What to Read After FSOG: The Gemstone Collection (WTRAFSOG Book 8)

by Sabrina York

  “You should be able to drive since you’re living out here. You never know when you might need to go to town.”

  Caris nodded. “I’m a little nervous, and I need a refresher, but I plan to get my license after Dom and I are married.” A pleasant shiver ran up her spine as she imagined holding a legal document confirming she was Dom’s wife. Caris McNeil sounded wonderful to her. It was strange that she had never imagined herself as Caris McNeil when she was with Brendan. Had she realized even then that the relationship was doomed to fail?

  Elena drove cautiously along the icy interstate, deciding they could find what they needed in Eugene since she didn’t feel up to a long drive to Portland. Rather than going to the mall when they entered the city, she turned toward downtown. A few minutes later, she parked at the curb in front of a small boutique with no name on its door. The only distinguishable characteristic was an intricate gold symbol adorning the awning.

  Caris followed her inside, eyeing the wedding gowns on display. Their window display was in the process of being stripped of its Christmas theme. She smiled when she caught sight of a flower girl dress made from red velvet. It was adorable, but too big for Jessica.

  A tall, angular woman with the name Sue Ellen on her tag appeared at their side. She wore a worsted suit in a shade of charcoal gray, with a purple silk turtleneck underneath. Her eyes slid over Caris, seeming to dismiss her casual appearance, and turned to Elena. “May I help you?”

  “We need a wedding dress.”

  Sue Ellen nodded. “Who’s the bride?”

  “I am,” Caris said in a soft voice. Once again, she received a dismissive look from the clerk. She pulled at the pink fleece top, wishing she had worn something different. Elena looked polished and put together in the wool pants and severely cut black jacket. She despaired ever knowing how to dress and act like her mother-in-law-to-be.

  “What did you have in mind?”

  Elena waved to Caris. “Have you thought about what you want?”

  She gazed at the selections with round eyes. “I don’t know. What do you think?”

  “The wedding is semi-formal,” Elena told the clerk instead of answering Caris. “I believe my son is wearing a light gray suit.”

  Sue Ellen nodded and led them to a display of tea-length bridesmaid dresses, simple white gowns with little decoration, and fancy hats. “You probably won’t want a veil.”

  Caris grimaced. A veil seemed too traditional to pass up.

  The clerk lifted a white hat decorated with tiny white roses. “This will look good with your facial shape.”

  She took the hat and tried it on, wondering if they weren’t doing things in reverse. Shouldn’t the dress come first?

  “Lovely,” Elena said. “I need a dress too, and we’ll need something for an infant girl. Maybe something that matches the dress Caris chooses.”

  Sue Ellen lifted a brow. “I see. If you’ll follow me, I’ll show you the dresses many second brides opt for. Peach is a popular color.”

  Caris swallowed down her nerves and firmed her mouth. “No, thank you. One of the whites will do fine.”

  The clerk blinked before tilting her head forward obsequiously. “Of course, miss.”

  She turned away from the clerk and pretended to examine one of the hats. She didn’t like any of them. “I want a veil,” she said, making her voice level but firm.

  “How about adding one to your hat?” Elena suggested.

  Caris bit her lip and finally nodded. She didn’t want to be obdurate or choose something completely inappropriate.

  “Can you do that, Sue Ellen?”

  “Of course.” Sue Ellen took the hat from Caris’s head and walked it to the counter. When she returned, she carried a cloth tape measure. “Now, which dress do you like?”

  Caris didn’t think she imagined the new respect in the other woman’s tone and attitude. Maybe the secret to being the right kind of wife to Dom was to be herself, and stand up for herself? She smiled at the thought before she turned her attention to the dresses. After much debate, she selected three and tried them on.

  The second of the bunch ended up being her favorite. The bright white silk sheath fell straight to her ankles. A white lace jacket added a touch of elegance, and covered her bare arms. A row of seed pearls sewn into rosettes lined the lapels of the jackets, giving it just the right touch for a semi-formal occasion.

  “That’s the dress,” Elena said when she stepped out to model it for the second time. She dabbed at her eyes. “You’re so beautiful.”

