by K L Finalley
Resting her head on the palm of her hand, Mallory was content. She sipped her water with thought of her lipstick. She replayed the image of Jacqueline and Zoe resting peacefully in Zoe's bed when, from the back of the apartment, she heard Alex yell, "Mallory, get the door."
"Oh okay," she responded. She hadn't heard anyone at the door. She thought, Jax's rubbing off on me.
Upon opening the door, she found Olive Dean in a wispy peach sundress and canvas shoes with her signature crimped brown hair. She hugged Mallory and asked, "What's up?"
"Hey, Olive. How are you?" Olive's affection caught Mallory off guard and, she failed to return the hug.
Olive released her and walked in. "I'm good. I mean things are really good. Drew and I have been getting along so well. Things just couldn't be better."
"That's wonderful. I'm glad to hear it."
As Mallory trailed behind her, Olive inquired, "How are things with you and Jax?"
"Things're good. She's great. Everything's great."
"Uh huh. How's Zoe's responding?" Olive pressed.
"Zoe loves her. Hell, she may love her more than me."
"Is that cool?"
"Oh yeah. That's fine. I'm glad they have such a good relationship." Mallory returned to the stool and crossed her legs.
"Well, then, things sound great."
Fiddling with her nails, Mallory said, "They're great."
"Where's the bride to be?"
Mallory pointed towards the bedroom, "Still getting ready, of course."
Immediately, Olive headed towards Alex's bedroom. Talking to Alex as she walked, "Let's get this show on the road. Mama's got a date tonight."
Before Mallory could decide if she was going to follow Olive or stay in the kitchen, there was another knock at the door. This time, Mallory expected it. Before she opened the door, she was speaking, "Hey, Paige."
"Sorry, I'm late."
"There's no such thing when you're hanging out with Alex," Mallory teased.
"Don't you look nice?"
"Thanks. You look nice, too. Is this new?" Mallory said as she touched the decoration on her scoop necked white tank.
Paige Little blushed. "I thought about what you and Alex said the other weekend. I tried to get some of those styled things."
"What did Alex say?" Alex questioned as she entered the living room. She was fully dressed. Her baby blue shorts were coupled with gold heels and a matching baby blue and gold striped cutaway shirt.
"Don't you remember? You told me to get the right size and to get the right colors," Paige reminded her as Alex glanced aimlessly around the apartment.
"Oh, yeah. Yeah, I did say that." Finally, looking at Paige, she remarked, "And, look at you! This is better." Alex tugged on Paige's pants, "But, I'm not sure these were on the list. You're far too short for capri pants."
"The lady at the store said that I looked nice." Paige said disappointedly.
"Never take fashion advice from the girl who gets paid based on how much she sells. That bitch is not your friend," Alex wagged her finger in Paige's direction.
"You look great," Olive tried to reassure.
"We should do a makeover weekend. Clothes. Hair. Makeup. The whole thing. It'd be fun," Mallory said.
Paige did not seem excited but kept quiet. On her behalf, Olive said, "That doesn't sound fun at all. That sounds like you and Alex treating poor Paige like a little sister."
Ignoring the rebuke of this plan, Alex added, "We can go have breakfast first at the bakery Jacqueline likes."
"Oh, it's the best. She went and picked up croissants and pastries from there this morning." Mallory patted her stomach.
"Aw, she's so sweet," Paige cooed.
"Yeah, she's something," Mallory muttered.
Concerned, Paige inquired, "What's wrong? Did you have fight this morning?"
Before Mallory could answer, Alex added, "See, you guys think everyone's so sweet. Yeah, sweet isn't everything." Alex picked up her purse and headed for the door. "Are you bitches ready? Let's go find me a dress."
~~~~~~~~
The women loaded into Paige's minivan. With Alex sitting in the passenger's seat navigating, Olive and Mallory made themselves comfortable in the second row. As they headed to the shop, Paige asked, "What kinda dress are you looking for?"
