Caught in the Frame (10 page)

Tossing the wonder garment over a chair, EV grabbed her robe and made a beeline for the bathroom. Chloe was up and gone; probably off somewhere with Lila. That ought to leave enough time for a shower and some breakfast. Just inside the door, she stopped short.

It looked like half a department store makeup aisle had exploded across the small counter. Bottles, brushes, and tubes spread out like casualties after a bombing. Two wet towels lay in a heap on the floor, and in the shower, a complimentary bottle of shampoo leaked its contents down the drain.

Slob.

Ignoring all but the mini-shampoo, EV turned on the shower. At least the water was hot and plentiful, even if the messy room made her eye twitch.

Slamming doors and lilting female voices signaled Chloe’s return, letting EV know she wasn’t alone. Lila’s unmistakable tone penetrated the door as she called out, “Hurry up in there EV, we’ve got bridesmaid dresses out here.”

Whoop-de-doo
. EV mentally and physically rolled her eyes. Growing up together, EV remembered Lila’s tastes running to pastels, ruffles, and lace—completely opposite from EV’s preference for bold colors and simple lines. Still, that was a long time ago.
No hoop skirts. Please, let there be no hoop skirts. Or pink. Or purple. Or lace. On second thought, let me out of this altogether.

Why did Lila want EV in her wedding to begin with? Yesterday’s heart to heart proved how far they’d grown apart over the years. A few phone calls—while nice—didn’t a close friendship make, even if the bones were still there. Wasn’t there anyone in Lila’s swarm of social butterflies who counted a close friend?

Dread kept EV in the bathroom longer than her normal ten minutes. She straightened up Chloe’s mess and generally dawdled until Lila could stand it no longer. Fists pounded on the raised panel, “Get out here or I’m going to pick a dress that makes you look like Barbie’s grandmother goes to cotillion.”

That did it. EV stepped into the room to see three rolling racks hung to bursting with zippered plastic dress bags.

“Grandmother? I think you mean maiden aunt.” EV yanked the door open. “A well-preserved one at that.” Her mock glare turned to a genuine grin. “Come on, show us what’s in the bags.”

Watching Lila open each cocooned bit of froth with such tender excitement made EV’s throat tighten with a surge of emotions. If Javier turned out to be the kind of man Chloe was afraid he was, Lila would be devastated. He hadn’t scored high on EV’s hogwash meter, so she hoped Chloe was wrong. No one could fault him for the way he acted toward Lila—gentle and protective. The only time he had not been forthcoming with information had to do with his family, not with his feelings for Lila.

Shooting a sidelong glance at Chloe, EV pried, “Is Javier’s sister going to be in the wedding?”

“Hmm? No, she’s not going to be able to get here until the last minute, so we decided it would be too much hassle.”

“And his brothers? Will they be standing up for him?”

“Whoa!” Lila held up a hand. “What’s with the third degree?”

“She’s just curious about who she’s going to be stuck marching with.” Chloe stepped in to pull the focus off EV. “But if we’re going to be family, I’d at least like to meet some of them. You’ve spent time with them, right?”

“Of course I’ve met his family. His father died when Javi was young, but his mother remarried a lovely man. She’s a firecracker. You’re going to love her, Chloe. In fact, she reminds me a little bit of you, EV.”

“I’m not sure whether to be flattered or creeped out.” Wry humor sucked the words dry.

“You should be flattered.” Lila turned to unzip the first bag while behind her back, EV and Chloe had one of those conversations that don’t require words—only a series of eyebrow raises and subdued gestures. Lila pulled the hanger out of the bag, and that’s when EV lost the will to pry.

If there was an ugly Christmas sweater contest for bridesmaid dresses, this one would win the title hands down. Bright red, with a faux fur band across the strapless top, the black belt and big buckle really did look like something straight from a North Pole closet, but that’s where the resemblance ended. Below the belted waistline, the skirt fell in a series of Flamenco dress-type flounces. Mrs. Claus meets Carmen Miranda.

Shock and horror were the words of the day until Lila burst out laughing. “Gotcha.”

