Vivian leaned down and pulled out a stack of magazines from the side of the coffee table. “It so happens I just bought the newest bridal magazines the other day.”
Maysie and I exchanged a look, each of us raising our eyebrows in surprise. “You’ve been buying bridal magazines?” Maysie asked, not able to hide her amusement.
“Does Cole know what you do in your spare time?” I teased.
Cole Brandt and marriage seemed as incongruous as eggs and ketchup. Some things just weren’t meant to go together.
Vivian stiffened marginally and I wondered if this was a sore spot for her. “A girl can dream, right?” she said breezily. She opened up the magazine on top and flipped through the pages until she landed on a page that had been dog-eared.
“Look at this dress. I saw it and immediately thought of you,” she exclaimed, handing it to Maysie.
I scootched over and looked down at the beautiful woman in a sleeveless wedding gown. It was pretty simple. No long train or elaborate stitching. It was tasteful with a straight skirt that ran to the floor. The scooped neckline was plain but for a line of beads stitched along the edge.
“Wow, it’s amazing,” Maysie breathed, her face going all dewy.
“That dress is perfect for a summer wedding! Oh! You should have an outdoor ceremony. Something small. Just friends and family. Maybe you could have it in the meadow behind Garrett’s. The one that borders the river!” Vivian continued.
“That sounds perfect,” Maysie smiled, running her fingers along the lines of the dress.
“So figure out what day in August you want to get hitched so we can start planning. I think everyone could use something to look forward to,” I suggested.
“Oh my god, we have to wear these bridesmaid dresses!” Vivian squealed, pulling the magazine from Maysie’s lap and turning to another page. When she pointed to a dress I made a face.
“No way, Viv. You are not going to get me in a dress with rhinestones!” I shrieked.
Vivian stuck out her tongue. “If you have your way, the bridesmaids would be wearing something boring with sleeves and a sash.”
“And if you have your way, we’ll all be wearing leopard print with our boobs falling out,” I threw back good-naturedly.
“Okay, no need to duke it out over dresses. I’ll pick something with everyone’s tastes in mind,” Maysie assured us.
We spent the next hour looking through Vivian’s secret stash of wedding magazines while Maysie made notes of what she liked and didn’t like. We called Riley and put her on speakerphone as we hashed out ideas.
“Okay, well before I get off here, are you guys all still planning to come to the show in Norfolk this weekend?” Riley asked as we were winding down the conversation.
“Of course! We wouldn’t miss it. I told Jordan I’d be back on Friday,” Maysie said, closing up the magazines.
“What about you, G, are you coming this time?” Riley asked and I could picture her standing in front of me with her hand on her hip and a no nonsense expression on her face.
“I—uh—I have stuff going on,” I said.
“Is this the same stuff that has kept you from coming to the last ten performances?” Riley pressed and I wished she were here so I could strangle her. She was too invasive for her own good. Or my own good.
“I’m a very busy woman,” I stated forcefully.
“Busy doing what?” Riley pushed.
Vivian snickered. “Yeah, busy doing what?” I glared at my roommate.
“I scheduled a facial for Saturday morning and I had some plans to reorganize my closet. You know how seriously I take de-cluttering,” I muttered, knowing how ridiculous I sounded.
Riley didn’t say anything and Maysie was furiously chewing on her bottom lip. Vivian rolled her eyes and gave me a pointed look that I refused to interpret.
“Oh come on. It’ll be fun,” Riley said and I sighed.