he is definitely one of those people.”
“Unfortunately, that does very little to assist my efforts to get over the man,” I said.
Chase pursed his lips. “Yeah. That would be tough. I vote you forget getting over him and get back together.”
“Hold up,” Paige said. “I’m not ready to vote for that yet.”
“Has she been texting you the updates of what’s been happening down here? He’s clearly still in love with her.”
“Then why did he leave?” Paige asked with a smirk.
Chase rolled his eyes. “You’re right. Real people don’t make mistakes. I’m sure Reese has never done anything stupid in your relationship.”
“Uh, nothing that compares to—”
“Hey, hold up,” Darius said, cutting Paige off. “Dani asked us not to choose sides, remember? What we want is for both Dani and Alex to be happy. Whatever that means, whether they are together or apart. Right?”
“Right,” they both mumbled.
“Thank you.” I looked at my three closest friends and almost cried for seeing them all together. “It really is so amazing to have you all here.”
Darius leaned over and pulled me into a half hug, kissing the side of my head. “You know we got you, D.”
Paige’s phone dinged with a text and she pulled it from her bag and glanced at the screen. “That’s my mom. She’ll be here any second to get me.” She looked my way. “I’m doing the family thing for Thanksgiving, but early next week, we’re meeting with the caterer. I guess there’s something they want to change on the menu, and they need me to approve. Want to come?”
“Of course. Text me the details. I wouldn’t miss it for the world.”
As soon as Paige was safely stowed in her mom’s luxury SUV, I turned to Chase. “Please tell me you didn’t tell her about stealing the dress back.”
“What do you take me for?” Chase said. “You told me not to tell, so I didn’t tell.”
“Coming down for Thanksgiving was a great cover,” Darius said. “She didn’t question the trip at all.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “I just don’t want her to get her hopes up.”
“She doesn’t know,” Chase said. “I promise.”
I motioned toward the trailer they’d hauled across six states. “Any idea how close my fabric bins are toward the front?”
“I have no idea, but I refuse to unpack a single thing from that trailer until you’ve taken me to the beach. Didn’t we already talk about this?” Chase said.
“Oh come on,” I said. “Just one quick peek? I’m pretty sure I have a stretch of ivory satin that’s going to be perfect for Sasha’s replacement dress.”
Chase propped a hand on his hip and shook his head. “Girl, you are pure evil.”
“Don’t act like you don’t love it,” Darius said.
“Of course I love it,” Chase agreed. “I feel like I’ve been dropped into the middle of a Danny Ocean movie. I wouldn’t miss this for anything.”
Darius helped me open the back of the trailer. I paused and stared at the entirety of my New York life crammed into a six-by-twelve-foot box. So sad. I heaved a sigh, willing the sadness away. Dwelling on the unfairness of everything that had happened wasn’t going to help. I shifted around a couple of boxes, stacking them next to the giant armoire—the only furniture in my old apartment that had actually been mine—and reached for a bin of fabric.
If I was going to steal Paige’s dress back, I had to have a replacement I could swap it for. I could have bought something benign and harmless from a local shop, but that didn’t feel nearly as fun. I wanted to make something that Sasha, in all of her conniving glory, really deserved. And that meant I needed my stuff.
Three bins later, I found what I was looking for. The ivory was perfect; perfect weight, just enough sheen. I held up the fabric. “This is it.”
Chase looked over my shoulder. “I thought you wanted to make something hideous.”
I shook my head. “No, it can’t be hideous. At least, not obviously so. Then she wouldn’t wear it. I need to make something convincing enough for her to actually go through with wearing it. I mean, she’ll be desperate. She won’t have another dress on hand. But still. I want the awful of the dress to be a little more nuanced.”
“So, you mean, not awful to the David’s Bridal crowd, but definitely awful to anyone in high fashion?”
I clutched the ivory fabric to my chest. “Exactly.”
Isaac and Alex came out and helped haul the essentials