Lib Novel Page 51
“Is that what she told you, that she doesn’t want to marry you?”
Christopher shook his head. “Not exactly. I mean, I’m so confused I don’t know what she actually said. There were a lot of words about feeling like something is missing, and that she didn’t know what that something was. I don’t know what to think, honestly. She’s got some crazy idea that there are signs all around us that are telling her this wedding shouldn’t happen.”
“Signs? What kind of signs?”
“The hurricane, her dress getting ruined, I don’t know. Silly stuff if you ask me.”
“Well, if the hurricane is a sign, then that means that Gabriel and I shouldn’t get married either. That’s insane.”
“Becca is hardly thinking clearly. I’m not stupid enough to think that the dress or the hurricane is responsible for this. Those things are just an excuse because she can’t deal with the real reason, which is that she doesn’t want to be married, plain and simple.”
“Chris, Becca loves you. Everyone knows this is true. Whatever this is can be fixed.”
He looked into Beth’s eyes and she could tell that he didn’t believe her.
“Are you sure about that? Because I have to tell you I’m not convinced. This isn’t the first time Becca has been afraid of getting married. Remember when she started medical school and how uncertain she was when I proposed? This is worse. This feels like we’re splitting up, and I have no idea why.”
“Why did she go to Captiva?”
Chris shrugged. “It’s home. Maybe she needs to talk to her father and brothers or maybe she just needs to be where she’ll get some clarity on what’s really going on. All I know is that the wedding is in three weeks. It seems unlikely that she’ll find what she’s searching for before then. I think the best thing I can do is prepare myself for the worst but hope for the best.”
“How do you do that?”
Chris sat back in his chair and looked down. “I have no idea.”
* * *
Becca rented a car and drove from the Southwest Florida International Airport to Amy’s Bridal Shop. She’d already contacted her friend to let her know that she’d be arriving that morning and although Becca knew in her gut that her wedding dress was damaged beyond repair, she held out a bit of hope that it wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined.
Amy met Becca at the door. Hugging Amy, Becca braced herself for the worst.
“Hey, Becca. Come in. I’m so glad to see you. I’ve got your dress right here. I looked at it yesterday when it came back from the cleaners and I have to admit, they did a great job. You can’t tell at all that several inches of the bottom was submerged in water for a couple of days. Take a look.”
The dress did indeed look almost as it did the first time Amy showed it to her. The only thing she noticed was that the entire dress seemed not as white. Becca didn’t want any other color than pure white but the dress now looked more of an ivory color.
“What do you think?” Amy asked.
Becca nodded. “I think it will work.”
“Do you want to try it on? I’m still cleaning up here but I think the dressing room is clean.”
“Yes, I’d like that.”
Becca went into the back room and put her wedding dress on. Without heels, she tried to imagine what the dress would look like on her wedding day. She climbed the staged area and looked in all three mirrors to see herself at every angle.
Turning back to the front, she smoothed the satin fabric over her body and then looked into her eyes.
“Is that really me?” she asked Amy.
“It sure is. You look beautiful. You were right to pick that dress. It’s definitely you,” Amy said.
“Is it?” Becca asked, not really waiting for an answer. She could see herself clearly but still couldn’t imagine herself walking down the aisle in the dress that she’d been in love with from the start. However, something was different now. She blinked back tears and Amy noticed.
“I get a lump in my throat every time a new bride looks at herself in the mirror. They say that you see yourself as a married woman. Is that who you’re looking at? Do you see Mrs. Christopher Wheeler staring back at you?”
Becca couldn’t speak. Instead, she smiled and nodded. That seemed to please Amy, who was a romantic to her core. The important thing was that Becca had her dress and even though she felt like she was only going through the motions, she put one foot in front of the other and hoped that she’d receive a sign letting her know that she’d done the right thing in coming home.
* * *