Chapter 38 : Wedding Plans?

Cat POV Knock. Knock. Knock! I sat bolt upright. I didn't know I had fallen asleep until a furious knocking on my cabin door jolted me awake. Grunting, I rubbed the sleep from my eyes. After leaving Luke, I'd taken a long bath. I realized I was still in my bathrobe. I hadn't even gotten into pajamas before passing out. "I'll be right there," I called to whoever was knocking. There wasn't any time to change. The knocking was more and more insistent. When I opened the door, three women walked right in. Between them, they rolled a dress rack stuffed full of hangers and nice dresses. Another set of women came in carrying shoe boxes. "Um… what is all this?" I asked, jumping out of the way to avoid getting run over by the dress cart. "Oh good, you're already in a robe. That will make trying on dresses easier," the first woman to enter my cabin said. "Trying on dresses?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "Yes, yes. We are from the boutique at the resort." She stepped up to me and pulled out a measuring tape. Quickly, she started taking my measurements and shouting them off to the other women. They dug through the dress rack, pulling hangers off with dresses that, I assumed, would fit me. "What is going on?" I asked, stepping away from the woman with the measuring tape. "We are a little crunched for time to get you ready for the wedding tomorrow," the head seamstress said. She snapped her fingers again and held out her arm. One of the other girls draped a dress over it. "Try this on," she snapped. "Really, there's no need. I can figure something else out," I said. I held up my arms and backed away like I could fend them off. "Mr. Carter said you'd say that. He also told us to ignore it," the seamstress said, looking down her pointed nose at me and grinning. Apparently, I didn't have a choice in the matter. "Now, try this on," she repeated, holding the dress out again. "Fine," I muttered. I grabbed the dress and went back to the bedroom. After trying on several different dresses, and letting the seamstresses fawn over me, adjusting the fabric and making comments, they settled on a black dress. "This one suits you, definitely," the head seamstress said. "This is a designer piece from a resort boutique," I commented, fingering the fine fabric delicately. "Yes. No one else at the wedding will be dressed like you," the head seamstress assured, her sharp eyes telling me I wasn't allowed to refuse. I creased my brow. "How much is it? It seems pricey." The seamstress laughed and threw her head back. She clapped her hands, and the women she'd brought with her started packing up the dresses. Ignoring my question she asked, "What is your shoe size?" and went to the shoe boxes. I told her my size, and she shifted through the boxes, peeking inside several of them. She made two piles. When the women got the dresses loaded, they came back for the unwanted shoes. The seamstress turned to me again. "Pick a pair of shoes from these." "I will," I assured her with a nod. "Tomorrow at four, the hairdresser and makeup artists will be here to get you ready for the ceremony," the seamstress told me. I had already been hesitant to go to this wedding. Now, Luke was making a huge deal out of it. I wasn't feeling any better about going. A pit formed in my stomach, but I nodded to the seamstress. She left with the other women, and I heard a van pulling away. I tossed the dress on the couch beside the shoe boxes. "I wouldn't let a dress like that get wrinkled," Barb's voice said as she strode into my cabin. "You're probably right," I muttered. Absently, I picked up the dress and put it back on the hanger, hanging it on the nearest door frame. "I see you're coming to the wedding," Barbs said, pursing her lips. Shaking my head, I snapped out of my daze and clued into our conversation. "Oh, I'm going as Luke's plus one." I wasn't sure what I wanted to tell Barbs. She'd been pissed before when she thought that Luke was cheating on Victoria with me. Saying I was Luke's plus one was innocent enough. We could easily be going as employee and employer. "Really?" Barbs asked, brightening. "What are you doing here?" I asked a little sharply. Barbs' smile faded. "I came to check on you because of the storm." "Oh. Thank you," I said. I motioned to the couch, and Barbs came in the rest of the way, taking a seat. "I know I kind of snapped at you before about the whole Luke thing," Barbs said. "Hold that thought. I need to put some real clothes on," I said, pointing to my bathrobe. Barbs laughed as I scurried into the bedroom to change. It was a nice gesture for her to come by and check on me after the storm. I hadn't even thought to call her and see if she was okay. The resort was storm-proofed and probably one of the safest buildings on the entire island. I'd figured she was fine. Or, at