The Agreement (An Indecent Proposal) (8 page)

“It really is,” I agreed. Even though I wasn’t exactly an
expert in fashion, I could tell this was no ordinary dress. I had never seen
such extravagance in something so simple. I could already see myself in it, walking
down the aisle with Chase waiting at the altar, giving me the ‘wow’ look and
then kissing me in that dress.

Holy cow!

Where did that come from? For a bride who didn’t want to get
married, I was getting way too much into this. But I didn’t mind. This dress
would be mine for one day and I’d feel amazing in it. It might not be the
wedding of a lifetime, but it would be my first wedding, and while fake, it
would be with the first man who proposed such a sordid idea to me.

“When people fall in love at first sight with a dress, it’s
usually meant for them,” Jude said in delight when I returned, the dress
wrapped over my arm. “It’s absolutely perfect, Laurie. You have to buy it.”

“Okay. I’ll take it.”

“I agree. It’s perfect for you,” Casey chimed in, reaching
for it. “Don’t wait, or you’ll regret it. You’ll look like a million dollars.”

From all the things she could have said, this was the most
clichéd…but I didn’t mind. The dress was beautiful, and I had no doubt it would
look amazing on any woman of any shape and on any day of any season. I reached
for the cream material, marveling again at how soft it felt between my fingers,
and then the tag caught my eye.

“Vera Wang?” Jude and I exclaimed in unison.

Of course it had to be by one of the most expensive fashion
designers in the world.

My mouth dropped open as I glimpsed the price, and for a
moment I thought it might be a joke, because no dress could possibly be so
expensive. Silence ensued in the room as a lump suddenly rose in my throat. For
a few moments I could barely breathe.

The gorgeous dress would never be mine. Not in a million
years, because I couldn’t afford it. Chase would never see how good it fitted
me.

I stared at the dress until Jude’s words pulled me out of my
mounting depression.

“I thought it was a bargain shop,” Jude said half
accusingly, turning to Casey, her face a reproachful mask, as if she was to
blame.

I peered at Casey, who stood rooted to the spot, a tight
smile on her lips.

“It is.” She nodded slowly. “It’s fifty per cent off. We could
even arrange a loan for you.” Her expression was unperturbed, as though she had
experienced such a reaction before. Given the price tag, no surprise there.

Her gaze traveled from Jude and settled on me questioningly,
as she waited for my answer. Did she really think that women who couldn’t
afford such luxury would take out a loan to get it?

Probably—if it were a real wedding.

For a moment I felt almost tempted to do the same.

But it wasn’t a real wedding in my case. I had to keep that
tiny detail in mind.

“I cannot afford it,” I said. “Do you have something more
affordable?”

Oh, how I hated the word.

“You heard the bride-to-be. We cannot afford it,” Jude said.
She sounded so stressed out that I turned to her.

“It’s just a dress, Jude. I’m sure there are others that
will fit me just as well,” I remarked weakly, even though I knew nothing I
could possibly say would make Jude feel better. When she knew there was
something I liked, she
had
to have it
for me. There simply was no other way.

“But you said it’s the perfect dress,” Jude whispered, and
turned to Casey with a scowl, grabbing the dress as if it was the holy grail of
marriages or the only path to redemption. “We need to have it. Give me
solutions. Give me something I can work with. Maybe another fifty per cent
discount?” She laughed, even though I could hear the gravity in her voice.

“Maybe your parents or the groom’s parents would like to
pay,” Casey suggested, oblivious to Jude’s pleading glance.

I shook my head and shot her a warning glance. There was no
point in getting upset over a dress, was there? And yet Jude’s eyes darted
across the shiny floor as her mind searched for
possibilities.
I had no doubt she’d soon come up with some absurd idea. I could even imagine
her just grabbing the dress and simply walking out of the shop without paying.

I laughed inwardly. It was the
last thing I needed.

“Can we maybe rent it?” Jude
persisted. “I mean, it would be just for one day.”

