A Wedding in Truhart (4 page)

She didn't.

Instead, I heard all about her wedding plans. As Charlotte talked about Atlanta and the future, I looked at the twinkling lights of the city, thinking about how everything was changing, and felt a stab of pain in my gut.

For a moment, I wished I could reverse the clock and return to the good old days. The bucolic summers when we swam in the spring-fed lakes of Truhart, rode our bicycles through ruts in the dirt, and caught fireflies at dusk with leftover jelly jars.

But things were going to be fine. Our inn was surviving somehow. Seven years after my father's death, Mom was finally happy again. Even the town was managing to survive. I had no regrets about my life.

I let the sounds of the traffic and the distant sirens engulf me. Cities never slept. They were always changing, always frantically buzzing with activity. Even after midnight. The lights and noises swirled around me in a restless haze.

 

For a moment it seemed like I was the only person on earth who was standing still.

I
f anyone ever thought gin, tequila, and women over age sixty were a good combination, I would tell them to take a good, hard look at my mother and my aunt the morning after the dinner party.

The moans and the sounds of retching had started at 5:00 a.m. Of course Charlotte had slept through all of it. I, on the other hand, ran back and forth holding heads and trying to offer ice chips whenever possible. By the time Charlotte woke up, I was so tired I wanted nothing more than to stay in my sweatpants and camp out on her couch for the rest of the afternoon. But we had things to do.

Charlotte paced the small hallway of her apartment. “Have you seen them? There is no way they are going to make the bridal boutique today.”

I peeked through the crack in the door to the bedroom where both women slept in Charlotte's bed now. Unfortunately she was right. “Do you want to cancel?”

She shook her head. “It will take at least a month to get another appointment.”

“Go without us. Don't sacrifice for us,” Mom croaked from the bedroom.

“I'll take a picture,” I promised.

Charlotte bit her lip and started to say something. But the phone rang and she turned away. I quickly showered and dried my hair, only applying a little mascara and lipstick before changing into a black pair of cropped pants and a gray tunic.

“Are you excited?” I asked, running my hand along my sister's shoulder. Something about the tenseness in her posture made me wonder if there was another reason she was uptight.

“Well—” A buzzer interrupted her before she could finish. We moved into her living room. She pressed the intercom on the wall. “Yes?”

“Mrs. Lowell is waiting for you in the lobby, miss.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Mrs. Lowell?”

“I kind of invited her at the last minute while you were in the shower. She said I needed a mother's helping hand in this.”

Evidently a sister's help wasn't enough. I grabbed my camera bag and tried not to let the fact that June was coming bother me. It made perfect sense to have her help. After making sure Aunt Addie and Mom were comfortable, Charlotte and I took the elevator down to the first floor.

“Actually we have more than just the two of us at the bridal salon,” she said avoiding my eyes.

“Oh, don't worry. Jessica is coming, right?” I linked my arm with hers.

“No. There are more—” The elevator door opened and June, Jessica, and Scarlett Francis stood in the lobby. Great! No wonder Charlotte had looked like she'd just swallowed a spider.

“Anne. I hope you slept well,” said June with a Southern charm that was a little too sweet for me.

“Like a baby,” I lied in matching cadence.

I shook Jessica's reluctant hand and received no smile for my efforts.

“Annie, have you met Scarlett Francis?”

Only if glares were the same as handshakes. I held out my hand and looked Scarlett Francis straight in the eye. “Not technically, but I have heard all about you, Ms. Francis.”

I felt her hand squeeze mine in a challenge before I let go. Perfect. This weekend was starting to rank right up there with getting braces and studying for final exams.

We walked toward a driver who waited at the curb next to a shiny black limousine. I looked around for the movie star and realized the car was for us. At senior prom I had ridden in a ten-year-old limousine that my date's uncle owned. But it had been nothing like this. I looked over at Charlotte before she ducked inside, and I mouthed “wow” and winked. She barely smiled.

The conversation in the limousine was civil and small talk remained small. So small that I had time to study Charlotte. She still avoided looking at me.

I wanted this wedding to be perfect for Charlotte. It was my responsibility to help her enjoy the day.

After what seemed like an interminable car ride, we arrived at the Bellasposa Bridal Salon. Classical music and the faint smell of lilacs greeted us as we entered an ornate door underneath a swag-style awning. Two women I had been introduced to last night, Bebe and Patty, approached us.

