Page 77 of Mistletoe and Malice
More tears fell down Fran’s porcelain cheeks, and they all wrapped their arms around her. “I am very blessed. I thank God every day for bringing Kade into my life.” She smiled at Avery in the mirror. “But who knows, Ave? Maybe you’ll be next. John sure seems like a keeper.”
Avery’s eyes lit up as they separated so Fran could study the dress that fit as if made for her. “A girl can hope. I can honestly say I’ve never felt like this before. And so quickly. He’s … he’s … no words. I can’t find words.”
“That’s a first.” Barbara winked at her with a grin.
Riley chuckled. “You’re great together, so enjoy it. Who knows? This could be the last time you fall in love. Savor every moment.”
Giggling, Avery clapped her hands like a little girl as she turned to Frances. “Honey, I’m trying one of those on. Just for kicks.”
“Me, too.” Barbara grabbed Riley’s hand, pulling her up next to her. “Come on, Ri. Let’s get our bridal on.”
Laughing like teenagers, they rummaged through the racks, each of them picking dresses to try on. Satiny, skin-tight mermaid dresses, strapless gowns, puffy-sleeved gowns, and frilly Southern-belle confections none of them would be caught dead in. They spent half an hour giggling and teasing each other.
Until Riley walked out in a simple white gown with spaghetti straps, beaded bodice, and wispy long skirt. The girls quieted and stared.
Barbara pushed her glasses up on her nose. “Wow, Riley. That has your name all over it.”
At the bank of mirrors, she stepped up onto the small platform. It was perfect. Simple yet elegant, comfortable, and easy to maneuver in.
“It is pretty.” She turned one way, then the other. “I love this skirt, the way it moves.”
Avery nodded. “Perfect for a summer wedding.”
“And it would be great on the dance floor,” Barbara said, herself standing in front of the mirror in a dress that sparkled with what had to be a million sequins, pearls, and beads festooned on the bodice and down the ballroom-style skirt. The pouf sleeves reached to her ears, but it was the huge bow on the back that took the whole thing over the top—the perfect dress for the bride who couldn’t make up her mind because she likedeverything.Definitely not Barb’s style, but they’d dissolved into hysterics when she sashayed out in it as if she were on a Paris runway.
“Excuse me, ladies.”
Colton’s voice preceded him peering around the partition between the viewing area outside the dressing rooms and the rest of the upscale bridal shop. “Riley, your meet?—”
She spun around, and their gazes tangled. Piped instrumental music filled the silence as those azure eyes raked over her from head to toe, leaving a current of fire in their wake.
“Um … Colton?” Avery said, herself dressed in a gorgeous, straight-skirted, ivory gown. “You were saying?”
“Oh … uh …” He cleared his throat. “Yeah. Sorry. Um, Riley, I wasn’t sure if you were aware of the time.”
She glanced at her watch. “Oh, right. Thank you.” Gathering the skirt of the gown in her hands, she stepped off the raised platform. “This has been fun, girls, but I’m meeting with a blood spatter expert at three.” She glanced back at Colton. “I’m so sorry I’ve kept you guys waiting. I’ll be out in a jiffy.”
“No worries.” He swallowed. “We can be there in twenty.”
Back in the dressing room, Riley took a deep breath and let it out. Her skin tingled, and a swarm of butterflies flew around her insides, as if she were still under scrutiny.
Correction. UnderColton’sscrutiny. When she’d swung around and encountered his thunderstruck gaze, her heart hammered against her ribs. He’d seen her in the formal dress she wore to the fundraiser at the Cantrells’, but the look in his eyes as he’d studied her in this stunning wedding dress had been something else. Something … electric.
Shaking her head, she reached back to unzip the dress. Nonsense. He probably hadn’t been thinking of her at all, but of Theresa, the woman who’d faced him in front of an altar in a white dress. The woman who owned his heart and his devotion. The woman who’d pledged her life to him until death had so cruelly parted them.
Dressed again in her royal blue suit and white blouse, she pulled on her pumps and gathered her hair into the long ponytail she’d had it in before playing dress-up. As she left the dressing room, she ran her hand over the skirt of the gown hanging on the hook. It truly was the perfect dress. If she were getting married, her dress hunt would be over.
Speaking of which …
With the gown draped over her arm to return to the rack, she stepped out of the dressing room and knocked on the door of Fran’s. Her friend cracked it open, buttoning up the black blouse she’d worn with a pair of gray slacks for work.
“What about the dress, Frannie? Is it a keeper?”
Fran’s face fell. “Riley, I can’t afford that dress.”
“It’s on me. I want you to have it if it’s the one you want. It’s perfect, sweetie. If you love it, if it’s what you want to wear for your day, then you’ll have it. But order it instead of buying the one off the rack.”
“I can’t let you do that.”
