He Built His Intern a Princess Room, So I Left

Chapter 2

Condensation slid down the cup in Caleb's hand and dripped onto the carpet, leaving a dark circle.

"Natalie, what are you doing here?"

He spoke first, his tone full of accusation, as if I were the one who had done something wrong.

"Trying on my wedding dress. This is the appointment we agreed on last night, isn't it?"

I stood on the round fitting platform, the train spilling around my feet.

In the mirror, I looked pale. I hadn't even put on lipstick.

Caleb took two steps toward me. He started to reach for me, then stopped himself.

"The meeting ended early, so I came by. I happened to run into Sophie nearby while she was meeting a client, so I gave her a ride."

So this was Sophie Vaughn, the 22-year-old girl. She was the new intern at his company.

I looked him in the eye. "You gave her a ride to a bridal boutique, then just happened to let her try on wedding dresses too?"

"She'd never seen anything like this before, so she was curious. I just brought her in to look around. Don't read too much into it."

He said it all with perfect composure, as if his story weren't full of holes.

The curtain on the fitting room next to mine slid open.

Sophie stepped out in a glittering mermaid gown covered in sequins.

She was young and fair-skinned, with two faint dimples at the corners of her mouth.

"Caleb, my zipper's stuck. Can you help me?"

She turned her back to him, baring most of her back.

Caleb didn't move. He glanced at me instead.

"Ask the associate to help you."

Only then did Sophie turn around. She covered her mouth, pretending she had only just noticed me.

"Natalie, you're here too."

She gathered up her skirt and hurried over, stopping below the platform to look up at me.

"Your dress is really plain, Natalie. But it suits you. It makes you look so mature."

She stressed the word "mature."

I ignored her and turned toward the full-length mirror.

Caleb came over and looked me up and down.

"It is a little plain. You only get married once. Try something more glamorous. Soph's dress looks good."

I watched his matter-of-fact expression in the mirror.

The minimalist theme had been his idea.

He had told me that the simpler something was, the more sophisticated it looked, and that anything sparkly was tacky.

Now the very kind of "tacky" he'd looked down on suddenly seemed perfectly fine on Sophie.

"This one is fine. I don't feel like changing again."

The associate brought over several veils for me to try.

I had just put on a French birdcage veil when Sophie suddenly gasped.

She took a crystal tiara from the display case, set it on her head, and blinked at Caleb.

"Caleb, do I look like a princess?"

Caleb smiled at her with undisguised indulgence.

"You do. Ask how much it is. I'll get it for you as an early graduation present."

The associate reminded him, "Mr. Morton, that tiara was custom-designed to go with Miss Mercer's gown. It has to be ordered with the dress."

Caleb frowned.

"Natalie looks fine in the veil. The tiara is too flashy for her anyway. Let Soph have it."

Then he turned to me as if the answer were obvious.

"You're not seriously going to fight a girl over a headpiece, are you?"

I looked at him.

After 5 years together, for the first time, his face looked completely unfamiliar to me.

"I'm not fighting over it. If she wants it, she can have it."

I calmly took off the veil and handed it back to the associate.

Sophie happily headed to the register.

After changing back into her clothes, she pressed a hand to her stomach and gave Caleb a pitiful look.

"Caleb, I skipped lunch and I'm starving. You promised to take me to that seafood bistro last time. Can we go today?"

Caleb checked his watch, then looked at me.

"Natalie, I'll take Soph to get something to eat. She still has to get back to the office and revise a proposal this afternoon. You can drive yourself home."

Before I could answer, he picked up the car keys and led Sophie toward the door.

At the entrance, Sophie turned and waved at me.

"Bye, Natalie."

The glass door swung open, and the bell above it chimed once.

The boutique fell quiet and suddenly felt empty.

The associate walked over cautiously.

"Miss Mercer, would you still like to order this gown?"

I looked at the strapless dress hanging to one side. Its stark whiteness almost hurt to look at.

"I'll decide another day."