Page 59 of Free to Believe
“Because you’re the opposite of what he thinks he needs, but you’re everything he dreams of.”
I snort. “Yeah, right.”
Jenna’s making her way back with Mugsy. “Trust me, Em. Come shopping. But I guarantee you that by the time dinner’s over Friday, Jake’s over here begging for a second chance or I’ll model one of your dresses for free.”
I think about my upcoming Fashion Week. “You’ve got yourself a deal.”
We shake on it.
* * *
After a quick lunch,Dani, Jenna, and I hit up an amazing shop called Serenella. I immediately gravitate toward the accessories where I nab a Roksanda belt to go with my yet-to-be-made dress for Friday night. Its pink color perfectly matches the Jimmy Choo sandals I threw in my bag at the last minute before I set off for the island.
Dani picked up a few odds and ends for herself, as well as a pair of cute turquoise leather wedges to complement Jenna’s dress. After calling Lynne to get her shoe size, she convinced the shop owner to hold a black pair with the promise that Lynne could exchange them. I think the store owner was salivating over Dani being in her store at all, let alone buying as much as she did.
“That was fun,” Dani says cheerfully as we make our way back to her car.
“It was,” I agree.
“You didn’t buy much.” She frowns.
“My dress doesn’t need much. This”—I shake the bag—“is exactly what it needs.”
Dani’s silently laughing. Jenna’s head is ping-ponging back and forth between the two of us. “What am I missing now?”
“It’s just I’ve known Em for years, sweetheart. If she says her dress doesn’t need much, it’s likely because her dress is going to make one hell of a statement on its own.” Dani’s outright cackling.
“All I said was it was going to be a little black dress.” My voice is innocence.
“Shouldn’t that be Little Black Dress, capitalized?” she asks me pointedly.
I shrug. “Maybe.”
“Can’t I be told anything?” Jenna grumbles from the back seat.
Dani and I burst out laughing. “It’s nothing really, sweetheart,” I assure her.
“Just Em’s way of dealing with a problem that’s—popped up.” Dani is laughing herself sick at her own double entendre. I could smack her.
Instead, I carefully switch my glasses for my shades. “I’ll enjoy having you work for me for free.”
“Lord help me, Em. If I end up having to work for you for free, we’re both going to be miserable,” Dani warns.
Even as I grin, there’s a part of me that knows she’s likely right.
32
Emily
Friday’s come around far too quickly, but if anything, the work I’ve completed on Jenna and Lynne’s dresses has certainly put me in the right frame of mind to design. I’ve shot off three more sketches to Ali, not including the two bridesmaid dresses. When she called me screaming in delight, she demanded, “Now, where the hell are the rest of them? I hate to be a pain, but you only have a few months, Em.”
“I’m well aware of that,” I bite back. The collection is half-done, and while I feel some relief, I’m just not there yet. I know it, Ali knows it, and my frustration is palpable.
“Then do what you have to do,” she says softly. Tears spring to my eyes. Damn, it’s a good thing I don’t have mascara on yet. “What you’ve sent over is incredible. I think it’s the best work you’ve done.”
“What I’ll do next is going to be better,” I say with a confidence I’m not entirely sure where it’s coming from.
“I don’t doubt that. You going out tonight?” Since I asked Cassidy for the fabric and Corinna’s no doubt been in touch with Brendan, I have little doubt my family knows of my plans even from hundreds of miles away.
