"Ready for another day on the job?" Mia asks as I enter the kitchen.
"Always am."
"You're quite the optimistic today," Mia comments as she hands me two warm Pop-Tarts.
"I try," I respond before taking a bite from my strawberry Pop-Tart.
"Here. Have some milk." She hands me a glass of cold milk and I gladly accept it with a simple thanks. "You're welcome. Now hurry. We don't want to be late." I nod my head and quickly eat my Pop-Tarts while taking sips of milk in between.
"I'm ready," I tell Mia after washing my glass.
"Okay, let's go."
"You're rather impatient today," I comment as I grab my stuff and follow her out the door.
"Sorry, I just want to get this day over with."
"Any reason in particular?" I ask curiously.
"I kind of have a date," Mia admits and brushes a strand of hair behind her ear.
"That's great!" I say cheerily.
"You really think so?"
"Yeah, of course."
"I'm kind of nervous because I haven't been on an official date in a while."
"You'll be fine," I reassure her as we get into my car.
"I really hope so, because I really like this guy."
"I'm sure everything will be fine. Just be yourself."
"I always am and that's what worries me. What if I come off too strong and he doesn't like me?"
"Well, then it's his loss. You're an amazing person, Mia. Anyone would be lucky to have you in their life."
"You really mean that?" she asks me and I can tell she is on the verge of tears. She rarely gets this worked up about anything. Clearly, whoever she is going on a date with means a lot to her. I just hope he doesn't hurt her.
"Every word."
"I love you." She pulls me in for a hug as best as she can in the small space of my car and I hug her back.
"Love you too," I murmur.
"Let's make a promise," she tells me as she pulls back. "If we end up being single ladies when we are old and gray, let's just live together and buy like a hundred cats or puppies."
"Or both," I suggest with a laugh. "I don't think it will come to that, but if it does, I would be more than happy to be your roommate for life."
"For life," she repeats and holds out her pinky to me. I wrap my pinky around hers and together we make a pinky promise. "Now let's get going before we're late to work and have to explain our promise to Betty. She'd probably think we're crazy for making a promise like this when we're so young and have years ahead of us to date."
"Yeah, probably," Mia says with a laugh as I drive off in direction of the bridal shop. "Do you think we'll get any crying brides today?" Mia asks out of the blue, changing the subject.
"I sure hope not, but if we do we'll deal with it as best as we can."
"Well, you will because I'm terrible at dealing with crying brides. They're so hard to console."
"You can say that again."
"Do you ever wonder what kind of bride you're going to be when it's your time to get married?"
"If I get married," I remind her. "I need a fiancé first and I can't even get a boyfriend, so marriage seems very unlikely in my future."
"Don't be such a negative Nancy."
"Says the person who literally just made me promise her that we will live together forever if we can't find anyone."
"That's just a precaution in case we end up single."
"Oh, I see how it is," I say mock offended.
"You know I love you."
"I know."
"I just hope we can find someone who will love us like we deserve," she tells me and I couldn't agree more.
"Amen to that."
"So if you did get married, what kind of bride do you think you would be?" she asks me and I shrug.
"I honestly have no idea. I just hope I'm not a bridezilla."
"Don't worry. I'll keep you in check if you get too crazy," Mia tells me with a wink.
"Let's hope that's not necessary, but I do appreciate the gesture and will gladly do the same for you when your big day comes."
"Deal," Mia responds with a grin.
"Now we just need to find our grooms to be."
"If only it were that simple," Mia says with a sigh.
"When the time is right, the right guy will come into your life."
"God, I hope so."
"He will. Just be patient."
"Patience is not my best virtue."
"You'll be fine," I reassure her. "Now let's get this day started."
"Let's." We both get out of my car and walk side by side as we enter the bridal store and see that it's already filled with potential customers. We look at each other and get ready for another day on the job. I walk out of the back room as I finish putting on my name tag, and smile at my boss when she approaches me. "Hey Alexa," she greets me.
"Hey Betty, how are you?" I respond, glad that we are on a first name basis.
"I'm good and you?"
"Couldn't be better."
"I'm glad."
"Now tell me, what can I do for you?" I ask her curiously. She rarely approaches me unless she's checking up on me or needs something and I'm guessing it's the latter.
