The Imperfection of Swans (25 page)

“Oh, Annie, I know we look too fabulous to be willing to share, but we will.” He grinned toothily at her. Did it make him evil that he was enjoying this so much? “It’s sweet of you to want to give us the celebrity treatment and offer us the entire store.”

She looked close to tears.

Casper called back to Kevin without looking away from Annie. “Sweetheart, would you make sure to get a picture of the outside of the store to put on Facebook? It looks like wedding dress shops who refuse the gays are the next wedding industry to face legal action. Apparently it’s not just bakers who won’t participate in wedding events.”

There was a tear. Definitely a tear. And panic. There was definitely panic. “No, we’d love to participate in gay weddings.”

Casper leaned on the counter. “They’re just called weddings, Annie dear.”

After she motioned them back to the showroom, Annie rushed to the window and flipped over the open sign. Casper noticed she forgot to lock the door. He decided not to be helpful and kept his mouth shut.

“HOLY CRAP!”
Casper gaped as Kevin stepped out of the dressing room, clad in a lacy gown that had fabric roses clustered over the right of his bodice and swooped down over his left hip. He was sure there was a name for that, but he had no idea. “You actually look amazing.”

Kevin stepped up onto the pedestal and looked at himself in the mirror. He tilted his chin appraisingly. “I kinda do. A lot better than the last one. The jewel neckline is much better on me than the sweetheart.”

Casper didn’t know what that meant, but he had to smother a laugh at how much Kevin was enjoying himself. When Kevin bent down and lifted the layers beneath the skirting, revealing a glittering pair of silver high heels, Casper couldn’t hold it back.

Kevin glared at him in the mirror. “Laugh all you want. You can’t get the full effect without the shoes. Granted, these are a little more garish than what I would recommend, but they were the only pair that fit.”

“You look stunning, my dear.” Even as he struggled to stop laughing, his heart sank a bit. It definitely wasn’t just his cock causing problems. There was no more plausible deniability. Watching that gorgeous man try on wedding gown after wedding gown, searching for the perfect one, and then that beautiful smile when he’d found it? Casper hadn’t expected Kevin to go along with it as easily as he had, not to really let loose and just go for it. But he had.

And he’d ruined Casper’s heart in the process.

“Actually, this gown wouldn’t even need much altering.” Annie stepped up beside Kevin and addressed his mirrored reflection. She pinched the fabric at the back of Kevin’s shoulder blades. “We didn’t even need to use the clamps on this one.” After a bit, Annie seemed to have forgotten who her clients were and slipped into her role as a bridal stylist.

Casper moved toward the dressing room he’d been using. He’d only tried on two gowns, and they were both uncomfortable. This one kept snagging his chest hair.

“Miss, can you please lift the hem of your skirt when you walk? It’s better for the gown.”

Kevin’s burst of laughter filled the quiet space.

Casper looked over his shoulder and cocked an eyebrow at Annie.

She flushed, a hand rising to her lips. “Oh! I’m so sorry. I meant sir.”

Not responding, Casper dipped down dramatically and lifted the hem before continuing on to the dressing room. He couldn’t suppress a smile. Wedding dresses were horrifically uncomfortable, but they were fun.

After changing into his jeans and T-shirt, Casper took a seat on the love seat next to the pedestal Kevin was using.

Kevin had changed into another dress. It seemed a Sabrina neckline was also flattering on his body type.

Casper wondered if he’d learned anything at the wedding show in New York. He didn’t remember necklines having names.

Just as Annie was fastening a veil into Kevin’s hair, which was an impressive skill considering his hair length, the door chimed.

All three of them looked toward the front door.

“We noticed your closed sign, but it’s still business hours, so we thought….” A group of four young women stepped in, all stopping dead in their tracks as they saw Kevin in all his wedding dress glory.