Casey smiled apologetically. “I’m sorry. We can’t because
it’s a designer dress. That would break our company policy, but we have other,
cheaper gowns, which might be to your liking. We have imports from China, which
unfortunately all come in one size fits all, but that doesn’t mean you won’t
look gorgeous in one of them.”

“What crappy policy is that?” Jude asked. “You should offer
the option of borrowing. People with little money should be able to wear
designer clothes.”

“It’s not that kind of shop,” Casey said, keeping her cool.

Jude scowled and opened her mouth, then shut it again.

I pulled at her arm. If I didn’t manage to stop Jude anytime
soon, Casey might just throw us out. I figured the faster we got out of here,
the better. Because soon I’d have to pry Jude off this dress with a
screwdriver.

“We’ll think about it. Thanks.” I
yanked at Jude’s arm again, without much success, then tried to force the dress
out of her hand, but Jude’s grip remained surprisingly firm.

“You could charge it to your
credit card,” Jude said, turning to me, desperate for any solution.

“It’s maxed out, Jude.” I must have mentioned that countless
times, together with the fact that I could barely make my minimum repayments,
and yet she still
grimaced.

“So is mine this month. Dammit.”
She tapped her fingers against her lips in thought. “Let’s charge an entrance
fee, then. Everyone who wants to attend the wedding ceremony is required to
make a down payment
toward the dress.”

Not bad, only… “There isn’t going to be a ceremony because
we’re eloping.”

My remark managed to silence her for all of three seconds,
during which her brain never stopped working. I could tell from her expression
that she thought she had found the solution to my problem a moment before she
opened her mouth to speak, her eyes twinkling. “Chase is an actor. I’m sure
he’ll want his bride to look good in the wedding album, particularly if we’re
to sell the wedding photos to the paparazzi.”

I almost threw my hands up in exasperation. “It’s
not a real wedding, Jude. We don’t love each other. Heck,
he couldn’t care less about me, so trust me when I say a.) there won’t be a
wedding album, and b.) Chase will probably want to get it over and done with
without spending any of his money, and c.) you’re being creepy as hell. He’ll
run for the hills the moment he hears I’m all serious about this wedding.
Honestly, Jude, have you ever heard about a guy who cares about dresses, unless
he’s very much into fashion?” I raised my brows meaningfully.

Jude crossed her arms over her
chest with a stubborn expression
on her face. “You’re not even going to
ask him? He might think differently, if only he saw the dress.”

Oh God.

Would Jude ever give up? I doubted
it.

I took a deep, calming breath and let it out slowly. “No,
I’m not going to ask him
. Now, please be reasonable.
It’s just a dress. It’s not even the prettiest gown in store.”

Which was a big, fat lie.

It was the most stunning dress I
had ever laid my eyes on.

“If we look around, I’m sure we’ll
find something cheaper and more flattering.”

“No. You don’t understand, Laurie.
This is the dress you fell in love with at first sight. It’s a good-luck
dress.”

Oh, shoot! She was going all
spiritual on me.

I followed the swooping motion of
her arms. “Just admit, it beats the others by a mile. And you’ll be so pretty.
Think how glowing you’ll look. The dress will practically do the job of getting
married for you. Imagine all the stress going away, the moment you just say yes
in this dress.”

I sank onto the couch and let out
an exasperated sigh.

This would take time.

I always knew that Jude could sell anything to anyone. I
just never expected her to be as pushy as a car insurance salesman, insisting
you buy something that was a worse investment than the state lottery.

Shaking my head, I listened to Jude counting all the reasons
why I just
had
to get the dress.

It wasn’t just a dress for Jude simply because, unlike me,
she was very much into fashion. She wanted me to look good, and I couldn’t
blame her, only I wasn’t going to pay thousands of dollars on a piece of
exquisite fabric—no matter how flattering it might be.

We stared each other down in angry silence until Casey
disrupted our glares with a simple cough to announce her presence.

“I understand your problem,” Casey said slowly. “I think I
can help.”

