Every Bride Needs a Groom

  I shrugged. “Seems okay to me.”

  “Just. Wait,” Dahlia whispered as she gestured for me to move out from behind the rack. “Give it ten minutes.”

  Fortunately—or unfortunately—it didn’t take ten minutes. Judging from the minute hand on my watch, it took exactly four. Miss Sweet as Sugar flipped out on Crystal at the four-minute mark, completely changing personalities. At the five-minute mark, she began to weep uncontrollably. At the seven-minute mark, she’d dried her tears and was inviting all of us to her ceremony. At the nine-minute mark, she threatened Madge with a lawsuit.

  “Oh. My. Goodness.” I wanted to run for the door, afraid of what might come next.

  Fortunately, Madge appeared to have a special anointing for dealing with the Sybil bride. She not only managed to talk the emotional nightmare down from the ledge but also gave her a discount on a pair of shoes. But the one who really seemed to know how to handle her best, ironically, was Brady. He somehow got her redirected when she lost it, and had her smiling by the time she left the store.

  Wow.

  When the Sybil incident ended, Dahlia and I were finally free to head back to the fitting room. Even as she helped me into the Loretta Lynn gown—what there was of it so far, anyway—I could tell that Dahlia would rather be out in the store, visiting with Dewey. Thankfully, my oohs and aahs must’ve brought her back to reality.

  “You like?” she asked.

  “Mm-hmm.” I stared at my reflection in the mirror. Even without the embellishments—the lace, the crystals, the ruffles—the gown looked amazing. Dahlia still had a bit of work to do to get the bust to fit, but she assured me that would not be an issue. She reached for her phone and snapped several photos of me in the gown, which she planned to send to Nadia right away.

  I gave a little twirl and examined myself in the mirror. The length of the train was just perfect—not too short, not too long. I could see myself walking down the aisle in this dress. Someday. If I ever found a groom.

  Stop it, Katie. Just smile and say thank you. That’s what Madge would want.

  So I smiled. And said thank you.

  Dahlia looked as if she was about to respond when Madge showed up at the fitting room door. “I hate to bother you, but we have an incoming 9-1-1.”

  “Oh dear.” Dahlia looked my way, her eyes wide. “Do you mind, Katie?”

  “Well, no, but what in the world—”

  Dahlia took off in a hurry, with no explanation whatsoever.

  “9-1-1?” I turned to Madge. “Are you calling for an ambulance?”

  “Oh, no, honey. That’s not what I meant at all. A 9-1-1 is an overly emotional bride. In this case it’s a sweet girl whose father passed away just a couple of months ago. He won’t be there to walk her down the aisle, so the dress fitting is going to be an emotional roller coaster for the bride and her mother. Dahlia knows just how to handle it, trust me. She’s been through this dozens of times. One of the services we provide is counseling. It’s not on the résumé, but we do it.”

  “Wow, Madge.” Tears sprang to my eyes as I thought about that poor bride and her situation.

  “People think the wedding gown biz is all glitz and glam, but they don’t see the hard parts.” Madge took a seat on the cushioned bench. “We’re half counselor, half wedding gown expert, half BFF.”

  “That’s three halves,” I said.

  “Yep. Which is why it takes so many of us working together to accomplish anything. But you know what? I’m grateful for open doors.”

  “Open doors?”

  “Sure.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I never married. Never had kids to pour myself into. When these brides come in, the Lord opens a door for conversation, and sometimes—if I’m not feeling like a sourpuss—he uses me to offer a bit of encouragement.”

  “Oh, Madge.” I slipped my arm over her shoulder. “You’re a softie inside of that hard shell, aren’t you?”

  “Shh.” She put her finger to her lips. “Don’t give away my secret. Around here, folks think I’m a drill sergeant.”

  “One with the sweetest disposition in town.” Brady’s voice sounded from the hallway outside the open fitting room door.

  “Better get back to work, boss.” She rose and saluted him. Brady pulled her into an embrace and planted a kiss on her forehead.

  “I should be the one saluting you, you know. You’ve got that drill sergeant act down pat.”

