Dress Me in Wildflowers (2 page)

“Oh.” So she was second choice after a travel agent. Nice. That made her want to jump right in and save the day.

Petty moment, yes. But everyone had one on occasion.

“Amber was the committee chair, and Jeff was her choice.”

Amber Jamison, third rung on the popular ladder behind Janie Carlisle and Brittany Stevens. Farrin’s stomach knotted at the thought of the trio, particularly Janie. “Nice to know some things never change,” Farrin said with enough sarcasm to drown Manhattan.

That uncomfortable silence weighed down the line again. Once upon a time, they had been able to talk about everything and nothing. Hadn’t mattered if it was their latest crushes, the unfairness of homework assignments over Thanksgiving break or the new hot guys in the fall television lineup, they had chattered nonstop.

Farrin still talked all the time. She ordered, she conversed, she engaged in inane small talk. Even ranted. But when was the last time she’d chattered?

Her cell phone rang, but she ignored it.

“Well, I know you’re busy, so I’ll let you go,” Tammie said. “If your schedule changes and you can make it, let me know.”

“I will.” But her schedule wouldn’t change. From the moment she’d been chosen to design the wedding gown for Princess Margarette six years before, to the shock of the design community and greater Europe, her schedule had taken on a hectic life of its own. Her business owed its growing success to the same cliqueishness that had made her years in Oak Valley ones she’d done her best to forget. Ironic that she was now on a first-name basis with royalty, while Janie Carlisle and her entourage were still evidently playing the homecoming court thing for all it was worth.

“It was good talking to you, Farrin.”

“You, too.” She wanted to say more, but time and different paths had caused the gulf between them to widen with each passing season. When Tammie hung up, Farrin sat holding the receiver to her ear until the dial tone sprang onto the line. When she disconnected and placed the phone base in its charger, a fatigue unlike the one with which she had learned to coexist crept over her.

The damned cell phone rang again. This time, she let the call go to voice mail. She stared at the calendar, and it seemed to shrink before her eyes. Once she got this Cara Hutton dress taken care of, she’d breathe easier. Maybe she’d even call Tammie and see if she wanted to come to New York for a girls’ weekend. They could shop, have a day at the spa and catch up on each other’s lives.

But she couldn’t call Tammie until after the reunion. She was incredibly busy, that much hadn’t been a lie. Even if she did complete the project in time to make the reunion, the thought of going nauseated her. She was beyond small town pecking orders now, but there was enough shame, anger and long memories in Oak Valley that she wouldn’t risk being sucked into that vortex again.

****

Farrin stood in front of her full-length mirror and adjusted the sleek copper evening gown. She glanced at the petite watch ringing her wrist and saw she had ten minutes before Mark was to pick her up for the children’s hospital fund raiser. Even though she was a staunch supporter of the hospital and the wonderful care it gave the sick children who passed through its doors, she couldn’t stop thinking about the hours the function would take away from her work.

She hurried back into her home office and typed in some ideas for her
In Style
article, then downloaded e-mail while she slipped in the copper and amber earrings she’d found in an antique shop. She’d designed the dress specifically to go with them.

When the doorbell rang, she grabbed her matching clutch and headed for the door across the expanse of her vaulted living room. The click of her slingbacks on the marble entryway reminded her of those old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies where they danced their way to happiness. Tonight, she felt a little like a movie queen from the golden age of Hollywood, so maybe the dancing later on would bring some wonders. A few extra hours in the day would be nice.

She opened the door and smiled automatically. You couldn’t not smile at Mark Davenport, especially when he was dressed in a tux that complemented his dark blond hair, green eyes and lanky frame so well. He extended a bouquet of exquisite pink and white roses.

“They’re beautiful. Thank you,” she said as she took the bouquet.

“Not near as lovely as the lady holding them.”

