Page 36 of Never Kiss and Tell

“Psychotic,” I answer, before I can stop myself. Andi’s eyes go wide with fear and my heart stammers in my chest for a moment before Kendra laughs, allowing everyone else to play it off.

Jesus, Bailey. Get your shit together.

We try on dresses and I actively hold myself back from talking, so that I don’t say something to set Sarah off. Tom’s such a nice guy that it’s hard to believe his mother is the Wicked Witch of the South. She bosses the entire store around, even doing so to other customers. Fortunately for her, everyone else that’s not in our party seems to love her.

I get it. She’s sophisticated, like my mother, and just as beautiful, with enough money to buy every dress in the store.

Luckily, she doesn’t bother me much since my comment about my mother. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same for Andi. I bite my tongue when she tells Andi she’s not paying for this wedding, so her opinion isn’t needed. I even manage to bite my tongue when she tells Andi that she would like to design the seating chart because Andi doesn’t know who can sit by whom.

But I don’t, however, bite my tongue when she starts talking about Andi not being good enough for her son.

It started out with a snide remark about a few extra pounds Andi has put on since Tom met her. It ended when Andi went to the dressing room crying.

“I just don’t understand why you need something so form fitting,” Sarah muses when Andi comes out in her dress. It’s beautiful, handcrafted with a lace bodice and a mermaid bottom in silk. It’s molded perfectly to all her curves and the stark white pops against her tanned skin.

“She’s beautiful,” I quip, pulling back from hugging Andi. Andi tugs at my hand, so I offer my best fake smile to Sarah.

She doesn’t even notice.

“I just think that maybe we need to try a fasting diet. At least until we can get those hips smaller.”

“I think the dress fits her perfectly,” Kendra chimes, smiling at Andi.

Ella, the worker helping us, looks between us like she’s gearing up to hold one of us back. Probably me, if I’m being honest.

“This doesn’t concern you, Kendra. Charles and I are paying for this wedding.” Kendra looks taken aback and tears well in Andi’s eyes.

“Her opinion matters. She’s her stepmother,” I quip, my voice low, but throbbing with anger.

“Nonsense,” Sarah says with a wave of her hand. “Now, Andi. If you want to make my son happy, you’re going to have to go down a size or two.”

“Your son hasn’t said anything about my weight.”

“Everyone can do better, dear. If you want to be better than Cecilia, you’ll have to try a little harder.”

Fucking Cecilia. She’s just like Priscilla. A pest.

“Why bring Cecilia into this? They haven’t beentogether for two years,” Andi snaps, a tear running down her cheek.

Sarah lets out a sigh like she can’t stomach the thought of being in the same room with us anymore.

“The point I am trying to make, Andrea, is that you are not good enough for my son in your current state. He deserves someone worthy of him. You are too busy. You do everything for him a wife would do. How could he ever respect you with morals like that?”

Andi’s bottom lip wobbles and before I can cut in, she hurries to the back of the shop and into the dressing room. Kendra stares between Sarah and I, like she can’t decide what whether she wants to go for Andi or jump on Sarah.

“Kendra,” I murmur, standing from the couch. “Can you go check on Andi, please?”

She nods once, giving me a look before disappearing down the hall where Andi had gone, leaving just Sarah and I standing in the small area dedicated to Andi trying on her dress. Ella follows after her, checking back over her shoulder as she does.

“My, she’s going to have to toughen up.” She turns to me, holding out a flute of champagne. “You understand, don’t you, Bailey? With your mother and her husband. A woman married to a man in a position of power needs to be at her very best. It’s what I had to do with Seamus.”

“Did you know there are rumors about you, Sarah?”

She almost chokes on her champagne.

“Poor folk make up rumors everyday about the rich. It’s what they do.” She waves her a hand at me, but her facepales.

I chuckle and step forward, lowering my voice until only the two of us can hear. “My stepfather is one of the best lawyers in California. People from all over the country pay him a lot of money to win big cases for them. Don’t think I can’t get the case against you over Tom’s father’s disappearance reopened.”

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