  “It’s just an illusion, my boy. Just an illusion.”

  She headed to the front of the store, which left me alone with Brady. It felt a little odd to be standing here in a wedding gown now that the other ladies had ditched me. I couldn’t even figure out how to get out of the crazy thing without their help. Not that I wanted to. I felt like a princess, and all the more when I saw the admiring look in Brady’s eyes.

  “You look amazing, Katie. Gorgeous.”

  His flattery tickled my ears and made me feel a little giddy. Just as quickly, I felt like a traitor. I pictured myself standing in Casey Lawson’s kitchen as he broke up with me. The emotions of that moment flooded over me even now, and I felt the sting of tears in my eyes.

  “You okay, Katie?” Brady’s voice shook me out of my reverie.

  “I . . . I think I’m just emotional. Hearing about that 9-1-1 bride really got to me. You guys are a lot more than a bridal shop, Brady.”

  “Agreed.” He nodded.

  “I think Madge opened my eyes. This is a ministry for all of you. It’s a place to reach out to people who are going through stuff.”

  “That’s my prayer every single day, that God will bring exactly the right people here so that we can bless them. Most of the time they end up blessing us too. Like you, Katie.”

  “Me?”

  “Sure. Everyone has loved having you here, and you’ve definitely brought out the softer side of Madge.” He gave me a knowing look. “Maybe you should be in the wedding business.”

  “You think?”

  “I do!” Madge’s voice sounded from outside the door. “You’d be great at it, Katie.”

  “See what I mean?” Brady chuckled. “Underneath that crusty exterior is a marshmallow.” He leaned so close that the scent of his yummy aftershave caused my nostrils to flare. “But don’t get her worked up or you’ll see a completely different side of her.”

  “Oh, trust me, I’ve seen that side too. She’s a tough cookie. But she reminds me of Queenie. The image she puts out there is one tough mama. On the inside, though, she’s like a flower, unfolding one petal at a time.”

  “Madge? A flower?” Twiggy entered the room, all giggles and smiles. “That’s a good one, Katie.”

  “Hey, I heard that.” Madge popped her head in the door. “And just so you’re aware, folks, I come in this place every morning smelling like a rose. A tea rose, I mean. It’s my perfume.” She stepped inside the room and started fussing with the laces on the back of my dress.

  “How do you guys do it?” I asked.

  “Do what?” Madge, Twiggy, and Brady said in unison.

  “The people part. Working in the wedding business isn’t just about dresses, is it?”

  “It’s about people,” Brady said.

  “And there are people of every sort who come through that door,” Madge added.

  “True,” Twiggy said. “There’s the Dollar Store Bride—that’s the one who doesn’t have the money but really wants the dress.”

  “And the Ninja Bride—ready to take out anyone in her way,” Madge chimed in.

  “The Flighty Bride,” Twiggy continued. “She can’t make up her mind about anything.”

  “The Dieting Bride.” Madge groaned. “She’s the one who really wears a size 14 but insists she’ll be a 10 by the time the wedding arrives, so she refuses to order a dress in the proper size.”

  “And then there’s the Not-Quite-a-Bride Bride.” Twiggy sighed. “Those are the worst.”

  “Not-Quite-a-Bride Bride?” I asked.

  “Yes. It’s alway
s the same. They come into the shop looking for a dress, but when we press them for a wedding date, they fumble around.”

  My heart jolted.

  Twiggy giggled. “Can you imagine? Shopping for a wedding dress with no groom? These girls are so desperate to get married that they show up alone—or with a friend, even—to try on gowns that they hope they’ll one day wear. If they find the right guy. I feel a little sorry for them, really.”

  The compassionate look Madge gave me drew Twiggy’s attention my way.

  “Huh?” Twiggy gave me a curious look.

  I glanced at my reflection in the mirror and suddenly felt ill.

  “Katie?” Twiggy looked concerned. “Are you okay?”

  I shook my head. “I . . . I think I should’ve eaten some breakfast. I’m just a little woozy.”

  “She needs some air.” Madge began to fan me using one of the store’s brochures.

