All's Fair in Love and Las Vegas

Chapter Twenty-Three

        "Um...maybe lace?" I suggested timidly. Did lace sound good? Good enough. Hopefully I'd get a second chance at a wedding dress someday, because this one would probably be disastrous.

        "Any ideas on the cut?" Mandy prompted. I have a feeling she might not like me and my upcoming indecisiveness.

        "She wants something sexy," Kylie chimed in, earning herself a glare. I knew we should've left her on the curb at the coffee shop. 

        "I really don't," I said hastily, shooting daggers at her. "Nothing too revealing, please."

        "Okay, we can find something flattering. Mermaid gown or princess skirt or somewhere in between?" Mandy said.

        "Between." Kylie got a sharp elbow in the ribs before she could answer for me.

        Mandy got up and showed me some examples. I could tell Kylie hated most of them, and honestly I didn't like them either. Most of them seemed stiff and frilly. Or from the nineteenth century. Nina was actually attempting to be helpful, but even then the dresses weren't exactly on her side.

        "Okay, how about this one?" Mandy tried, holding out a mermaid gown with no straps.

        I was doubtful, but took it and said, "I'll try it on." Sadly, it was one of my best choices yet.

        We selected a couple more that weren't horrible and I slipped behind the curtain. Mandy helped me zip the dress and then I stepped out.

        "Oh my gosh she looks so pretty!" Kylie gushed, squishing her face with her hands in excitement. 

        "Thanks, but I don't really love it," I confessed.

        Nina nodded, more reasonable than Kylie. "Yeah, you look great, but it's not really your type of dress," she said with a slight frown.

        So I went and tried on the other three. Nothing worked. Once in a while, Kylie or Nina or Rylie would absolutely love one, but it was never one I liked. Rylie was also helpful in pointing out the most uncomfortable factors, like too much skirt was hard to handle or an ill-fitting bodice was a nightmare waiting to happen. Or that things that were too tight but technically fitting were always hard to maneuver in.

        "Sparkles?" Kylie offered hopefully.

        I shook my head. "You know I don't like attention."

        "Because being the bride of a billionaire isn't drawing attention," she deadpanned.

        "I don't like attention that I have control over," I corrected myself.

        "Fineeee."

        Nina suddenly slammed into a wall in her haste to round the corner. "JackieIfoundone!"

        I helped her unsquish from the brick wall and checked that she was perfectly unharmed before inspecting the dress in her hands. "It's really nice," I said, intrigued because well, it looked good in the bag.

        "Go, go, go," she chanted, shoving me back towards the changing room.

        Reason number one to like this dress: it was fairly easy to get into. No awkward straps or zippers, just a half zip in the back. Already a winner by my standards. I wiggled into it and looked in the mirror. 

        "Oh." Now I understood what they meant when they said your wedding is your one day to be a princess. The skirt ran down like a waterfall, not anywhere close to a huge skirt, just hanging beautifully and brushing the floor. The whole dress was a simple lace, long-sleeved with a v-neck that thankfully wasn't too deep and not too short either. Really hoping I didn't get any horrendous rejections, I stepped outside and stood in front of the pink couches.