"You know me too well," Betty responds with an embarrassed smile.
"You know that I'm always more than happy to help you."
"Good because we have a very important customer coming in today, and well, I was hoping you could help her find her dream dress."
"Consider it done."
"It's not that simple."
"What do you mean?" I ask concerned.
"I need you to do whatever she asks no matter how crazy her requests may be."
"Now you're scaring me."
"You'll be fine. I promise," she reassures me but the way she said it makes me dread what is to come. I nod anyway. "Thanks for doing me this huge favor."
"Of course, it's my pleasure," I tell her and can't help but wonder when the bride-to-be will arrive. "Do you know when she's coming in?"
"Now," Betty responds as she turns to the door. I follow her gaze and see a black haired beauty walk through the door.
"She's gorgeous," I comment as the girl takes in all the dresses with a grin from ear to ear. She's clearly one very happy bride-to-be.
"Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be," I say with a smile.
"Let's go meet your newest client." Betty leads the way and I follow after her as we make it to the smiling bride, who is looking at everything with such awe that I can't help but envy her. She sees everything with such amazement that even I don't possess after working here for so many years. I want to look at the dresses the way she does and just hope that when my day finally comes, well if it comes, I'm as enthusiastic about wedding dress shopping as she is.
"Gracie, I'm so glad you could make it," Betty tells the customer as she gets her attention.
"Believe me, I am too," Gracie responds excitedly.
"I want to introduce you to someone," she tells her. "This is, Alexa. She is one of my best employees, and will be helping you today."
"Hi, it's a pleasure to meet you," I tell her politely and stretch out my hand towards her, but she surprises me by pulling me in for a hug instead. I laugh and gladly hug her back, wishing all my clients were as kind as her.
"The pleasure is all mine," she responds before releasing me. "I can't wait for this. We're going to have so much fun," she says excitedly.
"We sure will," I reassure her with a big smile as she looks around like a kid in a candy store.
"I'll leave you two alone now, so you can start your dress shopping," Betty tells us and I nod.
"I'll see you around, right?" Gracie asks Betty.
"You sure will," Betty reassures her. "If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask."
"I won't."
"Good. Now I'll get out of your hair so you can do your thing," Betty says with a wink before leaving us to start dress shopping.
"Will anyone be joining you?" I ask Gracie, hoping I'm not prying, but I want to know if we are waiting on anyone because for most brides it's important for them to have their mothers, siblings, their bridal party and sometimes even their fiancés with them when they dress shop.
"Yeah, my brother will be here any minute now. He's just running a bit late."
"Do you want to start looking at dresses while we wait for your brother to get here?"
"Yes, please," Gracie responds giddily.
"Okay. Give me an idea of what you're looking for and we'll go from there."
"I want something with bling, but nothing too over the top."
"Is there anything you're looking for particularly in a dress aside from bling?"
"I'm willing to try anything that will flatter my figure."
"You'll look good in anything," I assure her.
"You're just saying that."
"No, I really mean it," I say sincerely. She has a great figure that will make her look good in any bridal gown she wears and I envy her for that.
"Well thanks," she responds with a blush.
"No need to thank me. It's the truth."
"Well, I appreciate your honesty and really hope you're right because I want to stun my fiancé the moment he sees me walk down the aisle."
"Don't worry. You will."
"You'll help me, right?"
"Of course," I respond with a smile and start pulling dresses off the rack. "Would you like to try on these while we wait for your brother?"
"No need. He's already here," she says excitedly and waves like crazy to get her brother's attention while I continue looking for dresses for her to try on.
"You can go meet him at the door, and just bring him over here when you're ready."
"You don't mind?"
"Not at all."
"Okay, I'll be right back." She leaves to go get her brother and I continue with my job, hoping that we can gain some sense of direction in regards to what she wants her dress to look like. As of right now, I don't have much to go off of and have one difficult task ahead of me. "This way," I hear Gracie's voice say giddily, which probably means she is bringing her brother right my way. "Alexa, I'd like you to meet my brother."
