AS GABBY OPENED the door of Dixie’s Thrift Boutique on Main Street, she was hit with the smell of mildew, old leather, and dust. Madison had texted her urgently the night before, telling her to be at the store the following morning—“Eleven a.m. SHARP!”—but she wouldn’t explain why, though Gabby hadn’t heard anything from her since Claire’s birthday dinner a week ago. Gabby walked through the rows of musty clothing, looking for her friend.
Madison popped her head out from behind a rack of dresses. “Hey!”
Gabby jumped. “Oh dear god!” She took a second to catch her breath. “What are we doing here?”
Madison emerged from the hanging clothes, holding a short white mesh dress. The gap in her front teeth showed through her beaming smile. She seemed infinitely happier and more energetic than last week. “Surprise! I’m a fellow bride!”
Gabby’s jaw dropped and she quickly realized she was gaping. “What are you talking about?”
Madison shoved the dress at her. Gabby took it, bewildered. “I’m getting married, too!” She looked up at Gabby expectantly.
Gabby tried to morph her shock into happiness for her friend. “Oh my gosh, congratulations!” She leaned in, squeezing Madison in a hug. “I can’t believe Cash went from noncommittal to ready for marriage. Men, huh?”
Madison wriggled out of the hug. “Actually, it’s not Cash, but thank you.”
She eyed the white dress that Gabby was holding. “Hmm, I want casual, but I think that’s too casual, what do you think?” Madison grabbed the dress out of Gabby’s hands and put it back on the rack.
Gabby felt like she was staring at her friend in a way that probably bordered on rude, but this was unbelievable, even for the typically impulsive Madison. “Um . . . sorry if I missed something, but if it’s not Cash . . . then who are you marrying?”
“George!” Madison laughed, digging back into the rack. “Can you believe it?”
“Actually, I can’t,” Gabby confessed. She had never even met the guy—although to be fair, the girls hadn’t met Tony either. She still had to get the courage to tell them they were going to have to keep her past a secret at the wedding in a few weeks. The thought made her a little nauseated. But this was different, right? She loved Tony. “I thought you insisted that y’all were just friends.”
“We are just friends.” Madison pulled out a long white dress that had some yellow stains on the skirt. She made a gagging face and quickly shoved it back in. “Funny how things work out, huh?”
Gabby leaned on the rack of clothes, more confused than ever. “How did this happen?”
“We were hanging out last weekend and it just came up. I know it sounds crazy—and it is—but it’s one of those things I just can’t explain.” She put her hand on Gabby’s shoulder and looked her in the eyes. “I’m doing the right thing for me, I promise.”
Gabby wanted to tell her friend she was certifiably nuts and that this was the most insane decision she had ever made, but instead she said, “Well, I’m happy for you,” and gave her a hug. After all, who was she to judge?
“So, I know your date is set for April fifteenth,” Madison said. “Do you care if I do it the weekend after?”
Gabby cocked her head to the side. “Not at all, but what’s the rush?”
Madison shrugged and began combing through the white dresses on the next rack over. “Why wait? It’s not like we need a lot of time to plan. It’s just gonna be a small party at his house.” She pulled out a long cotton spaghetti strap gown and held it up to her. The material was soft and had a bohemian flare to it.
Gabby nodded at the dress. “That’s gorgeous. You have to try it.”
As the girls wound their way back to the dressing room, Madison grabbed a dress that was on one of the displays. “Ooh, you have to try this one on,” she said, handing it over. “It’s only five dollars! Bridesmaid dress?”
Gabby glanced down at the item in her hands and burst out laughing. It was a short corset dress made out of green camouflage material. Neon orange tulle peeked out of the bottom of the full skirt. It was like someone wanted to go to a formal dance but also wanted to show off her love of hunting. “This is ridiculous . . .” She paused, staring it down. “Ridiculously awesome!” She walked into the dressing room, closed the curtain, and shimmied into the dress.
“Oh, this is special,” Gabby called out to Madison, who was in the dressing room next to her. For being hideous, the dress fit her surprisingly well. “I look like I’m going to Redneck Prom!”
“Okay, I’m ready,” Madison finally called out. The two opened up their curtains and faced each other.
Gabby put her hand over her mouth. “Oh Mads, you’re beautiful.”
The cotton gown hung just to the tops of her feet, and even though Madison was skinny and angular, it gave her the appearance of soft curves. The bright white made her pale skin look pearlescent, and her long dark hair contrasted beautifully with it. Madison smiled as she looked at herself in the full-length mirror.
“It’s great, isn’t it?” She looked back at Gabby and her eyes widened. “But not as awesome as yours, that’s for sure.”
Gabby sashayed up to the mirror next to her, her brightly colored dress contrasting with her deep red curls. “Don’t mean to steal your thunder and all, but I look good,” she said sarcastically. “Maybe I’ll wear this to my wedding.”
“I will literally pay you a hundred dollars if you wear this for your wedding,” Madison said, with an evil grin on her face.
Gabby looked up to the right and pretended to ponder it for a moment. “Nah, I think I’m good.”
“Your loss,” Madison said, twirling in front of the mirror. “Tony wouldn’t be able to keep his hands off of you in that.”