For the first time in over an hour, Annie seemed to remember she’d originally been uncomfortable with this. “Oh, ladies! Please just wait outside….” Her voice trailed off, and she looked at Kevin’s reflection in the mirror once more. Casper could actually see some switch in her flip. She lifted her chin as she turned back to the ladies. “If you’ll give me a few minutes with this client, I need to get him a handbag, and I’ll be right with you.”

IT WAS
another hour and a half later, the sun deep in the western horizon, before Casper was rejoined by a Kevin clad in typical masculine clothing.

Casper had thought he’d seen Kevin in all his glory when it had been just the three of them. But it had been nothing compared to him trying on more gowns alongside the actual bride-to-be. Casper ended up waiting by the receptionist desk, just watching Kevin and the five women completely get lost in the thrill of wedding day preparation.

When they got in the car to return to Boston proper, Kevin was positively glowing. “That was awesome! Such a great idea.” He beamed at Casper. “And I think we should do it some more.”

“You want to go try on more wedding dresses?”

Casper was a little surprised when Kevin shook his head. “No. That was fun, but once was enough. Probably. I think we should have the women we know go wedding dress shopping at the stores around. Really scout everything out. Find out what they like that the other stores are doing and what we should do better.”

Pretty brilliant. “I think that’s a great idea. You’re kinda smart, there, Mr. Bivanti.”

“Well, here’s another one. Once we’re ready to open, I’m going to come back here and offer Annie a job. She’s awesome. Really knew her stuff. And that girl can upsell. If you come in looking for a dress, she’s going to make sure you leave with the gown, shoes, bag, jewelry, hairpiece, everything! She even brought out satin insoles so that my feet could feel like they had their own wedding gown.”

Casper cast a sideways glance at Kevin.

“What? Her words, not mine.”

CASPER

CHARU GLARED
at him, though the effect was lost since she still had tears in her eyes from laughing. “I will never forgive you for not inviting me to that. I would pay so much money to see you in a wedding dress.”

Casper grimaced, the memory of his reflection too clear. “I was pretty hideous. I am not an attractive woman. At all.”

“Good thing they make veils. I bet Kevin was gorgeous. The bitch probably had better legs than I do in heels.” Charu picked up her burger but paused before taking a bite. “And don’t confirm that. I don’t want to feel insecure on my wedding day.”

Casper popped a french fry in his mouth but spoke while he chewed. “To be fair, Kevin wouldn’t eat a cheeseburger if his life depended on it, so of course he’d have better legs.”

“I told you not to confirm that.” Her teasing expression shifted. “And what’s up with that? That man doesn’t eat. Every time we’ve ordered takeout at the shop, he gets salad. Sometimes a soup if we’re ordering Chinese. And he doesn’t even finish those.”

Casper tensed a little. He’d been less worried about Kevin for a while, but since New York, Kevin had obviously lost weight again. Casper had hoped he was overly sensitive when it came to Kevin, but if Charu had noticed….

“He’s just really careful about his body, and he works out like crazy. More than anyone I’ve ever met. Plus, not everyone is like you and me. They’re able to get together and not eat.”

She rolled her eyes. “What’s the point in that? And we’re bakers. We’re supposed to be foodies.” She offered Casper one of her onion rings. “And I’m telling you, Kevin is too skinny, and too uptight. He’s going to have an aneurysm from all the stress he puts on himself. Of course, his mom hasn’t keeled over yet, so maybe it’s a hereditary strength. Still, they cleaned the damned floor with toothbrushes, Casper. Toothbrushes!”

Charu was one of Casper’s dearest friends. Part of the beauty of their relationship was that they always got along, even when they disagreed. They never had any power plays to see who would bend first. It took a second for Casper to recognize the feelings she was stirring up. He wasn’t used to it with her. “I think you’re being a little too judgmental. That attention to detail and that commitment to perfection is what will make this whole thing work. And need I remind you, that without Kevin, and his mom, for that matter, you wouldn’t be able to do this with me to begin with.”

“Defensive much?” She sighed and looked a little sad suddenly. “That was a test, Casper. You failed, honey.”

