Page 68 of A Little Bit Engaged
Hannah unzipped a pink dress bag. “Nothing better.”
Cara hoped to discover that for herself someday. With Brody, she’d gotten a taste. She wanted…more.
If only he wanted what she did, could see how much they could have if they were together.
That was the story of her and Brody from the time she realized freshman year of high school that her feelings for her best friend went deeper than friendship. Brody going out with different girls, or talking about another he wanted to date, had led to many tears and heartbreak. The worst had been the night he’d called her to see if she thought Caitlin might say yes if he invited her to a dance. That had been as hard for Cara as seeing the two of them kiss on the red carpet.
I’m calling about homecoming.
For a minute—okay, a nanosecond—Cara had thought he was asking her to be his date. A dream-come-true-thrill had shot through her. Toes wiggling, she’d bounced around her bedroom like a human pogo stick, imagining the two of them dressed up—her in a sparkly dress and him in a suit. Only that fantasy had come crashing down with what he said next.
Do you think Caitlin would go with me?
He’d wanted to take her sister, not Cara.
She hadn’t been asked to the dance by anyone. Caitlin had told her only losers attended without dates, so Cara didn’t buy a new dress, get a mani-pedi with her mom, or have her hair styled into a fancy updo at the hair salon like Caitlin. Cara had stayed home instead.
Alone.
She’d watched Stephen King’s Carrie.
Attending the Academy Awards with Brody had been her homecoming dance. Her prom, too.
But maybe things wouldn’t always be that way. Putting on this wedding gown today could be a rehearsal for when she was a real bride. A sign that it would happen sooner rather than later.
“Let’s get you in the dress,” Hannah said.
The inflection on her final word probably sent brides into fits of giddiness. Well, normal brides. Not fake ones like Cara.
“Can’t wait.” She tried for an excited tone, but her voice sounded flat.
Hannah tucked her dark hair behind her ears. “One of my favorite parts of this job is seeing a bride in her dress for the first time.”
“I’m sure that’s a special moment.”
“I would usually have you wear heels, but since this dress has a shorter hem due to the picnic theme, bare feet will work.”
“Good, because I have no heels to wear.”
Other than the low heel pumps she’d planned on wearing to her interview, Cara’s dressier shoes were packed away like everything else she owned, locked in a storage unit. She would soon be homeless, family-less, and almost friendless.
Because of Caitlin.
No one would ever know the truth about what Cara did or didn’t do. She would be forever known as gossip fodder, the woman who got pregnant and stole her twin sister’s boyfriend. The worst part was that most people who knew her, either from work, college, or growing up, believed she was capable of doing those things.
Her.
Cara O’Neal.
The librarian turned book concierge.
She wasn’t an orphan or a waif, but she felt alone in the world despite having parents and a sister. At least she had Brody and Loki.
Maybe she could adopt another cat. Well, once she found a place to live.
Hannah pulled out a white dress. “I was scouring through thrift stores and consignment shops when I found this new arrival. I didn’t check the size—just knew I could use it to mix old styles with new innovations. The dress happens to be your size. That made my job easier. And the tea length is perfect for a picnic wedding.”
“That’s a lot of white fabric. So much the dress resembles a…fluffy cloud.”
