Love on Beach Avenue(18)

Ally gathered the full skirt and disappeared back into the dressing room with Vera.

Avery whirled on her heel. “‘It’s nice’?” she growled. “That’s the reaction you give your sister when you see her in a wedding dress for the first time?”

He shrugged. “It was nice. Would you prefer I whip out my internal thesaurus to dazzle you both with my vocabulary?”

She swallowed a groan. “No, but a little enthusiasm is required as her support system. I know you don’t have many emotions, but here’s a bit of advice from the wedding planner: fake it.”

He cocked his head. “You seem a bit high strung. I thought you were supposed to be the calm in the storm for all involved in the wedding. Isn’t that your job?”

“My job is to protect the bride at all times, even if it’s from her brother. Here she comes. Do better this time.”

Ally came out in the second A-line gown, but this one had a bigger, more elaborate train, and the bodice was encrusted with pearls. Once again, the style complemented her figure. “Okay, here’s dress number two. What do you think?”

“Gorgeous,” Avery said, walking around to see it from all sides.

“Carter?”

“It’s quite picturesque.”

Ah, hell. She was going to kill him.

Thankfully, Ally didn’t seem to notice the odd word, because she was looking in the mirror, studying her reflection with intense concentration.

“Do you like this one better, sweets?” Avery asked.

“I love this one, too.”

“As much as the last?” Vera prodded.

“Yes, I think so. I mean, there’s nothing wrong with them. They’re really nice.”

Avery shared a look with Vera. “We don’t want you to feel ‘nice.’ We want you to feel like the hottest bride on the planet.”

Her friend laughed, spinning around one more time. “Maybe we can try another style I like to get a comparison? That may help narrow me down.”

“Absolutely,” Vera said. “Let’s get you back in the dressing room.”

The moment they left, Avery stomped over to Carter’s chair. “I cannot believe you said that.”

He looked bored. “What now? I gave a different response. Listen, I’ll know when it’s the dress, and so will she. I’m not about to mimic a cheerleader for the next twenty dresses she may parade out in.”

“Oh, I see. We wouldn’t want you to waste any real emotion by faking some enthusiasm. What if you run out of the surplus you stored up for the winter? You may not even be able to smile for a month.”

He arched a brow. “Do you do yoga?”

“No, why?”

“I heard it’s good for hidden anger issues and stress. It also helps to keep you looking young.”

She smiled. “Guess that means you don’t practice, either. Aren’t you forty-five by now?”

He gave a tiny jerk, but she caught it and her smile widened. “I just turned forty.”

“Really? Huh, I thought you were fifteen years older than us.”

“Eight.” His answer was clipped and touched with temper. “Only eight.”

“Of course. My bad.”

She barely had time to savor the victory when Ally reappeared. This time, she’d gone for a full-out ball gown. The billowing skirt, endless beading, and off-the-shoulder bodice made her look like the redheaded princess from Brave in all her glory.

“Oh, Ally, you look stunning,” Avery breathed. “Is there any gown you don’t look good in?”

Ally laughed a bit nervously, tugging at the material. “I know, I feel like I dropped off a wedding cake. It’s like a work of art. What do you think, Carter?”

Avery held her breath.

He waited one beat, then two. “I think it’s superb.” His voice held no excited inflection, a complete contradiction to his words.

Jerk.

Again, Ally didn’t seem to care, either used to her brother or too caught up in her own opinion. “I love this dress. Like, really love it. I think Jason would, too.”

Vera did her spiel, buying Ally more time to make up her mind, but it was obvious she didn’t love it enough to stop trying on more dresses. And so, they continued.

She tried on every A-line, every ball gown, and every strapless dress they were able to find. They tried one of the designer gowns Vera had snatched from Paris. They tried expensive, middle of the road, and downright simple. Ally loved every dress she put on, complimenting the fit and the designer, but never getting any closer to calling it the one.

And that’s when Avery began to panic.

Vera had already spent more than the allocated time for the appointment and gave her a look that told her she might need to bring in the closure strategy. Avery nodded, crossing her fingers that it’d work.

“Darling, you seemed to like the third gown the most. Why don’t you slip back into that, and we’ll do a little embellishing so you can get an idea of what it’d be like on your wedding day? Sound good?” Vera asked.

Her friend agreed and headed back to the dressing room.

Avery began to pace the lush white carpet and decided one last glass of bubbly wouldn’t hurt. They’d find the dress. She’d worked with the pickiest brides and was always able to find them a match. Ally loved every one. This wouldn’t be too hard of a sell.