at his job,” Joaquin said, not wanting to offend Abby’s friend.
Abby leaned her head against his shoulder. “You haven’t insulted her. Don’t worry. You’re refreshing.” She took his hand and tugged him along toward the back of the store. “Come on. I need to try on my dress one more time. I told Madeline you get to sit in the comfy chair.”
He found himself in a large open area with a dais and a huge mirror. There were several plush wingback chairs, small tables, magazines, boxes of tissues and a fancy tea set. Once again he had the sense of stepping into a world where he did not belong.
Abby pointed to the largest of the chairs. “I’ll be right back.”
Joaquin took a seat. Madeline hadn’t followed them so he was saved from having to make small talk. He looked around, trying to get his bearings, then picked up one of the magazines. There was a woman in a bridal dress on the cover. He flipped through the pages and saw dozens of women in different styles of wedding gowns, along with ads for everything from invitations to dishes to rings. There were more pictures of brides, along with other women dressed like bridesmaids. In the back of the magazine were photos of honeymoon destinations.
Apparently this getting married thing was an entire industry, he thought in amazement. Given the polished nature of the magazine and the existence of the bridal dress store, it must be a large segment of the economy, worth billions of dollars. He’d had no idea.
He went through the magazine again, studying the dresses more closely. He started to see differences in the styles, although the predominant color was white. He saw a few pages devoted to a specific wedding—with details on how the tables were decorated and what flowers were in the bouquet. There—
“Ahem!”
He looked up and saw Abby walking back into the waiting area. Without thinking he let the magazine fall to the floor as he stood and stared.
She was incredible. The dress was long and beautiful, leaving her shoulders bare except for skinny straps. The top part was pleated somehow, only softer, and there was some wisp of fabric draped across her upper arms. The color was the palest of pinks, which could have clashed with her coloring but somehow didn’t.
She bit her lower lip and blinked several times. “Wow. If we ever have a fight and I’m really mad at you, just look at me like that and I’ll forgive you in a hot second.”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Like she’s the only woman in the world,” Madeline said, walking toward them. “Abby, you’re stunning. Now let’s see if we need to do any more alterations. Although from what I can see, the dress fits perfectly.”
Abby stepped up on the dais and faced the mirror. Madeline joined her, tugging and pulling, checking the fit. Joaquin couldn’t look away, couldn’t believe what he was seeing. Feelings swelled up inside of him. Unfamiliar feelings he couldn’t name but that seemed as if they could change him forever.
He wanted this, he thought. He might have come to Fool’s Gold for the fellowship, but now that seemed secondary to his relationship with Abby. He glanced at the magazine, then back at her and realized he wanted to see her in more than a bridesmaid dress. He wanted to see her in a white wedding gown, carrying flowers, walking toward him down a long aisle. He wanted to be with her always, to do all the things they talked about—love and cherish, no matter what.
She was everything he hadn’t known he was looking for. He’d come to Fool’s Gold to further his career, but instead he’d found something far more important—the missing piece of his heart.
He knew it was too soon, that they’d just met and that there was no way in hell he deserved her. But in that moment, he was certain this was why he’d come to Fool’s Gold. To meet her and know what was possible.
* * *
“I THINK WE’RE READY,” Liz said, surveying the backyard.
Abby looked around and nodded. “We are. I’ll go double-check that the downstairs bathrooms have plenty of supplies.”
The big family barbecue the Thursday evening before the wedding had grown in scope, much like the wedding itself. Not anyone’s fault, Abby thought as she looked in on both powder rooms along with the full bath by her dad’s study.
There were plenty of towels and soap and everything was clean and tidy. She