“It’s a good thing too. We need your hands, Brooke.” Josie unwrapped Nichole’s scarf and tossed it on the couch. “We’re getting later by the minute. Mia can only wait so long. She’s doing me a huge favor this morning as it is.”
“As long as I get all the wedding details.” Brooke arched one eyebrow.
Details. Nichole lunged for the candy dish and swiped a handful before Brooke jumped out of reach. Nichole unwrapped several, shoved the chocolates in her mouth and waited for the melting sensation. Something to knock back the dread thumping in her chest.
Josie unzipped Nichole’s hoodie and gaped at her. “You’re wearing a neon pink sports bra. You can’t wear a sports bra under a wedding gown.”
Brooke looked on aghast. “Please, tell me you didn’t wear a sports bra last night to your own wedding!”
Exposed. Nichole added another candy to her mouth. No sensible bride wore a neon pink sports bra. Nothing about last night had been sensible.
“I...uh...” Josie snatched the candy dish from Brooke as if she could no longer be trusted.
“Has no one been listening?” Brooke raised both of her arms over her head. “It’s in the news.”
“Explain while you change, Nichole.” Josie urged Nichole into the dressing room.
Nichole swiped more chocolates on her way past Josie.
“We have to hurry.” Josie motioned. “Hurry.”
Nichole had to hurry and find a cover story. She shoved more candy in her mouth. Now she had to lie to her friends half-dressed in a sports bra.
“Mia is only free for an hour this morning.” Josie scooped the rest of the chocolates from Nichole’s palm, dropped them back into the bowl she set on the bench and pressed a wet wipe into Nichole’s hand. “You’ll have to ditch the bra.”
That was the least of Nichole’s concerns. Nichole shoved four more candies in her mouth.
Josie reached for Nichole’s waist. “Brooke, grab the first gown on the rack.”
“What about her marriage,” Brooke shouted from the workroom.
“Stop yelling at me.” Nichole brushed Josie’s hands away, yanked off her boots and leggings, then launched herself at the candy bowl as if one more bite would mean an escape to candy land. “You guys were encouraging me to find romance. So, I did.”
Josie swept the candy dish out of the dressing room and Nichole’s reach. The designer returned with the entire container of wet wipes. Nichole lifted her hands for Josie’s inspection. Her hands were clean. She couldn’t claim the same about her conscience.
“Overnight?” Brooke carried an exquisite gown into the dressing room. The crystals on the high halter neckline flashed. The beading on the fitted gown shimmered against the ivory silk. Beautiful, intricate hand embroidery covered the entire dress like shared love letters.
Nichole and Chase shared a secret. “You always accuse me of being too predictable.” Her words came out quickly as if she was already in the midst of a full-scale sugar rush. Impossible. “Come on. Get me in the dress already.”
“Who did she marry?” Josie unzipped the back of the wedding dress.
“Chase Jacobs.” Brooke beamed.
Josie gaped. “The Pioneers’ quarterback.”
“It’s not that improbable,” Nichole shot back, wished for another chocolate to stall her next words and stepped into the gown. She had said “I do” to a business arrangement. A fake marriage agreement. Her heart raced.
“Of course not.” Josie guided the beaded and crystal straps over each of Nichole’s shoulders, then looked at Nichole. Regret in her small smile. “I’m sorry. It’s just you’re you and he’s him.”
“I’m quiet, dull and averse to risk.” The chocolate had completely dissolved in Nichole’s mouth. Her voice sounded dehydrated as if she’d chewed on desert sand. “He’s charismatic, handsome, adventurous and a favorite in the press.”
“You’re accomplished, intelligent and beautiful.” Josie fastened the clasps for the high neck and adjusted the crystal straps across Nichole’s bare back. “And the absolute best single mom I know.”
Nichole met Josie’s gaze. Deception nauseated her. Shouldn’t her friends notice her pale skin? Damp palms? Certainly, they recognized she lacked the blissful spirit of a new bride. “Thanks.”
“And Chase Jacobs is...” Brooke’s voice trailed off.
“My husband.” Her marriage was a fraud. A small misspoken phrase had turned into something that now entailed consequences. Consequences she’d face later. “What can I say? Opposites attract.”
“So, we all must keep walking and talking. This conversation is too good to stop now.” Josie wrapped a plush shawl around Nichole’s shoulders and handed her a pair of fur-lined white boots. “Put these on.”
Nichole shoved her bare feet into her fleece-lined boots, searching for warmth and balance. “How do I look?”
“You look amazing.” Brooke turned Nichole to face the mirror. “Just like a bride.”
She recognized the woman in the mirror from her youth when she’d envisioned being a bride gliding toward her once-in-a-lifetime love. She’d never imagined a gown quite so enchanting, as if she’d stepped into her own fairy tale. Nichole’s breath caught. She hadn’t lost her breath ever. Not until last night when Chase had kissed her breathless.
“You look better than any professional model ever would.” Josie hugged Nichole. It was the kind of hug shared between two close friends. The kind of hug that only made Nichole’s deception cut deeper. Josie added, “Now it’s time to go. Walk fast, talk faster and don’t leave anything out.”
The truth supposedly set people free. Or ruined dreams. Nichole exhaled around the guilt and spilled what she could. “Chase and I went to high school together. We reconnected last night.”
Brooke set Nichole’s phone in her hand and tugged Nichole off the platform.
Josie handed several garment bags to Brooke, added two pairs of strappy heels to a tote bag with her supplies. “Before or after your business dinner?”
“Before.” Nichole hurried toward the entrance. “He stayed through dinner and we