  Caris fought down her urge to cry and hurried back to the dressing room before she lost the battle. It still amazed her that the worst event in her life had led her to a fresh start with a new family. She and Jessica were both lucky to have ended up with the McNeils. If only Brendan wasn’t part of their family, she would have been completely over-the-moon ecstatic. Part of her still worried about his intentions, and she knew she wouldn’t relax completely until she was Dom’s wife. If Brendan let her marry his brother without causing trouble, she would know he was truly over her. She would be free to live her life with Dom without always looking over her shoulder, waiting for his brother to interfere.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Caris woke with a pounding head and to find Dom had already left the room. She rolled over and glanced at the clock, groaning when she realized there were only three hours until the eleven o’clock ceremony. She was surprised Elena hadn’t awakened her by now.

  As if on cue, there was a knock at the door. Elena pushed it open and walked to the window. She pulled back the drapes and flooded the room with light. Then she gave Caris a pleased smile. “You’re awake. Splendid.”

  She got out of bed and stretched. “Where’s Dom?”

  “Seeing to the details.”

  “Isn’t that more your area, Elena?”

  Elena shrugged. “Today, my area is preparing the bride. You slip into a hot bath, and I’ll bring up some breakfast.”

  Caris shook her head. “There’s no need. I’ll go downstairs.”

  Elena’s lips thinned. “Absolutely not. You mustn’t see Dom before the wedding. It’s bad luck.”

  Her brow quirked. “I thought it was only bad luck if he saw my dress?”

  “I don’t know. Let’s not risk it.”

  Caris grinned as the other woman bustled out. She decided to follow orders and headed to the bathroom. When Elena entered a few minutes later, awkwardly balancing a tray in one hand while leaning heavily on her cane, she was in Dom’s luxurious whirlpool, letting the bubbles ease the ache in her neck that seemed to be causing the headache. She looked at the tray and found the poached egg turned her stomach. “I’m not hungry.”

  Elena didn’t insist she eat. She merely nodded. “Nerves. That’s natural.”

  “Were you nervous when you got married?”

  Elena nodded. “Of course. I knew he was only marrying me because of the baby. I didn’t expect our marriage to be a happy one.” Her mouth twisted. “But I honestly didn’t think it would end a few years later, or I wouldn’t have bothered with all the fuss.”

  Despite the seriousness of the words, Caris grinned. “‘All the fuss’?”

  She nodded again. “It really was a bother. My parents hated him, which was mutual. His parents didn’t think the daughter of a Greek fisherman was good enough for their only child, so we eloped to avoid opposition.”

  Caris reached for a towel, and Elena averted her head. She stood up from the water and wrapped the towel around her, sarong-style. “Did it work?”

  Elena laughed. “Of course not. Both families were too stubborn to let the subject die. I will admit all the sparks made life interesting for a time.” She shook her head. “Listen to me. I’m single-handedly trying to turn you against marriage. You finish up in here and slip on the robe hanging on the door. We don’t want makeup on your dress.”

  After Elena left, Caris dried off and slipped on the robe that smelled strongly of Dom. It was thick a
nd soft, and she rubbed her cheek against one of the lapels. When she entered the bedroom, it was transformed. A portable beauty chair and manicure station had been put against the wall nearest the window. Three women stood next to Elena, conferring. Jessica napped on the bed, surrounded by a mountain of pillows.

  She stood there awkwardly, waiting for someone to tell her what to do. Elena noticed her first and nodded to the women. The three brunettes turned around and were all so similar in appearance they must have been related.

  “Caris,” Elena said as she walked forward. “Meet Anne, Jill, and Bea Ross. They’re image consultants.” She leaned forward, whispering, “Anne’s the mother.”

  “Uh, hello.” Caris ran a hand through her wet hair and eyed the women eyeing her.

  The oldest one, who could only be Anne, stepped forward. “Jill, you do hair. Bea, manicure and pedicure. I will see to the makeup.” She finally turned her eyes to Caris. “Ms. Reese, please sit in the chair.”

