“To your fitting?” The idea of watching someone else try on a wedding gown sent shudders skittering through her. She took another step backward. “I wouldn’t want to intrude.”
Julia took Emily’s arm, effectively trapping her. “Nonsense.”
Before she knew it, Emily found herself standing in the middle of the dress boutique next door to Marry Me. A young blond woman hurried out from the back room at the sound of the bell over the door.
“Hello ladies,” she called.
A chorus of excited voices went up.
The shop owner’s gaze fell on Emily. “Have you added another bridesmaid, Julia?”
“No, she’s an innocent bystander,” Julia said with a grin. “Karen, this is the famous E.J. Sinclair. We met in the library the other day and bonded over the periodicals.”
“Well, what an honor,” Karen said. “I confess I haven’t read your books, but everyone is talking about you. Then there’s the fire.”
Emily resisted the urge to stomp her feet in frustration. “Seriously? It was one cake and some smoke,” she said. “You’d think I’d started a three-alarm blaze.”
“I heard it was an inferno,” Addison said, fingering a yellow sundress in the window display.
The shop owner removed the dress from the mannequin in less than a second and held it up in front of Addison. “This will look lovely on you. It’s your size, too.”
Addison gave her an evil eye. “Wicked girl. Did you put it here on purpose?”
Karen wasn’t intimidated by the glare in the least. In fact, she winked. “A smart owner knows her customers.”
“Shameless.” Addison sought support from the other woman. “Does no one respect me anymore?”
“Emily might,” Julia said with a gleeful chuckle. “She doesn’t know you yet.”
Karen laughed along with everyone else, but then went about redirecting the proceedings. “Okay, we have a lot to do today. I’m all set up. Are you ready to become a bridal party?”
Sarah responded with a squeal of excitement and a resounding yes. The other women laughed.
“I’m ready to marry Seth,” Julia said. “So if I have to endure this whole spectacle to be his wife, then I will.”
“Wow, don’t jump up and down with enthusiasm,” Meredith drawled.
Julia rolled her eyes. “You know the ceremony is for show because the town expects it. I’d just as soon head to Vegas and be done with the matter.”
Sarah and Grace both gasped in horror.
“Don’t ever say that again,” Sarah cried, clapping both hands to her ears.
Karen laughed. “Don’t worry. Once Julia sees her wedding gown, she’ll change her mind. Julia, come on back with me. Ladies, my assistant is collecting your dresses. She’ll be right out.”
Julia disappeared into the back with the shop owner. In another moment, a dark-haired older woman brushed past the curtain carrying several zippered dress bags hooked over her arm. The other ladies converged on her with exclamations of glee. Emily would have been terrified to have three excitable women circling her like a pride of lionesses moving in for the kill, but Karen’s assistant displayed no fear. With quick efficiency she handed out the dresses, and Addison, Meredith, and Sarah rushed to the dressing rooms to try them on.
Which left Emily alone with Julia’s stepmother. Emily flashed a nervous smile and then occupied herself by scanning the racks of clothes.
“Why do I get the feeling politeness is the only thing keeping you here?” Grace asked.
Emily spun around. “What?”
“Julia used to get the same haunted expression on her face whenever the subject of weddings came up.”
“Haunted?” And here Emily thought she’d done a good job of hiding her discomfort. She thought about protesting and then figured her cover was blown anyway, so why pretend? “I’m all right.”
Grace opened her mouth to say something, but then the bridesmaids emerged from the dressing rooms. Emily drew in a breath of appreciation. So did the other women when they saw each other.
“Aren’t we gorgeous?” Addison asked with a grin. “Julia is a miracle worker. She promised not to make us wear ugly dresses and somehow she pulled off the feat.”
All three wore gold raw silk, but each dress had a slightly different style. Addison’s top was strapless and showed off her flawless figure and creamy shoulders. The gold tone complemented her ivory skin and burnished hair. Meredith’s halter-style top lovingly hugged her willowy frame, making her look like a living, golden, Greek statue. Finally, Sarah’s curvier figure was shown to perfection by a dress with wide straps and a sweetheart neckline.