I turn around with a large pile of dresses hanging off my arm and nearly drop them all when I see Gracie's brother. I watch as his lips curve into a smirk and can tell he is clearly amused by my shocked expression. Now I understand what people mean when they say it's a small world because it clearly is a really, really small world.
"Natie, this is Alexa. She will be helping me with my dress shopping today," Gracie tells her brother, and I can't help but smile when she says her nickname for him.
"Don't you dare laugh," Gracie's brother threatens me and I hold it together for a second, but I lose it when I remember his nickname.
"I'm sorry. That's just too funny," I respond in between laughter while Gracie just looks at me like I am crazy.
"Do you two know each other?" she asks and looks between the two of us as we just smile and laugh.
"Of course I know, Natie," I tease him with a grin. "He just so happens to be my new neighbor."
"Hi neighbor," Nate greets me and comes over to my side to wrap his arm around my shoulder as if we are the best of friends. "So this is where you work? I never would have guessed," he admits as he takes it all in.
"Yes, this is my workplace."
"And I never would have guessed you two knew each other," Gracie comments.
"You would have met her if you came to my party," he scolds her.
"I was busy."
"Sure you were, you liar. Either way, it was your loss, because I threw an awesome party. Right, Alexa?"
"If you insist," I respond with a smug grin.
"How dare you insult my party."
"I'm kidding. It was a great party," I tell Gracie who looks amused by our banter.
"You two seem to get along quite well," Gracie comments but I can tell she is trying to insinuate something.
"Gracie, shut it," Nate warns her and she doesn't say anything more but it's obvious that she wants to keep talking about Nate and me.
"So are all those dresses for me?" Gracie asks, changing the subject.
"Yeah, I was thinking that we can try different dresses on you, so you can hopefully get an idea in what direction you want to go. From there we can hopefully find your dream dress."
"Okay, sounds good to me."
"Are you ready to try them on?"
"Yes!" Gracie practically shrieks, gaining the unwanted attention of many customers. She apologizes to the other clients and turns back towards me with an embarrassed expression. "Sorry about that."
"No need to apologize. You're excited and there's nothing wrong with that."
"Tell that to the other customers," Gracie says with a fake pout.
"Forget about them and follow me."
"What about me?" Nate asks.
"Take a seat on one of the white couches, and wait for your sister to come out when she's ready."
"Yes, ma'am," Nate responds with a fake southern twang and doesn't hesitate to do as he is told.
"Now shall we proceed?" I ask Gracie and she eagerly nods. "Okay, come with me." I lead the way to the dressing room area and show her into one of our many dressing rooms where I quickly hang all the dresses on a rack.
"This is so exciting," Gracie chimes in as she looks through all the dresses. "Can we start with this one?" she asks, holding out a white mermaid gown.
"Of course. Do you need me to help you change into the dress?"
"I'll be fine getting into it by myself. I just need help with the zipper."
"Okay, I'll be right outside the door. Call me when you need me." I step out of the dressing room, giving Gracie some privacy and wait while she changes into the dress.
"Ready," Gracie says a few minutes later. I step into the room and see that she has her back turned towards me. I carefully zip up the dress and smooth down the back.
"Are you ready to show your brother?"
"Yes!" Gracie says excitedly.
"Let's go then." Gracie walks out first with the small train in her hand. I follow after her. The moment she approaches Nate, he stands up and smiles at her.
"You look beautiful," he compliments her, bringing a smile to her face.
"You really think so?"
"I know so," Nate tells her, making her tear up. "Awe, don't cry, Gracie."
"I can't help it," Gracie says with a laugh as a tear rolls down her cheek.
"Come here." Nate pulls her into his arms and holds her while she cries, and I'm not gonna lie, seeing him comfort Gracie gives me all the feels. He makes me just want to whisk him away and tell him to forget what I said about being friends but I know better than that and shut down that crazy idea real quick. I am not ready and neither is he. He does not know what he is getting himself into when it comes to me. Dating me is not going to be easy since I'm new to all this, but if he's really willing to try, I think I can give him the chance he's asking for. Just not right now.
"Better?"
"Much better," she responds as she wipes her tears.
