Claiming the Enemy: Dustin (Porter Brothers Trilogy 3)

“She already ate. I haven’t.”

Jessie and Holly watched them walk toward the shop. The salon was located in a mini-mall, a jewelry store was next to it, and then the Subway. From the sight of the expensive jewelry store, those who shopped there would be lucky to afford a bag of chips.

“Every time I think of killing Greer, I see him with Rosie and change my mind,” Jessie said more to herself than to Holly.

Holly laughed as they went inside the salon. “Welcome to my world. When he’s around, she never wants me. She wants him.”

Joining Sutton and Rachel, they walked farther into the salon.

A tall brunette came from behind a desk to greet them. Jessie regretted not going home to change as she looked at the woman. Jessie wasn’t short, but she wasn’t five-nine either. This woman was attractive and looked elegant in a black dress that showed every curve of her body.

Beginning to feel insecure about her looks, Jessie noticed the other women were standing up straighter and fiddling with their appearances. Sutton was smoothing down her maternity top, Rachel was using her fingers to fluff her hair, and Holly was practically standing on her toes to make herself appear taller.

The polite smile the woman gave them didn’t help them feel any better about themselves.

“Hello, I’m Britt. How may I help you?”

“Jesus, how did I know she was a Brittany?” Holly muttered out of the corner of her mouth.

Jessie was thinking the same herself.

“Hello, I’m Rachel. I called earlier to ask if you have any dresses that my brother’s fiancée could purchase and take home today?”

“Hi, Rachel. Yes, I’m the one who took your call. I pulled the ones that I think would work. Who’s the lucky woman?”

Holly pushed Jessie forward.

“I am.”

“Rachel wasn’t sure about your size. She thought an eight?”

Jessie gave Rachel a killing glance. She had told her when they ganged up on her.

“I’m a twelve.”

“Oh … okay.” Britt pointed a manicured finger toward a row of chairs in front of a dais. “You ladies have a seat. Jessie, you come with me, and I’ll pull some other dresses.”

Jessie regretted driving with Rachel instead of bringing her own car. She would have left three minutes ago.

After finding out that Dustin was awake, the women had each taken turns seeing him, and then they had come back, ecstatic that Dustin had told them they were getting married. Rachel was especially buoyed by the announcement, because Dustin had relented and let her see him.

It was she who had come up with the idea to go wedding dress shopping to pass the time while the men took their turns to see Dustin between bouts of resting.

Tate had gone to get Logan as they were leaving the hospital.

Going inside the dressing room, Britt handed her a silky robe. “You can slip into this while I pull the dresses. It won’t take long. I’m afraid I don’t have a lot to offer that you can take with you immediately.”

“Whatever you have is fine. I’m not particular.”

“Okay …,” Britt drawled as if she didn’t believe her. “I won’t be long.”

Jessie took off her clothes, self-consciously sliding on the robe. She had just tied it when there was a knock on the door.

“I have three in your price range,” Britt said, hanging them on the hooks on the wall.

Jessie stared at the three dresses dismally. She had been looking at bridal magazines since she was a little girl. Dresses like these, she would have quickly turned the page.

One was a humongous ballgown, one was pink and was just as big, and the third looked like she wouldn’t be able to get her foot in it, much less her whole body.

“I’ll try the ballgown on.”

“It’s beautiful on,” the saleswoman tried to reassure her, but Jessie wasn’t buying her sales pitch. The woman was trying to sell the sample for a reason—no one wanted to buy it.

Jessie looked in the mirror once it was on. “No.”

“You don’t want to show your friends?”

“No.”

“All right.”

The second one was a little better, but the shade of pink didn’t do her complexion any favors.

“No, I don’t like the color.”

“All right.”

Jessie took the pink dress off, looking doubtfully at the last dress.

“It’s more forgiving than it looks.”

“I can only pray,” Jessie muttered. Surprisingly, it did fit, but not by much. She felt like a big catfish squeezed into a tuna can.

Jessie didn’t have the heart to say no when Britt opened the dressing room door for her to go out and show the others.

Taking small steps, she joined the others. She was forced to accept Britt’s helping hand to get on the dais.

“Doesn’t she look beautiful?”

Aghast, Jessie stared at herself in the larger mirror. “No.”

“I like it.” Holly looked at Sutton and Rachel. “It’s not bad.”

“It’s not good either,” Rachel said, giving her sister-in-law a glance that suggested she was deranged.