For some reason, his effusive compliments always embarrassed her. She should revel in them, but instead she smiled and turned toward the kitchen to put the flowers in water. Maybe his compliments hinted at deeper feelings, and that scared her. She had time in her life for work or romance, not both. And work was a lot more dependable.

She pulled out a simple crystal vase she’d bought on her trip to Austria the year after she graduated from college. How funny she must have looked, gaping at everything on her first trip to Europe. Every sight, every sound, every taste had been mind-boggling, so far from her years in Oak Valley. She’d felt as if she couldn’t get enough of everything, like she needed to soak the atmosphere in through her skin in case she never experienced it again.

Little had she known that within only a few years, she would visit dozens of countries.

Even with her increasing fame and high-profile business, she still carried enough of the girl she’d once been inside of her to continue to marvel at the sights she saw when she traveled to new places – though perhaps she didn’t drop her jaw and stare quite as much as when she’d first walked through Vienna and marveled at the grandeur of the Schönbrunn Palace.

Mark stepped behind her and placed a soft kiss on her neck. She turned toward him and accepted the next one on her lips. He was handsome in that expensive, well-groomed way, the owner of a large investment firm, a man who didn’t need her success to make him stand out in a crowd.

“Mmm, you smell wonderful,” he said.

She pulled away and retrieved her wrap and clutch from the glass-topped table in the foyer. Most women would count their lucky stars to have Mark show interest in them, but all she could think was how much time a serious relationship would take and how she didn’t have it to give.

****

The evening was an unequivocal success, generating more money than any single event ever had for the hospital. Farrin’s appearance generated buzz throughout the crowd, and the auction of one of her gowns helped raise the final tally.

As she and Mark rode toward her place in the chauffeured limo, he poured two glasses of champagne. When she ended a call to Justine, he handed her a glass with an admiring look in his light green eyes. “To a successful evening, and to the most stunning woman there.”

She smiled and clinked her glass against his. She didn’t acknowledge his compliment and tried to ignore a strange pressure squeezing her from all sides. A heavy fatigue settled on her shoulders. How was she going to meet all her obligations?

It had been a very long time since she’d failed at anything she’d set out to accomplish, and she wasn’t about to start. She might be enjoying success now, but unless your name was one of the rarified few like Chanel or Wang, today’s hot designer could be tomorrow’s has-been.

Farrin took a sip of champagne and casually glanced at the clock. 11:07 p.m.

Mark wrapped his fingers around her free hand and lifted it to his lips. He placed a tender kiss on her skin, watching her face the entire time. “I want to ask you something.”

Something about his tone worried her. He looked so excited, his eyes bright and a smile tugging at the edge of his mouth.“I want you to come away with me. I’ve rented a villa in Spain for a month while I check out a few opportunities there.”

Farrin sighed inwardly but forced a small smile. “Thank you for the invitation, but it’s impossible for me to leave right now.”

It wasn’t like a month in a Spanish villa didn’t sound marvelous, might even inspire her creativity, but she had to have access to materials, her seamstresses, the bride for fittings and consultations. Not to mention the trip seemed like too much, too fast. They’d only gone out a few times when their schedules meshed.

The light in Mark’s eyes faded as his driver pulled up in front of her building. “You’re sure you can’t manage it?”

“Positive.”

His relaxed pose stiffened and any hint of emotion disappeared from his face, giving her a glimpse of the tough businessman he was. “I hope everything goes well.”

Farrin sat her glass atop the minibar. “Thank you for a lovely evening.” She slipped out of the car, knowing she’d never be inside it again. The end of relationships often brought pain or sorrow. For her, it was normally relief. But this time, a twinge of regret pulled at her as she stepped inside her building and watched the car pull away.

****

Farrin jumped and blinked to clear her vision. Where was she? More seconds ticked by before she realized she’d fallen asleep at her dining room table with sketches spread across its surface. A new day had dawned outside the large wall of windows at the end of the room. The phone rang, and it sank in that the ringing must have woken her. She fumbled to hit the correct button to answer the call.

