After school Hunter leads me to the car and to work. I laugh at his giddiness and he explains that they are having a huge fashion thing today and I have to help pick out wedding dresses. I'm just as excited as him. I have a secret obsession and I guess he found that out when he saw bridal magazines in my room the other day.
"Do I need to change?" I ask when we get out of the car. I grab my phone from my school bag and put it in my pocket.
Hunter looks me up and down "No" is all he says interlocking our fingers and heading in. I start to wonder why a fashion company would help women pick out wedding dresses. As if he's reading my mind Hunter whispers "My mom has her own little obsession with weddings. So she has a "Say Yes to the Dress" kind of idea. She needs your help. I just have to be there to help with tuxedos." He rolls his eyes and leads me down a hall. Some girl pulls me aside and requests my idea on a new outfit sketch. I try to pull Hunter with me but the girl insisted it was my decision.
"This one is great, but put the top in plum." I say a little unsure. Her smile breaks out and she taps on her Bluetooth.
Maybe this isn't so bad.
The young girl thinks for a minute as I shade in the color it should be. "Yes Mrs. Prescott. She said the plum. Okay, I'll tell her. Have a good day." she says then turns to me. "Mrs. Prescott agreed with you 100% she wanted to see how you would do with that type of question. She wants you at level four for bridal." I pat the girl on the shoulder the weight lifted off my shoulders.
My heels click as I walk across the floor and I'm confronted with more questions. The drawing classes I took when I was little come in handy fixing the drafts. Some of the people even being guys who I help them figure out how to tailor a suit in the right way.
When I finally get to the bridal floor I've inherited a sketch book. One of the assistants working for a girl in design told me to carry this because I'm going to get a lot of sketches of how a bride wants to alter a dress so I'm going to get an original sketch to alter.
I don't do the initial drawing and really, I don't have to draw, I just need to know what they have to fix.
Hunter is there when I finally arrive and he rolls his eyes at the smile on my face. "Seems like you've had fun." He hands me a black case which I take willingly. I flip open showing a tablet. "This will bring up the dress you're looking at and you can make changes to fit the bride. You can use your sketch book some other time." He says putting it on a table near us. "Mom, she's ready." Hunter yells after showing me how to use my new gadget.
Mrs. Prescott takes my arm and leads me towards a busty bride with an emotional breakdown in the making. I ignore her entourage's requests and take her in a back room. "They just want me in something form fitting. I want a ball gown." She says trying to keep pace with me in her mermaid dress. I look through the plastic bags choosing a Snow White dress that goes down to her natural waist into a v then fluffs out excluding the sleeves immediately.
I hand it to an assistant and she helps the girl into it. We walk out to her entourage and no one looks immediately. I pull Hunter over and tell him to pick out a veil. "Are you sure you want me to do it?" I nod my head and he walks towards the veil rooms. He comes back with a short one that will go to the middle of her butt.
I take it from him and clip it into her long hair. She messes with the bust line and I smack her fingers away nicely. "Don't feel awkward." I whisper practically cupping her boobs. The assistant helping her, Kassie, pulls the bust tighter and clips it. I take a picture on my tablet of each side then show them to her. "This is your finished look, like?" I say seeing the tears well in her eyes. She nods her head and hugs me I grab a display bouquet and she takes it willingly she stares in the body length mirror and makes her final decision.
I walk away coming back a few minutes later smiling hugely having made my first sale. When Mrs. Prescott turns away Hunter kisses me swiftly. "Hunter, I can still see you. This room is full of mirrors." She says putting some dresses back into bags shoving them at people to take away. I pull away giggling and walk towards the elevator grabbing my sketch pad.
When I'm in the elevator the tablet beeps signaling an email from Mrs. Prescott.
Emelia, thank you for your help today. There is a new program on your computer to help you look at my sketches along with others who work here. You can alter them or leave them the way they are. You will email them to Kassie who gives them to the designers that make that type of clothing. Remember, you are the boss now and you are in charge. I have to go back to the hospital. I'm afraid my time is running out. Thank you, for everything.
