“We knew you’d end up together,” Max said.
Riley thought back to the luncheon at his father’s ranch in Weston and how easy they’d been together. She’d tried to ignore the butterflies she’d felt when she saw him, and she’d thought she’d done a good job of hiding her feelings from everyone else. From the look in Max’s eyes, she realized that her acting skills were far worse than her design skills.
“How could you have known?” Riley asked.
A knowing smile flashed between Max and Treat. She touched his thigh. “For me, it was just the vibe between you two. You were so…compatible.” Max shrugged.
“Vibe shmibe,” Treat teased. “Josh used to watch her like Rex watched Jade. Once you guys reconnected, it was just a matter of time before all that lust took over.”
She looked at Josh and touched his chest. “You used to watch me,” she said. “I love that.”
“I told you I did,” Josh said. “Treat just makes it sound dirtier than it was.”
“Okay, truth?” Treat asked. He didn’t wait for an answer. “I knew the minute he brought you to Dad’s for lunch. Josh isn’t a wishy-washy man. When he makes up his mind, there’s no changing it. He may take a wider path than some and navigate around a bit, but he always ends up where he said he would. When he moved to New York, he said he was going to be a top designer, and he did it. Two years later, he said he was going to try to compete with Vera Wang. The man made his mark. And when he hired Riley, he said, ‘She’s perfect for JBD.’” Treat splayed his hands. “Was there ever any question after that remark?”
Riley blushed. She’d heard Josh say that at his father’s house. She’d thought he meant the company, not himself personally. Treat really did know his brother well.
Josh pulled her close. “She is perfect for JB, without a doubt.” He kissed her cheek. “And she also happens to be perfect for JBD.”
“Okay, now that ya’ll have embarrassed me, can we talk about Max’s dress?” Riley heard her hometown drawl, the one she’d worked diligently to omit while in New York, and it felt damn good to use it again without worry of being given an amused look.
“Yes, please,” Max said. She leaned across the table. “First, Josh, thank you so much for offering to make my gown. It’s really beyond kind of you.”
Kind. There it was again, one of her favorite traits about Josh.
“I’m thinking of something very simple, without all that fluff and drama of most wedding gowns. You know me—simple and clean works best,” Max said.
“Simple, clean lines. We can do that,” he said, giving Riley’s arm a squeeze.
“Max, I hope you don’t mind, but I pulled a few drawings together, based on the conversations we’d had back home. I know I’m not designing your gown, but I thought of a few ideas that you might want to consider implementing.” She held her breath, hoping Max didn’t mind.
“You did?” Josh asked.
“Just a few,” Riley said. “I was really nervous about showing them to you. Somehow it felt easier to show them to Max than my top fashion designer boyfriend. If she hates them, then you won’t ever see them.” She winked as she left the room to retrieve her sketches. When she returned, Josh had already started clearing the table.
“Why don’t you and Max take them into the living room?” Treat said as he stood. “Josh and I can handle this.”
“Men who tidy up? I like that,” Riley said. She touched Josh’s back and whispered, “I didn’t mean to take over. I don’t have to show these to her. I’m so sorry.”
He kissed her forehead. “You can take over any part of my life that you want.”
Riley’s breath hitched. She squeezed his hand, then followed Max into the living room.
“I was thinking,” Riley began, as she spread out her drawings, “you’re all about comfort and a clean, pretty presentation. Everything you wear is focused around ease of wear and functionality, but well made. With your gown, I thought of the same qualities: a little tailored and decadent without being ostentatious. So, this was my first thought, something of a long, comfortable spaghetti-strap dress with a few modifications.”
Max crinkled her nose. “To a wedding?”
Riley smiled. “Hear me out.” She experienced the same increased heart rate that she had when she’d worked at Macy’s and helped customers find just the right colors for their skin tone, choose accessories for their big night out, and find the perfect fit to complement their various body types. She pulled her favorite drawing out from the stack and spread it out in front of Max. “Yes, a wedding gown.” She pointed to the spaghetti straps.