“That’s so not funny,” Chloe slapped a hand over her eyes then peered between her fingers. “I think I’ve been struck blind. Take it away.”

But Lila couldn’t oblige. She was bent double with laughter, tears welling in the corners of her eyes. Every time she started to regain some semblance of control, another wave hit, until she was gasping for breath. Since she was the one still wearing a robe, EV snatched the dress of the hanger and pulled it over her head. She cha-cha-ed across the floor. By then, Chloe had joined her mother in a bout of tear-filled hooting, and when she reached over the slam the bathroom door shut, EV got a look at herself in the full-length mirror attached to the back.

“I take it this one’s a no, then?” EV asked with feigned seriousness before stripping the dress off and hanging it back in its bag.

She unzipped the next bag far enough to see bubble-gum pink and zipped it right back up again. Lila, finally in control of herself again, shoved EV aside. “Out of the way. I’ve only seen that one because I had it made as a joke. I’m the bride, I get to look first.” She unzipped the same bag EV had just closed, got a look at the color and, just as EV had, zipped it closed with a shudder. “I emailed photos of you both to several boutiques and asked them to send a selection in colors that would complement your skin tones. And yes, EV, that color would look good on either one of you, but I know it’s not your thing.”

“I’m not the one getting married. If you have your heart set on a hot pink wedding, I’ll bite the bullet. Anything for you.”

“It’s only the second choice, we’ll find something we all love.” Chloe, of course, liked the color, but wasn’t a fan of the sweetheart neckline, so she added her veto to EV’s.

* * *

Half an hour later, Chloe, hair standing on end from the static coming off that much plastic, ordered, “Take a break, Mom. I don’t know about you, but I’m starving. Call and have some breakfast sent up.”

“Two pots of coffee, as per usual?” Lila asked, already knowing the answer. It had probably been a bad idea to perpetuate Chloe’s caffeine addiction early on in life. Lila recalled a trip to Brazil around her daughter’s 12th birthday where a pre-teen Chloe spent several weeks sipping coffee-laced milk like a native child.

While they waited for room service, Lila seemed unable to help herself, and sorted through several more dress bags. By the time the discreet knock sounded, there was a full rack of rejects, four possibles draped over the back of one chair, and most of two racks left to sort. The waiter pushed a white-draped cart into the room, whisked covers from a series of warming trays, and exited the room.

Chloe wasted no time pouring a cup of coffee and filling a plate. “We got distracted earlier—you were going to tell us about Javier’s brother. What does he do?”

Only because she was looking for it, did Chloe see how Lila tensed slightly. “He’s in security as well.”

“Does he work with Javier?” Lila was holding back, Chloe knew it. EV knew it.

“Not for the last few months.”

“I hope they didn’t have a falling out.”

“There’s time to talk about all that later. Let’s look at the rest of the options, shall we?” It will be easier to choose flowers when we have dress colors.” Lila left her plate of half-eaten food on the table. “We have final choices with the florist right after we finish here.”

The sound of a sliding zipper meant the subject was closed. There would be no more prying today.

“Shouldn’t the groom be helping choose the flowers?” Okay, there would be a little more prying.

“Javier is doing those system updates today, so he’s left that decision in my capable hands.”

“Okay then.” A new thought struck Chloe. At dinner, Javier had mentioned a theft. Was there some connection between holes in security and his brother?

Lila blew through the second rack like a woman possessed. Only two more dresses made the cut before she started in on the last rack. Watching her mother cast a calculating eye over the contents of each bag, Chloe appreciated her shrewd dress sense. EV could relax, because Lila hadn’t been born with the competitive gene. She wanted everyone to look their best at all times. If there was a dress that suited EV’s willowy frame while making the most of Chloe’s curves, Lila would find it.

Meanwhile, loathe to sit around waiting, Chloe grabbed a bag of possibles and pulled out a dress for EV and one in her size. “How did you know EV’s size? You never asked.”

“Hmm?” Lila was absorbed in evaluating, “You sent me photos from Halloween.”

“She’s a savant.” Chloe grinned at EV as she handed over a spaghetti-strapped number in dove gray. “If carnivals hired dress size guessers, she’d clean up. I bet it fits perfectly.”

