Slow burn PART 2

Chapter 3

She does every time I've seen her. I looked down at myself while Grace was using my restroom. I was in shorts and a flowy top. I didn't put much thought into it, but something tells me all of Grace's friends are probably a lot more like her than they are like me.

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        Grace drove us to a little bridal shop where her girlfriends would be meeting us any minute now. I call the place 'little' and it was, but it was extravagant. I picked up a price tag and dropped the dang thing like it burned me. Wow. 

"So, did I tell you about my mom's visit? Ugh, you had so much going on at the time I didn't want to burden you, but she's being such a bridezilla and she isn't even the bride!!" Grace huffed as she perused. 

"Is she an opinionated woman?" I asked after her. "Very! But so is Rocco's mom. You've met Claudia. You know" she waved me off like I knew all this all too well. I don't. 

Yes, I met Claudia and even stayed in her home for a few nights, but we didn't bond for very long. Most of what we discussed was about Renzo and how Claudia didn't think I should judge her son too harshly. Goodness, was she right. Look where I am now...burning written confessions of murder and nightmares.

        When the bell above the shop door chimed it was like a sea of very excited women came bursting through the entrance. The shop has one front door, a main room filled with dress displays and racks of white, white, and more white. 

Then towards the very back is a cove for the dressing rooms, and a counter with an old school vintage looking register made up entirely of silver. It gave character to the place. The woman who worked here, or possibly owned the bridal shop, was all smiles and kept a measuring tape around her neck like she was ready to start grabbing limbs and waists at any second.

        The stampede of women consisted of four younger women, an older woman around Claudia's age, Claudia herself, and a very old woman. The four younger girls all had big jewelry, white toothed smiles, and they were loud. Very loud. 

"AHH! She's here", "Babes! You look amazing", "Hello! We missed you" people all shouted giddy and all out at once. I just took a step back to let everyone greet one another.

        The first to step out of the sea of women was Mrs. Claudia Revello herself. "Mrs. Revello, hello" I politely greeted her and did the double cheek kiss I had witnessed everyone else doing. Portuguese people do that as a form of greeting also. 

"Well, look who it is. I'm happy to see you here, carissima stellina" the woman smiled and I hope it was genuine. I also hope she doesn't know about Sven. I couldn't stand the man I love's mother to know such a gruesome detail about me. 

Renzo did tell me that he'd take the blame for all that. So if he did tell anyone, the story was that Renzo got Sven before Sven could get me. I'd rather that version than the real one.

Still, last I spoke to Claudia I was telling her I couldn't stomach Renzo's past, and that we were in a confusing place. But today isn't about me. It's about Grace and her exciting first steps into planning her big wedding day.

        Before Claudia could say much else we were interrupted by the bride herself. "Ladies, this is Kat, my Boston bestie. Kat, this is my sister, my cousin, my step niece, and my New York bestie" Grace started pointing to each of the women who all varied in age. 

The step niece is the daughter of Grace's step brother from the Colombo crime family. I wish I didn't know those details but I do. Grace has told me all about her family tree.

Grace's sister, Faith, could be her twin. They aren't though. Her sister is 35 and Grace is 30 like Rocco. Grace's mother had Faith when she was only 18, but stayed with the man many years and had Grace with the same man.