Mother of the Bride (16 page)

‘Do you want some?' he asked as he started to put some bacon on to cook.

‘No, I'm meeting Ciara and Jess and Mum in half an hour,' Amy explained. ‘I've no time for a big breakfast this morning.'

Grabbing a slice of toast and some juice, she raced to get ready.

‘Why won't you have a proper Saturday breakfast with me?' he complained. ‘Text them and tell them you'll meet them later.'

Amy stopped for a second, torn, but thinking of the task ahead made her resolute.

‘Dan, I've got to go. You've no idea what it's like trying to get bridesmaid dresses to suit two very different people. Mum phoned
last night and said Ciara was in a right strop about it. God, I don't know how girls that have five or six bridesmaids manage! You guys are lucky: you just go into Blacktie and rent a suit for the day and pick out the colour tie you want!'

‘Sure!' Dan said, gulping down a huge glass of fresh orange juice.

Amy searched around the room for her pink Filofax, and shoved it into her leather shoulder bag. She didn't know what she'd do if she lost it.

‘See you later!' she called, grabbing her keys.

‘Don't forget Liam and that new girl he's dating, Jade, and Jeremy and Grace are coming here for supper tonight,' Dan reminded her. ‘I told them to be here around eight.'

‘Shit! I totally forgot,' Amy said, suddenly remembering the long arranged meal. With so much else on her mind, tonight's dinner had slipped from her radar.

‘Dan, would you mind giving the place a hoover?' she pleaded. ‘And do you think you could organize the food?'

‘I'm watching a rugby match down in the club this afternoon with the lads,' he said. ‘Why can't you do it?'

‘I told you, I'm meeting the others again to look for dresses. You know what a nightmare that is. Can you not just go down to the supermarket before you go to the match and get some chicken and a few bottles of wine and some beer? You could make that green Thai chicken dish with noodles. I'll make a nice salad and pick up some kind of tart thing in town for dessert.'

‘OK, OK,' he reluctantly agreed, burying his head in the Saturday sports section of the paper.

Amy knew it wasn't fair, and that he was annoyed she hadn't remembered and organized things. But Dan was a good cook, and often surprised her with new dishes. He was much more adventurous in his cuisine than she was.

‘Thanks,' she said, rushing over to kiss him goodbye.

*  *  *

‘Where's Mum?' asked Amy when she spotted Ciara walking across from the bus stop on Dawson Street on her own.

‘I don't know, I was at a party last night so I stayed at a friend's house. But I'm sure Mum will be along soon.' Ciara yawned, not mentioning the row Helen had told Amy about.

Ciara was hungover, looked like the wreck of the
Hesperus
, and admitted she had been out till nearly four in the morning. She made it quite clear that she thought she should be back in bed instead of parading around bridal boutiques.

‘We'd all like to be back in bed,' muttered Amy, feeling decidedly rough herself.

Jess arrived a few minutes late and was yawning, too.

‘Sorry, but I stayed up late watching
Sleepless in Seattle
. I love that movie, but why they have to show it at one o'clock in the morning is beyond me!'

‘OK, girls, let's get some dresses!' yelled Amy, trying to be positive. ‘There're two wedding shops close by. I had a look at them at lunchtime yesterday.'

They started off in Trousseau, a beautiful French wedding shop off Wicklow Street; it carried a small range of dresses for bridesmaids and flower girls that coordinated with its pretty bridal dresses and accessories.

‘The sizes are all French, too, and really tiny,' worried Jess as Amy passed her an apple-green dress with a white bow. Ciara disappeared behind the strawberry-printed curtain and pulled on her one.

‘This isn't too bad,' she said, standing in front of the dressing room in her bare feet. ‘I suppose it's kind of funky.'

Amy actually liked it, too, and held her breath as Jess appeared in her one.

‘It's tiny, Amy,' protested Jess, all hot and flustered, the dress stretched to its limit on her curvy figure. ‘I know it's lovely but I feel I'm going to explode in it.'

Amy, looking at her friend, who resembled a big green apple with a white ribbon tied around her middle, had to reluctantly agree. They went to try on another dress . . .

Helen texted to find out where they were and appeared a few minutes later.

