by Sarah Peis
“The friend who got up at four in the morning when you called in a panic and immediately came to help you?”
“Fine. Maybe you are an excellent friend. But your bedside manner needs some work.”
“Jameson has never complained.”
“Of course he wouldn’t,” I grumbled. Her husband thought she invented the wheel. Considering he was a mechanic, that was an important piece of technology to him.
Said husband was also currently sitting amidst dresses of all colors, carefully packing them in large bags to be shipped out to customers. He looked as comfortable as someone who was the definition of rugged male could look amidst lace and silk. But because Willa had asked him for his help, he was here.
I almost choked out a laugh at the sight, but since I was still gasping for air, I stifled the urge. Didn’t want to pass out from lack of oxygen.
“I got more address labels,” I announced, waving them over my head. At least I could breathe again.
“Figured you did since you came back,” Stella said from where she was sitting on the floor, sorting through the orders to make sure we sent each dress to the correct address. Her boyfriend, Mason, was next to her, his eyes glued to her every movement. He was just as in love with Stella as his brother Jameson was with Willa. Stella and Mason were officially together after their rocky start, and they looked happier than ever.
This insane, crazy, and screwed-up day also meant I had to ship out all these dresses by 5:00 p.m. when the post office closed. And it would close on time, of that I had no doubt. I had already begged Clara to stay open longer, but she wasn’t to be swayed. Her TV shows started at 5:30 p.m., and she would sit in her recliner at 5:25 p.m., no matter what, and watch them.
“Why are you sweating?” Willa asked.
“I just sprinted at least six hundred feet,” I said, fanning myself.
“More like three hundred,” Stella coughed behind her hand. “And you speed walked.”
I narrowed my eyes at her, but she just made a bring-it gesture and went back to sorting through big envelopes, sticking my logo on all of them. I couldn’t afford to have special envelopes printed, so I went with the budget option, aka stickers. Which I now regretted, because it took a lot of time to put stickers on that many envelopes.
“When are you leaving?” Willa asked Stella.
“You’re really doing it?” I asked, hoping she would have found a way out of her contract.
Before Stella gave in to the temptation that was Mason, she was pushed into an engagement with someone else. She broke it off when she couldn’t deny her feelings for Mason any longer, but she signed a contract that stated if she chose to end the engagement, she had to leave the state for three months to stop the media storm that was sure to ensue. Something she was willing to do if it meant she could be with the love of her life.
The silver lining: Mason was going with her, and I was sure those two would make the most of their time together. I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t make it more than a few miles past the state border before their first stop.
Stella nodded while continuing to stick labels on the envelopes. “We’re heading off tomorrow morning. I’m almost packed, and Mason just needs to check his motorbike over tonight, and then we’ll be on our way.”
“You’re going on a motorcycle? For a three-month trip?” Willa screeched. “Do you know how dangerous those things are? And what it will do to your ass? You’ll cause permanent damage. Your booty will be flat as a pancake. And you’ll lose all feeling. Just imagine having a numb ass.”
Stella blew a kiss at Willa, who had stopped what she was doing to lecture her. Her eyes were wide, and she looked ready to really start her lecture when Stella got up and hugged her.
“Don’t worry about me. It’ll be fine. This really is the best possible outcome of this whole fiasco I got myself into.”
“Nobody says ‘fiasco’ anymore, Stella,” Willa mumbled, her face squashed into Stella’s neck.
“I love that you care enough to worry about me, but I’m going to be fine. I’m with Mason.”
And really, it was that easy. In the end, the only thing that mattered was that she got to be with the other half of her soul. Stella didn’t have any contact with her family anymore, so we were all she had left. And now there was Mason, who looked like he was in for the long haul.
“I can’t believe you got all the orders done on time. It’s incredible,” Stella said, sitting back on the floor and changing the topic from her upcoming trip to my mess of a store.
Well played, Stella. Well played.
“The sewing group is amazing. And what’s even more amazing is that Oliver got them to come out and give me a hand. They even agreed to keep working for me. But they would only take half of the pay I offered them. Stubborn old coots.”
“Are you complaining that you have to pay them less money than what you offered them?” Willa asked and studied me for signs of insanity.
“It’s unfair. Their work is amazing. They’re much better than I could ever hope to be. These dresses are masterpieces.” I pointed to all the dresses covering my shop floor. I had to close for the day to make sure we could get it all done. I needed every hand on deck for this.
“So how’s it going, living in your little mansion, planning out your 2.5 kids and extravagant wedding?” Stella asked, grinning at me.
“It’s going fantastic. And we’re not planning on kids just yet. I’ve barely finished school. And Oliver hasn’t asked me to marry him, so no wedding planning. Not that I want him to. But I wouldn’t say no if he asked. But again, there’s no rush. We’ve only officially been a couple for about three seconds. Now stop asking uncomfortable questions that require rambling answers and get back to work. Those stickers won’t attach themselves to the envelopes.”
Stella just grinned but continued her stickering.
The day went by quickly—too quickly, because we still had a fair few dresses to pack up and cart to the post office. The bell on the door sounded and Oliver walked inside, holding two trays of coffees and a paper bag lodged under his arm. All our heads shot up, and we jumped to our feet, immediately moving toward our savior.
