The Dream Dress

  I couldn’t help but think the butchered cake looked rather sad in its current state but didn’t say so. It certainly tasted great. So much for skipping the candy aisle at Walmart.

  Size 3X, here I come!

  I spoke around a mouthful of the sweet stuff. “Now I see why you and Bella suggested meeting here. You were both here anyway for a wedding.” I took another bite. Then another. I could feel my hips growing with each tasty morsel.

  “Yeah, I’m getting more and more gigs at Club Wed now that I’m marrying into the family.” Scarlet giggled as Armando, her intended, walked up.

  It still made me smile to see Scarlet and Armando together. Did two more different people exist on the planet? Armando, Bella’s older brother and former Italian bad boy, marrying Scarlet, the laugh-a-minute Lucille Ball look-alike? Crazy. Still, they seemed blissfully happy, as was evidenced by the lip-locking going on right now in front of me.

  Awkward!

  “You meeting with us, Armando?” Scarlet asked as she nuzzled into his embrace.

  “No, I’m just here to help Uncle Laz clear out the leftovers in the kitchen and then clean up. He’s having a hard time getting around these days.”

  She gave him a little kiss on the nose. “Well, you’re a good man to help out like that.”

  “This is family.” He smiled and joy flooded his face. “And you know I’d do anything for family.”

  And that pretty much summed up why I loved Bella’s clan. They all shared a common love for family. My dad could certainly learn a thing or two from these people.

  “Let’s meet in my office, okay?” Bella’s voice came from behind me. “Guido is in there, so we’ll have to talk around him. Hope you don’t mind.”

  I didn’t know who Guido was, but I didn’t really mind regardless. I tagged along on Bella’s heels with Scarlet at my side, chattering all the way. Oh, not about her own wedding. No, her thoughts seemed firmly planted on today’s ceremony and reception.

  Until we settled into the plush wingback chairs in Bella’s office. At that point Scarlet’s focus shifted and she dove headfirst into a lengthy explanation of how and why her wedding would be vastly different from the one she’d just attended today. About every other sentence, Guido—who turned out to be the Rossis’ colorful parrot—interrupted with a bizarre song, followed by a Scripture verse about forgiving others. He seemed to be following her conversation better than I was.

  “Wait.” I shook my head, confused. “Are you getting married here? At Club Wed?”

  “Club Wed!” the bird echoed from his perch in the corner of the room. “Club Wed!”

  “No.” Scarlet shook her head. “My dad’s a pastor, you know, and our church has the prettiest sanctuary on the island, just the right size for my guests. I wouldn’t dream of getting married else.” This sent her off on a tearful tangent, talking about how much she loved the beautiful old building.

  “Right, right.” I shifted in my chair, wondering how anyone could be that enamored with a church building. “That’s what I thought. I guess I’m just confused. You’re talking about the wedding like it’s taking place here.”

  “Ah, not the ceremony. The reception. Our fellowship hall at the church is too small to add a dance floor, so we’re going to use Club Wed’s grand ballroom.”

  “The perfect compromise, since the groom’s family owns Club Wed,” Bella threw in. “That way it’s a win-win situation for all involved.”

  “Yes.” Scarlet sighed. “It’s going to be beautiful, and I want a dress that somehow fits in at both places—our homey little church and the big, fancy reception hall.” She gave me a pleading look. “Can you pull that off?”

  “I think so. I’ve been working on some ideas, actually. I was hoping maybe you could look at—”

  I wanted to finish my sentence, but Guido interrupted by bursting into a rendition of “Ninety-Nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall,” which totally threw me off track.

  “Speaking of looking at things, I think it would be helpful if you saw our little church firsthand. Then you’ll see why it’s important to have a dress that matches the comfortable feel of the church.” She snapped her fingers. “I know. You should come to service tomorrow morning. Then you can kill two birds with one stone.” She glanced up at the parrot and said, “Sorry, Guido. Don’t take it personally.”

  Killing birds in church didn’t sound like much fun. Still, she’d piqued my interest.

  “You can hear my dad preach—he’s pretty amazing, you know—and you can take a little tour of the church.”

