Page 54 of Wag More Bark Less

She stepped into the other room, leaving me alone with the tattered gown and my rampant thoughts.

Ellie crawled into my lap, and I hugged her tight.

This dress was supposed to be part of my epic love story. One for the books we’d someday tell the grandkids.

Now, it was nothing more than a pile of battered silk and tulle, much like the dreams I once had.

“Hey, I’m sorry to bail, but I need to head to the museum.”

“Everything okay?”

“Yeah, Gram’s just overwhelmed. Golden Days stuff.”

She offered me a smile, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. I hated that my immediate suspicion was that she was lying. I could handle keeping secrets, considering how briefly we’d known each other, but until now, I felt certain neither one of us had outright lied to the other.

Ellie crawled out of my lap and hurried out the door, returning quickly with a sock.

“What’s this?” Alyssa asked, accepting the gift.

“It’s an Ellie thing,” I said, omitting the part where my dog offered socks to those she felt were under some type of distress. I didn’t want to tip Alyssa off that I was on to her lie. “You have to keep it, or you’ll hurt her feelings.”

“You won’t miss it?”

“She has her own stash.”

“That’s adorable.” Alyssa gave her a few scratches behind the ears. “Hey, I might have to postpone that hike. Maybe sometime next week?”

“Sure,” I said, feeling the last shred of hope that I’d finally made a real female friend fade away. Oh, well.

With a promise to text me when things calmed down at the museum, Alyssa showed herself out. Just as well, because I didn’t have the motivation to leave the chair, much less the bedroom.

I stared blankly at the dress for what might’ve been either a few minutes or a few hours, and the memory replayed in vivid detail.

I’d come home early from work on a Tuesday to pick up my dress for my final fitting. In hindsight, I should’ve just asked my seamstress to hold on to it. But having my dress close brought me comfort during an otherwise stressful time.

I hadn’t mentioned the appointment to Luanne or Jason, because I didn’t want to take Monster-in-Law with me. Selfishly, I didn’t want her to see the dress until my wedding day. She’d taken over every other aspect of the special day. I wanted one thing to be all mine.

But when I got home to pick up my dress, I found Jason standing guard outside our bedroom door. He tried to block me, but I charged ahead like a battering ram. He didn’t stand a chance and dove out of the way—coward. I discovered Luanne in our bedroom, desperately trying to pull the dress off. Later, she tried to convince me that’s how it ended up damaged. She panicked and tried to get out of it too quickly.

Little did she know, I had the whole thing on video.

The amount of damage didn’t match her story. Not even close. There were long snags, pulled threads, and even small puncture holes in the satin, as though someone repeatedly yanked at the seams. Entire strands of beads were missing, and others were outright crushed.

Finally mustering the strength to stand, I ran my hand over the fabric, mourning the breathtaking gown it once was.

“What if . . .”

Ellie trotted to my side, sitting close enough to my leg to lean against it.

“What if I just tried it on?”

Ellie licked my hand, nudging her head into my palm.

“Just one more time, before I have to throw it away.”

I had to get rid of it before I left Bluebell Springs. The pictures had been horrid enough. I refused to let Mom or Violet see the devastation in person.

I pulled off my hoodie and jeans, tossing them into the sitting chair.