  Caris sat in the portable chair, startled when the more rounded of the sisters settled on the floor and lifted her left foot to inspect it.

  “You have nicely shaped toenails,” she said.

  “Thanks.” How did one respond to a compliment like that? Before she could think of something more to say, the other sister pulled back her head.

  Jill ran a wide-toothed comb through the layered locks, ruthlessly dispatching any tangles. “You should use a premium conditioner and crème rinse.”

  “Okay.” She didn’t bother to mention it was only recently that she hadn’t been restricted to store brand shampoos. Forget about conditioner, even generic. Diapers came first.

  Somehow, Anne managed to squeeze herself in to apply a cool, fizzy mask to Caris’s face. “By the time Jill finishes your hair, this should be ready.”

  Caris saw from the corner of her eye that Anne had joined Elena on the edge of the bed. They were soon in a whispered conversation. She didn’t know whether to be paranoid about what they might be planning to do to her, or to assume they kept their voices low so as not to wake the baby.

  She endured ten minutes of vigorous brushing before Jill began clipping her hair. “Don’t go too short,” she said at one point.

  “Don’t worry,” Jill said in a cheerful tone. “I’m a professional.”

  “I don’t like short hair.”

  “You’ll love it.”

  She sighed and closed her eyes, trying to ride out the stinging mask. It had changed from refreshing to painful in just a few minutes. “Shouldn’t this come off?” she asked as someone placed cucumber slices over her eyes.

  “Twenty minutes, dear,” Anne said.

  At least the pedicure and manicure wasn’t too bad, she conceded. Bea had a soft touch and fast hands. By the time Anne came back to remove the cucumber slices and mask that had become the equivalent of fire on her flesh, Bea was applying the last coat of polish to her fingernails.

  When Caris lifted her head and saw her image in the mirror, she gasped. The various layers were gone, and her hair curled softly two inches above her shoulders. It looked thick and full, but too short. She reached up to touch it and frowned when Jill smacked her hand lightly.

  “Don’t touch. We wouldn’t want to interfere with the varnish.”

  “Varnish?”

  “It locks in the shine.”

  “It’s so short.” Caris shook her head, getting a dark look from Jill. “What? I can’t move at all?”

  “Not right away. Once the varnish dries, I’ll finish the style. Then you can move it, touch it—whatever you want. It won’t go anywhere.”

  “For how long?” Caris couldn’t help chewing on her lip as she awaited the answer.

  “About eight hours.”

  She sagged with relief, and then stiffened as Anne rubbed something that felt like ice across her face. “What’s that?”

  “It counteracts the mask we applied.”

  “Why bother with the mask?” She mumbled through stiff lips, alarmed by the way her facial muscles seemed to be frozen. She looked down as Bea turned on a nail dryer and held it over her fingers.

  “Skin toning,” she said with a smile. Anne blotted her face with a soft cloth and stepped back. “Jill will finish your hair before I begin the makeup.”

  Bea moved the dryer to the other hand. She stepped away about a minute later, folding the dryer. “I went for simple to match your dress.”

  Caris looked down, and her eyes widened at the “simple” manicure. The base coat was almost translucent, and Bea had used white polish to form a lacy pattern across the nails. “It’s beautiful.” She lifted her foot and saw the toes matched.

  Bea smiled and moved away from the area.

  Jill used a curling iron to fluff out the ends of her hair to feather back the sides. It was a pretty style when she finished, but Caris couldn’t get over how short it was. She didn’t bother to say anything about the length when Jill stepped back and held her hands up in a quirky imitation of Vanna White presenting a letter.

  “It’s super shiny. Don’t you just love it?”

  “Thanks.” Caris made the effort to smile at Jill, who moved away without any indication that she realized her haircut was less than a success.

  Anne filled up the empty space, bringing a large plastic case. She opened it to reveal rows of makeup in a dazzling assortment.

  Caris closed her eyes again as Anne’s deft fingers worked foundation into her skin. She vowed to like whatever changes they wrought, knowing Elena had gone to a lot of trouble to arrange the treatment. The makeup would wash off, the nail polish would eventually peel away, and the hair would grow back. The changes were temporary and certainly not worth upsetting Elena.

