Page 37 of Love Letter Lost
Ridge’s expression told me this was one argument I would not win. With a sigh, I pulled my phone out and turned it on. I ignored the barrage of texts and voicemails filling my screen and opened my camera.
“Fine,” I said. “But you have to take a picture first.”
Ridge took my phone and snapped a few pictures with me posing, including one of me tripping while I worked to shift positions, which I made him delete. I hoped that my love for the outfit would translate into the images. Though I worried that I would just look fed up and mildly irritated after spending so much time shopping.
I texted the pictures to Livvy and then hit the call button, deciding against a video call.
“Where have you been?” Livvy’s voice rang out, causing me to flinch and pull the phone away from my ear. She continued ranting, talking about her panic and stress.
“Did you get the pictures?” I finally broke into her tirade, ready to move the conversation along. Even if she hated the scarf, I needed to know so we could keep looking.
Livvy paused for a moment before responding. “What pictures? All I’ve had is radio silence for the lasthour.”
“I just sent you our latest find. I love it, and I think it would make everything easier.” I kept my tone light and persuasive as I paced in small circles in front of the dressing room, the skirt swishing around my legs.
“Let me look.”
I held my breath and looked over at Ridge as I waited for the verdict. If Livvy didn’t like this, I wasn’t sure what we would do. Maybe I could talk her out of having any bridesmaids after all.
“It’s just a scarf,” Livvy said, her voice confused. “I mean, it’s a cute scarf, but—”
I broke in, catching the hesitation in her voice and hoping that I could talk her into the outfit. “It would be classy and unique. Think about it: size isn’t a problem, it’s inexpensive, and all the girls likely already own a black skirt and white shirt.” I ticked off our reasons quickly, wanting to list them all before she could rule out the scarf.
“But it’s June. Who wears a scarf in June?”
“You would be a trend setter.” I forced as much enthusiasm into my voice as possible.
“True.” Her voice trailed off. “But what about the skirts and shirts underneath? They wouldn’t be a perfect match.”
“But the scarves would, and at this point, I’m not sure we have many other options. I’ve already visited all the stores you and I talked about.”
Livvy was silent for a few moments, and I prayed for good news. I looked over at Ridge, who was staring at me, waiting for the verdict.
“If we had more time I’d keep looking, but since we don’t…”
I held my breath, waiting.
“I say get the scarves.”
“Yes!” The cheer burst out as I pumped my fist in the air, excitement and relief filling me as one more item was checked off our list. I looked over to see Ridge doing a touchdown dance surrounded by women’s clothing, his arms flailing as he jumped in circles. “We’ll buy them right now. Bye.” I hung up before she could change her mind.
“She said yes!” I did a victory dance of my own, managing to bump into Ridge. Instead of steadying me and backing away, he pulled me in for a hug.
Time slowed while my heart sped up at the contact. My body reacted, burrowing in closer while my brain tried to process everything and imprint it in my mind. I caught a whiff of his cedarwood-spice smell, the warmth of his embrace triggering memories of the night before. Then time caught up to me, and I snapped out of it, pulling from the hug a second too late.
“I’ll just go change.” I refused to make eye contact as I hurried back into the dressing room, knocking into a nearby clothing rack as I went. I rubbed the tender spot on my arm, my fingers encountering the familiar scar from the accident so many years before. Would my heart bear a similar mark when this week with Ridge was over?
CHAPTERTWENTY-ONE
“What doyou want to do now?” Ridge asked as we left the store, a bag containing the scarves hanging from his arm.
“I assumed we’d both go back to my place and start on the centerpieces,” I said, a second bag containing the flirty black skirt swinging from my arm.
I tried to push the hug from my mind as I walked, but my brain seemed determined to dwell on the warmth and comfort of his embrace. Not to mention his smell. I would never think of cedarwood the same way. The sooner we finished the wedding prep, the better. I needed space from Ridge. My emotions were getting hard to understand and control.
“That’s no fun.” Ridge nudged me with his elbow, and warmth shot up my arm. “We finished another item on the wedding to-do list. I think we need to celebrate.”
“So, you want to get food?” I asked.
