Another Hartley sibling took a good look at me head to toe.
“I can work with that. What do you think?” Madison asked Clem.
“I love it. You look amazing, Hannah.”
“She really does,” Madison said with a serious tone. She waved to the sales lady, then pointed at me and ordered. “I want that. Shorter.” She turned her attention back to Clem. “I hate that dress. I can’t tell you what’s wrong with it, but I hate it.” She navigated Clem back to the podium.
“Hannah, dear,” Sylvia started. “Your doctor boyfriend will die when he sees you in this.” She winked at me and followed her daughters.
“We can only hope,” Tyler’s hot breath tickled my ear. He was way too close. A shiver went down my spine. I swirled around to face him.
“Being vicious doesn’t suit you.”
“I’m not being vicious. I am…witty.”
He took a step back and swirled his index finger in the air asking me to spin. I did one full circle and faced him again, one eyebrow raised in question and an impatient smile curving my lips.
“Fishing for a compliment?” He asked.
“I assumed you would want to share what you think, since you asked me to spin.”
“He won’t die when he sees you in this dress,” he said, blank expression on his face.
“So it doesn’t look good on me then?”
He shrugged but said nothing. I felt like a fool and wanted to get back at him for it.
“I guess you’re not used to assessing women’s appearance when they wear actual clothes.”
“True that,” he agreed, and I waited for him to add something on the subject, but he didn’t. He just walked away, approaching the others.
I followed behind. A knot formed in my stomach. When I was little my father always told me listen to my gut. That it would show me if I am on the right track or not. Apparently, my brain and my gut had different opinions when it came to Tyler Hartley, because my brain told me to protect myself and stay away, but my gut told me I was acting like a bitch. And for what? Because he didn’t swoon at the sight of me?
I looked down at my feet hoping I could slip into the dressing room without having to talk to anyone, when I saw with my periphery that Tyler looked at me over his shoulder. My eyes found his.
“Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it,” he said, and I stopped right next to him.
“What?”
“Clem told you looked amazing in that dress. Amazing doesn’t even begin to cover it. That’s what I think.”
The knot in my stomach loosened up. It transformed itself into thousands of butterflies. My heart slammed in my ribcage. I felt my hands damping and I squeezed them into fists as if someone else could tell just by looking at them. Every part of my body reacted to his words except my mouth. I was unable to produce a sound.
Tyler turned away from me. My legs moved me forward and I snuck inside the fitting room to change back to my own clothes. That gave me space and time to recover from our exchange. By the time I got out, Madison was already waiting by the curtain holding her bridesmaid dress. It was the exact same emerald green as my gown.
“This is the color of my eyes,” she said.
“Oh, I haven’t noticed.”
“Me neither. Tyler noticed it. Of course he said it was the color of his eyes, but we have the exact same shade of green so...”
Did I just pick a dress in the color of his freaking eyes?
“Are you planning on getting out of there today?” Madison asked. “I have other things to do.”
“Sorry,” I stepped to the side. I saw Tyler and Sylvia sitting down on a couch waiting for Clem to try on yet another dress.
They both sat on opposite sides, so I had to either stand up like a statue or settle down between them. I didn’t want anyone to find out there was something weird going on, so I decided the only way not to bring attention to me, was to act like a normal human being and not avoid him. I planted myself between them, my thigh inches away from his.
“Oh, Maddie, I really like this one,” Clem shouted from behind her curtain and all I could think about was the heat I sensed coming from Tyler’s body. I glanced at him. He was looking at his phone like the rest of us didn’t exist. Why did he even bother to come here?
“Don’t get too attached to it,” Madison warned.
Clem appeared seconds later with a huge grin on her face. She was wearing a simple one shoulder roman style dress with a thin belt right below her breasts.
“What do you think?”
Madison got out of her fitting room in her pencil skirt and blouse. Apparently, she didn’t need anyone telling her how she looked in her dress. She examined Clem from all angles.
“We’re buying it.”
Ten minutes later we were in front of the store, listening to Madison list off tasks she wanted us to handle.
“Mom, you are going to the florist. Clem wants only daffodils. Nothing else. Don’t improvise,” she sent her mother a death glare. “Clem, Lucas is waiting for you at his office. You are going to a cake tasting. Hannah, take this,” Madison handed me a list of names and phone numbers. “Calls these photographers. Find someone available.”
“But we don’t have a date yet,” I started to argue but Madison cut me off.
“Most of those won’t be available anyway. You want to know who has a free Saturday or Sunday in the next month. Write down the date and report back immediately, okay?” I nodded. “I’m going to the venue. The gardens are gorgeous. It’s a secluded hotel for celebrities. And they don’t do weddings. It’s perfect.”
“They don’t do weddings?” Clem asked.
“Yes. They don’t do weddings, which means they will be available. You are getting married there, I can promise you that much. Now, people, go do your thing and don’t screw anything up. I have to go back to New York on Thursday, and I don’t have time to clean up any more messes.”
I noticed Madison didn’t give Tyler anything to do. She didn’t trust him. No one in his family did. I felt bad for leaving him behind like that, so when the others went their ways, I waved the list she gave me in his face.
“I know you love to make phone calls,” I smiled and tried to hide I felt sorry for him. Tyler shook his head with a grim look on his face. “Oh, come on. I could use some help.”
“You’ve got this, little Spencer.” He turned his back on me, his hands shoved in his front pockets, and left.
Chapter Sixteen
Tyler
Wednesday finally came and I could already see myself flying off to Boston the next day. Hannah found a photographer. Madison booked the hotel. Everything was sorted out, so I decided not to bring a stripper to my sister’s engagement party. I spent some time considering it for real the previous day, just because I said I would do it, but it wasn’t worth it at this point. I was so close to getting out of this.
I made another important decision related to the party. I wasn’t going to sabotage it, but I wasn’t going to help either. Not that I wanted to be here in the first place, but the way they left me out of everything the previous day made it obvious. No one trusted me. Fine by me.