“I was supposed to get married last year,” Sophie said quietly, not wanting to give away too much about the end of her relationship with Leo and the start of her relationship with Joe, but also desperate to make this terrible awkwardness go away. “A few days before the wedding, my fiancé broke it off. I thought then that maybe he had cold feet. I thought we might get back together. I actually believed that our wedding was still going to go on as planned—and then he called me and confessed that he was in love with someone else.”
The silence in the car was deafening. Sophie was so incredibly uncomfortable. She had no idea what Summer was thinking, but at least it was out there in the open. “It’s not that I don’t want a nice wedding with Joe. It’s not that he doesn’t deserve one. It’s just that I—” Sophie’s voice cracked and tears filled her eyes. “I don’t think I do.” One tear fell, and then another, and she wiped them fiercely, swiftly away. “And so, please don’t think I’m ungrateful when I know you’re trying so hard to be helpful, but in my heart I feel… wrong… letting this wedding happen this way, and feel even worse spending money after all the money my mom spent last December.”
“You couldn’t probably get any of that money back, could you?”
“No.”
“Your mother probably spent a fortune.”
“She did.”
“You blame yourself,” Summer added.
Sophie nodded. “I do.”
“But he was the one to walk away, not you, and now you’re marrying Joe, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” Sophie whispered.
“You’re starting a new life together.”
Sophie dashed away another tear and nodded.
“So what part causes you pain? The starting a new life with Joe, or—”
“Not the new life with Joe. I love Joe.” And then she blushed and fell silent as she realized what she’d just said.
She loved Joe.
And as impossible as it all seemed, she did.
Summer reached out and clasped Sophie gently on the forearm. “So the part that gives you pain is the wedding?”
“Yes.”
Summer gave Sophie another little squeeze. “But isn’t what you’re having more of a party? You and Joe have already decided you want to say your vows in private with Revered Rowe. All the guests are being invited to the reception. That’s different from what you were doing in California, isn’t it?”
“Yes.”
“And I don’t know all the circumstances around your engagement in California, but I know this, you and Joe should celebrate the start of your new life together. I think you’re both very special.”
Fresh tears stung Sophie’s eyes. “I didn’t think you liked me.”
“I wasn’t a fan of him meeting someone online, but you’ve grown on me.” Summer smiled almost mischievously. “Quite a bit.”
“You’ll be okay with me as your daughter-in-law?”
“I’m delighted to have you as my daughter-in-law.”
“Thank you.” She wiped away one last tear. “You give really good advice.”
“In that case, can I give you one more bit of advice?”
“Of course.”
“Let yourself be happy, Sophie. Don’t you think it’s time?”
Inside the store, Summer settled into an armchair in the corner. “Let’s see you try some dresses on. I want you to model four or five of your favorites for me, and before you march to the discount rack, or suggest we visit a thrift store, you should know that is not happening. Joe is my oldest. He was my first baby. His bride is going to look like a proper bride.” Summer’s expression softened. “You will be such a beautiful bride, too. We just need the right dress.”
It wasn’t all that long ago that Sophie had tried on dozens of bridal gowns. She knew which kind of design flattered her figure. She was too short and too curvy to wear the princess ball gown look. She needed something simple, as well as something classic, and fitted, and so she flicked through the gowns in the big garment bags, but nothing really appealed. She felt as if she’d done all of this before, and had tried on a million dresses before. The truth was, she didn’t want to wear a bridal gown. She didn’t want to wear white at all.
Sophie left the bridal gown section and walked over to the bridesmaid dresses and flicked through pale pink gowns and peach gowns. She looked at light gray gowns and then the light blue gowns and stopped when she found one that was light blue. She didn’t love the cheap satin fabric bodice, but the lace overlay on the skirt reminded her of the lace on the wedding invitations and the price tag said it was less than one hundred dollars and the blue reminded her of Joe’s eyes.
“What about this one?” she said, turning around to show Summer.
Summer just looked at her, obviously not impressed. “Why that one?”
“The blue reminds me of Joe’s eyes.” She smiled. “He has gorgeous eyes.”
“His dad had the same shade of blue.” Summer drew a breath. “His dad was very handsome and very kind. He was truly chivalrous. I loved him madly.”
“Is that why you never married again?”
“There was only one man for me, and that was my JC.” Summer cleared her throat, and shifted her cane. “Let’s get the sales girl over. I like your idea of a blue gown, but surely we can do better than that one.”
Chapter Ten
They did do better than that one. They found a gorgeous dress with a fitted lace bodice, long lace sleeves, and a full tulle skirt, and while the dress was white, the owner of the bridal salon promised that it could be dyed the perfect light, dusty-blue shade.
Summer loved the dress, and it fit Sophie well without too many alterations. It would need to be hemmed, and the sleeves shortened an inch, but it fit her everywhere else.
“Do you really like it?” Summer asked anxiously. “I don’t want you to pick this one because you think I like it—”
“I love it. It’s nothing like the dress I would have worn to marry Leo. It’s nothing like anything I’ve ever worn, but it’s rather perfect for our rustic chic wedding in the Emerson Barn.”
“Now you’re teasing me,” Summer said.
“Maybe a little.” Sophie leaned forward and hugged her mother-in-law. “Thank you for spending today with me. I enjoyed myself.”
“Me, too.”
*
“How did it go?” Joe asked when they arrived home later that afternoon. “You were out all day.”
“Good,” Sophie said brightly. “It was fun.”
Joe’s brow lifted. “Fun?”
She nodded. “Your mom must be exhausted, though. I am,” Sophie said, giving him a hug even as she flashed Summer a smile. “But we got so much done despite the mess the roads were in. It’s so dirty everywhere.”
“Not the pristine-white snow you loved on Saturday,” Joe said.
“No,” she agreed. “But we have a cake ordered, a dress purchased, and a check cut to the caterers.”
Joe’s mom settled into a chair at the kitchen table. “We also had lunch at a cute little place downtown. Java something. Nice sandwiches and salads.”