Always the Designer, Never the Bride

by Sandra D. Bricker

  "No. Are you?"

  "No."

  "But we're going in anyway, aren't we?" she asked, her nose wrinkled up.

  "That we are."

  She planted a quick kiss to the side of his neck before clumsily climbing down. "Thank you again," she said, and she extended her hand toward him.

  J. R. stepped over the bike and accepted her hand. Their fingers entwined like they belonged there, and the two of them strolled up the sidewalk as if they had nowhere specific to go.

  At the front door, Audrey turned toward him and smiled. She stood so close that he could feel the warmth of her breath.

  "I'm really happy that you came back."

  "I am too."

  "You're a good guy, J. R."

  "I like to think so."

  "Oh, you are. There's no question. You're a very good guy."

  "You're quite pleasant also," he offered with a smile.

  "I . . . kinda want to kiss you now."

  "Do you?"

  "Really a lot."

  "Then I think you should."

  Audrey inched toward him, and J. R. wondered if she had planned the tease or whether perhaps she might just be shy about it. Before he could decide, her lips pressed softly against his in a sweet and tender kiss.

  "Dev," came the whisper from the other side of the door. "Come and see. They're making out."

  Audrey pulled back slightly and raked her fingers through her hair. "We can hear you, Caroline."

  "Oooh!" The skitter of shuffling feet faded as Carly called back to them from the general direction of her kitchen, "Sorry!"

  Audrey shook her head. "This can't go well for us, you know."

  "Ha! I'm inclined to agree."

  With a giggle, her amber eyes flashed. "Sorry to drag you into harm's way."

  "No apologies necessary," he replied, and he pulled her into a final kiss.

  They walked into the kitchen, straight-faced and ignoring Devon and Carly's animated curiosity.

  "So . . ." Devon began, but Audrey raised her hand and cut him off at first syllable.

  "J. R. has not proposed, and neither have I. We're just two people who went for a motorcycle ride on a great Georgia night. We exchanged a kiss, and now we're here at your table hoping to have a pleasant dinner. Period. New paragraph. Capisce?"

  Devon and Carly exchanged glances.

  "Or," she continued, "we can leave you to your barbecued chicken, and we can bounce out of here and stop for a burger somewhere. Your choice."

  J. R. worked hard to disguise his amusement. In lieu of failure, he simply lowered his head and brushed some imaginary dust from the thigh of his jeans.

  "Fine." Carly was first to surrender, and she curled up her face like she'd just taken a bite out of an old lemon. "We'll never speak of it again."

  "Excellent!" Audrey rewarded her. "Let's eat."

  "I'm in awe," J. R. remarked.

  "It's all in the wrist," she stated as she unfolded a napkin into her lap.

  Conversation cruised around the odd jobs Devon hoped to tackle before leaving, took a left at Russell's visit that day where he brought three pints of fresh strawberries from a produce stand he'd apparently visited near the site of his new Atlanta home—both of which J. R. had a rough time picturing—and meandered around to an all-girls' slumber party that Carly had evidently missed.

  "I was still stuck on the picture of Russell Walker buying produce at a roadside stand," J. R. told them. "But now you have me at slumber party. I think I speak for my brother as well here. We want details."

  "Down, boy," Carly teased. "They have them over at Sherilyn's."

  "Why didn't you go, sweetie?" Devon asked.

  "Because I only have you home for a limited time. I'm not going anywhere or doing anything that I don't go or do with you."

  Devon reached across the table and caressed her hand.

  "They have them every month," Audrey chimed in. "You can go next time."

  "Oh, I don't think I'll be invited again. I think it's just for that little circle of girls."

  "You're part of the family now," J. R. told her. "I'm sure they'll ask you next time."

  "Well, how was it?" Carly asked as she spooned a second helping of red potatoes to Devon's plate.

  "Quite fun, actually. Kat and I had a ball."

  "Really? What did you do?"

  "Yes, Audrey," Devon teased. "Tell us all about it."

  "Well," she said with a grin. "We had facials. Mine was mint julep, for refreshment."

  "La-dee-dah!" he commented.

