by Nancy Warren
Dylan looked at her. "Who has fifteen bridesmaids?"
She smiled grimly. "No, they’re all different dresses. I've been a bridesmaid fifteen times."
He stared at her with a mixture of awe and respect. "I can't even imagine."
"I definitely want this wedding dress, and we’ll take all of your bridesmaid dresses," Joe said.
"Thanks. What do you think we could get for the wedding gown?"
"The problem is that people with the kind of money for Evangeline will probably go to Evangeline. I’ll put a price tag of five thousand, but I’ll probably have to take three. It depends on the bride. You get forty percent of whatever we get.” She shrugged elegant shoulders. “When it comes to resale any item is worth what someone will pay for it."
Well, it was more than anyone else had offered and something about this place felt right. She liked their style and thought the woman had been completely honest. "Where will you put it?" There was a small bridal section in back but she didn’t think Evangeline’s gown belonged with people’s old wedding dresses from the fifties and sixties.
The older woman looked at her as if asking what business it was of hers?
“I’m in sales too,” she explained.
The woman nodded. “No promises, but I’m thinking the store window. I have an idea for a window display with this dress and most of your bridesmaid gowns.”
She nodded. "That sounds good."
When she’d given her contact information and she and Dylan had hauled all of her bridesmaid dresses into the store, she touched the Evangeline gown as though she was saying goodbye to a friend. "I hope you find your bride," she said softly. Then she walked away, feeling as though she had left something precious behind even though she wasn't sure exactly what it was.
Chapter 15
Eric called twice but she didn't pick up. She didn't feel like talking to him.
On her way home, she stocked up on groceries. Healthy food and, even though she still felt like her heart was bruised, if not cracked, she did not let herself even walk down the snack aisle. When she arrived home it was six o'clock.
She put her groceries away and walked into the bedroom to change into sweats. One positive about getting rid of all those dresses was how much room she now had in her closet.
She’d only barely finished changing her clothes when her buzzer rang, signaling that someone was downstairs. She picked up the phone, "Yes?"
"Tasmine. Its Eric."
"What do you want?" She was angry with him and not completely sure why.
“I want to come up. Can I?"
For a moment she stared blankly ahead. She wanted him to come up and yet she didn't. “Sure.”
When he arrived he looked as if he didn’t know what to say. "I called you. Twice. You didn’t return my calls."
"No. I didn't."
"Did I do something?"
She turned her back on him and walked to the patio doors and stood looking out. “No. You didn't do anything.” She’d thought about the way he’d acted while she’d watched The Princess Bride. Twice. When Princess Buttercup made demands, her young lover, Westley always replied, “As you wish.” But did she make demands on Eric? No. She helped him and believed in him and loved him with all her heart. And what did he do in return? “You let your mother saddle you with a date for the wedding and didn’t even tell me. You took back your offer to drive me there so you could all turn up as a cozy foursome. So, no, you didn’t do anything. You didn’t stand up for me, you didn’t even stop Jake from thinking he could take me home along with the wedding favors, not until the very end of the night.”
“I’m sorry.”
She turned to him, surprised to find him apologizing.
“I should have told my mother I’d already promised you a ride. I swear to God I didn’t know she’d already asked Anne to go with us, but that doesn't matter. I could have refused. I could have texted you at least so you knew what was happening.” He stepped toward her. “I let you down. I’m sorry.”
“Sorry’s an easy word to say.”
“Okay. I also told Anne that I was seeing you. And later I told my Mom and Dad that I’m serious about you.”
“You did?”
“I did.” She didn’t ask what the response had been. She knew the Van Hoffendams.
“It’s so hard to be mad at you when you apologize.”
He grinned at her. “Then don’t be.” He walked up and put his arms around her. “You know what I figured out last night?”
“What?”
“I’m in love with you.”
She searched his face and saw he was sincere. When he kissed her she kissed him back. This should be the most perfect moment, but for some reason it wasn't.
He pulled away and looked down into her face. “That's why I’ve been calling you all day. I needed to tell you.”
She loved him so much she ached with it. He was looking at her expecting her to parrot back his words but she didn’t. She said, “This means a lot to me.”
He looked crestfallen. “That’s it? That’s all you have to say?”
“If I tell you I love you, then what happens?”
He seemed surprised by the question. “Then, I scoop you up, take you into the bedroom and make love to you until we’re both exhausted.”
“And if I don’t tell you I love you?”
He looked at her as though this were a trick question. “The same, I guess, only it won’t feel so special.”
She kissed him softly and couldn’t prevent herself from admitting, “Oh, Eric, what are we doing?”
“We’re figuring this thing out as we go. I’ve never been in love before. I don’t know how it works, only that everything is better when you’re around. That I think about you all the time and last night, when I imagined one day sitting at a head table beside the woman I’ve just married, the woman I saw sitting with me was you.”
He reached for her hand and held on to it. “I know I’m a screw-up and I’m not nearly good enough for you, but I’m asking for a chance.”
Emotion threatened to choke her. “You really do love me.”
His smile was sweet and a little sad. “I do. And one day I hope you’ll love me too.”
