More Than Words: Acts of Kindness: Whispers of the HeartIt's Not About the DressThe Princess Shoes

by Brenda Jackson

  Her stomach tingled as if she knew him, but there was nothing about his blond hair or rugged features that seemed recognizable. She didn’t know anyone who drove a delivery truck, but maybe she’d seen him before on one of her jobs, transporting tables or chairs or a thousand other things. He smiled and gave her a friendly little wave. Odd, considering he had a flat in heavy Saturday traffic and would probably be late at his destination himself.

  The car behind Chloe honked, jarring her out of her reverie. She continued on around the truck and made the turn. A few minutes later she pulled up to the Conways’ house and saw that Morton the Magnificent was waiting for her, wearing a long black cape and a top hat. He grinned and held up a short, sequined outfit. Chloe heaved a resigned sigh. When she moved into Ted’s house and into a bigger home office, she could hire her own assistant to do the tedious stuff. Meanwhile...

  “Abracadabra,” she murmured, then conjured up a bright smile and climbed out of her van.

  * * *

  THE CONWAY BOY’S birthday party was a raging success, but ran longer than planned, so she was late meeting Ted for dinner. When she arrived at her apartment, he was sitting on the couch waiting for her, wearing neat chino pants, a long-sleeved dress shirt and a decided frown that deepened when he saw her sequined outfit. “What on earth are you wearing?”

  “Long story,” she said, tossing her purse and briefcase on the desk that took up most of the living room. She bent down for a quick kiss as she rushed by, carrying the bagged wedding gown. “Let me change. I’ll be right out.”

  He glanced at his watch sourly. “Okay, but try to hurry. I didn’t have lunch and I’m starving.”

  Once in her bedroom she hung the dress on her closet door. Ted had been impatient lately with her long hours at work and her preoccupation with the wedding details. Saturdays were usually more hectic, and sometimes she had back-to-back events. She told herself to make a special attempt to be more attentive during dinner, lest he start feeling neglected.

  All would be forgiven the day of the wedding, though, when the most incredible production that Toronto had ever seen would unfold in front of five hundred lucky guests. Photographers from a bridal magazine and the Toronto Star would be in attendance to capture pictures of the twelve bridesmaids dressed in discriminating butter-yellow dresses, the tiny ballerinas who would spread flower petals as they danced and twirled down the aisle and the white-and-gold horse-drawn carriage that would carry her and Ted away to the elaborately decorated reception hall for a sit-down seafood dinner and dancing to a string quartet.

  Chloe smiled to herself. Ted would thank her for making their day so special.

  She glanced at the bagged wedding gown and bit her lip. Why not give him a preview? When Melinda’s warning of bad luck flitted through her head, Chloe dismissed it as nonsense. All the phone calls, all the consultations, all the arrangements she’d made probably seemed abstract to Ted because she didn’t have anything concrete to show him.

  But the wedding dress—that he could understand.

  She quickly changed into the gown, contorting to close the long back zipper and hook up the extensive train to form a bustle. She slid her feet into the matching shoes and attached the veil to her hair. Then, with heart pounding, she swept into the living room and waited for his reaction.

  When he glanced up, he did a double take, his eyes wide, his mouth open. “Wh-what’s this?”

  “It’s my dress, silly,” she said with a laugh, turning in a circle for effect. “I picked it up today—what do you think? Isn’t it amazing?”

  He stood and nodded, his Adam’s apple bouncing. Chloe was filled with feminine satisfaction that she’d managed to render him speechless.

  “I thought I wasn’t supposed to see it until the day of the wedding.”

  She gave a dismissive wave. “An old wives’ tale. Won’t it look wonderful with the yellow bridesmaids’ dresses?” she asked, her excitement building. “And the charcoal-gray tuxedos? And the yellow lilies—”

  “Chloe,” he interrupted, his face pale. “I...I’ve changed my mind.”

  “About the dark gray tuxedos? Because we can still go with dove-gray if you want.” She retrieved her cell phone from her purse and began punching in numbers. “I’ll change it right now.”

  Ted snapped her phone closed. “I’m not talking about tuxedos, I’m talking about the wedding.”