"Good. Now let me help you." She places her hand in his and with his help steps onto the small platform that we have for brides to stand on. She releases the train of the dress and looks at herself in the mirrors that are carefully placed around the platforms so brides can see themselves from every angle. Nate takes pictures of her while she looks at herself in the mirror. And me, I simply watch them in awe as they each do their thing.
"So how do you like it?" I ask her when Nate is done taking pictures.
"It's definitely a great place to start but it's not the one."
"Do you want to continue trying on mermaid gowns or would you rather go in a different direction?"
"I want to try something different."
"Okay, come with me." I help her off the platform and take her back to the fitting room where I carefully unzip the dress so she can change into a different dress, and just like that time goes by in the blink of an eye as Gracie tries on one dress after another.
"I'm so sorry you wasted all that time with me," Gracie apologizes as we walk out of the dressing room after trying on over a dozen dresses and make our way towards Nate.
"It's not a waste. I want to help you find your dream dress and will do my best to help you find it when you come in the next time."
"You'd really help me again."
"Of course! It would be my pleasure," I reassure her.
"Yay! Thank you so much!" she says excitedly. "I'll try to make another appointment with Betty, so I can come in again as soon as possible."
"Alright, well I hope to see you soon," I tell her as we walk up to Nate who is waiting for Gracie.
"Me too," she tells me and gives me a big hug.
"What about me?" Nate asks, apparently feeling left out.
"What about you?" I retort with a grin.
"Don't you want to see me too?"
"I see enough of you at the apartment complex," I say with a grin but it's a big fat lie. I would love to see more of him, but our schedules keep us really busy and away from each other.
"You'll see more of me if you keep that attitude up," Nate responds with a wink.
"Whoa. Whoa. Keep it PG-13 you two," Gracie interrupts, making us laugh.
"Sorry, I should get back to work," I inform them regretfully.
"We don't have to end things here," Nate interjects.
"What do you mean?" I ask him confused.
"When's your lunch break?"
I look at my watch and see that I only have about fifteen minutes left until I can go eat. "In like fifteen minutes. Why?"
"Do you want to go eat with Gracie and me? It'll be my treat."
"Yeah, come with us," Gracie insists and I consider it until I remember about Mia.
"I really appreciate the offer but I can't. I always eat with Mia, and wouldn't feel right leaving her."
"She can come with us. I'll even treat her too," he insists.
"I'll talk to Betty so she can let you two off early for lunch," Gracie tells me but I don't understand why on earth Betty would do that for her.
"I don't think she'll agree."
"She will. Don't worry," Gracie reassures me and I hope she is right.
"If you say so."
"Trust me. Now go find your friend."
"Okay."
"Nate go with her," Gracie tells him. "In the meantime, I'll talk Betty into letting you two off early." Gracie goes one way and Nate and I go in the opposite direction in search of Mia. We find her in the back putting dresses back on their hangers.
"Hey Nate," Mia says as Nate and I walk up to her.
"Hey neighbor," Nate greets her.
"The names Mia, but you can call me neighbor if you want," she responds with a laugh. "So how can I help you two?" she asks, looking between the both of us.
"We actually wanted to ask you if you wanted to join us for lunch? It will be my treat," he says, inviting her.
"You two go by yourselves," she tells us.
"His sister's coming too," I inform her.
"Oh, well in that case, yes," she says with a grin.
"We're good to go," Gracie says as she walks up to us.
"So we can leave now?" I ask her in disbelief.
"Yup. Betty gave the okay."
"Great," Mia chimes in.
"We'll get our stuff and be right out," I tell Gracie and Nate, and take Mia with me to the backroom.
"How did you manage this?" Mia asks as we grab our stuff.
"What do you mean?"
"Lunch with Nate and his sister."
"Oh...Well, Gracie came in to find a wedding dress and Nate turned out to be her brother, and you can basically guess the rest from there."
"Nate's sister seems nice," Mia comments as we make our way out of the backroom and back onto the sales floor.
"She really is."
"Did she manage to find her dress?"
"Not yet but I promised to help her find it."
"I would too if my client had a brother like Nate," Mia says with a laugh.
"It's not like that," I respond defensively.
"Sure it isn't," Mia teases me as Nate and Gracie walk up to us, and she thankfully shuts up.
"Are you two ready?" Gracie asks us and we nod.
