“What happened?”
“She cancelled the caterer.”
His eyes moved to me. “Why?”
Before I could answer, Vanessa snapped, “Because Chloe spilled juice on Emily’s dress and Rachel has apparently lost her mind.”
“Spilled?” I said.
Chloe looked down.
Mark’s expression tightened. “Chloe?”
“It was a joke.”
“No,” I said. “A joke ends with everyone laughing.”
Vanessa threw both hands into the air. “Fine. It was stupid. I’ll pay for the cleaning.”
“It cannot be cleaned before tonight.”
“Then I’ll pay for another dress.”
“From where? You told me to go to the mall as if six weeks of alterations could be replaced between lunch and prom photos.”
Mark looked toward the stairs. He stayed quiet for several seconds.
Unlike Vanessa, he seemed to understand that this was no longer about the cost of the dress.
Then my phone buzzed.
It was the boutique owner, Andrea, returning the urgent message I had left before calling the caterer.
I stepped away and answered.
After I explained what had happened, Andrea told me she had one possibility. A customer had ordered the same designer in another style and a similar size, then postponed her wedding. The boutique still had the gown.
It was navy instead of green and too long, but Andrea’s seamstress was at the shop and willing to attempt an emergency hem if we could arrive immediately.
Emily came downstairs wearing sweatpants, her eyes swollen from crying.
I told her.
She shook her head.
“Mom, it’s okay. I don’t want to go anymore.”
That hurt more than the damaged silk.
I took both her hands.
“You don’t have to go. But Chloe does not get to make that decision for you.”
For the first time since it happened, Emily looked directly at her cousin.
Chloe’s face reddened.
Then Emily said quietly, “I want to go.”
We left.
The next two hours were chaos.
Andrea pinned the navy gown while Emily stood on a platform trying not to cry. I drove to a department store for shoes because the green pair no longer matched. Emily’s best friend, Tessa, arrived with makeup, bobby pins, and enough determination to handle an emergency.