  She frowned, then laughed. “What do you mean?”

  “I mean the wedding, Chloe. I’ve changed my mind.”

  She shook her head. “I still don’t understand. You’ve changed your mind about what?”

  His jaw hardened. “I’ve changed my mind about marrying you. The wedding is off.”

  Chloe stood there, her mouth opening and closing. By the time Ted’s words had sunk in, he was gone.

  CHAPTER

  TWO

  CHLOE STOOD IN THE silent vacuum created by Ted leaving. He’d changed his mind about marrying her? Just like that? She ran after him, but her feet moved in slow motion because she was weighted down by the heavy dress. “Ted!” she yelled. “Wait! Ted!”

  It was a struggle to fit through the door. She raced out onto the balcony of her second-floor apartment and searched for him in the parking lot below. He stood with his car door open, looking up at her. Some of her neighbors who happened to be outside walking pets and unloading groceries gaped at her, too.

  “Ted, come back!” she called. “We can talk about this!”

  But he only shook his head. “It’s over, Chloe. I’m sorry.” Then he climbed into his car and drove away.

  Chloe stood there until she realized she was freezing in the spring chill and her neighbors were still staring up at her. What a sight she must make, standing there in a wedding gown, shouting after a man screeching away in his car.

  She trudged back inside her apartment, hindered by the bulky dress and all that it symbolized. She closed the door and leaned against it, taking deep breaths, trying to make sense of what had just happened.

  Ted had been distracted lately—irritable, even—but she’d attributed it to both of them being busy. Not once had she suspected he was having second thoughts about their marriage. Her heart squeezed painfully when the enormity of his rejection washed over her like a cold wave. She realized her cheeks were wet with tears, and hastily wiped at them before they fell and stained the gown.

  As if it mattered. She looked down at the dress that she had so painstakingly selected and had tailored, the fairy-tale gown that was to be the centerpiece of her perfect showcase wedding and set the tone for her marriage. Suddenly, the hundreds of hand-set Austrian crystals mocked her. The yards of Italian silk suffocated her.

  She couldn’t get it off fast enough.

  Of course, the zipper stuck. Chloe yelled in frustration, twisting around and giving it a hard yank before it finally gave way. She tore off the dress and tossed it on her bed, then kicked the silk shoes across the room. How could Ted do this to her?

  Her panic ballooned as the arrangements that would have to be canceled whirled through her mind—the church, the minister, the harpist, the soloist, the photographer, the videographer, the media, the dancers, the florist, the reception hall, the caterer, the string quartet, the limousine service, the hotel rooms, the gift registries, the horse-drawn carriage.

  And the Hawaiian honeymoon.... She choked on a sob. After slaving over the details of the wedding for months, she had so been looking forward to two weeks of fun and sun to relax.

  She drew a few shaky breaths, and her mind kicked into practical mode. There would be dozens of people to call—the bridesmaids, guests, her mother....

  Her mother, who had raised Chloe by herself on few resources. Her mom, who was so proud of Chloe’s successes and so happy that she was marrying well.

  A new wave of tears swept over her. How would she tell her mother that she’d been dumped?

  And she didn’t even know why.

  Sudden anger sparked in her bel
ly, fanning to a flame. Chloe yanked up her cell phone and punched in Ted’s number. After three years of dating and a year-long engagement, the very least he owed her was an explanation of why he would call off their wedding. How dare he humiliate her like this?

  His phone rang and rang, and when it rolled over to his voice mail, she hung up and redialed. After five futile attempts, she threw down the phone and shouted in frustration. Incensed, she removed her engagement ring and bounced it off the wall, leaving a dent. She didn’t see where the ring landed, didn’t care. She paced, restless, overcome with the need to do something.

  Chloe glanced at the clock. It was five-thirty on a Saturday afternoon. Most offices and retail stores would be closing soon; the calls to cancel the numerous arrangments for the wedding would have to wait until Monday.

  When her gaze landed on the dress piled in a heap on the bed, she was overwhelmed with sadness. Her magical dress. She couldn’t stand to look at it.

