“The 1980s is out.” She pushed the photo aside.
“Agreed,” Danielle said with feeling.
“Which one do you like?” Lex asked. Danielle had spent most of the meeting pointing out the merits of each dress and trying not to hurt feelings, so Lex had no idea what she was really thinking. Danielle excelled at tact.
“I like Great-granny’s, but she’s smaller than me and I don’t think it’ll work.” Great-granny’s was the best of the group. Designed in the mid-1940s, when fabric rationing had still been in effect, it was made of heavy satin, with a narrow skirt, a sweetheart neckline and broad shoulders that could be altered fairly easily. Or so Danielle said. Lex knew little about sewing.
“Which leaves mid-1960s.” Lex shrugged. “It’s not a bad dress.” It had a waistline and full skirt. Lots of lace and satin...but it wasn’t the right kind of dress for Danielle, who was toned and leggy and needed a simpler body-skimming dress.
Danielle wiped her hands on an embroidered towel. “How am I going to tell them that I want my own gown?”
“By taking a deep breath and blurting out the words?”
Danielle nodded and sat at the table, idly picking up the photo of the 1980s dress. “Mom was beautiful, even if the shoulders on this dress make her look as if she’s about to go out for a pass.”
“I see no way you could alter this dress and have any of it left.”
“Pretty much I would rip the sleeves off.”
“And the butt ruffle?”
“Definitely out.” Danielle set down a photo and met Lex’s gaze. “Who was at the door earlier?”
There was no sense hedging. “Grady.”
“I thought so. I recognized the sound of the truck. Did he tell you what he wanted?”
“To see you. Sorry if I overstepped by sending him on his way. I didn’t want to upset anyone.”
“No. I’m glad you did.” An unreadable look flickered across Danielle’s face, followed by a sigh. “I guess I need to see him before he hits the road again.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I did break up with him over the phone.” And she’d made the right choice, but that hadn’t kept her from feeling bad for weeks afterward. He’d chosen rodeo over her. Hard to forgive that, but Danielle was the forgiving sort. Far more so than Lex.
“You owe him nothing.”
“I know,” Danielle said simply.
There was a lot more Lex wanted to say on the subject, but why? When push came to shove, it wasn’t her business—even though she never wanted to see Danielle that unhappy again. Ever.
“I need to get home,” she said. “The menagerie will be hungry.” She stood and picked up her rhinestone-studded leather bag—one of the top sellers at their Western-themed store, Annie Get Your Gun. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”
They met every Wednesday to discuss business, drink tea and share any gossip that Danielle picked up from her grandmother, who owned the building where their boutique was located. But all the gossip had already been passed along during the wedding dress summit, so the meeting would be all business tomorrow.
“Great. I’m looking forward to some nonwedding talk.”
“That works for me.” Lex gave the photos one last look, then met Danielle’s eyes. “Be strong.” She was talking about both wedding gowns and ex-fiancés.
“Always.”
Lex certainly hoped so.
Copyright © 2016 by Jeannie Steinman
ISBN-13: 9781488006081
Count on a Cowboy
Copyright © 2016 by Patricia Wright
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