  “Hmm. Maybe.” But we’d come to talk about dresses, not churches, right? Looked like I needed to get this train back on track.

  Chance at Heaven

  Intelligence, adaptability, and talent. And by talent I mean the capacity for hard work. Lots of girls come here with little but good looks. Beauty is a valuable asset, but it is not the whole cheese.

  Ginger Rogers

  Corralling Bella and Scarlet turned out to be tougher than it looked. Somehow they shifted from talking about weddings to sharing their thoughts on dieting to reminiscing about Brock Benson’s recent win on Dancing with the Stars. I didn’t mind talking about the hunky Hollywood star, but really? Didn’t we arrange this meeting to talk about Scarlet’s big day? Between their tangents, the lengthy dissertation about the church, and the bird’s singing, I’d pretty much decided the whole day was a wash.

  After a few minutes, I cleared my throat, which served to bring them to attention. “Let’s talk dresses,” I suggested, hoping they would take the hint that I was ready to move on. Opening my sketchpad, I glanced down at the first of my sketches and smiled. Hopefully Scarlet would like this one. I certainly did.

  “Yes, let’s!” Scarlet scooted her chair closer to mine, all smiles. She oohed and aahed over the first sketch. And the second. And the third. Still, she never used those words I always longed to hear: “Ooo, that one’s perfect!”

  After glancing at all of my sketches, she still hadn’t used the key phrase I’d been waiting for, so I decided to go another route.

  “If you don’t mind my asking, what’s your theme?”

  “Theme?” Her nose wrinkled. “I guess I haven’t really thought about the wedding in themes before.”

  “I find it helps keep you focused.” I closed my sketchbook so as not to be distracted.

  “Good idea.” She paused and appeared to be thinking. “Well, you know me. I’m the queen of sweets, so it has to be something light and fun. Fairy-tale-like.”

  My thoughts began to churn, and I pulled the sketchpad close to my body, realizing that what I’d already drawn certainly didn’t fit that theme. Maybe I needed to come up with a new design angle.

  For whatever reason, my gaze shifted to the parrot. He appeared to have fallen asleep sitting up. I knew that feeling well.

  “And I hope you won’t think I’m vain for what I’m about to say . . .” Scarlet’s eyes twinkled. “I’ve lost quite a bit of weight over the past few months, but I’d like to lose another twenty or so before the big day, so I hope we can come up with a design that will, you know . . . make me look like a normal girl instead of like a giant marshmallow.”

  “A giant marshmallow?” These words came from Bella, who looked stunned.

  “Yeah.” Scarlet sighed. “I’ve never looked great in white. It’s not the most slimming color, you know. But this is my wedding and I’m wearing white, even if I look like the Goodyear Blimp floating down the aisle.”

  At this, Hannah appeared in the doorway, camera in hand. “Don’t you ever let me hear you say anything like that again. You’re gorgeous, Scarlet.” Hannah leaned against the open door and slung her camera over her shoulder. “And you are a normal girl. All girls are normal, whether they’re tall, short, chubby, thin . . . whatever.”

  “That’s right. But you really do need a dress with a great fitted waistline to show off your new physique,” Bella added. “A real Cinderella-like gown.” She looke
d at me and smiled. “On a budget, of course.”

  If anyone understood budgets, I did. Still, with my workload growing at the bridal shop, I’d have to burn the midnight oil a bit longer to accomplish a fairy-tale dress that didn’t look like a giant marshmallow. Something in a lovely shade of non-slimming white. I would need to create an elongated silhouette with a higher than usual waistline to showcase her figure. The skirt? Flowing, not fitted. That was a given, considering her body type.

  Or maybe I needed to go with a fitted bodice. Hmm. My imagination kicked into overdrive, and before long I started sketching out a design in my head.

  “You can do this, Gabi,” Hannah said, snapping me back to the present. “You’re the best designer I know. Better than Demetri by miles.”

  “You think?” Her words boosted my confidence, but I still doubted my abilities, especially in a situation like this, with a dieting bride. Hadn’t I just walked this road with Nicolette? Her changing figure had almost proved to be my undoing.

