Page 30 of The Fence Between Us

Bekah and Kellyn showed up together about fifteen minutes later, both expressing excitement and nerves at trying on wedding gowns. Nonetheless, their dedication to go through with the float lay solely in their trust in Elyza. She would never, ever, put them in a position to do anything they didn’t feel comfortable with, but she would help push their comfort boundaries.

This event wasn’t just another small-town parade. It was the pride and joy of every citizen of Shiloh Hills, even outranking the harvest festival and the winter extravaganza. Small businesses clambered for a chance to participate each year simply for the publicity that came along with it. Having a float or even a banner included in the parade was like a giant flashing sign that shouted, “We are here and open for business!” This would be the first year The Wild Bride participated with a float, and Skye was determined to do her part in making the experience everything Elyza dreamed of.

Skye finished pulling dresses from racks along the walls and hung them from a golden bar just outside the dressing area. The gowns came in all sizes, colors, designs, and lengths, and Elyza promised they could choose their own style so long as each showed off a variety of fabrics, embellishments, and designs. Bekah and Kellyn vetoed several dresses before finding two or three they would try on. Bekah found her dress on the first try, while Kellyn went through rounds before settling on one that made her feel like a queen.

While the other women sipped champagne from crystal flutes, Skye slid behind the ornately decorated divider to try on the two she picked out for herself. She listened to her friends chatting as she stripped off her leggings and T-shirt and reached for the first gown. The silky silver material flowed down her body like a waterfall. The gorgeous style didn’t quite feel like her thoughand she carefully, she slipped the thin straps back on the padded ivory hanger.

I don’t have the confidence to wear a dress like that.

The second dress brought a brilliant smile to her face. It felt natural around her, like another skin, one that elevated her from ordinary human to goddess. In the ornate wall-length mirror, her reflection gazed back at her; she hardly recognized herself.

Skye walked out from behind the decorative divider, adding a little extra sway to her hips as she did.

“Ow, ow!” Elyza hollered, wiggling her eyebrows comically in appreciation.

Kellyn whistled, catcalling jokingly to Skye.

Bekah clapped, “That’s the one!”

They sat in a semi-circle a short distance from the dressing room, giving her plenty of space to catwalk back and forth in front of them. She couldn’t help the grin that broke free and remained until her cheeks hurt. She felt sexy, desirable, and comfortable; the last being the most important of all.

Back inside the dressing room, Skye took a moment of quiet to herself, letting her hands trail over the fabric and across the details on the bodice that extended toward her waist. She bit her lip and shook her head quickly, ridding her head of the distracting thoughts swirling around in her mind.

Reverently, Skye slipped the dress back onto the hanger and closed the clear garment bag around it. She rejoined the others as Elyza passed her a glass of champagne, which Skye sipped slowly.

“Now then—” Elyza plucked a black tote from a nearby chair and promptly dumped its contents on the floor between them.

Elyza must have emptied the entire faux floral section at the local craft store, maybe the ones further away too. Long-stemmed flowers and tangled garlands of greenery mingled on the wood-imitation vinyl flooring. Amid the mess, samplepictures fluttered to rest on the floor, inspiration for Elyza’s vision.

Skye took a healthy drink of champagne.

“We’re making bouquets!” Elyza squealed.

Kellyn groaned good-naturedly. Skye couldn’t stop the giggle that slipped from her mouth. She covered her lips with her hand, hoping to stifle the sound.

Fortunately, Elyza just stuck her tongue out at both of them and encouraged Bekah to take a seat on the floor. Among the shades of blue, red, and white flowers, Bekah looked like a little wood sprite.

Skye tucked her legs under her and eased down next to Bekah. Together, they worked on stabbing metal-cored, plastic floral stems into Styrofoam bouquet bases to build Independence Day-themed arrangements. Skye paused, taking a moment to sip from her champagne flute, and watched Elyza craft boutonnieres for the stand-in grooms, her friend wearing a serene expression on her face.

Skye smiled, realizing this is what Elyza lived for. She loved watching Elyza in her element, just as she enjoyed watching Kellyn move behind the counter at Brick House Cafe. Her friends had found careers they were passionate about, and though she didn’t know Bekah very well yet, Skye hoped she would find something she loved to do as well.

As she thought momentarily of her students, melancholy swept over her. She appreciated the break in the summer months, but she missed the children and the satisfaction of helping their young minds make sense of the world. She quickly shook off the glum feeling, taking another sip of her champagne and centering herself in the moment again.

She glanced at the modern-industrial-style clock on the wall. In a few hours, she’d get to see Rabble, and he would help settle her while validating her feelings. He’d always excelled atreading her moods, and it seemed years apart hadn’t changed that. He never made her feel silly or discounted her concerns when something bothered her, a stark contrast to her parents and most other adults from her childhood. It hadn’t taken Skye long to learn to keep her concerns to herself, internalizing them until they gave her bellyaches and burned in her throat.

Two hours, multiple finger pricks from little needles, and a tiny stinging cut later, they had several beautiful bouquets and boutonnieres as well as arrangements they could tie to the float’s corner posts. Gathering the scraps from their project, Skye threw them in the trash bag, let herself out the backdoor. As the door closed behind her, the telltale click of the lock snicking into place made her cringe. Her shoulders dropped and she tilted her head toward the blue sky above her with a heavy sigh.

“Shoot,” she whispered. “Forgot about that.”

A steel set of stairs connected the main floor companies with the ground on the backside of the sloping hill and Skye hurried down them, her shoes thudding dully on the diamond-plated metal. She heaved the trash bag over the edge of the large blue dumpster, and shut the heavy plastic lid as quietly as possible. It still slammed shut louder than she preferred.

Keeping her eyes on her feet, Skye trudged up the drive and around the side of the building. Loose gravel moved beneath her sneakers, threatening to trip her and send her reeling.

As she neared the front of the building, voices reached her, rising the closer she came to The Wild Bride. They were deep and rumbled with undisguised thunder, giving Skye the distinct sensation of standing outside right before a lightning storm, an electric tension hung heavy around those voices. As she inched closer, the voices evened out, becoming clearer, and her eyes widened with recognition.

Why is Rabble speaking with my father of all people?They hated each other.

As she identified the third voice, she furrowed her brow.Dylan’s here too?

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