“Oh, Eric, I love you with all my heart.”
“That is very good news.”
Strangely, he didn’t scoop her up and carry her straight to the bedroom. Instead, they held each other and talked and laughed, and she told him about her day getting rid of her bridesmaid trappings and a wedding dress that wasn’t hers.”
“You know what you were doing?” he asked, sounding smug.
“What?”
“You were making room for me.”
Her jaw fell open. “Have you been reading that law of attraction book I lent you?”
“I couldn’t sleep. It looked like it would bore me into a coma, but instead I learned a few things,” he said.
He was so adorable, and if they loved each other, she knew anything was possible.
“Now that I’ve made room for you, what are you going to do about it?”
Finally, as he’d promised, he scooped her up and carried her into her bedroom.
Eric woke the next morning invigorated. There was something about waking up beside Tasmine, who was the prettiest thing he’d ever seen first thing in the morning, that fired him with enthusiasm for the day. Even though this day was going to be mostly hauling rocks and planting the trees he’d talked the Baileys into, he was pumped.
He tried to dress quietly, but she still woke up, this woman he loved. And who, through some miracle, loved him too.
“Go back to sleep," he said when she blinked sleepily at him.
He headed into the kitchen and put on coffee but wasn't surprised when she came out a few minutes later. Without being asked she took out a carton of eggs and a huge loaf of bread.
While they drank the coffee and she started breakfast she said, “There's something I need to ask you."
"O
kay."
She looked a little embarrassed, and toyed with one of the oranges she was quartering.
She was making an omelet with spinach and mushrooms and cheese and he liked to think that she had him in mind when she did her grocery shopping. Especially as she had sandwich fixings.
"It’s about Ashley." She glanced up at him. "Are you guys okay?"
"Sure. I mean, it would have been nice if she’d dumped me a little sooner, but we’re good. She's getting married again you know?" He shook his head. "I mean, she's getting married again for the first time."
"Right." She glanced up. "Eric, she asked me to plan their wedding and be her bridesmaid."
He stopped grating cheese to stare at her. And then he started to laugh. Big belly laughs that made her join in. "She wants you to plan her wedding to Ben?"
"Yes. Because she knows I’m the best!"
He was still chuckling. "If I were getting married, I’d want you to organize it too."
She sent him a strange look and he felt like he’d accidentally said the wrong thing. He felt like he’d been doing that since he got here yesterday. Like he kept putting his size twelve feet into his mouth and not even realizing he was doing it.
"When is she getting married?"
"I don't know. We’re working around all our schedules. It's going be really casual, though."
"Well, I hope she'll be happy. Ben seems like a good guy."
"I hope so too. And I think she will."
He passed her the cheese and picked up the mushrooms to start slicing them. "I need to talk to you about something, as well."
"What is it?"
His news lay heavy on his chest. "I told my parents about that house I want to buy. And about the business I want to start." He didn't even look up at her. He just shook his head.
"Well, they can’t stop you from starting a business."
"No. They can't do that. But they do control my trust fund. That’s the only way I could buy that house."
“I hate to break this to you, Eric, but most people don't get million-dollar houses when they first start out."
"My dad sat me down and he wants a commitment from me. They've been holding a job and he needs to know when I'm going to take it.” He shrugged. "It's a great starting salary."
She stopped what she was doing and stared. "But you don't want to be a stockbroker."
"No. I don't. But nobody will give me a loan to start a business, either."
"Start smaller.”
He looked over at her. "I know you've done everything on your own. I haven’t. My family is like a corporation. They have expectations. Maybe Dad’s right and having my own business is a crazy, impractical idea. He told me it’s time for me to grow up."
"Well, for what it's worth, I think you’ve grown up a lot in the last few months. I'm on your side. Whatever you decide to do." He caught an expression of sadness in her pretty blue eyes, and he wasn't certain whether it was on his behalf or hers.
"Thanks. That means a lot."
They sat down for breakfast and by the time he’d finished all she had done was tear a piece of toast on her plate. "Not hungry?"
"I don't usually eat a big breakfast this early in the morning."
She pushed her still-full plate over to him and, because he knew he’d be working all day, he forked up her eggs.
Chapter 16
Tasmine thought of herself as an optimist. She believed tomorrow would be better than today, and that if you worked hard you got ahead in life. If you saved your money, you grew wealthier. It was always better to think positive thoughts than negative ones.
But she felt a gray cloud begin to settle over her when Eric left. He was giving up. She could feel it, and declaring his love didn’t seem to have changed anything. She believed that he did love her, but did he love her enough to walk away from the easy life that had been preordained for him? To step out of that comfy and richly appointed Van Hoffendam lifestyle to do work that he genuinely enjoyed?
It wasn't that she cared whether he was a stockbroker or an astronaut or if he ended up working a deli counter. But she knew that if he followed the path that had been laid out for him that Grace and Charles would do everything in their power to separate him from Tasmine. They had their eyes on Mayflower Anne. Tasmine, who’d gone to state college on student loans and sold furniture for a living, was not going to cut it as a Van Hoffendam bride. Even Ashley, who was a Carnarvon, had only been acceptable as a Get Out of Jail Free card. Now that Judge Bailey was no longer a threat, and Eric’s sentence nearly completed, he was once again a great catch for some lucky rich girl.