  And if she hurried, she could return it before the bridal shop closed.

  It was the one thread she could begin to unravel now, one proactive step to begin undoing all that she had put together over the past several months. One thing that would make her feel less helpless.

  Resolved, Chloe stuffed the wedding gown, veil and shoes into the bag and raced to her van. She was numb on the short drive to the bridal shop, single-mindedly focused on getting the garment out of her sight.

  Melinda was turning the Closed sign on her door when Chloe ran up, carrying the dress. The woman’s eyes went wide and she tried to pretend she didn’t see her, but Chloe pounded on the door until she relented and let her in.

  “I’m returning the dress,” Chloe said flatly. “The wedding is off.”

  Melinda looked incredulous. “What happened?”

  She didn’t want to admit that she should’ve heeded the warning about the groom seeing the bridal finery before the wedding. “Just take it,” Chloe said tearfully. “And get rid of it.”

  “But, Chloe, this is a custom gown. I can only give you back ten percent of what you paid for it.”

  “That’s fine,” she said, thinking something was better than nothing. She’d already be losing a fortune in deposits all over the city. She swallowed against the lump in her throat.

  “I’m so sorry,” Melinda said when she handed over the refund.

  “Thanks,” Chloe mumbled, her face flaming with embarrassment—a feeling she was going to have to get used to when word got out that Ted had dumped her.

  She left the store and walked slowly to her van. Maybe Ted had decided he didn’t want to marry someone who didn’t have the pedigree of most of the people he hung out with. Or maybe he’d met someone else. Chloe climbed into the vehicle and sat with her hands on the steering wheel for several minutes, dreading the thought of going back to her apartment. Her empty stomach rumbled, reminding her of the dinner with Ted she was supposed to be having. Across the street, the sign of an ice cream shop beckoned.

  She’d been watching her weight for the sake of looking good in that darn dress, which now was a moot point, so why not?

  Chloe parked the van, then went inside and ordered a carton of strawberry-chocolate-cheesecake ice cream. When the worker extended napkins, as well as a tiny wooden spoon, across the counter, Chloe shook her head. “I’m going to need a bigger spoon.”

  The guy’s eyebrows furrowed but he obliged, handing over what looked like a wooden paddle.

  She was digging in before she drove away. The chocolate, caffeine, sugars and fats hit her system like a drug, the ultimate in self-medication. She moaned in contentment and noted that Ben & Jerry’s was missing out on an I Was Dumped Devil’s Food flavor of ice cream.

  By the time she got home, the container was empty, her stomach hurt and her heart ached. All around her apartment were pictures of her and Ted, reminders of the life they’d planned together. How had things gone so wrong so quickly? And why hadn’t she seen it coming?

  Then a terrifying thought sent alarm spiraling through her: how many people had Ted already told? Had he called her mother? His family? His friends? Her friends? The notion sent her running to the bathroom, where she emptied the contents of her upset stomach into the commode. She emerged somewhat calmer, reasoning that if he’d told people, they would’ve called her, and her cell phone remained silent.

  But she wouldn’t be able to wait much longer before she started making the calls.

  She tried to think of someone to phone for support, but just wasn’t ready to bare her soul. Humiliation coursed through her like a toxin, burning her from the inside out.

  After slowly lowering herself to the floor in front of the couch, she hugged her knees, seized by the irrational thought that if she remained very still, perhaps time would, as well. But as she sat in the silence reliving the surreal one-sided conversation that had left her a jilted bride, evening shadows fell across her living room, across her arms and legs. Evening turned into night, and when she dragged herself up to go to bed, her limbs were stiff. The sharp pain of Ted’s rebuff had turned into a constant ache. Her eyes and throat were swollen and raw. Her head pounded. Her stomach was leaden.

  She fell onto her bed, hoping for the quick release of sleep, but no such luck. She tossed and turned as she played out what would happen in the coming days...weeks...months...years. Dismantling the wedding would be a Herculean effort, but it was nothing compared with this feeling of having her heart ripped out and stomped on. She’d had glimpses of Ted’s casual dismissal of certain things and even some people, but she’d never dreamed that she would be on the receiving end of his alienation.

