Page 120 of Memories By the Shore
“Yes.” Bailey nods affectionately.
“It makes you believe your only worth is defined by what another person thinks of you or how they treat you,” Piper says.
Lina tucks a loose blonde hair behind her ear. “Or a single event.”
Without realizing it, a tear rolls down my cheek.
“Oh,” Piper whimpers, hooking the dress back on the rack. She walks over to me and pulls me in for a hug.
“Okay, ladies!” Jan bursts into the room. “I have whiskey!”
No words at this moment could make me feel better than those three. “Thank god.” I wipe the moisture from my face, then grab one of the glasses from her gaudy decorative tray.
Once all four of us have our drinks, we raise the glasses and Piper with her water for a brief cheers before two of Jan’s assistants emerge from behind ornate double doors with various styles of dresses in each hand.
“We brought you sweetheart and halter necklines,” the shorter one on the right says.
The other one chimes in, with her arm extended before me. “And form-fitting, cocktail, and ballgown styles.”
I take a generous sip of my whiskey, preparing to try on all these bright white dresses. They blind my eyes.
Bailey steps in to answer for me. “Do you have any that aren’t white?”
The two assistants exchange confused looks.
“We have cream.” Jan’s voice, coming from behind us, is unsure.
Lina grimaces, hiding her face behind her cup.
I can’t wear a cream dress. That might be worse than the white ones. I honestly don’t know what I want. Truthfully, I’m not even sure I want this big wedding anyway. It’s more for Dave’s family.
“The white is fine,” I say. Then I notice Jan and her assistants staring at me, possibly waiting for me to pick a style to start with.
Piper walks over, grabbing a few hangers from their hands. “We’ve got this. Thank you for your help.”
Then Lina raises and grabs the rest of them. “We’ll call you if we need you.”
“Oh.” Jan’s surprised look tells me everything I need to know about her clientele. “Let’s give these ladies some time.” She claps at the two girls. “Call us if you need anything.”
“Soawkward,” Piper comments.
“Thank god they’re gone.” I sigh in relief. “I hate being waited on.”
Bailey playfully frowns. “Aww, does it trigger your privileged upbringing?”
“Ha. Ha,” I retort, tossing crumpled-up tissue paper at her.
“Well, let’s get this party started then!” Piper says.
Suddenly, my phone buzzes inside my purse. I hold one fingerout. “Hang on,” I tell them, then step to the side to answer it.
“Mrs. Thomas?”
His voice startles me. I wasn’t expecting to hear from my lawyer after I mailed the divorce papers to him two weeks ago. “Mr. Fritz.”
“I’m just returning from vacation and trying to catch up on everything. My apologies for not calling sooner,” he says, sounding slightly out of breath.
I step into one of the small changing rooms, lowering my voice when I speak. “He signed the papers. We’re all good.”