“Nothing ever fits perfectly,” Lila disagreed. Even on the rare occasion when she wore jeans, she had them tailored.

In this case, she was correct. On EV the dress billowed too loosely over the hip, and Chloe’s snugged over the bust. Lila appraised the pair of them.

“That’s a no.”

The next two garnered a nose wrinkle from Lila, who was halfway through the last rack and had only added another two bags to the dwindling pile of possible choices. She’d better find something soon, or they were going back to square one. Unless there were four more racks somewhere. Chloe wouldn’t doubt it.

Something about pulling dresses on and off had affected the static in Chloe’s hair; where earlier, it had stood on end, it was now plastered tight to her head. EV’s hair had dried every which way to begin with. The dressing and undressing process created further disarray. EV joked, “The only thing missing is raccoon eyes, and we’d look like the morning after a shotgun wedding.”

Not liking the comparison, Chloe stomped into the bathroom to rustle around in her things. When she returned, she had a coated hair band and a tube of something. A few deft motions formed her shapeless mass into a charmingly messy chignon, and then, after squeezing a dollop of goo into her hand, she rubbed both hands together and turned on an unsuspecting EV. Moving fast, she ran her hands through EV’s hair with a ruffling motion that fluffed it back into attractive messiness.

“There, all better now?”

Lila spared a smile before she went back to perusing options; this was shopping, something she took very seriously.

Three quarters the way through the rack, she finally found a style and color that made her go, “Ooh!”

Lila lifted a spaghetti-strapped silk gown in a shade of blue-gray so muted it was almost silver. Whisper-thin chiffon covered the scalloped bodice in a bust-enhancing criss-cross pattern, and a darker gray, thin velvet sash tied around the ribs.

“I think we have a winner, what do you think?” Lila tossed one dress to Chloe and one to EV. “Try them on.”

“A little plain.” Chloe raised a skeptical brow.

“Trust me.” Lila insisted. “They don’t look like much on the hanger, but when you put them on, you’ll see. This color will be stunning on Faith as well.”

She was right. Even with the wonky hair, Chloe had to admit she looked fantastic, and so did EV.

“I told you, a savant.”

Lila circled Chloe, twitched at the fabric at the back of her waist, “A little tuck here, and take the hem up a half inch,” she pinched at the top of the wide shoulder strap, “nip this a smidge, and you will be the most beautiful maid of honor to ever walk down the aisle.”

She turned to EV, tweaked the material here and there and watched as the small changes subtly enhanced curves that would ordinarily go unnoticed.

“Perfect,” Chloe pulled out her phone and snapped a few photos, including a couple selfies. The occasion seemed to call for a duck-lipped shot.

“We’re meeting Baylee for lunch, and the florist will come in after that. I need to make a call while you get dressed. Chop chop,” Lila called over her shoulder while she rehung the bags of unwanted dresses on their respective racks.

“You don’t need me for this part, I’ll just…” EV made an attempt to get out of the lunch meeting.

“
We
are meeting Baylee for lunch.” Lila emphasized. “And then
we
are going to pick out flowers.” Attempt denied. “My dress will arrive by courier tomorrow morning, and I’ll want to have my seamstress check the final alterations. She can take measurements for yours, then, too.”

“And after that, you can stomp down a few villagers, Bridezilla.” EV softened the barb with a smile. “Just think how you’ll look in a plaid flannel bridesmaid’s dress at my wedding.”

“Should fit right in with the hoedown atmosphere—you know, with the pig scramble and all. Just make sure my dress is loose enough not to rip when they fly out of my butt.”

“Oh, you are too funny.”

* * *

“Keep your cop eye on him. I expect a full report when you three get back.” Nate recalled Chloe’s parting request—if you could call it that—as he, Dalton, and Javier headed to the castle’s tailor for tuxedo fittings. Even though Nate wasn’t in the wedding, he would inevitably wind up being photographed next to Chloe throughout the event, and Lila wouldn’t hear of him attending in anything other than a custom-tailored suit.