Page 40 of Whisper of Surrender (Whisper Lake 2)

CHAPTER 12

Jess was speechless as she stared at her best friend standing on a pedestal in the center of the boutique in downtown Chicago.

She and Ali weren’t the girls that ever talked about what their weddings were going to be like or had their Barbies marry Ken. They were the girls that changed their Flight Attendant Barbies into fighter pilots. Instead of house they played clothing designers and when they played dress up, their go-tos were a news reporter and a lawyer, not a bride or a princess.

So, when Ali had asked to tag along with Jess on her weekend trip to Chicago for a beauty convention so she could dress shop, Jess had figured it would be a quick visit to a boutique. She’d try on a few dresses then they’d go hang out in the city. No biggie.

But seeing her friend in this gown…this was a biggie.

“What do you think? Is it…” Ali turned side to side as she ran her fingers down the torso of the dress. “I don’t know…too plain?”

“It’s…” Jess searched for the right word. Unable to come up with anything more original she settled on, “perfect.”

Ali’s eyes lifted and met Jess’s reflection in the mirror. Her forehead creased as she asked, “Are you crying?”

Jess wiped the extra moisture from beneath her eyes. “It’s allergies.”

Not crying had been a source of pride for Jess growing up. She would get test results that made other kids bawl but she wouldn’t shed a single tear.

Her friend smiled, “Oh that’s right, you’re allergic to emotions.”

Jess stuck out her tongue at Ali.

Ali just smiled wider. She swayed back and forth several more times and turned so that she could see the back of the dress before declaring, “I think this is the one.”

The simple sheath was the fourth dress Ali had tried on and had been Jess’s least favorite on the hanger. It was so plain compared to the lace and beading details on the other dresses that all had a “wow” factor.

Ali had looked beautiful in the other options, but as soon as her friend walked out of the room, Jess knew this was her dress. It was a showstopper. Stunning. It complimented Ali by highlighting her collarbone and neck and accentuating her curves. The other dresses were beautiful on her, but she was beautiful in this one.

“I think so, too,” Jess agreed.

“I didn’t think I was going to like it, but I guess that shows that you can’t be sure of what you want until you try it.” Ali’s statement was about the dress, but Jess had a feeling that it was really about something else.

Jess didn’t take the bait. She was worried that any conversation about Ethan with her best friend would only lead to her admitting it was a hoax. And she couldn’t do that. She’d told Ethan she wouldn’t. Jess lived by her own set of rules, and one of those rules was always staying true to her word. If she made someone a promise, she kept it. Which was why, all these years later, it still bothered her that Ethan had gone behind her back and told the nurse that she’d passed out.

Although, she had to admit, it bothered her a lot less after that kiss and the dance lesson. A shiver ran down Jess’s spine at the memory of the look in Ethan’s eyes.

The sales girl that looked like a cast member on Pretty Little Liars came back to check on Ali. The young woman barely looked old enough to drink but had more poise and class than Jess ever dreamed of having.

“So, what do you think?”

Ali’s lips scrunched. “I know it’s the one because I don’t want to take it off.”

“That is the true test.” The young lady grinned. “Should we take you over to alterations so you can speak to one of our specialists?”

“I think so.” Ali nodded and followed her out of the room.

Jess took a moment to let the fact that her best friend, her ride or die, her other half, her person was now going to be a married woman. She was happy for her friend, but part of her was grieving the loss of her plus one.

Growing up hadn’t been easy for either of the girls. Jess was sick, angry, scared and tended to lash out at her classmates. She’d been an easy target and because of that, shed had no issue fighting back and fighting dirty. One day Jess had been in the bathroom crying after being teased when Ali walked in. Jess screamed at her to get out. But Ali hadn’t listened, and the two were inseparable from that day on.

Ali might’ve been healthy, but her life hadn’t been a cakewalk. She’d never known her father and had been raised by an alcoholic mother who died when Ali was twelve. Patrick basically raised Ali, and then she’d lost Patrick. Suddenly, without warning, she was raising her twin nephews by herself.

Between the two of them, Jess thought that she’d had it the easiest. She’d always had her parents.

Ali yawned as she stepped back into the showroom.

“Was all the talk of tailoring that boring?” She joked, but then noticed that her friend looked a little pale.

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