Page 27 of The Unwanted Wife

The doorbell tinkles. "Oh, I’d better get that." Truth be told, I’m happy for the interruption. I love Zoey, but she’s too perceptive. She knows me well enough that if I keep talking to her, she’s going to see through my thin sheen of fake confidence to the doubts lurking below the surface. And right now, I don’t want to confront them. For someone who’s normally confident about what I want to do, this entire marrying-Nathan-business is bringing so much insecurity to the surface, that it’s making me a little dizzy. I dart past Zoey and to the front of the shop, where a woman is standing on the other side of the counter.

She sees me and her features light up. "You must be Skylar. I’m Rachel, and I’m a wedding planner."

"O-k-a-y?"

Even before she says the next few words, I have an idea of what’s coming. " Nathan sent me."

"He did?" Zoey comes up from behind me. "I’m Zoey, Skylar’s friend."

"Wonderful, you’re in time to help Skylar choose her wedding dress."

"My what?" My jaw drops.

"I know this is all a little quick, but considering you're getting married in a week, Nathan wanted me to start the process of putting together the wedding right away."

"He did?" I scowl.

She nods. "He wants you to have only the best. He was very specific about that." Her gaze grows soft. "That man clearly cares about you a lot."

"He does?" I blink, then cup my palm over my mouth and tell Zoey in an aside, "It’s all an act. Nathan’s good at convincing people about the veracity of the situation. He has to, so he can convince his family the marriage is genuine."

Zoey shoots me a glance but doesn’t say anything.

Rachel looks between us, a confused expression on her face. "Is everything okay?"

"Yes, of course," Zoey says brightly. "You said something about a wedding dress?"

"Which I am not interested in," I declare.

Both women turn to look at me. There’s a distressed look on Rachel’s face. "But the wedding is around the corner?—"

"And I’m too busy to leave the bakery." I brandish my hand in the air. "I think it’s best you go."

"Oh, Nathan told me you’d say that. He instructed me to bring the wedding dresses to you."

"What do you mean?"

She turns to Zoey. "If your friend can man the counter for a short time?—"

"I can—" Zoey nods.

I glower at her, and she raises her hands. "Sorry, but if you’ve made up your mind to go through with it, then you have to look the part, right?"

Rachel gestures toward the back of the shop. "We have a trailer parked in the alley. And all the dresses are ready for you to try on. You simply have to step in there and make a choice."

When I hesitate, she pleads, "It won’t take more than an hour of your time. We have fitting specialists on hand to mark out the alterations."

I draw in a breath. "I’m still not?—"

Rachel’s eyes gleam. "Also, the dresses are Karma West Sovrano originals."

13

Nathan

"No church wedding." I rock back on my heels. "Also, I will not be inviting the family."

"Oh." Arthur looks crestfallen. "I was hoping to have all of my grandchildren under one roof for this occasion."

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