Gabby let out a snicker. “So, is this the one?” she asked, nudging Madison’s hip with her own.
Madison smirked. “The dress or the guy?”
“Either!”
Madison looked at herself in the mirror again, an unreadable expression on her face. “They’ll both do.”
• • •
AS SHE PULLED into her apartment complex parking lot later that afternoon, Gabby prayed none of her neighbors would see her in the camo dress. When she’d tried to change out of it in the store, Madison had begged her to keep it on—”I’m buying, my treat”—and Gabby had let Madison’s enthusiasm override her own good sense. It seemed funny at the time and they’d left the store laughing, but as she got closer to home, self-consciousness set in.
Gabby parked and almost got inside without anyone seeing, but as she turned the corner to her apartment, she was surprised to find someone waiting by her door. The tall man stood erect, as if afraid that touching the walls would dirty his neatly pressed khakis and button-down. He looked familiar. . . .
She squinted. “Congressman Ford?” Panic bubbled up in her chest. What was he doing at her apartment . . . the apartment she’d hidden from Tony for the past ten months?
Mr. Ford slowly looked her up and down and Gabby’s cheeks went bright red. Her hands hovered over the dress awkwardly. Oh, who was she kidding? There was no hiding this ridiculous thing. She wanted to kill Madison.
“Hi, Gabrielle,” he said, stone-faced. “Mind if I come in?”
She nodded and opened the door. As they entered her tiny apartment, her heart was beating so fast that she was afraid he could hear it.
He looked around the small dim room, his lip curling as his gaze landed on the old futon that acted as both her couch and bed. Gabby’s morning coffee was still on the table, along with some candy wrappers and a half-burned vanilla-scented candle. Atop the cheap faux wood bookcase, a framed picture from Claire’s wedding—where she and the girls posed with cake-frosting mustaches—sat next to a photo of her and her mom on her eighteenth birthday, taken just a few months before Elaine went to jail.
She imagined her apartment through his eyes and felt so small, once again reduced to nothing but a poor girl whose mom was serving ten years in prison.
“Can I get you something to drink?” she asked. At the very least, she always had her manners. “Sweet tea?”
His cold gaze met hers and her stomach dropped. “How long did you think you’d get away with it?”
Gabby swallowed the rising lump in her throat. She clenched her fists, her palms sweating. “What do you mean?”
Mr. Ford frowned. “Don’t play stupid with me, Gabrielle. We welcomed you into our home, into our lives, and you—” He cut off, his face reddening, and took a breath, as if to steady himself. “You deceived him. You deceived all of us.”
Gabby backed up toward the futon, afraid she might faint. “Listen, it’s not what you think,” she started, knowing the words sounded desperate. “It’s all a misunderstanding.”
“A misunderstanding? Can you tell me this—why does my son misunderstand that you’re enrolled in college when you’re not?” His voice got deeper and louder. “Why does my son misunderstand that your parents are dead when your mother is actually in jail?”
Gabby felt her breath leave her body and covered her mouth with her hands, trying not to cry. “How—how did you find out?”
Mr. Ford’s dark brown eyes flashed like steel, and she could suddenly picture Tony looking at her that same way. She hung her head in shame and embarrassment.
“I’ve got a reelection campaign coming up, Gabrielle. I vet everyone. Of course I’d look into someone who was planning on joining my family.”
That was it, then. It was over. She sat down on the futon, cradling her head in her hands. Gabby had imagined a million ways this would all fall apart, but never, ever thought it would happen like this. She felt wrung out and exhausted. “I love your son,” she said quietly.
Mr. Ford cleared his throat and she looked up at him. His gaze was smoldering. “That may be true, but nothing else is.”
Tears began streaming down Gabby’s face. “Have you told Tony yet?”
He shook his head. “No.” His eyebrows furrowed with disappointment. “My son means everything to me. He’s a good person. Your lies would destroy him. I’d prefer if he never knew about this.”
She looked up at him with wide eyes. Did that mean he was really going to let her get away with it? Was he going to forget all of this happened and let her marry Tony anyway?
He moved closer to her, looming over her. “So you have a choice here, Gabrielle. Break up with him—lie to him if you have to, you’re certainly good at that—but don’t tell him how you deceived him.”
Gabby sat up straighter, her face feeling puffy and sore from the tears. “Or?”
Mr. Ford glowered. “Or I’ll tell him everything. I know my son better than you, and I can guarantee he’ll never speak to you again.”
She flinched. “Mr. Ford, I just told you, I love Tony—”
He waved an arm at her, cutting her off before she could protest or try to think of an alternative solution. “You didn’t hear all of my terms. Leave him—tell him nothing about what you did, but leave him—and I’ll get your mom out of prison.”
Gabby gasped, her mind reeling. “Why would you do that for me?”
“My son has a bright future ahead of him. He wants to go into politics, for god’s sake. He doesn’t need someone like you ruining his life. If freeing your mom is what it takes to make you go away, so be it.” He paused. “I’ll leave you to think about it. You’ve got one day.”
He walked out the door, leaving her alone with nothing but a stupid dress, a broken heart, and an impossible decision.