When she hit the crush of traffic on Congress Avenue, her phone began to ping. As she was stuck at a light, she picked it up. There was an entire string of messages she hadn’t noticed.
Mom: Good morning, my darling girls! I did a little online shopping last night. What do you think of this as a wedding dress for your dear old mother?
Her mother had attached a snowy white wedding dress, completely blinged out.
Mia: Mom, you’re nearly sixty. Take it down a notch.
Mom: Well, thank you, Mia. Just because I am nearly sixty doesn’t mean I have to take it down a notch. I am as vibrant as I ever was and frankly a lot sexier. You sound just like your father. What about this one?
The next picture her mother attached was a sleeveless dress with a sweetheart neckline and mermaid skirt. That one was followed by several more pictures of bridal gowns, none of them suitable for a second wedding or frankly, anyone who wasn’t twenty-four and planning a big church wedding with twelve attendants.
Mia: Pretty!
Carly guessed with that text, Mia was trying to put an end to the conversation, because this was utter insanity. The light turned. Carly tossed her phone into the passenger seat and drove to the studio. When she pulled into the parking lot, she picked up her phone and fired off a text message:
Carly: Mom—these gowns look like the type someone would wear to a first-time church wedding. I thought you were going to Vegas. Vegas says cocktail to me, not blushing bride.
Mom: Who cares where the wedding takes place? Why shouldn’t I have the gown I want?
Carly threw her phone in her bag. But her mother wasn’t done yet. She heard the ping and with a growl of frustration, she pulled her phone out of her bag.
Mom: Toby and I would like to have you all come to my house Sunday afternoon. His kids will be here and Trace is coming for the weekend. We would like everyone to meet.
Carly did not answer right away—she needed some time to adjust to that idea.
She got Baxter out of the car and went into the studio. The moment she stepped into the door, her gaze instantly landed on one blue and one lime green dress hanging on the wall. The blue one had some hand-sewn fabric flowers on a single shoulder strap. The green one had an asymmetrical hem. Both of them looked hideous.
Baxter trotted to the couch, where Victor was lying on his back, his feet stacked on one arm, his attention on his phone. He absently put his hand down to stroke Baxter’s head. There was something else about Victor, Carly noticed. He’d shaved his head. The rainbow was gone.
“You got a haircut!”
“Yep,” Victor said, without taking his eyes off the screen.
Great. He was in a bad mood. Carly looked around. “Where’s June?”
“Don’t know, don’t care,” Victor said. “I’m tired of her riding my ass.”
While it was true that June could ride his ass, Carly was nonetheless alarmed. She rarely saw Victor without June. “Okay. So, you want to get ready for the interview with Entertainment Weekly?”
“Nope. Don’t need to.”
She put down her bag and folded her arms. She really wanted to kick something right now. Maybe Victor, maybe a nice karate kick to his gut. She didn’t know what had happened, what exactly had turned, but Victor was clearly suffering from some sort of depression and a stunning lack of confidence. She didn’t know what to do for it. She walked to the dresses on the wall, trying to think of anything that might draw him out of his funk. “Want to talk about the inspiration behind these designs?”
Victor turned his head and looked at the dresses. “Yeah. They are inspired by being pressured to create.” He turned his attention back to his phone.
“Are you going to make more?”
“I don’t know, Carly. I don’t want to talk about it right now. Everyone just needs to let me breathe.”
Carly had to bite back everything she wanted to say to him. “I would love nothing more than that. But it would help me to help you if I knew what you were planning for the New Designer Showcase. We leave next Wednesday.”
“Now you sound like my mom. I’ve got time.”
He didn’t have time, at least none that she could see, but Carly wasn’t going to argue with him. She had one huge goal today—to get him through