  A few minutes later, Anne said, “You can open your eyes now, Ms. Reese.”

  She looked into the mirror, and her lips—painted a soft salmon shade—fell open into an O. Her complexion had the appearance of a china doll’s face, with glowing skin, softly defined cheekbones that seemed to slash across her face, and bright green eyes highlighted with neutral colors. She never could have created the look with her limited knowledge of cosmetics.

  “What do you think?” Elena’s hands were clasped together, and she seemed nervous.

  “The transformation’s amazing,” she said with a big smile. Caris looked over at Bea and Jill to thank them and saw they were working on Jessica. The baby looked grumpy as Bea painted her tiny nails, while Jill tied a pink bow in the thick brown strands. “Are you next, Elena?”

  “Oh, I couldn’t—”

  Caris turned to Anne. “Would you have time for Elena?”

  Anne glanced at her watch and nodded.

  Within seconds, they had traded places. Caris ignored Elena’s protests as she stepped back to allow the Ross women room to work. She walked over to Jessica and lifted her. “Good morning,” she whispered, gently touching the pink bow. It appeared to be secured with some clear, sticky goop. Perhaps the stylists’ version of rubber cement?

  She still wore the robe and decided to keep it on until they told her otherwise. She located a bag near the foot of the bed and changed Jessica’s diaper. Then she took the tiny pink dress from the three hanging behind the door and slipped it over her daughter’s head. She had decided that she liked the frilly pink creation better than the white dress Sue Ellen suggested for the baby.

  By the time Jessica wore her tights and white, patent leather Mary-janes, Elena was done. She looked several years younger, and her hair had been cut shorter and fluffed around her head. She looked dazed as the women led her to the dresses.

  Caris grasped her hand and pressed a kiss to Elena’s cheek. “I couldn’t be the only one to suffer,” she whispered in her ear.

  Elena laughed and shook her head.

  Anne tisked her tongue when she saw Caris’s lipstick had smeared. “Eight hours, my—” She trailed off as she searched through the case for the stick of L’Oreal lipstick to touch up Caris’s lips.

  While Elena slip
ped out of the pantsuit she wore, Caris went into the bathroom to put on underwear, sheer white pantyhose, and a long slip. When she returned, she saw Anne lift Elena’s dress from the hook on the door and pass it to her daughters.

  Jill and Bea assisted Elena into the mauve dress. It fell in a straight line to her knees, where a black ruffled underskirt peeked out for a half-inch. The sleeves ended at her wrist in loose ruffles, and the dress had a subtle lined texture in the material.

  Next, Anne lifted the wedding dress from the door, removing the jacket and passing the sheath to Jill and Bea. Caris stood without moving as they lifted the dress over her head, careful of her hair and makeup. She lifted her arms when Jill said to, and dropped them again when Bea zipped the dress. Jill held the jacket, and she slipped her arms inside. Then she pushed her feet into the white leather shoes with silver tea roses embroidered along toe and heel. The roses on the shoes were perfect matches for the fake blossoms on her hat.

  The final step was the hat and veil. The boutique’s milliner had sewn the white lawn veil into the brim of the hat so expertly that it appeared to be an original part of the design. Jill secured it in place with a hatpin and fussed a bit with her hair. When she stepped back, she nodded, declaring, “Perfect.”

  Elena opened Dom’s closet doors and folded them back to form a large mirror. Caris eyed herself, smiling with approval. The dress was elegant, without being lavish. The hat did frame her face, and she could finally see why Jill had chopped off so much of her hair. The style was perfect with the hat, emphasizing her cheekbones and full mouth. She hoped Dom would recognize her when she met him at the foot of the stairs.

  Caris lifted Jessica from the bed and held her up to the mirror. She pulled Elena closer to stand with them and pointed at the three of them in the mirror. “Aren’t we beautiful?” she asked Jessica.

  Jessica chewed on her recently manicured finger, seeming to be determined to remove the light-pink polish. She looked up for a second and said, “Da.”

  Caris sighed. “Wouldn’t you know it? She hears the word for three days and decides it will be her first.”