‘Sorry I'm late,' she apologized, ‘but there was fierce traffic in Donnybrook on the way in. Ciara OK?'

‘She's a bit hungover but at least she turned up,' said Amy.

Helen and Amy watched as the girls stepped out in another dress Amy liked: a loose-fitting rose top with a tiered, flouncy skirt.

‘Boring,' said Ciara loudly. It looked anaemic on Ciara and not much better on Jess.

God, is this torture never to end? thought Amy. We'll never find anything that suits them both. She'd been at plenty of weddings over the past three years where the bridesmaids had certainly not looked their best, and had always put it down to a deliberate ploy by the bride not to be outshone. But now, seeing the sheer impossibility of finding something that looked good on both her sister and her best friend, and beginning to reach desperation point, Amy could totally understand the dilemma. Juliet's, the more traditional bridal shop down the street, had only very formal bridal wear, with stiff, shiny taffeta dresses and long jewel-coloured silk ones with halter necks or corset tops.

‘There must be somewhere else we can try,' begged Jess, desperation in her voice.

‘I feel awful,' Ciara said, running into the newsagent's to buy a litre bottle of water.

Disaster, thought Amy, having visions of dragging the girls to London or Belfast if they didn't find something soon.

They were walking back up South William Street when Amy suddenly remembered Belle. It wasn't a wedding shop, but it did a
great line in party and cocktail wear, and last year she had got an amazing black dress there to wear at a big charity ball that Dan's firm was sponsoring.

‘What about trying here?' she suggested.

Ciara and Jess's faces suddenly brightened up as they pushed in the door of the shop.

‘You two see if there is anything you like,' Amy said, collapsing on the sofa beside her mother.

Ciara strode off in one direction while Jess looked at the designer wear.

Amy resisted the urge to interfere, and couldn't believe it when the two of them started to go around the rails together looking at stuff.

‘I'm going to try these on, Jess,' called her sister.

‘Are they together?' asked the model-like blonde assistant.

‘Yes, we're trying to find dresses for a wedding.'

‘Well, I have just got a new range of evening wear in from Milan, and some fresh stock from two young designers I carry only came in yesterday. It's literally just gone out on the floor.'

‘You own the place?'

‘Yes.' Mia Anderson smiled and introduced herself. ‘I tend to stock the kind of things I like to buy, and hope the customers will like them, too.'

Amy held her breath as Ciara and Jess flitted in and out of the small fitting room with piles of dresses. Dear God, she thought, please let them find something that suits both of them!

Mia Anderson was endlessly patient, and Amy couldn't believe it when she disappeared to the stockroom and reappeared with even more dresses over her arm for Jess and Ciara. Jess came out wearing a vivid fuchsia-coloured cocktail dress. With a corset-style top cinching in to a narrow waist and a classic knee-length skirt in a satin material it showed off her curves while skimming her figure. The shape was perfect on her.

‘Ciara, will you try on that style too?' pleaded Amy, not believing it when Ciara appeared in the same dress looking equally good.

‘Oh, that dress is gorgeous on you both.' Helen O'Connor beamed.

‘I love it!' Jess enthused. ‘When I saw it on the hanger I didn't think it was something I would even put on me but it makes me feel pretty and sexy and feminine.'

Ciara was less enthusiastic. ‘OK, it's a great shape and style and I like the material but I hate this colour,' she said stubbornly. ‘I told you that I'm not wearing pink.'

‘But I love the dresses,' Amy said. ‘They are the first ones I've seen that look good on both of you. Honestly, Ciara, you know they do!'

Ciara stood there, pouting.

‘Would you like to try them in another colour?' asked Mia quietly. ‘They come in a purple shade. Do you want to see what it looks like?'

Amy held her breath as Jess disappeared back into the fitting room. Reappearing a few minutes later wearing the same dress in purple, Jess looked absolutely gorgeous. The bright crocus colour made her eyes sparkle and showed off her skin tones and hair. The dress was so stylish and elegant, and hit her legs and waist and figure in exactly the right spot.

‘Is there one for Ciara?' Amy asked, worried.

‘There's none on the rails in her size but I'll check the stockroom again,' offered Mia, disappearing.

