Page 27 of Our Big White Lie
The dress I was wearing now was too big, so it wasn’t the reason I was struggling to catch my breath.
Right then, Tori’s gaze locked on me, and she looked me up and down, her laughter fading a little as she seemed to take in the sight of me in the wedding dress.
Her eyes met mine.
It was my turn to look her up and down.
Then we made eye contact again.
Holy crap. There she was. Here I was. Both in white dresses. Not the ones we’d wear to our wedding, but still—we were here to try on dressesfor our wedding.
Our not real wedding, I reminded myself, but somehow that didn’t help me catch my breath.
Tori cleared her throat. “Okay. I guess…” She looked down at her dress, and her smirk returned. “Guess I should get back to trying on the real thing?”
“I don’t know,” I said, still breathless. “You kind of rock the fluffy pastry look.”
She rolled her eyes and flipped me off.
“Victoria,” her mom said, though she was fighting a losing battle against a smile.
Tori quickly put both hands behind her back and adopted an expression that reminded me of how she’d look when she got caught doing something as a kid. “Sorry, Mom.”
“Sure you are, kid.” Her mom let the smile come to life even as she rolled her eyes.
“The older they get,” my mom said, “the more they stay the same.”
“I know, right? Kids—what can you do?”
Tori giggled. So did I.
We exchanged looks, and then we headed back into our respective dressing rooms to try on the next dresses. Alone in the tiny room, I leaned against the wall and closed my eyes. I was just stressed. That was all it was. I was grateful that Tori was helping me do something for my mom while we still had her, and with everything happening, my emotions were going to be all over the place. It was to be expected.
It didn’t mean we were doing the wrong thing.
It didn’t mean I needed to stop and pick apart all those feelings that rushed through me whenever I saw Tori taking a step toward this wedding.
She was my best friend. I loved her. I was grateful for her.
Seeing her in that dress had just driven home the length she was going to in order to help me give my mom her dream. That was all it was.
And if I told myself that enough times, I might even believe it.
CHAPTER TEN
Tori
As my grandmother’s house came into view, I bit back a few words that would’ve had her slapping my face. I loved my family, but Grandma and one of my aunts were insufferable. They were, unfortunately, the price of admission if I wanted to attend family gatherings, though, so here I was, sucking it up yet again.
Today was my uncle’s birthday. I’d been tempted for a hot minute to stay home with Ava and work on wedding plans, but I really did want to see everyone besides the Wicked Witches of the Griffin Family. I didn’t dare bring Ava; she was already stressed to the gills about all things wedding, and I wasn’t going to subject her to any rudeness. She’d met the objects of my aggravation enough times that she wasn’t at all put out over me going alone.
“You have fun with that,” she’d told me with a grimace as I’d left the house. “I’ll be pre-addressing invitation envelopes.”
“Do we even have the invites from the printer yet?”
“No, we’re still settling on some text and—anyway.” She’d waved a hand. “We nailed down a size and style, so I figured I’d get a jump on this part.”
“Smart.” I’d paused. “I should be helping with that.”