  "And Sherilyn put on some music, and we all got up and danced around."

  "Seger?" J. R. asked.

  "To start, yes. Then the Beatles, some Van Morrison, a little Sam Cooke."

  "Eclectic," Devon cracked, shooting J. R. a smirk.

  "I love Sam Cooke," J. R. replied.

  "And we watched some old I Love Lucy shows, ordered pizza, baked some cookies, and had some general girl talk. It was fun."

  "Who's Sam Cooke?" Carly asked them.

  J. R. sang the chorus of "Bring It On Home to Me," and Devon followed it with a chunk of "Twistin' the Night Away."

  " 'You Send Me,' " Audrey said, leaning back into her chair with a sigh, and she and Devon began to sing the song.

  "I know that one!" Carly exclaimed, and she joined in.

  A moment later, Devon hopped to his feet and led his wife to her feet as well. The two of them danced across the kitchen floor while all four of them belted out the song. It surprised J. R. that he knew all the words. It surprised him even more that the sing-along in his brother's kitchen had lifted his mood in such a profound way. He hadn't felt so lighthearted in . . . he wasn't sure how long.

  And the shiny smile Audrey tossed at him from across the table? Well, that certainly didn't hurt either.

  "If this was a Nora Ephron movie," Kat said as they stood back to admire Audrey's work, "the last ten days would have been the music montage."

  Audrey chuckled.

  "While the love song plays, moviegoers see quick shots of you on the back of J. R.'s bike, me furniture shopping with Russell for his new house . . ."

  "With flashes of Lisette's wedding gown coming together, and your jewelry design making it to the final version."

  Kat cautiously removed the brooch from the velvet bag that protected it, placing it in her palm and running a finger gently around the bouquet of heart flowers.

  "I'm so glad she picked that one," Audrey told her. "It's my favorite."

  Kat held it up to the gown before them, and Audrey placed the ruffled strap over the shoulder of Mac, her headless dress form.

  "It's going to be stunning."

  "Thank you so much, Audrey. It's my first official sale."

  "Well, you would have sold something much sooner if you'd actually shown them to anyone but your friend Staci."

  "Do you really think I stand a chance? Making it as a jewelry designer, I mean."

  Audrey sighed as she removed the ruffle trim and coiled it around her hand. "I would love to think I could keep you as my assistant forever, Kat. I can't imagine doing all of this without you. But you do have a gift. You have to do something with it."

  "Wait!" LaMont exclaimed from the doorway. "Let me see it again."

  Audrey unrolled the ruffle over the shoulder of the form, took the rhinestone bouquet from Kat, and held it to the spot where the asymmetric strap met the dress.

  "What do you think?"

  "Love the lines," he commented. "Good silhouette. I'd like to see it on the bride-to-be."

  If he thought she would bring Lisette there during working hours and subject her to—

  "Have you had a fitting yet?"

  "Not yet."

  "When?"

  "Soon."

  LaMont grazed her with his eyes. "Here?" he asked.

  "Not sure yet. It really depends on my bride."

  Okay. A tiny fib. But for a good cause.

  "Well, it's lovely. You've surprised m
e. And that's not an easy thing to do."

  Audrey grinned. "Then my work here is done."

  "And the bling? Is that original as well?"

  Audrey extended her palm toward him for a closer look. "It's Kat's design."

  He darted his focus to Kat. "Really."

  "It's spectacular, isn't it?"

  "And you have her answering your phone and holding your straight pins and fabric samples?"

  "Only for the moment," Audrey confessed. "Until she realizes she's the next big thing."

  "Perhaps you're both the next big thing," he surmised, and Audrey's heart began to race at the thought. "Before you're finished here and pack up to leave us, I think we need to have a conversation, the two of us."

  "Oh?"

  Hold it together. Hold it together.

  "I've given some thought lately to branching out. I would like to get your take on that."

  Audrey tipped her head casually, despite the fact that there was nothing casual about the way she felt just then.

  "Something to think about," he added. "We'll talk in a day or two."

