11 Chapter 11

"That looked like some kiss between you and Troy." Heather shrugged out of her shorts and placed them on the bench in the dressing room.

Camryn ignored the statement and carefully removed Heather's wedding dress from the hanger. She unzipped the back and squatted so her sister could step into it.

"Aren't you going to say anything?" Heather asked.

"Yes, get the dress on before it wrinkles."

Sighing, her sister did as asked. Camryn slid the garment up until it was in place, then turned Heather toward the mirror so she could zip the back.

"I mean, it didn't look like you two were pretending back there."

It hadn't felt like it either, but Camryn lived in reality. "Of course, it was pretending. We knew all of you were watching. It was nothing."

Nothing but a darn hot kiss that still had her shaking. Troy and his ideas could take a running leap off a very steep-

"C'mon. It was good, though, right?"

"You're zipped. Turn around. Let's see."

Heather faced the mirror and squeaked, which Camryn knew always preceded tears. "Oh, it looks great. Don't you think?"

Her sister could wear a dust rag and look great, but she was right. She was going to be a lovely bride. The strapless off-white dress hugged her chest and waist before skimming to the floor in an elegant, sleek style. Woven into the satin of the train were tiny lavender pearls that matched the color of the bridesmaids' dresses.

"It's beautiful. So are you." Heather started to gush, so Cam quickly pulled a tissue from her purse. "Don't leak on the dress."

Emily stuck her head under the changing room door and assessed the situation. "Why are you crying, Auntie Heather? It's not as pretty as my dress, but it's not that bad."

Camryn scooped her up and opened the door. "They're happy tears, honey."

"If she's happy, why is she crying?"

"I don't know. If you figure it out, let me know, okay?"

They stepped out and Mom started crying, which began a chain reaction to Justin's mother, Bernice, and right on to Anna until stopping at Baba, who grinned through dry eyes.

"Are they happy crying, too?" Emily whispered as if scared out of her tiny skull by the female weeping display.

"Yes."

The store attendant held the train so Heather could climb onto the block in front of a three-way mirror. "I think it fits you well. The length is fine. How does the waist feel?"

"Good." Heather pivoted to see every angle. "Cam and Anna, try yours on to make sure they're okay."

Camryn set Emily down and walked back to the dressing room. She handed Anna her dress and then stepped into her changing room. As far as bridesmaid dresses went, Heather had some taste. Lavender and strapless, the only pity was a thin white ribbon around the waist.

She tugged the dress to her chest and reached behind her for the zipper. It wouldn't go up. Her stomach dropped. Twisting, she reached inside the seam and checked the tag. Size twelve. Her size. Except it fit like a ten.

"How are they?" Heather asked from outside the rooms.

"I'm good," Anna said. Camryn heard Anna's door open and listened to them discuss the length. "It is a tad long, but with the heels, I'll be fine."

Camryn put her hands on the wall and leaned into them, drawing a deep breath. She'd obtained a fake boyfriend, was in the process of lying to her family about said fake boyfriend, and humiliating herself to boot, all to not ruin Heather's wedding, only to do so anyway by being too fat for her dress.

Opening her eyes, she turned the knob. "Mine doesn't fit. It's the right size, but it won't zip."

Silence. More silence.

Then a nuclear meltdown ensued. Mom pulled Camryn to the mirror across the shop and onto the block. Heather started crying hysterically. Anna sat Emily in a chair and covered the little girl's ears. The wedding attendant pushed, pulled, and tugged until Camryn thought she'd drawn blood.

The zipper would not zip.

In the raging silence that followed, Baba sniffed. "No more goodies for you, missy. You starve until the wedding."

Camryn closed her eyes to the humiliation, pictured Baba as a leprechaun dancing a jig. It didn't help. Tears were clogging her throat too fast to shove them down.

Bernice knelt in front of her. "This dress is two inches too long. We can take some of the extra material and add it to the back by the zipper. You'll never be able to tell. These formal dresses run small. I should have warned you when we ordered them. This is my fault. I'm so sorry."

Camryn looked down at Justin's mother, lying through her teeth to make her feel better. It was working a little, though. The ache in her chest receded before a tear could fall.

"We can't get that done in five days," the attendant admonished. "That's too close to the wedding."

Bernice rose. "Then I'll do it. Camryn, go get changed. We'll take the dress home with us."

The room collectively looked at her as if senility was catching.

Bernice stared them down. "I know you all look at me as some kind of snob. The year Justin was born, my husband, Tim, made some good investments. Before then, we lived paycheck to paycheck. The staff aren't permanent. We hired them to help get through the wedding. I made Justin's Halloween costumes until he was five, you know."

No one said a thing until Baba laughed. "Well, that's a relief. I hate rich people."

Heather wiped her eyes. "Can you really fix it?"

"Yes." Bernice looked at Camryn. "Come on. I'll help you out of the dress."

Still shocked, Camryn let Bernice lead her to the changing room. "Thank you. My family can be a little tactless sometimes, but they mean well. Don't hold it against Heather."

"Oh please. You haven't met my mother yet. Or my mother-in-law." She hung the dress while Camryn changed. "They're a little hard on you, your family."

"I'm the oldest. Goes with the territory, I guess."

Bernice nodded, her grin reminding Camryn of Justin's. "I'm the oldest in my family. That man of yours likes you just the way you are, so don't you listen to them."

Camryn grabbed her purse, smile faltering. Most people didn't like her just as she was. Troy included.