"Good, let's go."
"I figured we can go in my car, and I'll just drop you off when we're done," Nate tells us.
"I can take my car too. That way Mia and I can just come straight here afterward, and we can even give you a ride back, Gracie," I tell her directly. "I know you came by yourself. I wouldn't mind giving you a ride back."
"It's fine. I'll take all of you and bring you back myself," Nate insists.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes," he reassures me as he leads the way to his four-door Mustang.
"Alexa, you sit in the passenger seat," Gracie tells me and Mia agrees with a nod of her head. I get into the passenger seat while Gracie and Mia sit in the back seat. I look back at them and notice that they both have sheepish grins, which does not give me a good feeling at all. They are clearly up to something, and I don't want any part of it.
"Don't you dare do anything," I warn Mia right before Nate gets into the driver seat. She simply smirks and gestures for me to turn around, and I do reluctantly, not wanting to be rude to Nate who is buckling up. I put on my seatbelt and wait for Nate to drive off.
"So what are you all craving?" Nate asks us as he pulls out of the parking lot but no one speaks up. "Is anybody there?"
"I'm up for whatever," I tell him and he chuckles.
"How typical."
"That is not typical," I say defensively.
"That is what most women say when asked what they want to eat."
"Not true."
"It is and just so you know there is no food or restaurant called whatever, so you're going to have to be a bit more specific than that."
"Like I said, I'll have whatever," I respond stubbornly.
"Anyone else have any suggestions?" he asks, completely ignoring my answer.
"Not really," Gracie interjects. "I'm so hungry I'd eat just about anything."
"How does Hawaiian food sound?" Nate asks and Mia and Gracie quickly agree with his suggestion while I just stay quiet. Nate turns to me expectantly but I don't say anything. Instead, I glare at him and he just smiles back before turning forward to face the road. "Hawaiian food it is then," he finally says and I'm actually glad he suggested it. I just refuse to tell him since he basically told me my answer was basic.
We arrive five minutes later at our destination, which is great because it gives us more time to eat and talk before Mia and I have to go back to work.
"Have you ever been here?" Nate asks me as we walk into the restaurant.
"No, I haven't," I respond, knowing I couldn't keep up the silent treatment even if I wanted. He's too hard to ignore.
"The food's amazing here. I bet you'll love it."
"It smells amazing," I comment, as I breathe in the delicious smell of the food.
"Just wait."
We all look at the menu but I really have no clue what to order.
"What's good here?" I ask him, feeling unsure.
"Do you trust me to order for you?"
"I don't know. Should I?" I respond with a smirk.
"I'll take that as a yes." He walks up to the register and orders two of the same orders for us. Gracie and Mia put in their order and just like he promised, Nate pays for all of our food. "Here are your cups." He says, handing each of us a cup.
We all get our drinks before sitting down in a booth that seats four, and just like in the car, Gracie and Mia leave me to sit next to Nate. I don't mind, but I can tell that they are clearly up to something and I don't like it one bit.
"So how long have you two known each other?" Gracie asks Nate and he looks at me.
"About two weeks, right?" he asks me and I nod.
"You know, you two would make-," Gracie starts and Nate kicks her under the table to shut her up. "Owww!" she exclaims as she rubs her leg under the table. "That wasn't very nice, Natie."
"Natie?" Mia asks amused and looks between Nate and Gracie.
"Yup, that's my nickname for him since I'm older by a year," Gracie responds quite proudly.
"How old are you?" I ask curiously.
"I'm twenty-five and she's twenty-six," Nate tells me.
"How old are you?" Gracie asks me.
"Twenty-three." As soon as I answer she looks over at Nate and smiles at him, which makes me wonder just what she's thinking.
"Gracie, whatever you're thinking, stop it," Nate tells her, but it doesn't faze her in the least bit. She simply grins and looks over at Mia who grins right back at her. I look between the two and know that something is up. I just hope that they don't try anything stupid.
"Our food is here," Nate announces as a waiter walks up to our table. He hands each of us our order, and we all thank Nate before digging into our delicious food. "So what do you think?" Nate asks me after I swallow a bite of my food.
"It's delicious."