“It's so good to see y'all again!” exclaimed Bebe. Charlotte's tall, blond friend was wearing pink leggings and an orange tunic. I wished I could make color like that work for me.

In addition to me—the maid of honor—Charlotte had recently chosen Jessica, Bebe, and Patty to be bridesmaids. Bebe and Patty would be fun. But I tried to imagine Jessica walking down the aisle with any sort of smile on her face and just couldn't picture it.

A severe-looking woman wearing all black greeted us with a clipboard.

“It is such a pleasure, Ms. Adler,” she said to Charlotte as she looked at June and Scarlett. “And may I just say that I love
The Morning Show
and the GATE Network. Mrs. Francis, your guest appearances on the evening news recently have just kept me riveted to my seat.” Scarlett merely nodded and I wondered if the woman was serious. Scarlett delivered the evening news like a preacher giving a eulogy.

We were led to a small room with a loveseat and two chairs. Bebe, Patty, and I took the cramped loveseat while Scarlett and June sat in the comfortable-looking armchairs. Jessica sat on the armrest of her mother's chair and crossed her arms.

“Honey, don't do that with your arms, it makes you slouch,” June said, touching Jessica's back. Jessica rolled her eyes. “Jessica is so excited to be included, aren't you, dear?” Jessica regressed to a bored blank stare and it occurred to me that perhaps she could give Scarlett a run for her money as an anchor on the evening news.

I pasted on a smile and glanced at Charlotte. She blinked rapidly as two men entered the room. One carried a professional photographer's light, and another carried a large video camera.

“Oh, here you are, Greg,” said Scarlett.

“Sorry,” the man carrying the camera said as he held out a light meter and walked around the room. “We got lost on the way from the studio.”

“That is what MapQuest is for, Greg. No excuses,” Scarlett said.

I looked over at Charlotte, who was chewing on her lower lip as she studied the clipboard with wedding dress pictures. Seriously? I couldn't believe what was happening. It had never been her style to blur the boundaries between her private life and her career.

“Isn't this fun, Annie? It's going to be like that TV show. We all get to help Charlotte find the perfect dress and be in the feature story,” said Bebe, elbowing me.

“Charlotte wasn't sure at first,” said Patty, “but Scarlett convinced her that it would be perfect for
The Morning Show
. Every woman goes through the uncertainty of finding the right dress.”

“And our viewers will be thrilled to be included,” finished Scarlett Francis.

What was Charlotte thinking? My gaze rested on Charlotte and I detected the slightest wince as she finally met my eyes.

“And since your mother couldn't come, it will be so nice for her to see the dress we . . . Charlotte chooses,” added June.

I said nothing, but ran my fingers through my hair.

Charlotte's lips compressed for a moment. “It will be nice for Mom and Aunt Addie to see.”

“And Henry and everyone in Truhart, and of course your entire viewing audience,” I said, meeting her eyes. I was amazed that Charlotte hadn't warned me about this. Then again, she knew I would hate the idea of making her dress-shopping experience a spectacle. We always joked about those people on reality shows who lived their lives in front of the camera. I pressed my tongue to the roof of my mouth to block the words I wanted to say, forcing myself to relax.

“Oh, come on, Annie, it will be fun,” Charlotte said in a quivering voice.

The only person in the room who noticed the interchange was Jessica. She leaned forward in her chair, looking back and forth between us, for the first time interested in what was happening.

“If it's what you want, why not?” I said, sitting back and crossing my legs. I smiled at everyone around the room. “No problem.” My foot bobbed up and down and I kicked my camera bag under the couch. No need to take pictures for my mother now. The whole world would know what wedding dress Charlotte was wearing. The thought of the snarky comments from couches across America made me cringe.

The camera crew set up around us while Charlotte changed into her first dress. Within moments her head popped out of the dressing room. “Are you ready, Greg?”

He gave the thumbs-up, adjusted the video camera on his shoulder, and out walked Charlotte.

I lost it.

