The Fall - Book 2

206. ‍ ‍I'm going to marry Bucky in this dress.

MARCH 20, 2020 — NEW YORK — RÉA

"Good morning, ladies," a tall, beautiful, blonde woman greets us as we enter the bridal boutique. "I hope you're having a great day so far."

"We are, thank you. Hopefully you are as well," Pepper replies.

"Wonderful! Well, my name is Savannah, and I'll be working with you today." She picks up a tablet and taps a few times on the screen. "Before we get started, I just have a few quick things to go over. We have you scheduled for two hours: a bridal appointment immediately followed by an appointment to find bridesmaid dresses as well as a mother-of-the-bride dress...is that correct?"

"Yes, that's correct," Pepper nods.

"Great! Now, who is the bride?"

"That would be me," I slightly raise my hand. "I'm Réa."

"Hi, Réa. I have a note that you'd like a blue dress, which we absolutely can do...we actually have several. Besides the colour, do you have any other preferences: silhouette, neckline, sleeves...." Savannah trails off.

"I'd like to stay away from mermaid or trumpet gowns...I actually have a few saved to a Pinterest board that I could show you if that would be helpful."

"Yes, please! And before we do that, what are you thinking for the bridesmaids and your mom?"

"Well, Nat and Wanda are my Maids of Honour and my only two bridesmaids. As long as they wear the same fabric and colour, I'll let them pick the style. I just want them to be comfortable." I pause. "For Mom, anything except silver or blue. The groom and groomsmen are going to be wearing grey tuxedos; I actually brought a swatch, because I'd like Nat and Wanda to complement the shade without being too matchy-matchy. My dad is going to be wearing a black tux, and the whole wedding is black-tie."

Savannah taps on the screen a few more times—making notes, I assume—then looks at our small group. "If you four will follow me, I'll show you to your private fitting area."

We follow her through the shop, making our way through a set of French doors into a beautifully appointed space. In addition to three curtained dressing rooms, a viewing platform, and a tri-fold mirror, there are a large sofa, two plush armchairs, beautiful throw rugs, and even a small chandelier. Once Pepper, Nat, and Wanda are settled—all opting for the sofa—Savannah turns to me.

"If you'd show me your Pinterest board now, that would be a great starting point for pulling dresses. Obviously, you're welcome to walk with me to make selections if you'd like, or I can just pull gowns and bring them here."

"I'll go with you," I say as I hand her my phone. "I have a feeling I'll know it when I see it."

She nods, and scrolls through the few pins I have.

"We actually have some gowns very similar to a few of these, and one that I think you'll like, based on what you have here," she returns my phone to me. "Also, with the style you seem to favour, you might want to consider a second dress for the reception, because even with those skirts bustled, it might still be difficult to manoeuvre around the dance floor."

I nod. "I'm not opposed to that idea. That makes sense."

"Do you want a veil?"

I shake my head. "No, no veil."

She nods. "Well, then, if you'll follow me, we can start pulling gowns."

I follow Savannah through the boutique, pausing every so often as she points out gowns and makes suggestions. While the ones she shows me are beautiful, my gut says they're not the dress. We make our way through two rooms before one really catches my eyes.