Julia was going to have the most beautiful bridal party ever in creation.
“What did I tell you about trusting me with the dresses?” Julia called from the doorway.
A collective gasp went up. Clothed in pure white, she might have been Venus rising from the sea. Capped sleeves rested just off her shoulders, and the bodice wove together in a modest V, which still managed to show off enough cleavage to make Emily downright covetous. Gathered interwoven panels continued through the waist and hips, emphasizing a perfect hourglass figure. There wasn’t much embellishment — no lace, no pearls, and no extra bows — but then Julia didn’t need them.
Grace took a shaky breath and dabbed at her eyes. “Oh, Julia.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Meredith said.
“Phenomenal,” Addison added.
Julia plucked at the skirt. “So, I look pretty?”
Sarah stepped forward and touched her sister’s cheek. “Not pretty. Radiant.”
“It’s not too much?” Julia asked, waving a hand at her chest. “The old ladies won’t hyperventilate and whisper hussy as I walk down the aisle?”
Meredith moved to Julia’s side now. “They’ll be whispering all right. About how lucky Seth is.”
“And probably cursing you for putting them all to shame,” Addison said.
Julia regarded her stepmother, doubt still evident in her eyes. “Grace?”
Grace beckoned over. “Come here.”
With a rustle of silk and taffeta, Julia crossed the room.
“Close your eyes,” Grace said.
Julia obeyed again, and then Grace turned so they were both facing the mirror. “Now open them.”
Julia’s violet-blue eyes filled. “Oh my…”
Grace smiled through her own tears and smoothed a gentle hand along Julia’s hair. “Yes, my dear. Oh my. Which will probably be Seth’s reaction. We might not even make it through the ceremony before he whisks you away.”
Julia laughed. “Then I’ll take it.”
“I should hope so,” Karen said, though the words were delivered with a wide smile, so no offense could be taken.
Julia flew across the room and wrapped her arms around the designer. “Thank you. You are a genius.”
“With you as a subject I couldn’t miss,” Karen said.
Julia faced the mirror again and stared. “It’s a wonder I don’t get struck by lightning wearing one of these.”
The others laughed, but Emily frowned at the odd comment.
Sarah must have noticed the reaction. “Julia was anti-marriage before she fell in love with Seth. Very anti-marriage.”
Right. Emily remembered Julia mentioning her aversion to the married state the other day.
“With good reason,” Julia retorted.
“As I recall, you said you were allergic to weddings when I asked you to help run Marry Me,” Sarah said.
“I can sympathize,” Emily said with a dry chuckle, then immediately wished she’d kept her mouth shut because all four women were staring at her.
“So, our famous author has a bit of a dark past,” Addison drawled.
Emily tried to laugh away the moment. “Dark? Not hardly. I’ve just never seen myself getting married. I have my career, and it takes up so much of my time. I’m not sure a husband would understand.”
Addison didn’t see
m to want to let the matter drop. “I find it curious that your all-encompassing career still allows you to travel around like a vagabond. It’s been a long time since your last book, too. I remember you now.”
For some reason, Emily’s heart started pounding. “What do you mean?”
“I mean, I remember when you were the hottest thing in the publishing world. America’s answer to J.K. Rowling. I even went to one of your book launch parties in L.A. You were a celebrity, and then you disappeared.”
Like darts, the barbs pierced her skin, and Emily blinked hard, trying not to cry in front of these strangers.
Julia laid a hand on Addison’s arm. “Lay off. Obviously, Emily is going through something right now. She’ll find her voice again.”
“I know, but does she?” Addison asked, her expression softening. She faced Emily again. “Do you know why you can’t write?”
“Writer’s block,” Emily said. Her hands were shaking so she shoved them in the pocket of her jeans.
“You’ve got some kind of block, and one guess says it has something to do with a wedding.”
