Olivia laughed. “Thanks, Cheree. I wanted to talk to him longer, but Prince Quincy came outside and quite rudely interrupted us.”
“Prince Quincy is anything but rude,” Gigi defended from the other side of Olivia. “And for you to say such a thing is outrageous. It could very well damage his reputation.” She sipped her drink and shot Olivia a glare over the rim of her glass. “Besides, you hardly know him enough to say he is rude.”
“I was only teasing,” Olivia said as Cheree hid a smile.
“You should not do such things in public.”
“Fine, then I will tease him in private,” she replied and grinned widely when Gigi’s scowl tightened. “After all, we do live right next door to each other. Already shared quite a few laughs together over a bottle of wine or two. He’s going to be a great stepbrother.”
Gigi’s snobbish smile returned as she shrugged and picked at her salad. “Well, that’s all he can be to you, isn’t it? A stepbrother. But not for me.”
Olivia nodded. “Well true, but I’m not sure what you mean. As far as I could tell from dinner the other night, he has quite a few admirers besides you, Gigi. Though I wish you all the best in winning his heart. Not such an easy feat.”
“Edric, on the other hand seemed quite taken with you,” Cheree interjected. “He couldn’t stop talking about your gown.”
“It was pretty,” she said, remembering how it had hugged her body.
“It was from last year, I thought. Not exactly up to date with the current fashion of the isle,” Gigi commented.
“Better than my blue jeans and flannel,” Olivia replied with a bright smile, making Gigi choke on her mouthful of food and Cheree laugh loudly. “If I could set that as a new fashion statement, I would.”
Cheree continued laughing as Olivia worked on finishing her lunch and Gigi muttered under her breath. By the time lunch had ended, Olivia had learned quite a lot about Edric and was pretty sure Gigi hated her with a burning passion. It had probably not been the best idea to piss off someone who might one day become queen, but that’s what Gigi got for being a spoiled, entitled snob.
Melinda and she walked down the street from the café, followed by several of their ladies and a full detail of bodyguards. They headed towards the dress shop to look at wedding and bridesmaid’s dresses. Olivia was, at least, the only bridesmaid, so she didn’t have to deal with anyone except her mother, who might freak out over the next few months.
“Mom, you haven’t told me what this dress is going to look like,” Olivia said as the seamstress, a young woman with beautiful ebony skin and short, black and caramel hair, bustled around, taking measurements of the soon-to-be queen.
“You are going to love it, I promise,” she said, and the seamstress nodded in agreement.
“It is true. I have already made most of it, but your mother, I think, has another surprise for you,” Bernice, the seamstress, said.
Olivia frowned as she lounged in the plush chair. “Surprise, huh? Not sure how I feel about this. Think there have been too many surprises lately.”
“Oh, you’ll like this one, I promise.”
The seamstress disappeared into the back as soon as she finished with Melinda’s measurements. Olivia wondered what the hell was going on, but that lasted only a minute before her mom went to a dressing room with a curtain over the doorway and pushed it aside. The dress that hung behind it was ivory with a turquoise underlay of tropical fauna that ran throughout the skirt, and a train spread out around the back of it.
“Mom, is that your dress?” Olivia asked quietly. She got to her feet as her mom clasped her hands together and smiled. “It’s beautiful. When did you have this made?”
“I started it before I left,” she explained as she motioned for Olivia to move closer. “She took my measurements, and I picked out the fabric. You really like it? I wasn’t sure about going strapless, but hopefully, it works well.”
“You haven’t put it on yet?”
Melinda reached out for her daughter’s hands and squeezed them tightly. “Course not. I was waiting for you.” Olivia hugged her mom and felt hot tears prick her eyes. They pulled away, giggling and crying as Olivia pulled the dress off the hanger and helped her mom get into her wedding dress, one fit for a queen. When she stepped out, Olivia and the seamstress, who had come back, stared in awe at the sight. It was even better on, and Melinda stepped up onto a small platform so the dress hung perfectly all around.
“It is magnificent, Bernice, really,” Melinda said as she smoothed her hands down the front.
Olivia’s body tingled all over as she shook her head, awed by the sight. “You will be perfect on your wedding day, Mom. I’m really glad you showed me this today.”
“Oh, this isn’t your surprise,” Melinda said. “You are getting a dress made for the ball!”