everywhere on the island, but nothing is right.”
“Mia and I are going to Boston on Tuesday to look at dresses. You’re welcome to join us.”
“Hm. That is tempting. Let me check and see if I can do it. I might be able to move some things around.”
“What have you decided on for a reception?”
“I think we’re going to have it at Mimi’s Place. I’ve been talking to Mandy there and they have some good packages.”
“Oh, nice. Angela is using them, too. They are going to cater a beach buffet for over six hundred people.”
Beth’s eyes grew wide. “I can’t even imagine. We’re at about a hundred and fifty and it feels like a lot.”
“That’s Philippe. He does everything big, right, Angela?” Angela had just joined them.
“I was just telling Beth the size of your wedding. She’s going to have Mimi’s Place do her food, too.”
“Oh, good! Yeah, I had to put my foot down when the number hit six hundred and fifty. Philippe was still adding people on a daily basis. We had to go back through the whole list and cross a few off so we’d have room for a few last-minute additions. Oh, by the way, the JCrew dress came, and it fits like a dream. Very happy to cross that off my list.”
That reminded Kate to mention that Beth might join them for dress shopping on Tuesday.
“I hope you don’t mind?”
Mia smiled. “No, the more the merrier. It will be a fun day.”
Chapter 14
A little after ten on Tuesday morning, Mia picked up Kate and then Beth and drove to the Nantucket airport for their flight to Boston. If they’d taken the ferry, it would have eaten up too much of the day, as it was an hour on the fast ferry, then they’d have to rent a car and drive an hour and a half to Boston and deal with parking. Or if they took Mia’s car, they’d have to take the slow boat which added another two hours of travel time to the day. So, they opted to fly instead and were in Boston less than an hour later. They took an Uber to Newbury Street, where they could walk to several bridal shops in the Back Bay area.
Newbury Street was where most of the expensive shopping was, and two of the bridal shops they were going to were about a block apart. The first shop was lovely, and they spent about an hour there, but none of the dresses felt like ‘the one’ to either Kate or Beth. They did a little better at the next shop. Kate still didn’t have any luck, but Beth found her dream dress. It was the first one she tried on and it gave Mia goosebumps, it just looked so right on her. Kate felt it, too. Mia could tell by the look on her face when Beth walked out of the dressing room and swirled round in front of them.
“Do you like it? It feels nice on.”
“Have you looked in the mirror yet? Turn around,” Mia ordered.
Beth did and took a step back. “Wow.”
“It looks beautiful on you,” Mia said.
“I love it. I think I found my dress.”
“I think you did, too. Hopefully, I’ll have some luck, too,” Kate said.
But none of the dresses she tried on there quite worked, and Mia could tell that Kate was getting discouraged.
“Why don’t we have some lunch and relax a little before going to the third shop. I have a good feeling about that one. There were two dresses we really liked online.”
“That sounds good. I am ready for a break, and I’m starving,” Kate said.
They walked over to Boylston Street and to one of Mia’s favorite Boston restaurants, Abe and Louie’s. It was mostly a steakhouse, but they had wonderful salads, too, and good, crusty bread.
It was already almost one thirty, so the lunch rush was dying down and they were shown to a big booth with dark polished wood.
“Are you getting a drink? I think I might want something fun. They have some unusual cocktails here. There was one I really liked. Here it is, the gin and tonic with fresh strawberries and crushed black pepper. I want that.”
“I think I’ll have a mimosa,” Mia said.
“Make that two,” Beth told the waiter who appeared as they were discussing the drinks. When he returned, they all ordered the same thing—the signature salad with delicate Bibb lettuce, cinnamon dusted apple slices, pistachios, blue cheese and a Dijon vinaigrette. They added