Page 22 of Broken Arranged Mate
She looks me up and down, either unable or unwilling to hide the frown that pulls at the corners of her mouth. “I know we just met, but I don’t think that’s the one.”
“I hate it,” I admit, shoulders falling more, the strange sense that we’re going to be easy friends settling over me. “I have more to try on.”
“Well, I’ll get out of your way,” Raegan slides to the side, her bodyguard following along with her. I catch the annoyed look she tosses at him over her shoulder, but then Beth is stepping forward, resting both of her hands light on my shoulders.
Her eyes sparkle behind her large, round glasses.
“Oh, dear,” she breathes, and my heart twists at the sight of her, the smell of her floral perfume, the familiar weight of her hands on my shoulders. “You lookwonderful.And you will, no matter what you choose to wear—I hope you know that.”
When the hot, scratchy feeling of tears pushes at the back of my throat, I bite my tongue, willing it to recede.
“Thank you, Beth.”
After that, I go through a slew of dresses. And even though I know I shouldn’t, and that he won’t notice anyway, I can’t help but wonder what Oren would think about each. Even when we’re together, it’s not like it really allows his gaze to linger on me. He’s always looking away, redirecting his attention. Idon’t know why I think the dress would be any different, but I think of him each time I step out in a new one.
A tight, body-forming dress that’s so tight around my ankles I practically have to shuffle forward in it, and that makes Veva laugh so hard she nearly spits out her champagne.
One that’s adorned with millions of little gems, intricate detailing, so much piled on top of the fabric that it weighs me down, hurting my knees after just five minutes, and clinking audibly when I move.
Then a cream white dress that’s so simple it cuts in a straight line, right past my hips, making me look like a rectangle. Though it does have a slit up the leg that makes Beth let out a low whistle when she sees it.
So far, none of the dresses feels like me, and I think the other girls know it. I smile through it, figuring none of them will—I’ve just never really been much of a dress person, period.
When we’re done, Kira stands, whispers something into the shop attendant’s ear, then heads outside.
“What was that about?” Veva asks, watching Kira as she goes.
“I think I have an idea,” Beth says, wheezing out another laugh at the look on Veva’s face. I try not to feel dejected as I step out of the last dress and back into my regular clothes—a soft, flowing jumpsuit with wide straps and a muted color.
When we head out onto the sidewalk, Kira is just finishing up her phone call.
“You don’t have to worry about the dress, Ash,” she says, her smile lighting up her face.
“Uh,” I glance at her phone, trying to figure out what that could mean. “Why? Did you find another boutique?”
“No,” she says, smile growing even wider. “Iam going to make your dress.”
Chapter 13 - Oren
This is the first time I’ve seen my mother out of bed since the day my father died.
“It’s not a big deal,” I repeat, for the fifth time, as I pull the car around toward the shop. It’s my fault for telling Raegan I’d planned to pick out a tuxedo today. In fact, I’d just wanted them to send me a standard tuxedo, and when the man on the phone tersely responded that there wasno such thing, I finally relented and agreed to come into the shop.
“It issoa big deal,” Raegan protests, frowning at me as she bounces ahead, pulling open the door and letting me inside. “You’re marrying a wonderful woman, and she deserves to have a wonderful wedding. Which means you should look better than some cardboard cutout of a groom, you ass.”
Since Raegan informed me that she would be going to Ambersky to dress shop with Ash, I’ve been turning the idea of it over and over in my head. It’s like two different worlds colliding. Last night, at dinner, I had to bite my tongue to keep from asking her too many questions.
“You’ll want to look nice, dear,” our mom says, and Raegan glances first at her, then at me, as if to say,See, this is making Mom feel better!
In truth, if I’d known a wedding would get her out of bed, I would have done it a long time ago.
We step into the shop together, and Raegan immediately starts to flirt with the attendant. I wonder if she was flirting like that when they were picking out Ash’s dress.
I wonder what her dress is going to look like. Raegan was very cagey about it, but looked like she was practically bursting with excitement.
The first is a plain black three-piece suit. It’s simple, expensive enough that people will respect me, but not so expensive that I feel I’m shoving my wealth in the face of our people. The only problem is that it doesn’tquitefit; my shoulders are a bit too large for even the broadest jacket they have.
I make do, and when I walk out to show it to my mother and Raegan, my sister is the first to speak.
