Beauty and the Bridesmaid

Chapter Fifteen

I wake up to find Anna perched on the edge of my bed, waving a mug of tea under my nose.

“What the hell are you doing?” I mumble in my groggy morning state, burrowing my face deeper into the pillow.

“I thought the steam might wake you up.” She holds the mug out to me and I slowly accept it, lifting my body up just enough to make it look like I’m making an effort to talk to her.

“So I suppose you want details.” I purse my lips.

Anna nods eagerly like an excited child. “Every detail. Like I tell you.”

“The only difference is, I don’t ask for those details.” I sigh and sip my tea, wincing as the hot liquid hits my tongue. Even if I elaborate the story, it’s never going to be as good as any of the dates she’s had with gorgeous French models.

“Well, you’re here in your own bed so it can’t have been that good,” Anna says.

“Some of us respect ourselves,” I point out.

She shrugs off my comment. “Spill.”

I can’t tell her everything, like how I spent my time worrying that he might have slept with Lela, which means that I will have to leave out large chunks of how the date actually went.

“We just talked and stuff. It was nice. I think I’m going to see him again.”

“Nice?” Anna scrunches her nose in disgust. “Honey, if you can’t do any better than nice, I’m going to have to assume that you’re leaving something out.”

“No, there wasn’t any kissing,” I say pointedly, because I know that’s what she’s interested in hearing about. I try to ignore how easily she’s picked up on my omitting of information.

“Then how do you know you should see him again? Judging the kiss is the first rule of dating.”

I stare back at her blankly. “There are rules of dating?”

Anna shakes her head. “Maybe I shouldn’t have let you go without educating you properly first.”

“I don’t think I want any education you have to offer,” I say, shoving back the covers. “It’s the final dress fitting today. I have to go to the bridal shop soon.”

“Oh, that.” Anna rolls her eyes. “You should really concentrate on securing your wedding date first before you commit to any bridesmaid duties.”

With everything else going on right now, I don’t have the energy to continue this conversation with her. What Anna doesn’t know is that dating Damien might not be a realistic option if it is him Lela cheated on Ash with. And, with that information, there might not even be a wedding.

***

Bridal boutiques are the sort of places that leave you feeling miserable if you’re not the one getting married. I imagine how Lela would feel about today, the final dress fitting, if I had told Ash the truth yesterday. And then I imagine how he would feel if he was to find out about Lela’s infidelity from someone else, and then finds out that I knew and didn’t tell him. Making the decision about what to do is literally draining me. How can I act like I care about dress fittings with this on my mind?

“I’ve been dieting,” Kerry says to no one in particular. She stands in front of a full-length mirror, sucking in her cheeks and pushing out her chest.

I ignore her and pace the room, waiting for the assistant to return with our adjusted dresses to try on.

Lela is standing by the shop window, staring at the big white wedding gowns. She’s probably wondering what I’m going to do. Her whole future may depend on me.