“Then it really is all your fault.”
“My fault? For guaranteeing Josh the custody he wanted and helping the Parsons be grandparents to both Chloe and Josh? That’s my fault?”
“Couldn’t you have done that without breaking up their marriage?”
“I didn’t break up their marriage—they did that all on their own. Charlie wouldn’t have broken up with him if she were really in love with him.”
“Steven, can you really be that dense? Don’t you remember when I ran out of the Christmas Party and tried to fly back to Texas?”
“Yes, but that was different. You didn’t know I was in love with you.” Anne pressed her lips into a firm line, crossing her arms and fixing him with a stare.
“Okay,” he admitted. “I can see a similarity. But I managed to stop you from leaving and convinced you to marry me without any help.”
“Oh really? What if Rayna hadn’t informed you where I was and then prevented me from getting in the taxi?”
“Fine, I had some help. But I asked for it.”
“I wouldn’t have even gone to the party except for Johanna’s encouragement and Gram’s interference.
Steven sighed his resignation. “Fine. I give up. What do you want me to do?”
“OHMYGOSH! I CAN’T WEAR this dress!” Charlie stood, mortified, in a short, tight, black backless halter dress with a deep plunge and a side slit.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. What’s wrong with it?” asked the dressmaker with an anxiety-ridden face. “I’m sure it’s the one Mrs. Gherring specified. I had to take it up quite a bit to make it fit you.”
“Maybe you cut away too much of the fabric when you took it up.”
“No ma’am. I assure you, that’s just the style of the dress.”
“Well it doesn’t cover much of anything. I can’t even wear a bra with it.”
“That’s okay. I’ve brought along these little stick-on cups for you, and here’s some tape to keep it from gapping anywhere.”
“Oh, I’m sure Gram didn’t realize the dress was this... this uhmm... small. It’s not your fault. But maybe there’s something else I can trade it for. Something that covers a little more.” Charlie crossed her arms over her chest, attempting to peer around the seamstress into her outer shop area.
“But this dress has already been altered. You can’t trade it in.” She tugged on the dress, smoothing the seams. “And if you’ll put your arms down, I think it fits perfectly. Maybe you’ll like it better with the jacket on.”
“Oh! It has a jacket?” Charlie sighed in relief. “Perfect. Let’s try it on!”
The woman helped her slide the jacket over her wrapped arm.
“What kind of jacket is this? It only covers my arms,” she said, tugging on it. “And it’s see-through!”
“Well, yes. It’s just a sheer arm-jacket. You wouldn’t want to hide the dress with an opaque jacket.”
“I don’t want to hide the dress. I want to hide what the dress doesn’t hide. I can’t go to the New Year’s Eve party naked.”
“But you won’t be naked at all. Look... This is the same dress Virea Shane wore on the red carpet.” She held up a glossy magazine photo in front of Charlie’s face.
“I’m not Virea Shane. I don’t even wear dresses, much less little-tiny-nothing dresses. I go by the name Charlie. Don’t you understand? I’m not used to displaying my girl parts for everyone to see.”
“Everything will be fine, Charlie,” the woman soothed. “Why don’t you have a glass of wine? Let me tape you into this and no one will see your girl parts—I promise. This dress will only make them watch you, hoping for a glance. But it won’t happen.”
“I don’t want to be watched,” she protested in misery. “Can’t you at least close up the slit in the skirt? It’s going to show my underwear.”
She tsked her disapproval. “I’ll sew up the slit a bit, but it will make it harder to dance.”
“I can’t possibly dance in this dress. I’ll be hiding in the shadows.”