  He’d said he loved her. Wanted to spend the rest of his life with her....

  Chloe turned over, looking for a cool spot on her damp pillow. Would she be considered damaged goods? Many of her customers were wealthy acquaintances of Ted’s; she relied on their referrals to keep her business afloat. Would they withdraw their support when they found out that one of their own had tossed her aside?

  And the word why? kept hammering away in her head.

  Somewhere toward dawn, she began to tell herself all the practical things she’d heard on talk shows. It was better to find out before the wedding versus afterward. You couldn’t make someone love you. If Ted didn’t recognize what a catch she was, then it was his loss.

  But the platitudes did little to assuage the abject mortification of being so heartlessly discarded.

  As light began to filter into her bedroom, Chloe finally dozed, but was jarred awake what seemed like only minutes later by a piercing sound. She sat straight up, disoriented, before realizing that her cell phone alarm was going off. As she searched for it groggily, the events of the previous evening came crashing back—along with a splintering headache. When she found the phone, she pushed her hair out of her eyes to read the display.

  REMINDER: SHALE BRUNCH AT 10.

  Chloe groaned. She’d forgotten about Mindy Shale’s bridal shower brunch. Of all days to have to coordinate a wedding-related event, and to top it off, Mindy Shale was a friend of Ted’s sister, Jenna.

  Chloe put her hand to her throbbing head and wondered if they knew yet about Ted dumping her. She could beg off with a phone call, say she wasn’t feeling well. Check in with the hotel banquet director and the caterer via phone to make sure everything was in place.

  Then she gave herself a mental shake. She’d never skipped out on an event that she’d coordinated, and she didn’t plan to start now. If Ted’s friends were inclined to take their patronage elsewhere, it was even more important that she give this party her best shot and attract new clients.

  But she almost changed her mind about going when she saw her reflection in the mirror. She hadn’t bothered to remove her makeup the night before, and it was smeared and streaked from tears and sleep. Her dark hair was a rat’s nest from tossing and turning. And her eyes were nearly swollen shut. If Ted could see her now, he’d be thanking his lucky stars that he’d backed out of the
wedding.

  That almost made her smile—which was the first glimmer of hope she’d had that she might get through this ordeal intact. So she downed a couple of aspirin for the headache, took a bracing cold shower to rejuvenate and spent twice her usual time applying makeup to camouflage the effects of an all-night crying jag.

  The result wasn’t half-bad, she acknowledged. She put on a bright floral dress and pink shoes and made it to the hotel forty-five minutes before the start of the shower. After smoothing out a couple of problems, tweaking the table decorations and test-tasting items on the menu, she took photos to add to her scrapbook and was ready to greet Mindy Shale and friends when they arrived.

  Mindy was blond and perky and reeked of money, as did all of her friends. They were the same age as Chloe, but they seemed so much more worldly, she thought with envy. Most of them had traveled abroad and gone to prestigious universities. Their parents were physicians or attorneys or politicians. She felt a bit like a servant hovering on the periphery, answering questions and fetching things for Mindy, but it took her mind off Ted.

  Until his sister arrived.

  Chloe and Jenna’s relationship had always been amiable, but at times Chloe thought she detected a faint air of disapproval from Jenna, as if she wanted Chloe to know that even if she married Ted, she wouldn’t truly belong to their social circle. When the young woman said hello, Chloe tried to act natural, but could feel her face warming. Did Jenna know? She and Ted were close, so it seemed reasonable that he would’ve told her he’d called off the wedding.

  But Jenna’s expression remained cool and impassive, as always. Whatever secrets she knew about her brother, she wasn’t revealing them. Chloe put on her best professional face and went about handling details of the brunch while trying to hide her ringless left hand. The only time she came close to losing her cool was when she thought of her own shower brunch, which was supposed to take place in one week at this very hotel.

  Yet another set of phone calls to make.

  She blinked back the threat of tears and somehow made it through the event with her smile intact. Mindy seemed pleased with the outcome and especially with the party favors, blown-glass perfume bottles that Chloe had found at an exclusive boutique.