least, on the front line of rescue efforts since the resort was the most populated. When I got back to the living room, I sat on the couch with Barbs. I tucked my knees to my chest and faced her. "That's a nice dress. You know the seamstress at the resort boutique refused to do any alterations or anything custom orders for the wedding," Barbs said. "She'd said there simply wasn't time." "Then why…" I slid my eyes in the direction of Luke's cabin and glared. He had pulled whatever strings he needed to for the seamstress to bend and get me what I needed. Sighing, I shook my head and looked at my clasped fingers. "So, this is all part of your plan, right?" Barbs asked, winking at me. "My plan?" I asked, cocking my head to the side. "You know, your revenge plan against Aaron," Barbs said, giggling and covering her mouth. I gave a nervous laugh and twisted my hands. Revenge hadn't crossed my mind. "I'm not planning anything," I said, shaking my head. "Don't say that. Aaron is such a jerk. You should be planning revenge," Barbs urged. There was a part of me that wondered if Barbs was trying to get information out of me. I hated feeling suspicious of my friend. She'd betrayed me, so I was wary. But maybe she was just doing what she could to make up for it. Still, I didn't want to say too much. I was sure she'd still be mad about Luke and me, thinking that Luke was still with Victoria. "I think the best revenge will be for me to be at his wedding, happy and on the arm of someone else. Whether it is real or not," I said, throwing the last bit in so Barbs wouldn't jump down my throat about hurting Victoria. "Ahh, so that's the plan. You will just kill him with kindness. Wish him well and dance the night away with someone else," she said, laughing. "Something like that," I said, nodding. "I think that is a good plan. Luke is way better looking than Aaron. Besides, he's rich and Aaron is… just well off. Show that jerk that you don't need him," Barbs said. I nodded, a pit in my stomach forming. It was one thing to talk about showing Aaron I didn't need him and another actually pulling it off. Would I be able to watch Aaron marry someone else without losing it? Would I be able to smile and dance and laugh after he said "I do" to someone else? "Well, I've got to get going," Barbs said. She reached over and patted my knee. "Already?" I asked. Suddenly, I didn't want her to go. "I know. I've got some pre-wedding event I have to attend. Fiona has me roped in," she said, shaking her head and rolling her eyes. I nodded, unsure why Barbs was telling me that. She had to know that hearing she was involved in the wedding would bother me. "I'll see you at the wedding tomorrow. I can't wait to see Aaron's face when he sees you in that amazing dress," Barbs said. She hopped off my couch and blew me a kiss. I had hardly stood up before she was already out the door. Shaking my head, I followed her and closed the cabin door. Alone again. Pressing my back to the door, I sank down on the floor. Maybe my own weight would keep people from coming and going so much. Sighing, I thought about the wedding tomorrow. Luke and I had gotten a lot closer. I was letting myself actually acknowledge my feelings for him, even get a little attached. He was being so kind and supportive, knowing the wedding wasn't going to be easy for me. And yet, he wasn't acting jealous or weird. But tomorrow, Aaron would swear his love to another woman, the one he'd messed around with behind my back. My heart stung, and I placed my hands over my chest. The life I'd worked so hard for would disappear tomorrow. That would be the end of whatever glimmer of hope I was holding onto. I wasn't sure if I was ready to give that up. Luke's offer to bring me with him to the wedding was a kind gesture. He wanted me to go so I could really move on. And he would be at my side to support me. That was Luke, always trying to help other people. I thought of all the work he'd done. The project here on the island was meant to help low-income employees and their families. He'd gone to great lengths to help me and treated all his employees the same. No matter high or low on the economic totem pole they were. Luke was a generally good guy. Aaron on the other hand… for the first time, I considered that Aaron had never been the right man for me. How could I have loved him when he was willing to do that to me? I didn't think Luke would ever hurt me like that. With that realization, I knew I didn't have to see Aaron get married to start moving on. Aaron wasn't right for me. He never had been. Maybe his affair had done me a favor. Grabbing my phone, I texted Luke. *Going to this wedding isn't like me. I don't want to rub anything in. Maybe it would be the best decision if I didn't go.* I hoped he understood. If I was going to move on, I didn't need to prove anything to Aaron.