"Something beautiful."
Wryly Mallory answered, "All wedding dresses are beautiful."
"No, the hell they aren't. When Jo's friend, Tina, got married her dress was horrible. It was huge. She was covered in lace. All you could see was this dark face peering out of whiteness. I don't want that."
"Mental note. No lace." Paige said.
"Okay, then. What do you want?" Olive asked.
"Something sexy. I want form fitted. I want to show off the goods." Alex wiggled in the seat.
"Like a mermaid dress?" Paige asked.
"Hell no! Not like a mermaid. I want something form fitted all the way down to the ground, but with a little bit of a train."
Quietly, Mallory said, "Well, this should be interesting."
Olive heard her and responded, "It always is." She elbowed Mallory and advised, "As maid of honor, I think I speak for the wedding party when I say that we don't want to be in some horrible dress just so you look better."
Paige added, "And, form fitted is out. There's not enough biscuits for all this jelly." The truck erupted in laughter.
Through her tears, Alex offered, "I promise that I'll get a dress that's good for y'all." Pointing at Paige, she said "One that's not form fitted," then to Olive, "And, one that's nice."
"Are there wedding colors yet?" Mallory asked.
Alex held her head back against the seat and said, "Nope. We still don't have any. Elet and I can't agree. The other night, we were having dinner with his mom who suggested black and yellow. Both of us hated that idea. Then, he goes on and on about how gray and white would be classy. So, I tell him that doesn't have the pop of wedding. That's like an old folk’s prom."
"So, whaddaya want?" Olive asked.
"Red and white," Alex retorts.
"Red and white? That's the prom, for sure," Mallory chimed in.
"Uh, we aren't gonna look good standing next to you in red dresses. It'll look like a damn trauma scene." Olive added.
"I thought it'd work. The guys could wear..." Alex started to say.
Paige reminded her, "And Jacqueline."
Alex sighed, "Fuck. The guys and Jacqueline could wear..."
"Does that bother you? That Jacqueline is the best person for Elet?" Paige asked.
"I hate that phrase. Look, Mallory, I'm all for marriage equality and when you two get married we can do whatever..."
"Who said we were getting married?" Mallory asked.
Olive leaned toward Mallory and answered a soft tone, "It's probably a matter of time."
Looking out the window, Mallory said in a whisper, "Somehow, I doubt that."
Paige turned down the music and stared into the rearview mirror, "What's going on, Mallory?"
"Oh. Nothing." Mallory replied with her face in her lap.
"Doesn't sound like nothing," Paige pressed.
"Uh, she said it was nothing. Let's get back to me," Alex protested.
"Hush up, Alex. What's the problem, Mallory?" Olive asked as she turned towards Mallory on the bench seat.
"Nothing, really. It's been a great five months. Some of the best of my life. Jax and I get along great. Jax and Zoe get along great. I guess I'm scared of what happens next," Mallory said as she continued to look away from them.
"What do you want to happen next?" Olive asked.
"Here we go again." Alex posed, "Why can't we get together without someone needing a damn intervention?"
"I just want to know what she wants next. Are we going to live together? Are we having fun? What are we doing?" Mallory's eyes watered.
Still looking at Mallory in the rearview mirror, Paige reached to the back and placed her hand on her knee. Rubbing it
, she said, "Honey, you're overthinking this. I know she loves you and you love her. I think you're just scared of being happy. You know, I don't think any of us have seen her this happy. Ever. I know she has a plan for a future, and I'm sure that you're in it."
Looking off in the distance, Mallory responded, "I know. I tell myself that every time I feel this way. I know that she hasn't had much experience with relationships. And, she has no experience being a parent. We've had a few bumps and I've found ways to make suggestions for what she should do in the future. And, she does it. I guess I'm scared that this may all be too much. What if now that she knows what she's getting into, she runs away." Quietly, the tears rolled down her face.