“Whoa there, why don’t I just put this stuff down here,” Oliver said, looking at us wide-eyed and setting everything down on the floor. Wasn’t like we would jump him. He really needed to get comfortable with a certain level of crazy or he wouldn’t survive with my friends.
“Hello, beautiful. How’s everything going?” he greeted me, pulling me closer for a much-needed kiss.
“We’re almost there. Got about forty dresses left to pack up.”
“Well, you just got another set of hands, because I cleared the rest of my day.”
My heart did an annoying pitter-patter in my chest. Damn annoying. And it only seemed to happen when Oliver was around.
“Are you sure you have time? We definitely need the help, but I don’t want you to get behind with your own work.”
And he worked a lot. He usually picked me up from the store, and we went home together and had dinner. Then he would work in his study for another few hours while I was busy sewing dresses. I hardly saw him during the week. Which was good and bad. Good because we never saw each other enough to argue about who put the toilet roll on the wrong way, bad because we never saw each other enough.
Living together was the best way to make sure we at least spent some time together every day. So far, our new living arrangement was working out great, and the weekends were amazing. Oliver usually worked for half a day on Saturday, and then he was mine for the rest of the day and all of Sunday. We rarely left the house on those days.
“I’m sure. And I’m sorry I couldn’t get here earlier. There was an issue at the office in San Antonio.”
I would never tell him this, but I hated that he still worked for his family. They worked him to the bone. It was like there was nobody else there who could solve any of the problems that seemed to come up every single day. And si
nce he also had his business with his uncle, his time was spread thin.
“You know I would totally understand if you didn’t come at all. Please don’t feel like you need to be here. I would never be mad at you for that.”
“Maisie, I want to be here. You’re important to me. And if there’s anything I can do to help, I want to do it.”
“Okay, then, maybe you could give Jameson a hand. He’s not gonna last much longer,” I said and pointed at a frowning giant who was busy trying to fold a pink fluffy dress. Emphasis on “trying.” Both Willa and I had shown him how to fold the dresses so they wouldn’t wrinkle too much, but his hands were just too big and calloused to do any nice folding.
“It would be my pleasure. Now kiss me again before I lose some manly points by folding pink dresses.”
I went up on my tippy toes and kissed him, savoring the feeling of his lips on mine.
“I love you,” I whispered before pulling back.
“I love you too,” he said and went to help Jameson.
We dropped the last of the packages off at the post office at 4:55 p.m. Clara was giving us her best stare down, but I didn’t care. My good mood could not be squashed. Not even if she overcharged me, which at this stage was very likely.
“That’s the last of them,” I said when I paid the shipping fees. “Enjoy your evening, Clara.” I left the post office with a spring in my step and a grin on my face.
I turned to Willa, who had come with me to drop the last packages off. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning to say goodbye to Stella. Are we still on for the dress fitting at Julia’s afterward?”
“Yes to both. I’ll bring coffee,” she said and walked down the street, disappearing inside the pizza shop a few doors down with Jameson.
I walked back to the shop and was surprised to find it cleaned of all packaging supplies and leftover labels and accessories.
“You ready to go home?” Oliver greeted me when I closed and locked the door behind me.
“Did you already clean everything up?” I asked, looking at the immaculate space.
“Chloe helped. I sent her home. Hope that was okay.”
“Of course it was. I don’t know how I can ever repay you for everything you do for me.”
“We’re a team. There’s no need to repay me. Unless it’s in sexual favors. Then repay away. I’m happy to accept.”
I laughed and shook my head at him. “You’re already getting those for free. But I’ll think of something.”
We went home, and I got to work on making sure he knew how much he meant to me.
“Don’t leave me,” Willa wailed, her arms wrapped around Stella. “Who will help me keep Maisie from doing something stupid like dying her hair pink? This is too big a job for me alone. A girl can only do so much in a day.”
“That was one time,” I defended myself and glared at Willa. “And I learned my lesson.”
“But did you?” she asked, one brow raised, still holding on to Stella, who was trying to get free.
“It’s called an experimental phase for a reason,” I huffed and crossed my arms over my chest.
Stella finally wrestled Willa off her and stepped back. Mason was leaning on his motorbike, watching the scene unfold in front of him with a smile on his face.
I stepped up to Stella and hugged her tight but released her after an appropriate amount of time. I wasn’t crazy like some people we both knew. “I’ll miss you. Make sure to send us lots of photos and updates. At least I’m confident in your ability to take a selfie.”
“Hey, now, let’s not punch below the belt. It’s too early in the morning for that. And selfies are hard. I don’t know how anyone ever gets their entire face in one,” Willa said and took a sip of her hot chocolate.
Stella and I looked at each other and giggled, secretly loving Willa’s selfies. They were unique and 100 percent her.
“I’ll only be gone for a few months,” Stella said and walked to where Mason was patiently waiting.
“I love you both. See you soon.” She turned back and waved at us, a gigantic smile on her face. Bitch wasn’t even trying to look upset about leaving us for so long. I bet all she was thinking about was spending a lot of time on that bike with Mason.