  “Maybe Dahlia tied the laces too tight,” Twiggy said. “You’ve got such a tiny waist. I’m sure she just wanted to emphasize it.”

  “Don’t.” I put my hand up. “Don’t emphasize anything.”

  “O-okay.” She stepped toward me and loosened the laces. “Sorry about that.”

  “No, you’ve done nothing to be sorry about. It’s all me. Every bit of it.” I couldn’t stop the sudden rush of tears.

  Brady took one look at me and ushered the other ladies out of the room. Once we were alone, he turned my way. “Katie? What’s happening?”

  I stared at my reflection in the mirror. With Brady standing next to me, we looked like a wedding cake topper. The image was more than I could bear.

  “I have to get out of here. I. Need. To. Get. Out. Of. This. Dress.”

  “I thought we agreed you were going to keep it. Don’t you like it?”

  “Yes.” I turned to him, feeling heartsick. “I love it. That’s the problem. I love the dress. I love this store. I love these people. I love everything. But it’s not right, Brady.”

  “Not the right fit?” he tried.

  I shook my head. This guy just didn’t get it, did he? “The only thing that’s not a good fit here is me. I don’t belong here. This isn’t the right time. Or place. Or situation. You know that. I told you—Casey’s gone. The wedding isn’t happening. And the last thing I want to do is hurt your mom when she finds out.”

  “Then let’s tell her.” He shrugged. “Let’s go ahead and get it over with. She’ll probably take a day or so to get over it, but she’ll figure out a plan that we can all live with. And then you can relax and just enjoy the dress.”

  “You think she’ll want me to keep it if she knows the truth?”

  “I do.” He smiled. “That dress was meant for you. I believe it with everything that’s in me. And if you don’t take it, nothing will be the same. Don’t you see that?”

  Yes. The dress was meant for me. And it fit beautifully. Only, I didn’t deserve it. Right now I just wanted to get out of it, put back on my jeans and T-shirt, and run from this place once and for all.

  21

  I Don’t Wanna Play House

  I love my small town, and I love going back there and supporting the community. But I could not have stayed there. No way.

  Jeremy Renner

  I somehow managed to stay put in the fitting room but couldn’t seem to control my emotions. I could read the concern in Brady’s eyes and felt compelled to say something. Anything.

  “I’m the Not-Quite-a-Bride Bride. That’s what Twiggy called me.”

  Brady shook his head. “No. Technically she didn’t call you that. Not you personally, anyway. But I might need to talk to the girls about using code names like that. I don’t suppose it’s very flattering.”

  “Tell them I’ve come up with a new one for girls like me.” I yanked off my veil and handed it to him. “The Phony Baloney Bride.”

  “Phony baloney?” He gently laid the veil on the bench. “There’s nothing phony about you, Katie. In fact, you’re more real than most of the girls I’ve known put together. You look like the real deal in this gown, and you will be, in God’s timing. That’s all I’ve been trying to say. The dress was meant for you, no matter when you wear it.”

  I sighed. “I’ll pray about that, Brady. I will. If you think I should do the photo shoot, I’ll do it for you. And for your mom. And Madge. And all of the wonderful people I’ve met here in the city.”

  An awkward silence followed after I said the word city. In spite of what Mama had told me that night at Sam’s, I hadn’t seen one snake since I moved here. Weird.

  “So . . . question.” My hands began to tremble as I worked up the courage to broach the subject on my heart. “Have you told your mom yet? About my situation, I mean.”

  He shook his head. “I started to, but Madge reminded me this is fashion week in Paris. I’m going to give it a day or two and then give her a call.”

  “Ah.”

  “Don’t fret, Katie. It’s going to be fine. I know my mother better than anyone. She’s going to agree that you should keep the dress, so stop worrying. Promise?”

  “I guess. You don’t think she’ll be mad?”

  “No. All that matters to her is a lovely young woman on the cover of Texas Bride wearing her gown.”

  “Lovely?” I didn’t mean to say the word aloud, but there it was.

  “Yep.” Brady smiled. “I don’t mean to sound biased, but I see a lot of brides come through this place, and you’re going to be the most beautiful one yet. Not just on the outside either.”