It sounds cliché, but I didn't expect to feel so overwhelmed the first time my baby sister put on a wedding gown. The cameras and the people in the room fell away from me. Charlotte could have been walking down the aisle right then and I wouldn't have felt any more emotional. She had grown up right in front of my eyes, from a little fat-kneed baby to an awkward, metal-mouthed teen. And now she stood beautiful and elegant in a simple strapless A-line gown that was gathered ever so slightly at the waist on one side. My throat tightened and my eyes grew alarmingly wet. I don't know whether it was Bebe or Patty, but one of them handed me a tissue.

And then everything turned bright. It took me a moment to realize that the camera was trained right on me. Wonderful! I had just rounded out the perfect wedding segment: emotional family member crying over her baby sister's wedding dress.

“Are you all right, Annie?” asked Charlotte. She sounded amused and breathless.

I gulped, trying to dig up some dignity. “It's just that, you look so . . . beautiful.”

Charlotte stepped up on the small platform in front of a three-way mirror. Her head tilted to the side as she looked at herself. A big smile spread over her face.

“Oh, it's just what I was looking for . . .” She turned to all of us and searched our faces.

“You look great,” Patty said, while Bebe gave the thumbs-up sign.

We all turned to Scarlett and June. They stared fixedly at the dress.

After a long pause, June said, “I don't know . . .”

What didn't she know? It was perfect for Charlotte.

Scarlett just stared, her eyes narrowed into tiny slits as she squinted. “Of course, everyone loves the first dress they try on, my dear.” Now the camera focused on Scarlett. She smiled and waved her hand toward the open door of the dressing room with a flourish. “But look at all those beautiful dresses. June and I have chosen some others for you to try on as well. You never know, you might find something you like better.” The other ladies bobbed their heads enthusiastically toward the dressing room. They didn't want the show to end.

The next dress Charlotte tried on was similar to the first, but not quite as perfect for her. From the less than enthusiastic smile on Charlotte's face, I suspected she felt the same way.

Then she put on Scarlett's choice. It was monstrous. Not only did the transparent corset cinch Charlotte like a character in
Gone with the Wind
, but the dress had more spangles than a circus performer. Jessica, who wasn't so bored anymore, broke out in laughter the moment she saw it. June kicked her.

“What?” she said, looking back at her mother. “It's really awful.”

Scarlett ignored Jessica and stood up to get a better look. “It's a Nina Formosa. Her styles are all the rage this year.” Circling Charlotte, she came to a halt in front of the camera and posed in a flattering stance.

Poor Charlotte. She looked back at herself in the mirror and forced a fake smile, no doubt trying to figure out how to tell Scarlett that it was the most god-awful creation ever conceived.

“If you like this, I will make sure to get you a personal introduction and fitting with the designer. She is a close family friend,” Scarlett purred.

“Let me think about it,” Charlotte said, and I wasn't the only one who breathed a sigh of relief.

The last dress Charlotte tried was June's pick. We waited patiently as Charlotte took longer than normal to come out of the dressing room. During that time, Scarlett left a long voice mail that sounded like someone was about to be fired, and Bebe and Patty talked endlessly about what kind of bridesmaids' dress would go with each gown. The camera crew leaned against the wall, trying hard not to look bored and failing miserably. I could only imagine what men thought of this whole process.

Finally, the door to the dressing room opened. We held our breath as Chantilly lace and organza spilled out like an overflowing froth of whipped cream. Then Charlotte appeared, gently guiding each successive layer of fabric through the dressing room doorway with her hands. Once through, a longer swath of frilly material followed her. As she moved, the sales attendant poofed and fluffed each layer with as much fuss and fanfare as a lady-in-waiting.

The dress was absolutely stunning . . . and completely wrong for Charlotte.

An asymmetrical neckline was fringed with silk rosette flowers that draped over one shoulder and crisscrossed a ruched bodice adorned in crystal flowers. Even more dramatic, the back of the gown dipped impossibly low and was swathed in a trail of silk petals that gathered every few inches to form a train worthy of a Disney princess.

Everyone in the room exclaimed at once.

“Oh my God!” Bebe was the loudest. “You have got to get it!”

“Truly special,” came the self-satisfied response from June.

“This dress is something of an original,” explained the sales attendant. She helped Charlotte stand on the platform in front of the mirrors as the camera crew circled her.

I watched Charlotte carefully. She looked at herself from head to foot and turned to see the back of the dress. “It's gorgeous. But . . .”