Max gasped, her eyes opened wide. “Oh my God.”
“You hate it?” Riley had a sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach.
“No, I adore it. What’s it made of? Are those hand-stitched designs or is the fabric printed? Oh my God, Treat, honey, come here, please,” she called.
Treat and Josh came out of the kitchen, wiping their hands on dish towels.
“Look at that. How perfect is that?” Max’s cheeks were flushed as she pointed to the drawing while she looked up at Treat and laced her fingers into his. “We’re getting married in Wellfleet, where we fell in love. The resort overlooks the water. This is just perfect. Not too fancy, very beachy. It’s perfect, isn’t it, Treat?”
“Gorgeous,” Treat answered.
“Oh, Josh! Why didn’t you tell me that Riley hit the nail on the head?” Max pulled Riley into a tight hug.
Josh beamed. “She always hits the nail on the head.”
“Josh, what do you think? You’re the expert,” Riley said. She held her breath as he picked up the drawing, narrowed his eyes, and shook his head. Her stomach lurched, fearing he didn’t like it.
“You designed this after just talking to Max at my dad’s that day?” he asked.
“Yes,” Riley answered. “I was sort of thinking about it, and this is what came to me.”
“Satin chiffon?” Josh asked in a discerning voice. His eyes darkened as he studied the image.
“Single layered,” Riley said.
“I really like the curved shape of the neckline, the way it draws the eye to her face by narrowing as it comes down between the breasts. The single thin spaghetti straps, so feminine and natural.” He ran his hand through his hair and nodded. “I never would have thought to do that on a wedding gown.”
Josh seemed to really like her design, but the seriousness of his gaze and the intense scrutiny of the design left Riley feeling as if her body were made of eggshells. One wrong breath and she might fall to pieces.
“No train. Is this embroidery, appliqué, or printed, where it gathers under her chest and across the torso?” Josh asked.
“Light embroidery. Faded pastels: peaches, blues, yellows. It’s a little different.” She came to his side and pointed. Feeling the pressure of Josh’s examination, she pushed the words out as fast as they would come. “See the way it’s patterned across the bodice, but horizontally stitched? I’m thinking about one and a half inches or so, runs under the breasts and another half inch or so at the waist, then scalloped embroidery edging the lower part of the horizontal waistline.” Riley let out a fast breath in an effort to ease her tangled nerves.
“I see that, and the arc across the hips, with just the stretch of white between that and the waist.” Josh nodded.
Riley watched him, sure he was going to tell her that it was too different, or that it looked cheap.
Josh rubbed his chin, then looked at Riley, his brows still drawn together. “Why didn’t you go for a traditional all-white wedding gown?”
Riley had known that she was taking a big risk when she’d chosen a cream gown with pastels. She’d weighed the potential feedback in her mind before going in that direction, and the worst that might have happened would be that Max or Josh would hate the idea. As she looked at Josh, she wasn’t sure if he hated the idea or liked the idea, and all she could do was be honest with him. She took a deep breath, trying to quell her nerves before answering.
“Ri?” Josh said.
“It’s what I felt.” She glanced at Max, then Treat. “When Max was describing what she envisioned for their wedding, she didn’t strike me as wanting a traditional wedding gown. Max has her own style, and her personality seemed more suited for a wedding dress that accentuated that style. Max, I’m sorry if I misinterpreted. We can do the same dress in white.”
Max put her hand over her heart. “Me? Goodness, Riley, you hit it spot-on.”
Relief brought a smile to Riley’s lips and an excited pitch to her voice. “Really?”
“Ri, I was just asking,” Josh said. “I wasn’t judging. I wanted to know why so I could understand the process.”
He didn’t say it’s cheap or awful! Josh turned back to the drawing, and Riley watched as his face morphed from the momentary softness, when he was explaining why he asked the question, back to the serious scrutiny as he once again pondered the design. She found his ability to switch from business mode to boyfriend mode and back again appealing. She bit her lower lip and waited for him to pepper her with more questions.