  Audrey strolled to the door and closed it behind him. Given that the office was made of glass, she couldn't leap into the air and scream the way she wanted. Instead, she meandered back toward the desk, grabbing Kat's hand on the way, squeezing and shaking it as Kat whimpered with excitement.

  "Audrey!" she whispered, leaning across the desk as Audrey sat down behind it. "This could be IT for you!"

  "He didn't make any offers," she reminded Kat. "He just said he wants my take."

  "I know, but he's going to. Can't you tell he's going to?"

  Audrey growled with enthusiasm. "It did sound that way, didn't it? It's not the same as having my own design firm, but House of LaMont is a great name to be associated with, Kat."

  "It's a done deal," she beamed. "I could just tell. He looked at Lisette's gown, and he realized how talented you really are. You could almost hear him say it! 'How can I cash in on this?'"

  "Okay, let's focus," Audrey said, as much to herself as to Kat. "You call Lisette and ask her to come over here tomorrow morning."

  "You want her to come here? What if she runs into him?"

  "I don't want to take a chance on transporting the dress back and forth if we don't have to. Bring her in early. We'll get her in and out of here before Wes ever arrives."

  "Eight?"

  "Good. Meanwhile, what are you and Russell doing tonight?"

  "I don't know. Nothing so far."

  "I'll call J. R. Let's have dinner together, the four of us."

  "Ooh, fun."

  "I'll ask him to get in touch with Russell, and we'll all meet at Morelli's around seven. I feel like celebrating."

  Kat hurried around the desk and squeezed Audrey's shoulders. "I'm so happy for you, Audrey!"

  "Let's wait and see what he offers." Her caution melted into a broad, giddy grin. "But I'm sort of happy for me too."

  "Aud, I thought you couldn't stand Weston LaMont."

  "Well, he's certainly not one of my favorite people," she said, twirling several long strands of pasta around her fork. "But he's a brilliant designer. And all things considered, it might not be a terrible idea to align myself with his house."

  "Really?" Carly looked from Audrey to Kat and asked, "What do you think about this, Kat?"

  "I think I'd rather see Audrey Regan Designs affiliated with House of LaMont than to see it swirl the drain."

  "Well, don't beat around the bush or be gentle, Katarina. Just tell us how you feel," Audrey exclaimed.

  "Sorry. But just two weeks ago, you were trying to figure out how to keep from surrendering. LaMont can help."

  "Okay, okay," Audrey told them, using both hands to simulate leveling out. "Let's not get ahead of ourselves. Let's just wait and see." In an effort to bring things back around, she asked, "J. R., how is your lamb chop?"

  "First rate," he replied, exchanging glances with Russell and Devon.

  "Rightie-oh, mate," Russell egged him on. "Just stand back and let the women go at it."

  "It's the only safe choice," Devon added, and the three men shared a laugh.

  Audrey shook her head at them and stared Devon down. "Are you enjoying yourselves?"

  Devon shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. Kinda."

  Russell, Devon, and J. R. all looked at her, wide-eyed and straight-faced.

  "Oh, please. Innocent doesn't work on any one of you."

  Russell snorted, setting the other two loose.

  "Very mature. Oh . . . What. Ever."

  Which only set them to laughing all the harder.

  "Children!"

  "Ah, Audrey, it's . . . amazing."

  "You look remarkable!" Kat said, angling the full-length mirror so that Lisette could see the back of the gown. "It looks so much better on you than on Mac!"

  Lisette chuckled and leaned toward the dress form. "I'm sure she meant no offense, Mac."

  "I'm glad we went with the chapel-length train," Audrey commented. "I think it's perfect for this silhouette. We still need to add a little something to the boning at the base of your torso, and I'll take it up right here." She gathered small sections at each shoulder blade. "And here. See how much better that looks?"

  "Yes. It's just right."

  "The strap is a little loose too. Hang on while I re-pin."

  Audrey glanced at the metal clock on the wall. Nearly nine. She would have to push things along if she planned to shuffle Lisette out of the office before people started arriving at ten.

  "I was surprised to see that you're sharing work space with Weston LaMont," Lisette said as Audrey pulled a straight pin from the cushion wrapped around her wrist.

