Back Check Part 5

The second dress also met with approval, a strapless dress with a sweetheart-shaped bodice. Lovey cupped her b.o.o.bs and bit her lip. "I love how it looks. Is it too revealing?"

"You have perfect body to reveal," Malvina said. She used a big clip to tighten the dress more and hoist it a little higher. "Better?"

"Yes." Lovey spent some time admiring the dress.

"You do not love," Malvina said. "Come."

Katelyn smiled and awaited the next reveal.

Lovey walked out in a swirl of layers of pale chiffon. The beaded lace bodice molded her b.r.e.a.s.t.s perfectly, dipping low at the sides and back, held up with delicate spaghetti straps. Mrs. Armstrong and Randi simultaneously said "Oh..." on a long exhale.

Mrs. Armstrong covered her mouth with her hands and blinked as Lovey turned to the mirrors. She went very still, then slowly smiled.

She turned back, her smile luminous. "This is it," she said softly.

"Oh my gosh," Randi said. "You are so beautiful, Lovey."

Mrs. Armstrong wiped tears. "Yes. That's the one."

Malvina clapped her hands. "I concur."

One of Malvina's a.s.sociates appeared to help with measurements and ordering details while the mother of the bride and matron of honor drank more champagne.

"That was so fast, we have time to look at bridesmaid dresses," Lovey said.

"Shouldn't we do that with all the girls?" Randi asked.

"We won't make any decisions. But it's hard to get everyone together when you and Kendra are so far away."

"True."

They looked through racks of dresses and Lovey pounced on a dress. "This. It's the exact color."

"Lovey wants all the bridesmaids to wear the style they're comfortable in," Katelyn told Randi and Malvina.

Malvina plucked several more dresses, all in the same apricot color, but different styles and fabrics: one chiffon, one a jacquard satin, one brocade, and the fourth lace. "This is a stylish look."

"I love it." Lovey nodded. She looked at her friend Randi. "What do you think?"

"Stunning." She fingered the lace dress. "I like this one because it has sleeves. I hate my arms." She wrinkled her nose.

"Your arms are fine," Lovey said. "But I want you to be comfortable."

"Aaaand my work is done," Katelyn said. "Those are absolutely perfect."

"There are other styles we can order if other bridesmaids prefer," Malvina said. "You bring them in, and we try on."

"Randi, try this on while we're here."

Katelyn was envisioning the entire wedding party-the creamy chiffon of Lovey's dress with the s.h.i.+mmery apricot bridesmaids, the flowers in shades of orange, peach, and cream, and Lovey's bright hair...she sucked in a breath. This was going to be amazing.

This was what gave her satisfaction-pulling things together and creating something beautiful and making people happy.

"Okay," she said when Randi had approved the dress. "We need to sit down and talk about some of the details I've been working on. Where should we go to do that?"

She was thinking a nearby restaurant or coffee shop, but Lovey said, "How about my place? Randi and Mom are staying with us. We can go back there and kick our shoes off and have more wine. And it's not far."

"Of course." Katelyn smiled. "Let's do that."

Chapter 5.

Sundays were a day off, usually, unless there happened to be a game, which there was not this week. They'd played last night against the Capitals and after the game, Tanner had gone out with some of the guys to Indigo, a hot new club. They'd partied until four in the morning, kicked out of the club when they closed. Lots of booze, lots of women, lots of recreational drugs (which he'd pa.s.sed on). Lots of fun, until this morning, or should he say this afternoon, when he'd awoken with a faint pulsing headache.

Sadly for him, he'd agreed to go racing with Army, Duper, and Rosser at Speed City Go-Karts. It was going to take a few Advil for him to be able to handle that kind of noise, though they did wear hearing protection.

They raced a few rounds, then grabbed drinks and trash-talked Rosser for ending up in the other team's bench last night when he'd been bulldozed over the boards by their two hundred sixty pound D-man. The guys on the other team had to help him back over the boards and onto the ice. That clip was making the rounds of the highlight reels and it was f.u.c.king hilarious.

"You guys hungry?" Duper asked. "Let's go back to my place and see if Lovey will make us dinner."

"Don't be an a.s.shole," Rosser said. "You can't show up with three other guys and no notice."

"You're right. Okay, we'll order pizza or something."

"You got beer?"

Duper gave him a look and Rosser laughed. "Okay, then."

"I don't know," Tanner said. "I'm not feeling great." All three guys stared him down. "Okay, okay." He raised his hands.

"Call Amber and Jenna," Duper said. "Pick them up and bring them too. I'm sure we have lots of Moscato."

"Blech," Tanner said.

"It's not for you, idiot."

"Thank Christ."

When he got to Duper's place, the doorman knew him and sent him up. He was there first, since the other guys had gone to pick up their girlfriends. Duper opened the door. "Come on in. Turns out they're having a little meeting here." He nodded his head toward the living room.

