Page 32 of Beloved By the Irish

I bite the inside of my cheek to hold the comment in.

Ashley doesn’t know I saw her on a lunch date when she said she was too busy to make it to the first dress fitting Declan arranged for me. And I’m not about to reveal that now.

My best friend looks to my left, and her eyes widen with recognition and a bit of awe. “Oh, wow. You’re Heather Leigh.” She addresses Nero’s girlfriend by her modeling name.

“I am,” Heather replies politely, extending a hand as Ashley approaches her.

“I’m Ashley. Cat’s best friend.” She shakes the model’s hand enthusiastically. “What are you doing here? Are you modeling some of the dresses for Cat? I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You two have completely different body types.”

I have no idea what Ashley is talking about. Heather and I are nearly the same height, and neither of us has the curves she’s flaunting in her tight dress.

My best friend is also perfectly aware of Heather’s relationship with Nero. She basically threw herself a pity party when she saw the headlines announcing Heather Leigh had a boyfriend and identifying Nero by name. She even had the nerve to get mad at me for not telling her about the relationship sooner. She didn’t care that it wasn’t my business to share.

“I’m here to support Cat as a friend,” Heather replies politely, shooting me a questioning look at my best friend’s rude comment.

“Oh. I didn’t know you and Cat were friends.” Ashley looks at me with an accusing glint in her eye. “Not since you and Nero broke up.”

Ah. There it is.

Ashley is not-so-subtly digging for information. I shouldn’t be surprised. My best friend is not patient. She’s incapable of waiting until she and I are alone to ask if Heather and Nero are back together.

But Heather doesn’t deserve to be caught in the middle of this awkward conversation, and I won’t allow Ashley to put her there.

So, not caring that this news might hurt my best friend’s feelings given the fact she’s had a crush on my brother since adolescence, I say, “Nero and Heather are happily back together. Isn’t that right, Heather?”

“We are,” she replies with an awkward smile, glancing between me and Ashley, no doubt sensing the tension simmering between us.

“Oh, yeah! Congratulations on rekindling your romance with the Nero Furnari. He’s sexy as hell,” Jane says, waggling her eyebrows.

The gesture is so absurd, that I laugh.

So does Heather. “He is, isn’t he?”

“Alright, that’s enough. I’m not interested in hearing how handsome my brother is,” I reply jokingly. “I thought we were here to look at wedding dresses.”

Heather and Jane grin in excitement. Ashley, less so.

Jane waves over one of the women who brought in the dresses. “Catarina, this is Nancy. She’s worked with Pauline’s Couture Gowns for almost a decade. She’s dressed A-list celebrities for their wedding, and she has an eye for helping brides pick out the most flattering gowns.”

I smile at the middle-aged woman. “Nice to meet you, Nancy.”

“Nice to meet you, Miss Furnari,” she returns warmly. “And congratulations on your engagement.”

I force my expression not to change. “Thank you.”

She gets right to business. “What type of gowns are you interested in trying on today?”

Nancy and I spend the next five minutes discussing my preferences. I confess that I’m not certain what style of gown I’m interested in, and Nancy assures me that’s perfectly fine. She asks questions to help gauge my style and then leaves me with my friends as she and her assistants go pull dresses. It’s a drastic difference from how I was treated at the last bridal boutique. Olga, the bridal assistant, had just given me dresses to try on without bothering to ask what I liked.

Before Nancy is across the room, Ashley scoffs, “I don’t know what she’s thinking. There’s no way an A-line gown isn’t going to swallow your frame, Cat. You really should stick with mermaid-style gowns.”

I cringe at her rudeness. Thankfully, Nancy doesn’t seem to hear. “She’s a professional, Ashely. I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”

“Well, I’ve seen you in an A-line skirt, Cat, and it wasn’t flattering.”

I stare at her in disbelief. Ashley’s always been upfront, but this behavior is just straight rude. And for once, I’m not okay with letting it slide.

“Can you please just keep me company while I try on dresses? Let Nancy do her job.”

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