  “I don’t think, I know.” Hannah crossed her arms and stared me down.

  A teensy-tiny sigh escaped before I spoke. “I think I’ve just been overlooked so many times that I can’t envision it.” My gaze shifted to my hands and then back up again.

  Hannah looked stunned. “Who could possibly overlook you? Your dresses are better than most I’ve seen in magazines. People have to sit up and take notice when they see your work.”

  “You might be surprised.” How many times had Demetri walked right by me without complimenting my efforts? And how many times had brides-to-be given me seemingly impossible tasks that I had completed to a T? Nine times out of ten they just took their wedding gowns and headed on their way without so much as a word of thanks or praise.

  My stomach began to churn, and I decided it might be time to change the subject.

  Think of something clever to say, Gabi. Anything.

  Bella gestured for Hannah to close the door and then looked my way, eyes narrowed. “I know what’s wrong with you, you know.”

  “You do?”

  “Yes, and I got all the proof I needed when I used the words Cinderella gown. You flinched.”

  “I-I did?”

  “Yep, and I know why. You’ve got a Cinderella complex.” Bella nodded as if that settled the issue.

  “Cinderella complex?”

  “Yes. Demetri has kept you in that awful little room, hemming skirts and letting out waistlines, when your real talents and abilities lie elsewhere.”

  I did my best not to sigh. Bella’s comment—completely true in every respect—didn’t deserve an argument from me, so I simply shifted gears, hoping to distract her. “Is there a prince in this story somewhere?” My thoughts reeled back to my earlier conversation with Jordan. He’d mentioned a prince, hadn’t he?

  “Maybe.” Bella chuckled then grew serious. “But that wasn’t my point. I think the whole prince and cinder-girl theme is really about God’s love for us, not man’s.”

  Well, that totally threw me. I’d never considered the Cinderella story to be a Bible tale in disguise. It figured that Bella would try to turn it into one.

  “Anyway, I was just trying to say that Cinderella was made for more than grunt work, and so are you.” She leaned back in her chair and gave me a nod.

  A nervous laugh wriggled its way out. “I’m going to embroider that on a sampler and hang it on my wall.”

  “Good. It’s true, you know. Cinderella was made for bigger things, and I think she sensed it all along. That’s the only reason she struggled so much, because she realized her future was destined to be greater than her present.” Bella’s eyes now sparkled with merriment.

  “Greater?”

  “Yeah. Like living in a castle,” Hannah chimed in.

  “With a handsome prince?” I asked again, unable to hide the smile that rose up.

  “Someday your prince will come.” Bella paused. “A prince of a guy who will see you as valuable, not some tyrant who works you to death to further his own career while sabotaging yours.”

  “Well, yes, but—”

  “In the meantime, just realize that the real Prince Charming is already here.”

  I looked around, half expecting to see a fella dressed in regal attire standing behind me. Ha! Wouldn’t that be something?

  Bella’s phone rang, but she didn’t answer it right away. Instead, her eyes—now misty—zeroed in on mine. “He’s loved you even before you were born and will go on loving you every day of your life, even on those days when you feel most unlovable.”

  I never got the chance to respond. She answered her phone with a quick “Hey, babe, can I call you right back? I’m right in the middle of a—” Then her face lit into a smile. “Oh, Tres! How’s Mommy’s sweet little boy? . . . You did what with Daddy and baby sister today? . . . You went to the zoo? . . . You saw a zebra? What was his name? . . . Oh, you saw a tiger too? You weren’t scared, were you? . . . What about Rosa-Earline? Did she cry?”

  We lost Bella for about five minutes after that as she chatted with her son about his trip to the zoo. While they talked, I had time to think through what she’d just said about Demetri. In that moment it occurred to me that perhaps Bella thought Demetri and I were . . . a couple? Really? I needed to remedy this, and the sooner the better.

  As soon as she hung up, I did my best to explain. “Bella, Demetri and I were never . . . I mean, you know he’s . . .”

