.”

  “Katie doesn’t sing that kind of torch song anymore, so I’m sure she’ll need practice,” Dex said. “No broken heart to whine about these days, is there, sweetheart?”

  “No.” She laced her fingers through Dex’s. “I’ve left the lonely hearts club.”

  “The fact that you know about dress fittings,” Dexter said to Luc. “That the reason you’re still single?”

  Eileen spit out a mouthful of tea. “Let me pray for dinner.” She quickly recited a familiar table blessing, and they all picked up their spoons.

  “I hired a dressmaker for Katie.” Luc’s cheek twitched. “I don’t know a thing about women’s fashion, but she told me a long time ago that she loved this dress, and I saw it as an opportunity to make her dream come true while she did me a favor. My brother Ryan is a big fan of her singing, and it makes a wedding so much more personal to have someone you know perform.”

  “We’re planning a small wedding,” Dexter said. “Just intimate family and friends, so we won’t need to put on any kind of show. Just Katie, the Lord, and me. That’s all we need, right, baby?”

  Luc cleared his throat. “Won’t you have ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ sung?” Luc’s gaze drilled into Dex. “That’s her favorite song.”

  “It used to be her favorite,” Dex said in obvious challenge. They both looked to Katie for clarification.

  “We haven’t really discussed music yet,” Katie said. “We have to get engaged first.”

  Luc stuck a spoonful of Eileen’s soup in his mouth and moaned appreciatively. “Eileen, this is really good. You say it’s healthy? No offense, but it didn’t smell all that appetizing.”

  “I didn’t have lime. Usually it has a very fresh, citrusy smell. If I’d known the owner of Forages Foods was coming for dinner, I would have asked you to pack a lime. It’s a Thai dish. Tom Yum,” she said.

  “It’s delicious and healthy, huh? I might have to get this recipe for the store.”

  “I’m a personal trainer, Luc. Of course it’s healthy. One of my services is to make up menus for my clients and show them how they can lose weight without even trying if they keep fresh ingredients in the refrigerator.”

  “You have a list of these ingredients?”

  “Of course I do, but it’s not free. It’s part of my service. I still run out occasionally—the lime, for example.”

  “Did you think I was going to steal the list from y
ou?”

  “You’ve stolen what wasn’t yours before. Never can be too sure.”

  “Mmm. All full.” Katie hadn’t touched any bread or salad, but she lifted her bowl and brought it to the kitchen. Once at the sink, she leaned on the edge of the old castiron basin and breathed in and out slowly. She felt a hand on her back and instinctively knew it was Luc. “Why did you come back?”

  “Maybe because I know what your favorite song is. Poindexter can tell you differently. You might even buy into it, but that doesn’t make it true.”

  “A person can change, Luc. My favorite song could change.”

  “Did it?”

  She turned and took the bowl from his hands and placed it in the sink, flicking on the water and letting the stream warm. Steam rose from the faucet. “I’m going home for the wedding. Let’s leave it at that, shall we? I’m not the same person I was, and neither are you.”

  He gave a curt nod. “Will you try the gown on so I at least know it fits? Being different and all, you may have changed your size too.”

  “Is that a reference to the picture on that magazine?”

  Luc stepped forward. “You are more beautiful than the first day I saw you—”

  Eileen entered the kitchen with the feathered dress in her hand and pressed it into Luc’s chest. “You should hire a date. Surely you can scrape up someone from that dating gene pool of yours—you know the one; has the same IQ as a Barrel of Monkeys game.”

  Luc whistled. “Everyone seems to know what’s best for Katie, but how about if we let her speak for herself?”

  “Why don’t we?” Eileen crossed her arms.

  Luc stood behind the fluff of feathers, and Dexter blinked from the pass-through. Katie felt the weight of their stares in her gut.

  Eileen continued, “Why don’t we ask Dexter how he feels about Katie going back to this forties-themed wedding. Dex, don’t you think it’s time she got over her romanticized view of the past and started living in this decade?”

  “Katie loves her forties. I don’t understand it. I listen to that station of hers, and it all sounds the same to me. But as long as she doesn’t make me watch another black-and-white movie, I don’t see the harm in her liking those things.”