Good grief. Stripped bare in a matter of minutes.
“My advice is to figure out what’s got you tied up in knots and deal with it,” Addison said.
“Sure thing, I’ll get right on it,” Emily said, hands closing into fists.
To her surprise, Addison threw back her head and laughed. “Well, what do you know? She’s got spunk after all. Maybe you do have strength enough to survive.”
Emily didn’t know how to keep up. She opened her mouth, but couldn’t come up with a rejoinder of any kind.
Addison seemed to realize she’d gone too far and offered an apologetic smile. “Sorry if I came on a bit strong.”
Emily swiped a hand across her chest and then held it up for inspection. “No blood drawn. I should make it.”
“I knew I liked you,” Addison said with a chuckle. “Can I give you one more bit of advice?”
“Could I stop you?”
“Nope. As my aunt once said to me, sometimes we have to be torn down completely in order to start building ourselves back up. At the time I hated her for it, but trust me, she was right. I know what it is to feel as if you’ve lost everything, including yourself. But it’s time to get over whatever happened and build yourself back up.” Addison nodded once and then smiled at the shop owner. “Karen, my dress fits perfectly. I’m going to change.”
So saying, the golden goddess spun around and disappeared back into her dressing room.
Emily darted a startled glance at Julia. “What just happened?”
“I think Addison gave you her version of tough love. She’s right, though. I probably would have given you my own dose if I wasn’t so gooey over Seth.”
“Remind me to never go shopping with you two again,” Emily said.
It was Julia’s turn to laugh. “Yes, I like you much better when you get spitty, too. Like an angry cat.” Julia addressed Karen. “Do you need to do anything else to my dress?”
“Only a couple adjustments,” Karen said.
“Okay, let’s get to it. Then we can go grab lunch. Emily, you’ll come, right?”
Julia didn’t wait for an answer but sailed off with the shop owner.
Emily took a shaky breath. “I’m not sure I’ll survive a meal with them.”
Sarah giggled. “They do run sort of therapy session-cum-wrestling match. My dress is fine, too. Time to change back into my boring old mommy clothes,” she said, before disappearing into the back as well.
“You have to understand, they’ve both gone through similar rebuilding scenarios themselves,” Meredith said after Sarah had gone.
Great. So the third bridesmaid had decided to join the interrogation. “What?”
“Julia and Addison. They’ve had everything pulled out from beneath them and had to start over again. So have I.”
Emily backed away, and the brunette laughed and made a time-out sign. “Don’t worry. No tongue-lashing from me,” Meredith said. “Except to say we all go through times in our lives when the world caves in. It’s okay to wallow for a while, but eventually you do need to start moving again. Look to God, and you’ll find the answers. So, there’s my humble advice. I’ll go transform myself now, too.”
“If I’d known I’d be subjected to an intervention, I would have stayed on the other side of the street.” Emily shifted toward Grace. “Do you have any words of wisdom for me?”
Grace sent a sympathetic grin. “No, I think you’ve had enough wisdom for one day.”
Emily sighed and sank into a cushioned chair by the door. “Why do I feel like I’ve gone ten rounds with a prize fighter?”
“It’s difficult facing our fears.”
Emily’s head came up. “I thought you said no advice.”
Her smile widened. “Right. Sorry. Except—” She paused, as if seeking permission to say anything more.
What did one more piece of advice matter? “Go on, get it out.”
“You seem like a young woman who is on her own in the world, and if you ever want someone to talk to, I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”
Warmth spread through her entire body. Much of the tension she’d felt since entering the store eased. “Thank you, but I don’t need a counselor,” she said. “What I could use is some advice on a place to live. Right now I’m staying at a bed and breakfast in town, but I’m afraid my budget will start protesting soon. A real job with an actual salary might be nice, too. I love driving the library van, but it’s strictly a volunteer position.”
Grace’s eyes widened in surprise, but then she nodded. “Let me think about it.”
