Chapter 209
1248 Words
Olivia sipped her white wine, hoping that it might calm her nerves. Emma, Jenny and Kat chatted happily, but she felt separate from them, outside of their bubble of excitement. And they were all here for her, so she was actually supposed to be the one delirious with joy.
Nigel Ramirez swept into the room now, followed by a smartly-dressed woman dragging a garment rack behind her. Liv blinked.
Nigel must have pulled about twenty dresses.
“Darlings!” Nigel said. “So good to see you all!”
“You too, Nigel.” Emma grinned. “Looks like you’re having fun.”
“It’s my favorite part of planning a wedding,” he confessed. “The wedding dress… it makes me all tingly every time.”
They all looked at Liv, who plastered a big smile on her face. “Looks like you’ve chosen quite a few.”
“Well, of course, doll,” Nigel said, “We need to find your dress, don’t we?”
She nodded, trying to muster up some of the excitement that she’d felt before, but being confronted by the rows and rows of white material and ruffles and beads was doing something to her head. She was suddenly terrified.
“OK.” Olivia stood up. “Where do we go?”
“This way,” the saleswoman said politely. “Your friends wait here, and you’ll come out and model the dresses for them.”
“Ooooh!” Jenny burst out. “I can’t wait.”
“Yeah, me neither,” Liv said, trying to drum up some genuine enthusiasm.
She followed Nigel down a short hallway decked with flowers, the saleswoman behind them still dragging the rack of dresses. Nigel ushered Liv into a luxurious private changing room. The antique mirror was framed with gold, the carpet was thick under her sneakered feet. Nigel thanked the woman and then shut the door. He turned to Olivia.
“You sure, hon?” he said.
She stared at him, confused. “About what?”
“That you’re ready for this.” His dark eyes were serious. “This is a big deal, and I actually want you to enjoy the process. If you don’t feel ready, we can walk on out of here and go for a champagne brunch, on me.”
Olivia laughed. “Oh, God, Nigel. I adore you.”
“I adore you too, Liv. Now… are you ready to have some fun?”
She sobered. “Can I tell you the truth?”
“Absolutely.”
“I’m – I’m worried.”
Nigel sat down on a heavily-padded armchair. He squeaked a bit as he sank a few inches, then settled right on in like a king on a throne. “About what?”
She was having a hard time meeting his eyes. “All I see when I look in the mirror is my scars. But when I put on my wedding dress, all I want is to feel – beautiful.”
“You are, hon,” Nigel said gently.
“I know you think so, and the girls, and God knows Dallas does. But I don’t.” She brushed the tears from her eyes. “I’m worried that I won’t be able to really relax on my own wedding day.”
“Oh, sweetie.” Nigel gazed at her with compassion. “Look, let’s try on a few, just you and me, OK? We’ll see how you feel. If you want to show the girls, fine. If not, we’ll stay in here. And we can leave any time… just say the word.”
“OK.” Liv felt better right away. “That sounds good.”
“So,” Nigel said. “Let me somehow haul my ass out of this chair and choose a dress. Yes?”
“Yes.”
With his practiced eye, he quickly sorted through the dresses, rejecting some outright, huffing as he did so, asking aloud just what the hell he’d been thinking when he selected them. A few he paused at, considered, and then slid to one end or the other of the rack. Olivia wasn’t sure which dresses had cleared the final hurdle of the Nigel Test, but she found herself unwinding a bit. She knew that her former assistant would take care of her.
“This one!” Nigel spun to face her. “I think it’ll look gorgeous on you. Let’s see.”
She took it from him, her heart in her throat. It was cut low, and her whole body tightened up.
“Nigel,” she said. “It will show my scar… the big one.”
“Try,” he said. “It’s a stunning design, and the details are perfect for you. Just – just trust me, Liv, OK?”
“OK.”
Despite the fact that Nigel had spent years at her photo shoots and had seen every inch of her body, she went to the small cubicle and closed the door all the way. She yanked off her jeans and t-shirt, then tugged the wedding dress over her thighs, up over her hips. Liv kept her back to the mirror as she pulled the sleeves up and around her shoulders. She struggled with the zipper, but she managed. Glancing down, she saw that the dress was cut even lower than she’d thought.
Oh, Christ. No. That f*****g scar will be all anyone can see… just an ugly purple line of ragged, raised tissue going down between my breasts. Goddammit, Nigel.
For a minute, she seriously considered just taking the dress off, not even looking at her reflection. But then she saw the beading along the bodice, the details along the waist. The dress had delicate gold thread spun through it, so it shimmered even in the artificial light of the changing room. She thought it would look amazing in sunlight, and that’s what made her turn to see it in the mirror.
Stunned, disbelieving, Olivia stared at herself. All she saw was the dress, and her slim figure in it. Her long auburn hair shone, set off by the pure white material. The beads in the bodice and along the waist pulled the eye to her shapely breasts, her curved hips. Her face was lit up with a soft golden glow, and when she met her own brown eyes, she saw something amazing. She saw happiness. She saw beauty. She saw a woman who loved and was deeply loved in return.
Holy God.
“How is it, doll?”
Slowly, she opened the door. Nigel was standing there, looking anxious, but when he saw her, his face changed completely.
“Olivia,” he breathed. “Oh, my God. Sweetheart.”
“I know,” she said. “I – I don’t believe it.” The tears were back. “All I see is – me.”
“The scar?”
“I know it’s there. I mean, I see it now. But I didn’t at first, not for the first minute.”
“This is it,” Nigel declared. “The Dress.” Olivia could hear the capital letters on the words as he spoke.
“Yes.” She stared at herself some more. “Yes, it is. You got it on the first try.”
“Let’s go show the girls,” Nigel said. “Then get out the credit card, doll. This is yours.”
- Writer