Olive scooted closer to her in the seat. She wrapped her arm around her. Paige handed Mallory a box of tissues. Mallory rested her head on Olive's shoulder. "I know what you mean. You've fallen in love. Your daughter has fallen in love and you're scared of getting hurt. Me too. When Drew leaves, I wonder if he'll come back. When he does, I get scared. When he's late, I get scared." Mallory nodded her head on Olive's shoulder. "But, you know, I think fearing that I could lose him makes me better at loving him. If he walks away, I'll be crushed. But, God, I've found out what I really want out of life because of that man. And, I'll always be thankful for that."
Sniffling, Mallory responded, "I guess you're right. It's just nerves."
Alex asked, "Are you better now?"
"Yes, I think so. Thanks guys," Mallory said, dabbing the corners of her eyes.
While the other women were consoling and reassuring Mallory, Alex returned to her plan, "All the guys and Jacqueline could wear white pants and white vests with red shirts."
"Listen, bitch, can we give Mallory a minute?" Olive said.
"What? She said she was fine." Alex turned and looked at Mallory. "Didn't you say you were fine?" Mallory did not respond. Paige pulled into the parking lot of the bridal shop.
"We aren't wearing red, Alex. We aren't. That's dumb." Olive resolved as she opened her door.
As Mallory collected herself and reapplied her makeup, she received a text from Jacqueline:
Hi, baby! I hope you have a blast. I miss you.
She smiled and responded:
Just got to the bridal shop. I hope this doesn't take the rest of my life. I'd rather your face be the last thing I see before I die and not Alex in some too tight dress.
With that, her composure was regained and she caught up to the other women.
~~~~~~~~
After three hours in the bridal shop, desperation had begun. The attendant had delivered size four wedding dresses in varying styles. Alex had paraded around the store in A-line dresses, in ball gowns, and in the mermaid dresses that she had been opposed to in the van. She hadn't liked any of them.
"Maybe, we should go look at another store," Paige suggested.
"No, I want a boutique dress, not some dress that everyone has. This is the only boutique that comes recommended by national magazines in two hundred miles. I'm getting a damn dress from here," Alex snarled.
"Fine, then, pick one,” Mallory said. She had removed her shoes over an hour ago. The heels were beautiful. She had received compliments from other women, but they were a horrible idea for wedding dress shopping.
Alex screamed, "I'm trying. It's not my fault that this woman," and pointed to the attendant, "can't find me one incredible fucking dress in the whole damn store."
As Olive laid down on the bench, she offered, "Why don't you go look yourself instead of just sitting here waiting on her to bring you something that you aren't gonna like anyways."
"Ooh, good idea. Help me, Olive." Alex hiked up the gown she was wearing and yanked Olive from the bench. Inspired by activity, all of the women began searching through racks of dresses. Talking across the store, they discussed dresses, sizes, lengths, and prices. They talked about style and color. When there was a dress to be shown, the women would come to the end of the row and display it.
In the fifth hour, Olive announced, "I've found it." The women had heard the declaration before and did not respond swiftly. Standing at the end of her row, Olive became upset, "Uh, where are you guys? I found the dress."
Paige appeared first. With Olive holding it, Paige ran her fingers across the dress, "Oh my God! That's beautiful!"
Curious about Paige's crooning, Mallory stopped searching and went to perform an inspection. She bit her fingernail, cocked her head sideways, and closed one eye. Then, she agreed, "Alex, this may really be the one. Paige's right. It's beautiful!"
Still wearing the last ball gown, Alex emerged from between two sets of racks. She walked to Olive and held out her hands. Olive handed the dress to Alex who placed the hanger over her head. With the ball gown on her body and the new dress around her neck, she fell silent. She turned to her right side. She turned to her left side. She leaned forward. She walked away from the women. She paced about the racks. Anxiously, the women stood beside the three-way full length mirror and waited for her to speak. But, she did not for some time. Then, after walking across the boutique away from them, Alex turned and looked back over her shoulder at herself in the mirror. With a smile, she began to mimic that she was having a conversation. Once the fake conversation was over, she announced, "Ladies, I think I want to see this dress on."