  "Why's that?"

  "I read about his new venture in the Journal this morning. To tell you the truth, it worried me a little. I don't want to see my one-of-a-kind dress showing up next year on every plussized bride in the country."

  Audrey smiled. "What do you mean?"

  "The new line. What's it called? Rubenesque?"

  Audrey's eyes made a beeline to Kat's, and they stared at one another until Kat blinked.

  "He's starting a new line?" she asked.

  "You didn't know?" Lisette asked. "I read about it in the car on the way over here. Have a look. The paper is in my bag, on the chair."

  Kat zipped toward it and yanked the newspaper out of the tall camel tote.

  "On the front page of Fashion and Style."

  Audrey finished pinning and looked at Kat expectantly.

  "Here it is," she said, and a moment later she gasped. "That snake!"

  "Kat, what?!"

  "Next season's runways will have to be a little wider," Kat read straight from the paper. "Weston LaMont, renowned designer and a definitive name in bridal and red carpet trends, will now add plus-sized design to his repertoire. Rubenesque Couture, an offshoot of LaMont House of Design, will begin creating high-end fashion for the discriminating curvier woman later this year."

  Kat slapped the newspaper section down to the desktop with a stifled scream. "That snake!"

  "This can't be right," Audrey said. "How can this be right?"

  "Audrey, do you remember what you said to him? You told him that the plus-sized bride was like any other bride, she's just slightly more Rubenesque."

  "You didn't know about this?" Lisette asked, and she suddenly winced. "Ooh. Can I get some help here?"

  "Sorry."

  Audrey finished unzipping the gown and gingerly lifted it over Lisette's mane of blonde hair. While she slipped into the long gray cashmere sweater she'd worn over her black leggings, Lisette bounced her gaze back and forth between Kat and Audrey.

  "So what does this mean?" she asked. "You didn't know about it?"

  "No," Audrey declared. "He never mentioned it."

  "Maybe that's what he wants to talk to you about," Kat suggested. "Maybe he's going to ask you to design the Rubenesque label."

  "Maybe," she said, a little lost in her overlo
ad of speculation.

  "You wouldn't include my dress, right?" Lisette clarified. "I mean, I really wanted—"

  "No," Audrey said, raising her hand. "No, of course not."

  After a moment, "But you wouldn't really design for him either, right?"

  Audrey glanced at Lisette to meet an expression of consternation.

  "I . . . don't know. I'm . . . Why do you ask?"

  "I kind of thought you were in business for yourself. I mean, when I checked you out after our first meeting, I read on the internet that Audrey Regan Designs is an up-and-comer, and I just thought you were sort of creating your own name."

  "Well. That was the plan."

  "Until?"

  Rather than explain her financial woes to a paying client, Audrey smiled at Lisette. "No offer has been made to work with Wes. It's pointless to talk about a possibility that hasn't reached the light of day."

  "Still, I hope you'll turn him down and keep pursuing your own dream instead of his, Audrey. You're very talented."

  Audrey hoped the smile she gave Lisette in return for the compliment didn't look as tired as it felt. So many scenarios wove through the maze in her head, crashing into dead ends and bumping into sharp edges.

  Kat walked Lisette downstairs and, after she left the building, Audrey must have read the Journal article over five times. For someone with such little regard for human imperfection, it struck her as strange that LaMont had chosen to go this route with his designs.

  "I just don't get it," she said aloud as Kat returned to the room.

  "Well, you'll get the chance to ask him about it in person in about three minutes. His car arrived just as Lisette's pulled away from the building."

  "Too close for comfort."

  "I'll say."

  "I just . . . don't . . . get it," she repeated, shaking her head. "I wonder how long this has been in the works."

  Before the speculation could go any further, LaMont stepped into the doorway.

  "Nice article," Audrey blurted before he could say a word.

  "Oh, you saw it," he replied, and he crossed the room and sat down in the chair across from her desk. "So what do you think?"

  Behind him, Kat opened her mouth to speak, and Audrey silenced her with the raise of her hand. "Katarina. Can you check with Billie about that delivery, please?"