“Hello?” Her voice sounded dry and croaky with its first use of the day.

“Farrin?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know who this is?”

A few more of her brain cells woke up. She hadn’t heard Tammie’s mother’s voice in so long that she wondered for a moment if she was dreaming. “Faye?”

“Yes. Did I wake you? I thought I might catch you before you went to work.”

“Did Tammie ask you to call me?”

“No, dear. Why?”

“Because. . . Never mind. I’m not quite awake.”

“I’m sorry. I can call back.”

“No, it’s okay. It’s good to hear from you.” How had she managed to not only let contact with Tammie fade during the past few years, but also her relationship with the woman who’d been a second mother to her.

“You’re a difficult woman to catch.”

Farrin’s call waiting beeped, followed seconds later by her cell phone ringing. She checked the display. Justine. A punch of a button revealed she’d missed seventeen calls. Seventeen! She leapt from the couch and headed for her bedroom. The clock on her nightstand taunted her. One hour until her first meeting, then two consultations before a working lunch to discuss a possible Farrin Taylor line of wedding invitations.

Farrin forced her mind to focus on the conversation as she snatched a suit from the closet. “How have you been?”

“Can’t complain. I know you’re probably about to head out, so I’ll be quick. Tammie said she was going to ask you about being the speaker at the reunion, and I wondered if you’d consider tacking on another speaking engagement while you’re in town. I’m the president of the Homemakers Club, and everyone would love to hear about your work.” Faye chuckled. “It’s a little more fascinating than the sewing projects we work on for the county fair or the fire department raffle.”

Farrin opened her mouth to tell Faye she wasn’t coming to the reunion and she’d have to pass on speaking to the Homemakers Club as well. But as she hurried into the bathroom and caught sight of herself in the mirror, the most incredible piercing guilt stabbed her. Suddenly, the vision staring back at her was her teenage self.

The cell phone rang again. She ignored it.

How could she refuse such a simple request from the woman who’d fed her, counseled, even clothed her on a few special occasions when she didn’t have the money for a football homecoming or state academic team match? The woman who had taught her to sew and set her on the path toward her dream.

Maybe she could speak to Faye’s group and skip the reunion? No, that would shatter what friendship she and Tammie had left. And though they didn’t talk often, that would hurt more than she was prepared to face.

“I suppose I could squeeze it in.” Good Lord, what was she saying? She was committing herself to a return to Oak Valley. And to the scrutiny of women who knew her well before
Bride
magazine had dubbed her “The New Wedding Dress Diva”.

She took a deep breath. She was an adult, a successful one, and she would be fine. Those long-ago barbs couldn’t hurt her now.

“Great. And you can stay here at the house just like old times. It’s not the Ritz, but I’m fairly certain it’s better than the Cloverleaf Motel.”

That place was still in business? Nothing ever changed in Oak Valley. It was like it existed in a bubble that modern progress had passed by. Arby’s — the only chain restaurant in town — hadn’t opened until she’d gone away to college.

“I can’t stay. It’ll be a quick, one-day trip.”

“Oh, but our meeting isn’t until the morning after the reunion. Is that a problem?” Faye sounded like she would be crushed if Farrin acknowledged that, yes, it would be a problem.Again, the cell phone, this time sounding as if it was ticked off she wasn’t answering. She refrained from cursing it so she wouldn’t scorch Faye’s ears.

Farrin heard herself utter a “no”, which caused a heavy, sinking feeling in her chest. Okay, she could do this. She could do a quickie speech at the reunion, retreat immediately to Faye’s house and chat for a while and then focus on work, do the second speech the next morning and be back in New York by late afternoon or early evening. She wouldn’t have to mingle with the natives much if she planned it perfectly. It wasn’t as if she was going to allow herself time to face the painful parts of her years in Oak Valley. If she stuck to visiting Faye and Tammie, it might actually be nice. Her best childhood memories were made in their house, so she’d survive the trip and prove to herself she could do anything.