Emily couldn’t help smiling at the kindness. She also couldn’t face an entire lunch with the dueling therapists right now. “Thank you again.” She stood up. “Will you tell Julia I’ll catch up with her later?”
Grace gave her a knowing wink. “She’ll only track you down.”
She laughed before slipping out the door. “Tell her I’ve been hit by inspiration and can’t be disturbed.”
Emily made her escape. She leaned back against the door for a moment, wondering if her legs were steady enough to make it back to her room. Her pulse was still racing and goose bumps covered her skin. Ten minutes. Ten minutes and a roomful of strangers had dissected her life.
Fix it, they’d said. If only she knew how.
Chapter Nine
So far, the good days had outnumbered the bad. Today could not be counted a good day. As Nate helped his mother shuffle from the bathroom back to bed, a sickening lurch in his heart told him the pendulum had begun to swing the other way. Soon bad days would be the norm. He’d known the tide was inevitable, but knowing and watching the downturn were two different things.
His mother sank back against pillows with a short sigh, as if even the brief exhalation of air was too much for her now. He picked up the glass of ice chips on the nightstand and slipped a couple pieces into her mouth.
“I think I’m all right now,” she said, repeating the phrase she’d uttered after every trip.
“I still have the antinausea medicine the doctor gave you.”
She shook her head. “Too soon to take it again.”
Nate grunted. “I doubt anything you take could be worse than cancer.”
His mother’s eyes flew open and a dry chuckle escaped.
A reluctant grin tugged the corners of Nate’s mouth. “That wasn’t meant to be funny.”
“Don’t stop,” she said, grabbing his hand. “I want you to remember, even after I’m gone. You are allowed to laugh. To be happy. To live your life.”
He tried to shake off her grip. “Ma, stop it.”
She held on with surprising strength. “Promise me. Let yourself be happy, or I’ll find some way to come back and haunt you forever.”
“You don’t believe in ghosts.”
“Then I’ll send an angel from heaven to do it.”
“Why not God himself?”
<
br /> “He might be too busy.”
Down the hall, the back door off the kitchen opened with a jangle of keys.
“Anna is here,” she said. “Your brother is staying at a friend’s house tonight. Why don’t you go do something fun?”
Fun. Nate remembered the word, but somewhere along the line he’d forgotten the concept. “Fun,” he drawled. “Right.”
Despite the sarcastic tone, he stood up. His mother was right. The way he felt right now, he’d start climbing the walls if he didn’t get out.
He leaned over and kissed her cheek. “I won’t be long.”
After a quick shower and change of clothes, Nate headed into town. He didn’t even know where he was going. Maybe a walk up and down Main Street might clear his head. He pulled into an empty spot and climbed out of his truck.
“Mr. Cooper!”
He glanced over his shoulder and saw Mitch and Kara Baker walking toward him. “Hey, you two. Dinner out?”
Kara shook her head. “We’re going to The Bookworm. E.J. Sinclair is signing books and talking about how to write one. It’s gonna be so cool!”
“Kara’s been going on about it for two days,” Mitch said. “It’s supposed to start in a few minutes.”
Curious, Nate followed. He’d never seen a real book signing and thought it might be interesting.
Yeah, good story. He couldn’t possibly be trailing after the Bakers so he could see a certain wacky author again.
Nope. Not a chance.
Ignoring his own inner warning to turn back while he still had a chance, Nate stepped inside the bookstore. The place was packed. There were several rows of chairs set up in front of a long table, and they were all filled. Another two dozen children were sitting on the floor, and more adults stood against the wall. He noticed Seth and his fiancée Julia in the crowd.
A hand landed on his shoulder. “Hey, I didn’t know book signings were your thing.”
Nate started at seeing his brother’s grinning face. “Zach. Aren’t you supposed to be at a friend’s house?”
“Chris has never met E.J. so we decided to come. What are you doing here?”
“Mom told me to take a break, and I ran into the Bakers outside. I decided to check it out.”
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