Tanner toed off his snowy boots and left them on the mat at the front door. As he padded across the hardwood floor, he saw Lovey on the couch with a pretty blonde. His gaze s.h.i.+fted to a woman in a chair-Katelyn.

His heart b.u.mped. Aw f.u.c.k, not again.

"Oh, hi, Tanner!" Lovey smiled at him. "Good timing. You can meet my matron of honor, Randi."

The blonde stood and stretched out a hand. "Hi. Nice to meet you."

"Likewise." He saw the diamonds flas.h.i.+ng on her left hand. Not that that was the first thing he checked out on a girl. He just happened to notice. And besides, he'd already figured out she was married, since she was the matron of honor.

"And my mom," Lovey said, and Tanner turned his attention to the other woman there. Lovey tipped her head. "Have you two ever met?"

"No, we haven't." Mrs. Armstrong stood and gave him a smile just like Lovey's...warm and open. "Hi, Tanner."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Armstrong. Duncan's on his way here, he went to pick up Amber."

"Oh nice! We went to the game last night and I saw him for a bit afterward, but it'll be good to see him again."

"A little family reunion," Duper said. "Beer, Benny?"

"Yeah, thanks. I'll let you ladies continue your meeting." He tried not to look at Katelyn and followed Duper to the kitchen.

"What did you say?" Duper frowned as he opened the fridge.

Apparently he'd been muttering curse words like a psych patient off his meds. "Nothing."

Duncan and Amber arrived then, and Duper let them in.

"Mom." Duncan gave his mother a hug. "Hi, Randi." More introductions ensued between Amber and Randi and Katelyn.

"Are you two driving back tonight?" Duncan asked Randi and his mom.

"Yes, that's the plan." Mrs. Armstrong checked her watch. "We're leaving around six."

"How did the dress shopping go?" Amber asked.

"Awesome!"

Tanner helped Duper and Lovey serve drinks, somehow ending up with a gla.s.s of wine for Katelyn. Their eyes met as he handed it to her. Her face remained expressionless as she said, "Thank you."

Apparently she was as thrilled as he was by this second meeting.

Today she was wearing slim-fitting black pants and a complicated soft gray sweater that wrapped around her shoulders and hugged her body. Absolutely professional, completely covered up, and still s.e.xy as f.u.c.k.

Rosser arrived with his girlfriend, Jenna, and the condo was buzzing with talk and laughter. Lovey put some music on in the background, and Tanner reluctantly took the place on the couch where she'd been sitting as she and Duper pored over pizza menus and figured out where to order from.

"So," he said to Katelyn, the only other person not involved in a conversation.

She gave him a grim smile. "So."

They'd never had any trouble finding things to talk about, back in college. They'd talked about anything and everything, sharing all their hopes and dreams for the future, as well as the occasional argument. They'd also shared times of silence, comfortable enough with each other to not always talk, to just be together. Now he searched for some topic of conversation. "How's your dad?"

"He pa.s.sed away. Nearly four years ago."

Aw s.h.i.+t. Way to bring the conversation to a screeching halt. "I'm sorry." She and her dad had been super close, since her mom had died when she was fifteen. "I didn't know that."

She lifted a shoulder. "No, you wouldn't. It was sad, but I'm okay now."

He frowned. "Is that why you moved to Chicago?"

"Well, yeah." She looked down at her winegla.s.s. "There wasn't anything keeping me in Michigan after he died, and Rachel lives here...You remember Rachel?"

He nodded. Rachel had been her best friend in college.

"So it's nice being in the same city as her again, and you know I had bigger dreams than working at the country club in East Lansing, even though back then I wasn't sure what they were."

"Yeah, I knew that. Which is why I could never figure out why you wouldn't come to New York with me."

Her lips tightened. "It doesn't really matter now. And it didn't take you long to find someone else."

"Presley." He grimaced. "Yeah, well, I already told you that didn't work out so great."

"Why not?"

Okay, they were moving on from small talk to personal s.h.i.+t. "She wasn't who I thought she was." He didn't want to be the douche guy who bad-mouthed his ex-also, explaining that he'd misjudged Presley so badly and got caught in her desire to marry a rich, famous athlete was embarra.s.sing. "What happened with you and your fiance?"

One corner of her mouth lifted in a crooked smile. "Which one?"

"Uh...there was more than one?"

Her mouth twisted up. "I've been engaged three times."

"Jesus. What? Really?" He stared at her.

"Yeah." She did an eye roll. "I'm such a loser."

He scowled. "Why the h.e.l.l would you say that?"

"Only a loser would lead on three guys to the point of getting engaged, and then turn around and dump them."

He shook his head. "Who were the guys?" Jesus, why was he even asking this? Thinking about her with another guy made his gut burn.

"One of them taught at the university."

Sure, some brainy geek. Huh.

"One of them was a golf pro at the country club."

Whoa.

"The other's a businessman here in Chicago."