She got through her days, doing her best to stay positive. She saw Eric nearly every day and enjoyed every minute of their time together. But always, she felt their time was running out. He had been working for the judge and Mrs. Bailey for four months now. There were only two months left and then he would be a free man. Eight weeks wasn't a very long time. Because, of course, when those eight weeks were up he wouldn’t be free. He’d be in a worse jail than anything the judge had in mind for him.
Tasmine was a go-getter, and she was a wonderful organizer, but she couldn’t make Eric follow his dreams unless he was willing to go after them himself. Eric was going to have to decide what he wanted.
So, she carried on. She sold her furniture, she organized weddings, and when Ashley phoned her, they found a date in the late summer that would suit everyone.
"Should I invite Eric?” Ashley asked.
"It's up to you. It's your guest list."
"I want to. He's been my friend forever. But let me know if it's weird for you."
"No, it's not weird.”
"So, are you guys still an item?"
Simply the fact that Ashley had to ask that question made it clear that Eric wasn’t exactly shouting his love from the rooftops. She felt like his guilty secret.
"Yes. We’re seeing each other. For now."
Ashley didn’t say a word and there was a beat of silence.
The furniture arrived for the Baileys’ grandchildren's bedrooms and she was as excited as Mrs. Bailey was. The painters had already been in, and the wooden floors in both bedrooms had been refinished so the oak floors gleamed. Even the windows had been washed. Now, all that waited was the furniture and soft furnishings.
Naturally, she took the opportunity to eat lunch with Eric on the day the furniture arrived. She hadn’t been there for a week or two and she was amazed at the difference in the landscaping.
As she was leaving, she kissed him goodbye. She asked, "Are you coming over tonight?"
"I am, but I'm going to be a little bit late."
"Oh. Why?" Usually he told her all his business.
He gave her an enigmatic look. "It's a secret project."
She laughed. “Eric, you are the least secret person I have ever known."
He seemed slightly offended by her words. "A man can change."
She threw her arms around him and gazed into the face she loved so much. "Yes. A man can change."
She went to yoga class after work and grabbed some take-out dinner but he still didn't arrive back at her place until around nine o'clock that night. He offered no explanation but there was a suppressed excitement about him. Naturally, she tried every way she could think of to get him to spill his secrets, but he remained maddeningly silent.
The next day, she received a call from Mrs. Bailey. "Would you be able to come over today, dear?"
"Of course, Mrs. Bailey. Did you find a flaw in the furniture?" She had inspected every piece before they had installed it in the rooms, and she thought everything from the carpets to the furniture to the drapes, which she had hung herself, was perfect.
"No. The rooms are wonderful. Alice’s room looks like a secret garden and Joshua’s looks exactly like a spaceship. But I want your opinion on another room I want to decorate."
"Wow. Yes, of course." She wondered which room it was and why Mrs. Bailey hadn't said anything before.
"Would three o'clock be good for you?"
"Yes. Certainly."
She had to rearrange her schedule, but for a client like the Baileys she was willing to make concessions.
She arrived a minute or two before three o'clock with her notebook and a case containing her measuring devices, her catalogs, and her laptop. Mrs. Bailey welcomed her with a hug, her eyes twinkling with excitement.
"What is it?" she couldn't help but ask. Mrs. Bailey appeared as excited as a young girl on her first date.
"You'll see."
She ushered Tasmine into the living room. Did she want this room redone? It was already a beautiful room, where all that amazing art dominated. The only flaw was that sad blank space in the middle. "Would you like some tea?"
"No. Thank you."
"Well, all right then. Sit down."
Tasmine sat and wondered what was going on. A few moments later, she heard the judge's voice, and the deeper rumble of Eric's. The two of them arrived in the room and Eric looked at her and raised his eyebrows in a silent question. She shook her head imperceptibly. She had no idea what was going on and clearly neither did he.
"Eric," the judge said, "we have an indoor job we would like you to do."
"Okay." Eric looked rugged and tough in his stained T-shirt and jeans that were ground with dirt and frayed on the bottom. He was in stocking feet so as not to track dirt into the house. When she glanced at the judge she could see that he looked, not excited like his wife, but sort of anxious.
"Bring in the item that you’ll find next door in my study."
Once more, Eric glanced at her, and then he left the room. He returned carrying a package about the size of a painting wrapped in brown paper. "Is this what I think it is?" Eric asked. His voice wasn't quite steady.
"It is.”
"Have you looked at it?" He glanced up and she could see that his anxiety wasn’t for himself. He didn't want the Baileys to be disappointed.
"No. We haven't."
She sent up a silent plea that the art restorers had been able to do something. And then, as though he couldn't bear the suspense any longer, Eric ripped the paper. From where he was standing he couldn't see the front of the painting. She and the judge and Mrs. Bailey got the first look.