  “O-oh?” His compliment caught me off guard.

  “You’re always thinking of others. That’s a beautiful trait, Katie. We don’t see as much of that here as you might think. Most brides are pretty self-focused. Sorry to be so blunt, but they are. You’re not like them . . . and I like that.” He grinned. “Anyway, I’m going to get out of here and let you get changed.”

  “Yeah, I need to go soon anyway. Aunt Alva is expecting me for dinner tonight.”

  “Are your brothers going too?”

  “No. They have to get back to Fairfield. Pop is waiting on them at the store, I’m sure.”

  “Well, have fun. Tell Aunt Alva I said hello.”

  “I will. And by the way, I plan to tell her that we’re not really engaged, so you’re off the hook. You don’t have to marry me after all.”

  “Well, that’s a relief.” He gave me a playful wink. “Might be awkward, marrying someone I just met.”

  “I know, right?” My heart fluttered a bit as I took in his whimsical smile.

  With Dahlia’s help, I spent the next several minutes getting back into my jeans and T-shirt. I said my goodbyes to my brothers, who seemed sad to leave. I thanked Dahlia for her work on my dress and then waved goodbye to my new friends—even Stan, who’d just arrived for his daily pep talk with Brady. I walked out of the store to the parking lot, deep in thought about the day.

  When I climbed inside my car and tried to start it, nothing happened. I tried again. Nothing. I rested my head against the steering wheel and ushered up a prayer for mercy. My day had been hard enough already. Still, the car didn’t start. As much as I hated to go back inside, I had no choice.

  Brady met me at the front of the store and I explained my predicament.

  “I don’t mind giving it a look,” he said.

  “Betcha he can figure it out,” Madge added. “He’s always loved stuff like that. From the time he was a boy.”

  “Tinkering with things makes me happy.” Brady shrugged. “What can I say?”

  “Say you’ll get back to the business of tinkering with a basketball.” Stan raked his hand over his bald head. “Did I really just use the word tinker?”

  “You did.” Madge laughed. “And I’d pay money to hear you say it again.”

  “Tinker.” Stan busted out with a belly laugh, and before long we were all laughing. It felt really good, especially after the emotions from earlier.

  Brady followed me outside to my car
, making small talk all the way. I found his conversation comforting. It felt good to know I had someone to call on, what with my brothers being gone and all, and Brady didn’t look as if he minded a bit. In fact, if one could gauge from the expression on his face, he wasn’t upset at all.

  “Pop the hood for me, Katie.”

  Brady opened it and then spent the next ten minutes oohing and aahing over a variety of meaningless things underneath. I stood next to him and listened as he carried on, but couldn’t make sense of half of it.

  “Looks like you’ve got a loose belt here.” He pointed down at it. “And these hoses are shot. In this heat you’ll need to make sure you replace them. They’re cracked.”

  “I have a cracked hose?”

  “More than one. Can’t believe this old thing is still running.”

  “It’s not at the moment. Remember?”

  “Right. I’m also guessing your battery’s dead. How many miles did you say this car has on it?”

  “Two hundred and fourteen thousand. But trust me, it comes from a long line of people who keep going even when they should give up.”

  Brady gave me a curious look at that one.

  “So, I guess I need a new battery.” I sighed. “And some hoses. Where do I find all of that?”

  “Do you have AAA?”

  I shook my head.

  Brady glanced over as a customer pulled into the spot next to my car. “Well, let’s start with the battery. That’s the most critical thing right now. I’ll take it out and we’ll go to the store and get another one, then I’ll put the new one in for you. Madge won’t mind keeping an eye on things. We’ll be closing soon anyway.”

  “You would do all of that for me?” I could hardly believe it.

  “Well, of course.”

  “Do you think it will take long? I’m supposed to be at Aunt Alva’s house in less than an hour.”

  “Can you call her?”

  I nodded and fumbled around for my phone. Less than a minute later her voicemail kicked in. “Weird. Maybe she didn’t hear the phone ringing?” I left a message and then ended the call and pressed the phone back in my purse.