“Love you too, Estrella,” we both yelled back way too loudly for the short distance.
She grinned and put on a helmet that Mason held out to her. After he got on, she expertly swung her leg over the seat behind him and sat down while looking great doing it.
They roared off, and it sank in that I wouldn’t see her again for a while.
Willa took my hand and squeezed. “This sucks.”
I squeezed back. “It does. And we should go. Don’t want to be late for Julia’s fitting. I’ve been working on her dress for weeks. Well, on and off for weeks, in between making dresses for my orders.”
I picked up my pie that I had set on the ground to be able to give Stella a proper send-off, and we walked the ten minutes to Julia’s house.
“That’s even bigger than your mansion,” Willa breathed in awe, staring at the big iron gate.
“I don’t live in a mansion. But this is definitely a mansion. It’s huge. Gigantic. How many people live in there?”
“As far as I know, only her and Lars.”
“Wonder if they ever get lost in there.”
“Maybe they have a map.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. I don’t need a map. I have a phone. If I get lost, I just call Lars,” a distorted voice came through the intercom at the side of the gate. “Now get your asses in here before the neighbors think someone is trying to break in and call the police again.”
Well now, that thought got me moving. I had no desire for another run-in with Ray.
The gate opened, and Willa and I walked up the gravel drive toward Julia, who was waiting at the front door.
“You’re late,” she greeted us.
“Stella left today. We had to give her a proper send-off,” Willa said, pinching my side when I opened my mouth to reply.
Geesh, all I was planning on doing was pointing out we were only five minutes late. Five. Not twenty. Not an hour. Five. She needed to relax or this fitting would go downhill before it even started.
“Remember that you promised not to say anything bad during this whole fitting,” Willa warned me under her breath.
“We’re doing the fitting in the bedroom. The girls are already here,” Julia said and waved us inside.
I cringed at the mention of her “girls.” They were all people I had gone to school with and avoided like the plague. They took bitchy to a new level even I hadn’t conquered yet. But Julia had always been nice to me, and making this dress was a huge opportunity for me. So instead of turning on my heels and walking right back out the gate, I plastered on a smile.
“Great, can’t wait,” I said, and by the look on Willa’s face, it was obvious I didn’t mean it.
Julia walked us through the grand entry hall. “You can put the pie in the kitchen,” she instructed, and I didn’t delay in doing as I was told.
Holy sterile kitchen, the cavernous space was spotless. And gleaming. I carefully set the pie down on one of the many free counters and followed Julia up a white staircase. The inside was as pretentious as the outside, and Willa shot me a wide-eyed look that I returned.
We walked into a very white bedroom about the size of Willa’s old apartment, and I spotted the dress hanging on a rack. I had dropped it off two days ago but couldn’t do the fitting until today. I figured it would give Julia a chance to have a look at it and let me know what she wanted me to change.
“They’re here,” Julia announced to the people already inside the bedroom.
I cringed when I saw who was there. I should have guessed she would have her bridesmaids at the fitting. I just hadn’t wanted to think about it, though it would have given me a chance to be better prepared.
Willa had no problem greeting everyone with a raised middle finger. And not figuratively eith
er. She flipped them all off as she skipped into the room. “Hello, everyone.”
She had a million good reasons to hate them. They had tormented her in high school. And I should have warned her there would be other people at the fitting, especially when chances of those people being Julia’s clique from high school were high.
“Trailer trash. Didn’t know you were coming,” Alicia greeted Willa, not moving from her spot on the bed.
“Alicia, wish I didn’t have to be in the same room as you. Interesting that your boobs are still inflated. One would think they would have long gone flat from overuse.”
“Expensive silicone implants. They last forever,” I said and moved to the dress, not acknowledging anyone. Ignorance was bliss, after all.
I sneezed at the heavy smell of perfume in the room. Nothing had changed. They were still bitchy and wore too much Chanel No. 5.
“Don’t get any snot on my dress,” Julia complained, hovering next to me.
“I haven’t even unpacked it yet,” I defended myself. This was going to be a long hour. At least I could do this fairly quickly thanks to Willa giving me a hand. And she knew exactly what to do since we’d done this a few times.
I wasn’t making any of the bridesmaids’ dresses. I thanked my lucky stars that Julia seemed to have drawn the line somewhere and bought Dior dresses instead.
“Do you have a little stool you can stand on? Or a chair?” I asked and got the dress out of the plastic cover.
“Sure, there’s one in the dressing room.”
She went through a door on the other side of the room that I hadn’t noticed and came back with a small stool.
“Perfect. I have to help you put the dress on. Do you want to go into the bathroom?”
Julia nodded, and I followed her into the white space. There was literally no other color but white. It was quite fascinating.
She closed the door behind me and started stripping down to her underwear. Clearly she wasn’t shy.
“Sorry about the girls, but they insisted on being here. I tried to keep them away.”
“It’s all good. This should be over quickly. But maybe try to stop them from calling Willa any more names. She’s not feeling too great after Stella just left. You never know what she’ll do while she’s feeling emotional.”