Mrs. Blocken gritted her teeth.
“Olivia should have everything that she wants.” Dr. Blocken bit his thumbnail. “If she doesn’t want the doves . . .” he trailed off. His thumbnail started to bleed.
Mrs. Blocken slapped his hand. “Stop that.”
A cell phone played the “Star-Spangled Banner.” Everyone began patting themselves down.
“It’s me.” Olivia announced with a satisfied look.
After several “Uh-huh,” “That’s rights,” and “Okays,” Olivia snapped her cell shut. She turned to her party. “Great news. Topaz is coming.”
Everyone except Bobby and me, who had no idea what this meant, and O.M., too, because it would hurt her image, no doubt, cheered happily at this report. I took this as a bad sign.
Chapter Four
I leaned across the table and asked Bree, “Who’s Topaz?”
Bree looked unhappy to have her conversation with Bobby interrupted. She studied me with appraising eyes. “Topaz is the dress designer for Olivia’s wedding. She’s bringing the bridesmaids’ dresses for us to try on.” I had the feeling she wanted to add silly at the end of that sentence.
My stomach tightened in dread. I knew the dress would have come up eventually. I was a bridesmaid after all. But not now, not here, not with an audience.
Bobby pried his baby blues from Bree to grin at me. The jerk.
Fifteen minutes later, the Blocken doorbell rang. Olivia and Mrs. Blocken rose as one. Topaz had arrived. She came too quickly for me to come down with the flu or the E. coli virus, which I planned to contract in the next ten minutes. I slumped in the patio chair, defeated. Bree said Topaz would need help bringing in the dresses and hurried after them. Bree’s absence freed Bobby to torture me.
“That was really good planning on Olivia’s part, wasn’t it, India? I mean, what better time to have the dresses fitted than when all the bridesmaids are together at her mother’s house?”