Having missed lunch, the hungry women staggered back to the benches to await the change. Paige yawned. "Who knew this was going to take all day?"
Olive responded, "Oh, I did. It took weeks to find the right prom dress. I think we put in fifteen hours of pure shopping for a dress she wore for three hours. Tops."
Paige's phone rang. "Oh no, it's Brett. I hope the kids are okay." She answered.
Olive and Mallory tried to talk quietly to one another to give Paige some privacy. "Feeling any better," Olive asked.
"Yeah, I just get scared. Things aren't bad. We're happy when we are together, but we never talk about the future. I have a kid, you know. And, I don't know if I can just casually date anymore. But, I'm too scared that's what she wants or is it too soon to even talk about any of that. I definitely don't wanna run her off."
"Girl, me too." Olive had removed her canvas shoes and was rubbing her right foot. "Drew has been good with the kids. All four of them. He's even good with my crazy momma. Everyone loves him, but I got four kids. I love them, but I know life with me's a lot. Next week, I'm supposed to go with him to visit his family. I mean, everything's all great, but I just can't help worrying the hell he's gonna haul ass."
"That's me, too! I can't even explain it. We don't have any big problems. We don't argue a lot and when we do, it's over pretty quick. I just worry all the time."
"Just don't ruin things..."
Before Olive could finish, Paige spoke, "Brett wants to invite everyone over to the house for dinner. He got his new grill assembled and he's eager to fire it up. Are you guys interested?"
"I'm sure Jacqueline won't mind. Count us in."
Paige winked and bumped her with her shoulder, "See, making plans for your girl is part of being a couple. What about you and Drew?"
"Oh, you want us to come?" Olive said with surprise in her voice.
"Well, of course, I do." Paige said.
"Lemme text him. He said he wanted to do something tonight, but I don't know if he made plans or something." Olive typed away.
Paige placed the phone back to her ear. She spoke only a few more words before ending the call. Then, she looked at them and said, "This'll be fun. I told him that I'd text him a head count."
Before they could discuss the details any further, Alex reappeared. Standing in front of them, she was wearing the dress. In a lace tank dress that weaved around her form until it flowed into a small train, she was as beautiful and elegant and as sexy as she had hoped. As she turned to show them the lace back that buttoned closed, she asked, "The head count for what?"
Barefoot, Olive jumped to her feet, "I told you this was the dress."
"You look amazing
. Do you like it, Alex?" Paige asked as she walked towards her.
"I think I do. I really think I do." Alex was quieter than normal. She did not have a snappy comment. All sarcasm was lost. Standing in front of that mirror with her friends, she stared at herself. Then, she stared at them standing beside her. Quietly, she said, “I think this is the one."
Mallory straightened the train, so that they could see the dress as it would be in pictures. She said, "I don't know, Alex. Maybe, we should see if they have one in red." She giggled as Alex slapped her arm.
Chapter 4
When the long beep rang through the penthouse, Jacqueline stopped what she had been doing and looked up towards the ceiling. A smile etched across her face. The sun had started to descend. Day was gone; but, Mallory had returned. Without first returning her office to order, Jacqueline exited the room. She flung open the front doors of the penthouse and waited for the second, long beep, which signified that the elevator had reached her floor. Waiting anxiously, she began to rotate one hand over another. While the time between one beep and the next was less than a minute, it felt far longer. So long that Jacqueline abandoned the idea of waiting behind the doors. Instead, she emerged from the penthouse, closed the doors behind her, and rested her body against the right door. Dressed in camouflage cargo shorts and a black t-shirt, she leaned against her custom doors. She had had them carved out of the same koa as her bed. However, its relief carving was that over a large tree with its overhanging branches. Standing against them, she appeared to be waiting casually under a tree. Her fingers were intertwined and placed atop her head. W