“What do you think?” Claire asked a few moments later.
Meg squirmed in her chair. Was this a joke? The dress looked like something you’d wear to a formal hoedown. Maybe the Country Music Awards. The only thing missing was a beaded milking pan. The dress was ugly. Period. And cheap-looking, to boot.
Claire studied herself in the mirror, again turning this way and that. Then she turned to look at Meghann. “You’re awfully quiet. ”
“It’s the vomit backing up in my throat. I can’t talk. ”
Claire’s smile froze. “I take it that’s a negative. ”
“A cheap dress from the Bon Marché is a negative. That piece of lace-festooned shit is a get-me-the-hell-out-of-here-you’ve-lost-your-mind thing. ”
“I think you’re being a bit harsh,” Abigail said, puffing up like a colorful blowfish.
“It’s her wedding,” Meg said. “Not a tryout for Little House on the Prairie. ”
“My sister is always harsh,” Claire said quietly, walking back into the dressing room.
Meghann sighed. She’d screwed up again, wielded her opinion like a blunt instrument to the back of the head. She hunkered down in her chair and clamped her mouth shut.
The remainder of the afternoon was a mind-wrecking parade of cheap dresses. One after another, Claire zipped in, got opinions, and zipped out. She didn’t again ask for Meghann’s opinion, and Meghann knew better than to offer it. Instead, she leaned back in her chair and rested her head against the wall.
A jab in the rib cage woke her up. She blinked, leaned forward. Charlotte, Abigail, and Claire were walking away from her, talking animatedly until they disappeared into a room marked Hats and Veils.
Gina was staring at her. “I’d heard you could be a bitch, but falling asleep while your sister tries on wedding dresses is pretty rude. ”
Meghann wiped her eyes. “It was the only way I could keep quiet. I’ve seen better-looking dresses on Denny’s waitresses. Believe me, I was doing her a favor. Did she find one?”
“No. ”
“I want to say thank God, but I’m afraid there’s another shop in town. ” Meghann frowned suddenly. “What do you mean I’m a bitch? Is that what Claire says?”
“No. Yes. Sometimes. You know how it is when you’re drinking margaritas on a bad day. Karen calls her sister Susan the Soulless Psychopath. Claire calls you Jaws. ”
Meghann wanted to smile but couldn’t. “Oh. ”
“I remember when she moved here, you know,” Gina said softly. “She was quiet as a mouse and cried if you looked at her the wrong way. All she’d say for years was that she missed her sister. I didn’t find out until after graduation what had happened to her. ”
“What I’d done, you mean. ”
“I’m not one to judge. Hell, I’ve waded through some ugly shit in my life, and motherhood is the hardest job in the world. Even if you’re grown-up and ready for it. My point is this: Claire was wounded by all of that, and sometimes, when she hurts the most, she turns into Polly Politeness. She’s really nice, but the temperature in the rooms drops about twenty-five degrees. ”
“I’ve pretty much needed a coat all day. ”
“Stick with it. Whether she admits it or not, it means a lot to her that you’re here. ”
“I told her I’d plan the wedding. ”
“You seem perfectly suited for it. ”
“Oh, yeah. I’m a real romantic. ” She sighed.
“All you have to do is listen to Claire. Really listen, and then do whatever you can to make her dream come true. ”
“Maybe you could get the info and report back to me. Sort of a CIA-like mission. ”
“When was the last time you sat down for a drink with your sister and just talked?”
“Let’s put it this way: We wouldn’t have been old enough to have wine with our meal. ”