My eyes water at the last sentence and I turn on my computer finding a simple USB port on the side to connect my tablet to it so I can transfer things onto it so I can work from home. A knock comes at my door and I try to make my heels click less when I walk towards it. "Karsen?" I ask a little confused. My phone buzzes in my back pocket. "Hello?"
"Karsen has to go to his sister's wedding, she's here looking for a dress and he needs to talk to you about it." Hunter says cutting the conversation short.
Karsen looks at me with pleading eyes and I know instantly his sister is a bridezilla. "Come into my office" I say and he practically knocks me over running towards a seat. "So, is she a bit of a handful?" I say sitting on my desk instead of a seat.
He grunts and pulls out a folder. "This is every dress she's looked at so far." He pushes the thick binder into my hands. I flip through and find them all to be ball gown dresses. "She's hell to be with. She yells at everyone and won't let us help her in anyway." He says and pulls me towards the door. My tablet beeps and it's an instant message from Hunter telling me to hurry because she's psychotic.
I grab a few dresses with tight bodice flaring out into an A-line. "It's pretty" she says her face lighting up slightly. I don't take it as a compliment and get all excited instead I keep a straight face grabbing some more of different styles.
Since when do I know my shit? I guess watching all those bridal shows really did the trick.
She comes out looking beautiful, as did she in all her other dresses. "No" I say simply reading her face knowing she's thinking the same thing. "Take this" I say to Kassie and she walks off. Hunter comes over to me and collapses on the couch next to me. "She's not quite the handful I expected, she just wants to feel beautiful." I mumble and look over some pictures of new dresses we've gotten and head off to find them.
"Twelve dresses, twelve!" Karsen groans in frustration. "Sis, you need to choose, you get married in ten days." I push him to the side and show a dress I've been waiting for. It's a beaded bodice with a drop waist, the bottom made out of a material that looks like feathers.
She comes out a few minutes later and I attach the tiara and veil she's bought already holding up the tux her fiance has purchased. She bursts into tears "I LOVE IT!" she sobs. She pulls me into a tight hug repeating how much she loves it. I have Kassie ring her up and Karsen almost kisses me from excitement. "I'm going to tell everyone I know to come here. For wedding or not; you're amazing." She gushes pulling the plastic bag containing her dress and Karsen behind her.
"You're a miracle worker" Hunter whispers leading me towards the car. "I can't believe you got her a dress. She was crazy!" He mumbles opening my door and closing it behind me. "Mom's gonna flip when I show her the video of what you did." I cough up spit that I was just swallowing. "I was made to video tape you for your first challenging customer" he explains pulling into Starbucks.
I just hold his hand and let him lead me into the fabulous coffee shop. "Iced Caffe Mocha" I say to the kid from our school that works behind the counter. She smiles and takes Hunter's order. "So your mom had to check on me?" I say in disappointment. "She sent me a disappointing email earlier." I add and he turns away. "Sorry..." apologizing for bringing up everything with his parents.
Instead of talking about something we very dearly need to he leads me to a booth "You're fabulous at the bridal portion of the store." He compliments me tapping my hand. "Tomorrow after school we have to get you on clothing. We graduate the day after tomorrow then we go on that trip with the boys. Dress fancy tomorrow too you've got a meeting to sit in on while my mom tells the entire company that you're taking over because she doesn't have much longer, about three weeks at the most..." he drones off and I take a sip of my drink.
Its one thing we haven't discussed, but I just need to think of how I'm going to deal with it when it comes along. Just like everything else in my life. Especially the bridal department.
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This one's a bit boring, but I've been watching a lot of "Say Yes to the Dress" and it's going to my head.
Thanks everyone for reading, it means a lot!! :D
The next chapter is gonna be kind of a filler, but when they graduate, then go on there trip.
Sorry for all the boring chapters. I'm trying! I have an idea for a sequel already so I want anyone who reads this to comment if there gonna want one or not. :D
Just so people know. Every chapter after Chapter Twelve is what she has written in her diary. Just like a story, but in her own diary.