  I didn’t say the word. Turned out I didn’t have to. She quirked a brow and then chuckled. “I know, I know.” With a wave of her hand she dismissed any further explanation. “I’m just saying that he hasn’t treated you like royalty, and that’s why you’ve got a Cinderella complex.”

  “Well, I didn’t exactly agree that I have a Cinderella complex,” I muttered.

  “You didn’t have to.” Scarlet gave me a knowing look.

  “Just saying, you deserve better, whether it’s in your working relationship, your personal life . . . whatever.” Bella released a sigh, a gentle smile evolving. “You need a fella like my D.J. One who loves me unconditionally and who loves our kids so much that he would give his life for them. A man who uses his day off to take his kiddos to see zebras and lions so that Mommy can coordinate a wedding and then have a meeting afterward.”

  “Tigers,” I said.

  “Tigers.” She shrugged. “And when those tigers scare the babies, he’s there to sweep them in his arms and kiss their tears away. The babies, not the tigers.” Bella’s smile lit the room.

  Still, it did little to squelch the pain I now felt as I pondered my father’s absence in my life. I couldn’t remember him ever kissing a tear away, and I’d shed plenty over the years.

  Shake it off, Gabi. Shake it off.

  “You need a guy like Armando.” Scarlet’s hands went to her heart, and I could read the bliss in her expression. “One who stops everything he’s doing just to come and help his family out when they need him. I can’t tell you what a big help he’s been to me at the bakery, and what a blessing he’s been to people at the church.” She began to share a story about a young man named Devon that Armando had helped, then dove into a story about a recent missions trip they had taken. She paused to wipe her eyes. “He’s pretty great.”

  “So is my Drew.” Hannah’s eyes pooled and she reached for a tissue. “He merged his business with mine so that we would have the best possible chance at succeeding. And we have, thanks to him.”

  “I don’t suppose I really need a guy. Period.” I put my hand up, ready to bring this conversation to an end. Had they brought me here to talk about this? Of course not. I was supposed to be here designing a dress.

  “It’s true that you don’t need a man in your life to be successful.” Bella leaned forward and put her elbows on the desk. “Having Demetri in your life hasn’t helped in that regard. For that matter, you don’t really even need to have a father figure to be successful. Millions of kids have made it without having a dad in the picture, an
d they’ve gone on to do just fine. The real Prince Charming tops all of that, anyway. So spend time with him, and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

  “The desires of my heart?” I sighed as I reached for my sketchbook. “I suppose. Hey, aren’t we supposed to be talking about Scarlet’s—”

  “Yes, but here’s my point.” Bella’s eyes sparkled again. “Sometimes life gives you the opportunity to add a fella to the picture. And sometimes, just sometimes, those relationships do work out. They do lead to something memorable. Something that stands the test of time. Do you get what I’m saying?”

  “You’re saying I’m Ginger and there might be a Fred out there for me?”

  “Exactly!” She clasped her hands together and grinned. “I’m saying you’re Ginger and there’s going to be some great fella who’s going to come along and sweep you off your feet. You don’t have to have him to be successful, but God can use the two of you to create something even better than what you could do on your own.”

  “So . . . I don’t need a Fred to be successful, but I do need a Fred to be memorable?” When she groaned, I laughed. “Kidding, kidding. I get it, Bella. And I know it’s probably a good thing to have a strong relationship with a guy. I’m not saying I’m opposed to the idea.”

  “That’s great news, Gabi.” Scarlet reached for my sketchpad and began to thumb through it. “Because your turn is coming, trust me.”

  “It happens faster than you might think,” Hannah said as she leaned over the back of Scarlet’s chair to look at my sketches.

  “Maybe,” I said. “But finding guys as great as yours doesn’t come as easily to some of us. And to be honest, I’ve never actually known a man with sticking power.”

  Bella rose from her spot behind the desk, the expression on her face growing more serious.

  Uh-oh.

  She walked up next to me and put her hand on my shoulder. “Gabi, trust me, there are men out there with sticking power. You have to find one who’s solid in his faith. If he’s in a good place with God, he’ll be in a good place with you.”