"Good. Maybe we can come back sometime," he suggests and right as he says that Mia and Gracie stop talking and turn toward us with big grins plastered on their faces.
"Sure, I'd love too," I respond, completely ignoring Mia and Gracie, who are both watching our exchange intently.
"Great," he says, oblivious to our two peeping toms.
We all continue eating and thankfully manage to finish our food without any incidences.
"That was so good," Mia comments as she finishes her drink.
"I'm glad you think so," Nate tells her.
"It was delicious," I add. "Thanks for inviting us."
"You're welcome. Are you ready to go because I think we're cutting it close to your lunch hour?" I look at my watch and realize that he's right.
"Yeah, we should really get going now," I tell him and we all get out of the booth, and thank all the employees on our way out as we leave the restaurant.
We all quickly get back into the Mustang and reclaim our seats, which leaves me in the front with Nate again. I don't mind though and clearly, neither does Gracie and Mia. I turn back to look at them and see that they are deep in conversation and just hope that Nate and I aren't a part of that conversation because I don't want them trying to play cupid. It's the last thing I need.
"Are you ready to go back to work?" Nate asks me as he drives out of the parking lot.
"Yeah, I'm used to it by now."
"Is it ever hard on you?"
"Only when brides break down and cry."
"Now that has to suck."
"I'm kind of used to it now, but some brides are difficult because they're inconsolable."
"I couldn't even imagine having to do something like that," he admits.
"It sounds terrible when you talk about it, but when you're there, in that moment, you don't really think about it, you just act and do your best to calm down the bride. It's only natural that they are filled with doubts and fear when they're planning one of the most important days of their lives, and it's our job to reassure them that everything is going to be okay."
"When you put it like that, you make your job sound more appealing."
"It's really not that bad. I'll admit that at first I only did it as a way to support myself, but over the years I've come to love my job because there's nothing like being able to see my clients find the one dress that makes them feel like a bride. And I hope I can help your sister have that moment too. It's all I want for all my clients."
"I'm sure you will," he says reassuringly.
"I really hope so. The last thing I want is to disappoint your sister."
"You could never disappoint me," Gracie interjects and puts a hand on my shoulder. I put my hand over hers and thank her for believing so much in me when she just practically met me.
"I hate to cut the conversation short, but we're here," Mia announces as Nate pulls up in front of the bridal store.
"Thanks for everything," I tell Nate gratefully.
"Yeah, thanks Nate," Mia chimes in.
"Anytime," he responds.
"I'll see you around," I tell him and he grins.
"You sure will," he responds with a wink.
Mia, Gracie and I get out of the car and close the doors behind us. We wave goodbye and Nate drives off, leaving us girls by ourselves.
"It was really nice meeting you," I tell Gracie sincerely.
"Likewise and just so you know, I'll see you very soon. I already made my appointment with Betty and told her that I want you to help me again."
"Great, I can't wait to see you again so we can continue looking for your dream dress."
"I know! I can't wait to find it," she says excitedly.
"You will," Mia assures her. "Alexa is one of the best employees here, and will help you find the dress of your dreams no matter what it takes."
"I know she will," Gracie responds with a big smile. "And now I'll leave you two, so you can get back to work. It was really great hanging out with you both. Hopefully, we can do it again sometime soon."
"Anytime," I tell her.
"Sounds like a plan to me," she says with a wink. "Bye, ladies," Gracie tells us and gives us each a hug before leaving us so we can get back to work.
"I like her," Mia comments as Gracie walks further and further away.
"Me too. Now let's get back to work before we're late."
"Right, let's go." Mia leads the way inside the bridal store, and we put away our purses before coming back out onto the sales floor where there are already new customers.
"Good luck to you," I tell her as I appraise all the potential buyers.
"Likewise."
We both go our separate ways and help our customers who are all full of questions. And just like that, time goes by as we help one customer after another. Not that I mind. If anything, I welcome the distraction because I desperately need to get my mind off of Nate, who seems to be taking over my thoughts as of late. But no matter how much I try to shake the thought of Nate, I can't help but wonder what the future holds for us, especially now that I not only know him but also his sister Gracie, who seemed to really take a liking to me as much as I did to her.
Could she be the key to help bring us together? Only time will tell.