Marry Me at Christmas
Page 31He looked good. Tall and broad shouldered and impossibly handsome. Her chest got tight, her breathing quickened and she was all about the quivers. Being around him felt like aerobics on demand.
Jonny smiled at her but didn’t try to approach. She appreciated that he got she was with a client.
Janet glanced at him. “Oh, hi.” She looked back at the mirror. “I just don’t know.”
“Yes, you do,” Madeline said gently. She walked behind the other woman and adjusted the clips holding the dress against her body. “This isn’t working. The fit is great and you look adorable but it’s not the one.”
“How can you tell?”
“Because you’re not excited or crying. Both are my favorite, but at least one is required.” Madeline removed the clips. “We have lots more dresses to try. You still have the other one you picked. If it’s okay with you, I’d like a few minutes to go through my back room. I have a couple of gowns I think would be perfect. You up for that?”
Janet nodded. She blinked a few times, as if holding back tears. “Thanks for helping me.”
“Are you kidding? I love this part. When you find the right dress, you’ll know. You’ll feel the magic all the way down to your toes.”
Janet laughed. “That’s quite the promise.”
She helped the other woman off the dais, then followed her back to the dressing room where she unfastened the dozen or so tiny buttons on the back. She pointed to the robe hanging on the back of the door.
“Go ahead and put that on, then get yourself something to drink and maybe a snack. I’m going to find some treasure for you to consider.”
Janet turned around and gave her a quick hug. “Thank you.”
“My pleasure, and I mean that.”
She let herself out of the dressing room, then went back to where Jonny was waiting.
“Hi,” she said, hoping she didn’t sound breathless. “I have to go look for dresses.”
“No problem.” He followed her down the hallway.
“How was your trip to LA?” she asked as she stepped into the storage area and flipped on the light.
“Good. I signed the contract for Amish Revenge 2.”
She headed for the stairs. “Seriously? That’s so great.”
“You can’t tell anyone.”
She reached the catwalk, pausing just long enough to look back at him. “Are you sure? Because that Hollywood Reporter guy is calling at three.”
“Very funny. You didn’t try to sell that girl a dress.”
“Janet? The dress she had on didn’t suit her at all. She has delicate features and is small boned. The dress overwhelmed her. I knew it wasn’t the one, but it was the picture in her head.”
She walked to the far side of the catwalk, then began sorting through dresses. She knew the exact one she was looking for.
“Got it,” she said, and pulled it off the rack. “I’ve learned you have to just go with their idea. Sometimes it’s right and sometimes it isn’t. Once they’ve seen themselves in a mirror, it’s a lot easier to get them to try something else.”
“Then she’ll find her dress somewhere else.” She draped the dress over the railing. “I’m not saying I don’t want the sale. Of course I do. But it’s more important that she love her dress. There’s no point in forcing a dress on her that she’s going to hate.”
“How do you know which dress is right?”
“I’ve done this awhile. Sometimes it’s an instinct. Sometimes it’s just a matter of trying on different styles.” She collected a second dress and started for the stairs. Before she got there, Jonny had climbed to the landing and was holding out his arms.
“What are you doing?” she asked.
“Helping you.”
It was sweet. Silly, but sweet. She was up and down the stairs a dozen times a day. But she wasn’t going to say that to him. Not when they were standing so close.
With him one step down and her on the landing, they were exactly the same height. She could gaze directly into his beautiful green eyes. She could imagine her mouth pressed against his and feel the warmth of it. If she tossed the dresses over the side and threw herself at him, they could be body to body as they kissed.