sliced filet mignon on top and finished the meal by splitting a crème brûlée.
They were all happily full and rested when they finished and headed to their last stop. Mia was feeling a little anxious, hoping that Kate would find something that worked here. There was another shop they could go to if they had to, in Beacon Hill, which wasn’t too far, but it would add another hour at least to their stay in the city.
Kate was optimistic when they entered the third shop. It was full of beautiful dresses and an assistant brought them three glasses of champagne to sip while Kate tried on dress after dress. The two she had seen online were nice and looked lovely, but Mia agreed neither was quite right. Nor were the dozen other dresses. Kate was trying to keep her spirits up, but Mia could tell she was getting discouraged.
“Don’t worry. I have a good feeling about the Beacon Hill shop. They are a little more expensive, but people rave about their dresses.”
It was a warm day, so they decided to walk to Beacon Hill as it was a pretty walk through the public gardens and then Boston Common to Beacon Hill. They walked down Charles Street, the main street of Beacon Hill, until they reached Ceremony, which was on the third floor in a gorgeous loft. The shop had a magical feel to it as it was an eclectic curated collection of couture and independent designers. Mia relaxed a little when she saw Kate’s face. She looked like a kid in a candy store.
“These are all so beautiful, and so me, I think.” She picked three dresses to start with and the first two were beautiful, but when she walked out in the third dress, Mia got goosebumps again. It was so Kate. It was sleek and simple and shimmery and lacy, sleeveless with a dip in the back and fitted down to her knees where it then flared out a bit. It had a 1920s flapper look, but in a modern, sophisticated way. And Kate loved it.
“Finally. This is the one, I think.”
“I think so, too,” Mia agreed.
“Kate, you look absolutely beautiful.”
Kate ordered the dress, and they told her it should arrive in about four months, which was perfect. She was thinking about the weekend of Christmas Stroll in December as a possible date. Beth was looking at Columbus Day Weekend in mid-October. Mia was glad that Angela had managed to find an off-the rack dress that fit, so there was no waiting time for it to be made to order. Her wedding was coming up quickly as they’d confirmed a date with Mandy for Mimi’s Place to cater, the third Saturday in August.
And Bethany’s wedding was the week before that. Mia was going to have a very busy August.
Chapter 15
When Wednesday night rolled around, Mia found herself looking forward to going to the six o’clock meeting at Janie’s Yoga Studio. She was feeling strong overall and hadn’t had any really sad moments in the past week, which was a first. She hoped it was a sign that things would continue to get easier. That the moments of sadness would come less often.
Ken was there when she arrived and was putting out a plate of small, bite-sized squares of white frosted cake.
“Did you make those?” Mia asked him.
“I did. It’s spice cake with cream cheese frosting out of a can. Betty Crocker and me. Try a piece.”
Mia popped a square in her mouth. It was delicious. Ken was right. Box cake mixes were the best. It was hard to screw them up. She gave him a thumbs-up.
“It’s great. Thank you.”
“Have another. I did cut them kind of small.”
Sam came in a few minutes later and came over to say hello. He grabbed a paper plate and took two squares of cake and a chocolate chip cookie from the plate that Janie set out.
“I fed the kids dinner, but knew we were probably going out so didn’t eat anything. Are you both coming out after the meeting?”
“Wouldn’t miss it,” Ken said.
“Me, too,” Mia added.
Janie called everyone together, and the meeting got underway. Overall, it was a more upbeat night. Candy was still struggling, which was to be expected. But Ken, Sam and Mia all reported having good weeks.
The same group, minus Barbara, headed to the Rose and Crown when the meeting ended. They ordered the same appetizers as the week before and this time, Mia got a burger, too.
“How are