Page 18 of The Green Card Baby Deal

“Try it on,” Dawn said. “It looks just like you.”

Clara handed the phone to Meredith, who chatted with Dawn and Patty while Clara went in back to try on the dress. She slipped into it easily and stared into the dressing room mirror while the shop assistant pinned the back for her. As the dress came together, Clara felt tears well in her eyes. This was it. The perfect dress. She didn’t even care whether anyone else liked it. This was the dress that felt like hers. She spun in the mirror and watched the train bunch around her feet as she did. The beading was beautiful with swirling patterns and details that brought the whole look together.

By the time she came out of the dressing room, she was already crying, which was weird because she’d never been an overly emotional person. But this was all so overwhelming. And part of her was sad the man she would be sharing it with was not the love of her life. A business arrangement was not what she’d imagined her wedding to be. But she told herself it would all be worth it. Maybe she wouldn’t find the love of her life in a man. Maybe she’d find it in her child instead.

From the phone in Meredith’s hand, Clara heard her sister say, “That’s the one!”

Everyone else agreed. “It’s gorgeous!” Patty said.

“And avant-garde,” Meredith added.

It really was the one, Clara thought. She couldn’t have had a better dress made for her. “What’s the price tag on this one?” she asked the shop assistant.

The woman seemed surprised to have been asked. “Oh, one moment.” The prices weren’t dangling from the dresses like they were in the stores Clara had been to in the past. But the shop assistant came back with a small slip of paper, which she then handed to Clara.

Clara’s eyes went wide as saucers. The dress cost as much as a luxury car, maybe even a small house. Her heart sank. “Do you have a cheaper one that’s kind of similar?”

Again, the shop assistant tried to hide her shock. Meredith stood and handed Clara’s cellphone to Patty. “Hold this for me, will you? I have to have a brief conversation with our bride.” She grabbed Clara by the elbow and gently led her back into the changing rooms.

“What?” Clara asked. “What did I do?”

Meredith shook her head, and her ringlets bounced with the motion. She really was so well put together. “You didn’t do anything wrong. It’s just something I think you may not understand. Or maybe it just hasn’t sunk in yet. You are marrying Luis Morales. You never have to look at another price tag. You don’t have to worry about how much anything costs. If you want it, get it. I promise Luis would want you to have it. He’s quite generous with family, which is what you will become shortly. Anyway, you choosing the most expensive dress in the shop will only make you look like a properly sophisticated bride to anyone who actually cares. His peers are sure to be impressed.”

Clara’s cheeks warmed. It was so obvious when she thought about it. Of course she didn’t need to worry about money anymore. It was just a habit she couldn’t seem to break. “It just… all feels like a dream, I guess. This can’t be real.”

“Oh it’s real, sister. You want this dress? It’s yours. You want a twenty-tier cake with every flavor the shop can make? Take it. You’re supporting their businesses. Trust me, they’ll love you for it. If you treat them half as well as you treat Patty and me, you’ll be worth a hundred of the kind of nasty, entitled clients they usually get. Just have fun with this. Think of it as a vacation you get to take for the rest of your life.”

Clara thought she might burst into tears. Why was she so emotional right now? Maybe it was just because this was all happening so fast. “Can I give you a hug?” she asked Meredith. “You can say no, and I won’t mind,” she added.

“Of course you can! Come here.” Meredith pulled Clara into her arms and squeezed her tight. “Everything’s coming up roses for you, got it? And if this means you’re going to be my boss along with Luis, everything’s coming up roses for me and Patty, too. We’re happy you’re here. Don’t you forget it. You’re going to be a beautiful bride.”

CHAPTER 10

LUIS

On the day of their first appointment with the fertility clinic, Luis found himself pacing around his penthouse while Clara tried on different outfits. He kept telling her not to worry, but he couldn’t manage to take his own advice. He poured himself a shot of whiskey and quickly downed it before jogging upstairs to see what the holdup was. Clara stood in front of a full-length mirror in a white skirt and a pink cashmere sweater.

“You look great,” Luis said, and she jumped at the sound of his voice. Apparently, she hadn’t known he was standing behind her. “It’s just a doctor’s appointment,” he said to reassure her as well as himself. “It’s going to be fine.”

“But what if they say it’s already too late?”

“There’s no sense worrying about that before you even know.” Her cheeks were pinker than usual, he noticed, and her whole demeanor just seemed softer. He longed to hold her, but he didn’t dare. It wouldn’t be professional. She wanted their business arrangement to stay professional, and admitting that he fantasized about her during the day, that he missed her at night even though he’d only ever spent one with her, was just not professional. He clenched his hands into fists and resisted his own desire. “Let’s go. It’ll be fine. I’ll take care of everything.”

As soon as those words left his mouth, he saw her shoulders drop and her expression relax. He’d been able to calm her, to make her feel safe. Luis was prouder of that than he was of his entire corporate empire.

He took her to her appointment in his best limo so she would be distracted on the way. It worked. Clara was stunned by things Luis took for granted on a daily basis. She loved the TV screen that lowered at a voice command. She loved the drinks on hand, though she didn’t choose to have one considering she was going to a doctor’s appointment. She loved the seat warmers, of all things, and the way the windows could tint and fade to whatever shade she wanted.

“You’ll be bored of all this one day, you know,” Luis said.

“Not possible.” She was commanding the TV to retract like it was the best game in the world. “Why? Are you bored of it?”

Luis nodded, though he was suddenly ashamed to admit it. “But it doesn’t seem so boring now,” he said with a smile. “So maybe it just matters who you’re sharing it with.”

Clara laughed like he was joking, though he wasn’t. “Cheesy.”

He leaned in too close and looked directly into her eyes. “You like cheesy.”

Her smile dropped and her cheeks colored. “Okay, you got me. I do like it.”

---