That didn’t make his irritation lessen at all. “What?”

“You’re falling for him.”

“You already knew that. You’ve been teasing me for weeks about it.”

She shook her head, her long black hair shimmering in the diner’s bright lighting. “No. I thought you had a crush and noticed Kevin was gorgeous, like anyone would. I thought it would fade. You’re falling for him, and that’s not good.”

“Why is that so bad? He’s an amazing man, and he broke up with his ex-husband. He’s single. No problems.” He was having a hard time keeping his volume down.

She was making him feel guilty. There was nothing to feel guilty about.

“Have you slept with him already?”

“No!”

She scowled. “That was a fast response.”

“Fine. We kissed and—” Casper told Charu everything, but didn’t really want to confess to slipping in a finger. “We kissed. Weeks ago, when we were in New York. Nothing since then.”

Charu’s expression softened, and she gave an attempt at a smile. “Babe, I’m not trying to hurt you, but I’m worried. Kevin is great. Really. I like him a lot. He’s sweet and funny, and he has been nothing but kind to me. But he’s got some issues. I can feel them, and I know you can too. Doesn’t this remind you of anyone?”

Casper groaned. “I knew you were going to go there.”

“Well, even more proof if you’ve already been thinking it.” Charu wiped her hand on her napkin and patted Casper’s arm over the tabletop. “You can’t start a relationship with a business partner, and even more than that, you can’t start one when you’ll have to play Superman again.”

“I’m not trying to rescue Kevin.”

She cocked an eyebrow.

“I’m not. Josh was different. He was an alcoholic who liked to do a little too much coke from time to time when he was going out with his friends.”

“Which was nearly every night.”

“Exactly! I’m not defending Josh. You’re totally right. I was trying to rescue him. It was stupid, and it screwed me up for a long time. I don’t think I ever really loved him. I just needed to fix him.” Casper noticed his hands were trembling. He picked up his burger to try to distract himself. “This is not the same. Kevin is nothing like that. And whatever feelings I have for him aren’t based on some need to fix him.”

“He’s got issues, Casper. I can’t tell how big or what they are, though I’m betting the whole anal-retentive and food things are key players.” A pleading had crept into her voice. “I just don’t want you to get hurt again.”

“So what if he does have some issues. You expect me to find someone who doesn’t? What about my issues? That I can’t seem to get over my mommy and daddy issues and I can be a bit clingy?” Casper almost got control over his tongue. Almost. “And you? How are your credit cards looking? Indulged in any tiny little shopping sprees lately? Any new Jimmy Choos that don’t exactly fit the budget of a baker?”

Charu’s cheeks flushed, and a hurt look crossed her eyes.

Casper exhaled. “And my ability to lash out a bit when I’m feeling defensive, while we’re at it.” He could feel the vein at his temple throbbing. “Sorry, Charu. That was mean.”

“Well, you make a good point.” She gave a forced smile. “And Josh wasn’t ever that nice, even when he was sober. Kevin’s a total sweetheart.”

“I know there are some issues with Kevin. I do. I’m hoping they’re not what I think… what we think they are. But I’m truly not trying to rescue him. I’ve not felt this way about anyone in… well, maybe ever.”

Her smile grew more genuine. “As long as your eyes are open. And I know you promised yourself you’d never go through what you did with Josh again. You’re too smart for that. I just have to trust you, huh?”

“Yeah.” She was right. He would never let anyone take over his life like he’d allowed Josh to do. Issues or not, this was different. He wasn’t entirely sure how, but it was. He could feel it. Just as surely as he felt right about taking the leap for the bakery.

They ate in silence for a while, allowing the tension to drift away. And it did. She was the sister he’d always wanted his own sister to be. He wasn’t going to allow some little tiff to draw them apart when Charu loved him and just wanted to protect him.

“So, I’ve got a favor to ask.”

Charu brought her attention back to him quickly, looking relieved at the topic change. “Sure. You name it.”