CHAPTER 096: A Thousand Deaths
–Julie–
We’re at a bridal boutique, and Carolina’s excitement could power a small city. Baby Valeria is strapped to her chest, a tiny, sleeping bundle of calm amidst the chaos her mother is stirring up.
Carolina jumps from one gown to the next. Her enthusiasm is contagious, even though I’m already sweating from the sheer force of it.
“Isn’t Valeria heavy?” I ask, watching as the baby shifts against her chest. “Are you sure you don’t need a break?”
She waves me off. “No. You get used to it. It’s like she isn’t there.”
“Oh.”
Before I can say anything else, Carolina turns to me. She places a hand on my stomach.
“You’re already showing!” she exclaims. “Know the sex yet?”
I smile. “No, I was thinking we could work a surprise reveal into the wedding.”
“Ohhhh!” she squeals. Her face lights up. “That’s magnificent. The family’s going to go ballistic.”
“Careful so you don’t wake her,” I say, nodding toward Valeria, who stirs at the sound of her mother’s excitement.
“Don’t worry. When she’s fed, she sleeps like a rock.”
The sales attendant, a young woman with the demeanor of someone who’s seen too many bridal meltdowns, clears her throat. “Um, would you like to get started on the dresses?”
Carolina doesn’t miss a beat. She points at a massive ball gown with enough tulle to engulf a small car. “That one is great!”
I eye it warily. “Too large.”
“Too large?” She looks at me like I’ve just insulted the sacred institution of marriage itself. “Wedding dresses are traditionally round and difficult to walk in. I tripped on my wedding day.”
“That’s not exactly encouraging.”
“It was fun!”
The sales attendant interjects, clearly eager to steer this runaway train. “We have an extensive collection of fitted dresses, if that’s what you’d prefer, Ms. Jenkins.”