“Oh? You can help?” Jude’s head snapped in her direction
immediately. “We want to hear it.”

I rolled my eyes. Nope, I wasn’t going to get a store card,
even if it promised a repayment-free period, or whatever other strategies
stores came up with to fool female shopaholics like Jude to part with their
money.

“Follow me,” Casey said conspiratorially. She locked the
store and led us through the warehouse into the backyard that led to a parking
lot. I wanted to ask where we were going, but Jude shushed me with a single
determined look.

We crossed the parking lot and entered a run-down building
on the other side of the road, then climbed up the staircase. Casey unlocked a
door on the second floor and ushered us into a narrow hall with countless
pictures on the walls.

It was someone’s apartment, no doubt about that. I suspected
Casey’s, until a female voice called out her name.

“Nana?” Casey said, gesturing us to follow her into a
surprisingly spacious living room with yet more picture frames arranged across
the old furniture—many of which showed children’s faces and a large
family sitting together.

“You bringing over friends?” The old woman was sitting on
the couch. With her keen eyes resting on us, she put down her embroidery and
stood, inching closer. Her warm gaze brushed us and settled on me.

“This is my grandma. She’s a seamstress,” Casey explained by
means of introduction. “I think she can help. It might not be a Vera Wang
dress, but she can create a very similar style of dress in a very similar
material for the fraction of a price. And between you and me”—she winked
mischievously—“Grandma could give Vera a run for her money. But that’s
just my opinion.”

****

“She’s all about love at first sight,” Casey explained as
she invited us to sit at the round table. “My grandparents were married for
fifty-eight years. Right, Nana?”

The old woman nodded, a kind expression on her face as her
eyes lit up with fond memories. “We got engaged and married within a year of
meeting. It was love at first sight. The first time I met Graham, he told me
that I was worth waiting for. And I thought that was the kind of the person I
could imagine my life with. We were poor, but we had a full life. We did
everything together. It was the secret of our relationship. Sticking together.
Sharing our passions.”

“Wow,” I whispered, impressed. “Fifty-eight years. That’s a
long time.”

Nana had insisted we had some iced tea before she took my
measurements, so I sipped on my glass and listened, enjoying the old woman’s
stories. After all, she was someone who knew how to make a relationship work.

“Not long enough.” She smiled gently, and for a second I
could feel her pain. As much as I wanted to ask what happened to Graham, I just
couldn’t, because I knew he would never have left her of his own free will. The
greatest love stories always encountered the greatest loss. I couldn’t imagine
loving so deeply and losing it all in the blink of an eye.

Nana misinterpreted my smile for an invitation to continue.
“My mother always told me that the moment the right man enters your life, all
hell breaks loose. She couldn’t be more right. Suddenly you have needs you
never knew existed, and those urges can only be stilled by him because he’s
everywhere. In your mind. In your heart.” Pausing, she pointed at her chest.
“And surely in your panties. I used to laugh, until I met Graham. Everything
clicked from day one, and I just couldn’t say no.”

“That’s amazing,” I said, genuinely impressed, my mind
replaying her words. Fifty-eight years was a long time. I had never been that
committed to anything. Not even to a single haircut. I sure couldn’t see myself
hanging on to a man for such a long time.

“Best decision of my life. Trust me, the right man will
sneak into your heart before you know it and then there’s no going back. There
is no mistaking love. That’s why marriage is such a beautiful thing that
doesn’t need to wait.” She eyed me full of curiosity, crossing her hands, now
old with age, on the table. Her wedding ring sparkled, as though beckoning to
me, urging me to believe in the kind of love I was so afraid to peer at.

No more running. Time
to believe in it all.

In a world where over billions of people existed, there had
to be someone for me. Someone who might stir certain feelings, just like Chase
did. Someone who might look as good as him.

I stopped in my thoughts. Obviously, that someone wasn’t
Chase.

I liked him, but not like that. Or did I?

Even though he had asked me to marry him, it was hardly the
same thing.