“Ah…yes? I won’t be home till around ten, though. I’m not sure if that’s too late.” Sophie’s words trailed off.

“I’ll be there.”

Sophie went to bed with a smile on her face. It was not possible to find a happy ending with their history, but at least she would know what it was like to have him physically. Maybe it would finally ease her desire for him. Maybe being with him was what she needed to get over him. Nothing else seemed to work so far. Excitement and anxiety of what was to come made it hard for her to fall asleep.

***

The next day Sophie and her mother browsed the local dress shops. Her mother was still unsure in regards to her dress. With her wedding less than two months away she was getting nervous.

“What do you think?” Her mother stepped up onto the platform in front of a large mirror. It was the eighth dress she had tried and none of them brought out the reaction Sophie was waiting for.

“You aren’t smiling,” Sophie commented as her mother twirled around to show off all the details of the dress.

“It’s just…I have a certain style in mind and I can’t seem to find it in my budget.” She scrunched up her face in the mirror, making Sophie laugh.

“If you let me know what you want I could try and make it for you,” Sophie offered.

Sophie watched her mother’s face light up. “Really? Are you sure you have time for that?”

“Of course. We can go look at fabrics if you want.”

“Yay! You make the most beautiful things.” Her mother hopped off the platform and disappeared into the changing room. “Before we leave I want you to try on the dress I picked out for you,” she said from behind the curtain.

Sophie and her mother both agreed on the dress she had selected for her. It was a strapless red dress, similar to the dresses she’d already selected for her bridesmaids, only they were in black, although hers was more elaborate than the simple design of the others, having lace detail around the bodice. The bottom flowed gracefully around her thighs.

The fabric store brought back so many memories as she walked through the familiar aisles. She hadn’t been to this store since she had moved. She and her mother shuffled through all of the material that was suitable for a wedding dress. She gravitated toward the off-white material, trying to create more of a vintage design. Sophie lifted up a soft material that caught her eye.

“Perfect!” her mother agreed. Before they left the store they had also found some elegant lace that paired with the fabric beautifully. Her mother couldn’t have been more excited.

Sitting in the cake shop, her mother sketched out the basic idea she had, giving Sophie the direction she needed to create the dress. She had never fashioned a wedding dress before but the idea of it was not new to her. She had created many dresses and she was confident that it would turn out. They were served tea by the woman who had brought out samples of the different flavors of wedding cakes available.

“Peter likes everything, so I knew he would be useless helping me make this decision.” Her mother chuckled. “He even says he loves my burnt pancakes.”

For as long as Sophie could remember, her mother had always burned the pancakes she made—she was easily distracted and had a habit of putting the burner on high. “You guys are perfect for each other.”

“I know. I am so happy, Sophie.” Her mother grabbed her hand. “Sometimes I think it’s too good to be true and that I’m going to wake up and this is all a dream.”

“I love you, Mom.”

“I love you too, baby girl.” Her mother smiled warmly. “I have a surprise for us to do when we leave here. We’re going to get our nails done. I booked an appointment for us. It’s the place that’s doing our hair and makeup for the wedding.”

“Sounds good to me. So does this French vanilla cake.” Sophie savored the taste. “With the strawberry layers.”

“Yeah…it’s my favorite too.”

Chapter Sixteen

Sophie looked down at the pale pink color being applied to her nails while she listened to the endless one-sided conversation from the girl painting them. When Sophie sat down she recognized the girl from somewhere but she couldn’t place her. She didn’t have to wait long to make the connection. As it turned out, Marsha had gone to high school with Sophie.

Marsha felt it necessary to fill Sophie in on all the latest gossip she had recently heard from their graduating class. Her face was fuller than it had been in high school but other than being slightly heavier, she looked the same as Sophie remembered her. Marsha used to follow wherever the excitement led, changing friends like someone changes clothes. Her natural red hair was untamed and pulled back into a frizzy mess on the top of her head and her makeup looked like she couldn’t decide on a certain idea, so she blended different techniques together to create an awkward look that did nothing to enhance her features.

The names Marsha mentioned washed over Sophie. She barely recognized most of them. She nodded politely as Marsha paraded on endlessly. It was only when Ashton’s name came into the conversation that Sophie perked up.

“Apparently he just came into town and beat the…” Marsha looked around to see who was watching her before she continued. “…shit out of Collin. Collin looked horrible with two black eyes and a busted lip, but if you ask me that creep deserved it, always treating girls like they were objects.”

“Does anyone know why Ashton beat up Collin?” Sophie asked curiously. In the back of her mind she wondered if it had anything to do with her confession of what Collin had done to her on prom night. It was nice to think that Ashton would defend her honor, but she didn’t read too much into it. It could have been anything. For all she knew Ashton and Collin were still friends and could have had an argument about anything.

“No…who knows? I hadn’t seen Ashton in a while. He left right after high school, traveling and working for his father and all that. You know, off being the gorgeous golden boy that he was.”

Sophie shook her head like she had no idea what Ashton was up to. “Yeah, well. You can probably recall we weren’t on great terms.” Sophie shrugged.

“Yeah, whatever.” Marsha rolled her eyes. “Everyone knew that Ashton had a thing for you. What boy didn’t?”

“What are you talking about?” Sophie was completely confused by her statement.

“Every guy in our entire school was enamored by you but no one would dare even approach you because they were scared of Ashton, who had threatened them all to back off.” Marsha widened her eyes as she purged her gossip.

“Ashton hated me,” Sophie objected.

“No one knows why you guys had this weird hate thing going on when it was clearly not the case. The only thing I could figure is that he was trying to keep Lucinda off your case. That girl would have torn you apart if you had stolen her man. As bad as she was to you, it could have been much worse.”

“I highly doubt that. That girl loathed me and made me miserable.”

“Because her boyfriend only had eyes for you,” Marsha explained. “How did you not know all this? Did you seriously think he hated you?”

“Yes, of course I did. I know he did. He and Lucinda always found ways to make sure I knew it,” Sophie defended herself.

“Think whatever you want, I guess. You probably just have to point at a guy to have him come with his tail wagging.” Marsha’s tone was almost bitter as she released Sophie’s hands. “I, on the other hand, have to practically pay a man to even look in my direction.”

“Thank you, Marsha.” Sophie smiled politely, taking the opportunity to leave. Marsha was becoming a little overwhelming and she was anxious to leave.

***