Amy tried not to get her hopes up.

‘I found one,' Mia called out a few minutes later. Laughing, she passed the dress in to Ciara.

Ciara emerged from behind the curtain and stood in the centre of the shop. With her long dark hair and slim figure the dress looked amazing. The colour was such a contrast from the pink. It looked
edgy and different on Ciara, and emphasized her long legs and tiny waist.

‘Wow!' said Amy. ‘You look great.'

‘Walk up and down!' ordered Helen O'Connor. ‘I want to see what you will both look like going up the aisle in those dresses.'

Amy watched in disbelief as her two bridesmaids walked in perfect unison in the matching dresses. They looked gorgeous and slightly edgy. It wasn't the usual boring bridesmaid look.

‘Those dresses are perfect.' Amy watched as they paraded towards the mirror, seeing the impact the two dresses were making. ‘The whole thing works! You both look stunning.'

‘Beautiful,' added Helen O'Connor.

‘I feel great in this dress.' Jess beamed. ‘I love it.'

‘I told you I wasn't wearing pink,' said Ciara smugly.

‘Shut up!' said Amy and Helen and Jess in unison. ‘We're getting these dresses!'

‘I can't believe we've finally found “the dresses”,' Amy laughed as they left the shop. ‘I thought we'd have to go to the moon to get them!'

Jess, to her surprise, had insisted on paying for her own bridesmaid dress, saying that she loved it so much that she would have gone and bought it anyway.

‘I'd love a toasted sandwich,' said Ciara. ‘I'm starving after all that bloody trying on.'

‘Me, too,' agreed Amy, conscious suddenly of her stomach rumbling.

The four of them turned into Duke Street, and headed straight for Davy Byrnes pub. Amy was relieved that she could mentally cross another thing off her wedding list as they sat down and ordered soup and sandwiches. She'd swing by the Avoca Shop on her way home and buy a tart or cake for dessert, and some of Dan's favourite chocolate brownies.

‘Mum, you will be the next one getting an outfit,' joked Amy. ‘Are you going to wear a hat or not for the wedding?'

Helen O'Connor threw her eyes up to heaven, hoping that finding a Mother of the Bride outfit would prove a little bit easier and a whole lot less stressful . . .

Paddy O'Connor cooked up a load of sausages and potato bread for himself, lardering on the butter since Helen wasn't around to admonish him . . .

The women of the house were gone mad, and seemed to spend their whole time shopping for some sort of wedding thing or another. Helen had the place full of bridal magazines, and the notice board in the kitchen was full of clippings about flower arrangements and photographers and musicians. He was demented with it. Now here she was, gone off shopping again!

Every time they went out Helen prattled on about the wedding as if she had lost her ability to talk about anything else. Money was being splashed around left, right and centre, and he had already had to go to Mick Dunne, his bank manager, to get him to agree to an overdraft just in case the wedding bills ate up all the money they had allotted. When they had started saving for the girls' weddings they had never envisaged the cost being so enormous. Dan Quinn was a generous type of young man, and had offered to pay his fair share towards it, but Paddy knew that Amy and he were saving to buy a house. A home for the young couple was more important than a big day out, but he would accept the groom paying for a few things like
the car and the church flowers and some other expenses, and maybe putting money towards the drinks bill.

It only seemed like yesterday since Helen and he had got married with barely the arse in their trousers, as his father would say. They had both worked long and hard to build a home and a good life for their family, and he had no regrets. There had been no fancy cars or holidays or luxuries for years, but they had, with hard work, managed to move from a small three-bed semi-detached in Dundrum to a new house in a small estate in Blackrock long before the prices had gone through the roof and property madness had taken hold of the nation. Their three kids had gone to good local schools and done well going to college and getting good jobs. They weren't out of the woods yet with young Ciara, but she was a good student and he knew that she would make them as proud as Amy and Ronan had.

The past two years had been tough, with work harder to come by. Still, O'Connor's were holding their heads above water when lots of businesses were closing down, and letting staff go. He had planned to retire in another few years, improve his golf game, and take off with Helen to see the world, going to the sun for a few weeks in the winter, but now he would likely have to keep working for longer than he'd planned to boost his pension.