As soon as she left, I pulled my phone out of my purse and clicked on Melissa's name. The phone rang a few times and then went to voicemail. "Hey, Melissa, it's me. I know you said you'd be a little late, but I'm about to start trying on dresses." I paused. Maybe I should just confront the issue. "I feel like you're upset with me, and I don't really know what I did," I said, chickening out. "I want to fix whatever it is. But right now I need you. Please don't make me do this without you." I paused again. "Hopefully I'll see you soon." I hung up before I could say anything stupid. I had this urge to go all bridezilla on her and demand she come because she was my maid of honor. That was probably not the right way to go. If it really was that she felt uncomfortable telling me about her and Tyler, that was ridiculous. Tyler and I had been together one night two and a half years ago. We were over before we even really had a chance to begin. I didn't see how that could be the issue.
Anna came back in with a few dresses in her arms and hung them up. "Are you ready to get started?" she said with a huge smile.
"I guess so."
She laughed. "There's nothing to be nervous about. We're going to find the perfect dress, I promise. Is there one in particular that you wanted to try first?"
"Let's start with this one," I said and pointed to the one that was the most simple.
"Good place to start. I'll help you get into it. Do you want me to step outside while you undress?"
"Oh, no, it's fine." I turned away from her and pulled off my sundress. She handed me something that almost looked like a corset.
"Trust me, it does wonders," she said as she got all the small hooks together on the back.
I looked down at my breasts. She was right. They looked amazing. I wanted to wear one of these all the time. Minus the fact that it was super uncomfortable.
"Now, how did you meet your fiancé?" she asked as she helped me step into the first dress.
I hadn't really been expecting the question. And I never really knew how to answer it. "Um, in school. We ran into each other in a coffee shop right before classes started." I smiled, remembering the first time I had ever seen him. "He bumped into me and spilled coffee down the front of my shirt."
Anna laughed. "That's quite the meet cute."
"It was." I stared at my reflection in the mirror as she zipped up the back. She added a few clips to the back, drawing the fabric against my skin. It was tight down to my hips, and then the fabric was a little looser against my legs. I thought I'd be used to the idea of getting married after being engaged for so long. But for some reason it hit me the most right now as I stared at my reflection. It made my pulse quicken. I didn't want a simple dress like this. I wanted something that would make James' jaw drop when he saw me.
"What do you think?" Anna asked.
"I want something a little...more."
Anna smiled. "There are barely any embellishments on this one. Would you still like to show everyone?"
"Yeah. It's a good starting point."
Anna opened the door and I followed her back to my mom and friends. She said something about the designer as I stepped up onto the elevated platform.
"Penny, you look amazing," my mom said.
"Gorgeous," Bee said.
"It's a little simple, don't you think?" Jen cut in. Jen was always honest. I was so glad she was here. Especially since Melissa wasn't.
"Penny was thinking the same thing," Anna said. "A jeweled belt would add some character though." She grabbed one off a display nearby and wrapped it around my waist. "What do you think?"
I turned to the mirror that was behind me. It did help, but it still wasn't perfect.
"I think maybe you should try the next one," Jen said.
"What do you think, Penny?" my mom asked.
"I think it's missing a wow factor."
Bee laughed. "Just wait until you see the one that Jen picked out."
"Okay, let's go try on the next one," Anna said.
I followed her back toward the dressing rooms.
"Would you like to finish the dresses I picked out so that you can get a feel for the different styles? Or would you like to jump into the ones your friends picked out?"
"Let's finish the ones you brought first," I said and entered the dressing room.
Anna unzipped my dress and helped me step out of it. "So was your fiancé the same year as you in school?" She grabbed the next dress off the hook.
I ran my thumb along the band of my engagement ring. I wasn't ashamed of how I had met James. Why did I always skirt around the truth when people asked? "No, not exactly."
Anna whistled as she pulled the next dress up my waist. "Older or younger?"
"Older." I shouldn't have to beat around the bush anymore. I wasn't embarrassed of how we met. Screw it. "Actually, he was my professor."
Anna met my eyes in the reflection in the mirror as her fingers stopped mid-zip of the dress. "You're not talking about James Hunter?"
The scandal had followed us to New York. I just thought that it had been so long ago that no one really remembered anymore. "Yeah, that's him."
"Oh my God, you're engaged to James Hunter?"
"Yes."
She finished zipping up the dress. "He is quite the catch. I remember hearing about you two. I thought your story was so sweet."
For some reason, that hadn't been what I thought she was going to say. I turned toward her. "Thank you for saying that."
She smiled back at me. "Love has no age limit. Now, what do you think about this one?"
The dress was beautiful. It was strapless and the bottom of the dress was huge and poofy. I felt like a princess. "It's gorgeous." I stared at my reflection for another second. "I think I want something a little more sophisticated though."
She nodded. "Should we show them?"
"Yeah, let's see what they have to say about this one." I lifted up the huge skirt and walked back toward the group.
"Oh, God no," Melissa said as I stepped up onto the platform.
I laughed and turned around.
"Sorry I'm late," she said and sat down next to my mom on the couch.
"What, is this one that bad?"
"It makes you look so young," she said. "Which you've been trying to not be ever since you met James."
I pressed my lips together and looked back at the mirror. I didn't want simple and I didn't want poofy.
"What you need is an elegant dress that is classy and sexy at the same time," Jen said.
"I think you look absolutely beautiful," my mom said. She looked a little teary eyed.
I smiled. When I was little I had pictured a big poofy dress. But Melissa and Jen were right. I had tried so hard to seem older and more mature the past few years. I wanted to look like a bride worthy of James. I wasn't a student anymore and he wasn't my professor.
"What do you think, Bee?" I asked.
"Sexy and classy seem to go against each other. You look beautiful in that one, though, not cute."
I smiled.
"Oh, please just try on the dress I picked out already," Jen said. "It's perfect."