No one else would be able to wear this dress so well. It highlighted Gemma’s ethereal features perfectly.
“When he sees you in this, Josh is going to think he’s the luckiest man in the world,” Margaret said.
“As he should.” Gemma spoke with a confidence Sam hadn’t seen in her before.
“Oh, quite,” Margaret said tartly. “And you never want to let him forget that.”
She had to smile at the woman’s tone. She genuinely liked Ian and Gemma’s mother. The past hour of working with her had been sheer delight. She was funny, kind and had a keen eye for fashion.
“What about you?” she asked the older woman. “Are you happy with our plan to alter the peach dress instead of starting from scratch? I think those few changes we talked about to the neckline and the sleeves are all you really need to make it work for you.”
“After seeing what you’ve done with that wedding dress, I have complete faith that you know exactly what you’re talking about. Gem has sent me pictures of her gown all along the way, from the time you showed her the first sketches, but I’ll admit, I didn’t envision the full glory of it until I had the chance to see it in person. Honestly, I couldn’t be more thrilled.”
Sam glowed under the other woman’s approval. She wanted to lap it up like the puppies at their feeding bowl.
The past hour truly had been a delight. She didn’t need therapy to understand why she was so drawn to Margaret, considering supportive older women in her life were fairly thin on the ground.
That wasn’t precisely true, she corrected herself. She had dear friends in the Haven Point Helping Hands always ready to provide a positive influence. Eppie and Hazel. Charlene Bailey. Barbara Serrano.
Still, Linda’s dominance and Sam’s own weakness and inability to stand up for herself cast a wide shadow over her life.
“Thank you,” she said now to Margaret. “I’m so thrilled with the way it turned out. I’m never quite sure if everything will come together until the final fitting.”
“Well, I can’t imagine a more perfect gown for my daughter to wear for her wedding,” Margaret said. “Well done.”
After Gemma had changed back into her regular clothing, Samantha carefully tucked the gown into the long white custom garment bag emblazoned with the store’s swirly logo she had designed herself.
Margaret watched the whole process with interest.
“What a marvelous shop you have here,” she said. “I’m astounded. I’ll be perfectly honest, when Gem told me she was having someone local make her dress instead of choosing a more well-known designer, I was a bit concerned. She’s never cared much about what she wore and I worried about the quality she would be able to find in a little town in Idaho. I’m not ashamed to admit I was far off the mark.”
“I’m so happy you like it,” Samantha said.
“She’s going to be a gorgeous bride,” Margaret said as Gemma came back to join them. “You’ll be there, won’t you?”
“Or course. I wouldn’t miss it.”
“I know you told me you weren’t taking a date but have you changed your mind yet?” Gemma asked on a teasing note.
She made a noncommittal sound, not sure how to respond. She found herself suddenly reluctant to tell Margaret and Gemma that Ian had asked her to go with him, especially if he hadn’t told them himself.
“What does that mean?” Gemma looked suddenly interested. “Have you changed your mind? Are you taking someone?”
She could see no reason to lie. “Ian and I have decided to, um, go together.”
“Is that right?”
Margaret and Gemma exchanged a look that immediately put Samantha on edge.
“Yes. He asked me yesterday on our hike. He said you were hounding him about taking someone. Something about seating arrangements and so forth. As he knows no one else in Lake Haven County, he asked me to go as his plus-one.”
“My son, the romantic,” Margaret muttered.
“It’s not a date,” Samantha assured them quickly. “He and I are merely friends.”
“Too bad,” Margaret said.
“Mother,” Gemma chided. “Stop.”
“Why? I love my son and want him to be happy. Ian deserves to date a beautiful, smart, talented woman, after what he’s been through. You probably didn’t notice but he lit up around you yesterday in a way I hadn’t seen him do in years. You can’t blame a mother for wishing there could be something more between you.”
Sam shifted, deeply uncomfortable. Margaret surely understood why anything between Sam and her son was impossible. Anyway, the other woman had to be mistaken about Ian’s reaction to her. Samantha hadn’t seen anything like that.
“I’m afraid there’s nothing more than friendship,” she finally said. Her chest burned a little at the awkward lie but she certainly couldn’t tell Ian’s mother about the two delicious kisses they had shared...or how she ached for more.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you blush,” Margaret said.
“Drop it, Mother,” Gemma said.
“You’re right.” She hugged Samantha. “In whatever capacity, I’m glad you will be going with Ian to the wedding. Now, I believe finishing a gown of this caliber calls for a celebration, don’t you think? Let’s all three of us go to lunch or something.”
Sam’s extensive workload flashed through her head. It sounded lovely but she had so much work. Before she could make her excuses, Gemma stepped in.
“I wholeheartedly agree with you about the celebration,” Gemma said. “Unfortunately, I have a meeting in an hour I can’t miss so I have to go back to work.”
“That Aidan Caine is a slave driver.”
Gemma looked regretful. “He’s really not, we’re just in the middle of a big project right now and I’m trying to finish as much as possible before Josh and I leave for our honeymoon.”
“If you can’t do lunch, what about dinner later?” Margaret asked. “Would that work for both of you?”
Gemma appeared to consider. “Yes. I believe that would fit our schedule. We didn’t have plans tonight and were planning a quiet night.”
“Perfect. Do you
