Chapter 57: Hold On

His chuckle makes me uneasy, but I nod my head in agreement. “Ok, Dad. If it’ll help you out, I’ll do it. Representing the Burke seat will be a small thing since I’m already going to be there.”

“Good. Thank you, Amy,” he says, nodding and grinning at me. “You’ll need a new dress, something more formal, like a gown. It’s more black tie than anything, but you’ll want to stick with the family colors. Maybe a cross between Burke and Vollmer colors… I can call Jessie and schedule an appointment for you, if you’d like?”

“Would they be able to complete a custom gown in time, Dad?” I ask. “I mean, it’s this Friday.” “It’ll cost a little more, but they can do it in three days. You’ll need to go today so you don’t

have to miss class tomorrow.”

“Okay. Thanks, Dad!” I tell him, kissing his cheek and running upstairs to get dressed. After about ten minutes, I’m skipping back downstairs with a smile on my face.

“Jessie has you on the books for noon, Ames,” Dad says, holding out the keys for the Mercedes.

“Thanks, Dad.” I kiss his cheek as I grab the keys and my purse, heading out the door before he can change his mind.

I check the clock as I pull into the Jessie’s Dresses parking lot and am relieved to see that I have half an hour to spare. After I’ve parked, I grab a latte from the coffee shop next to the dress store before heading inside for my appointment. As I enter the cozy boutique, the small frame of Jessie Jameson greets me in a flurry of fabric and sequins.

“Oh, Amy! I’m so happy to see you. It’s been so long since you’ve come to me for a dress! I’m excited to design a gown for you! Your father informed me that we’re looking at blue and green, is

that correct?” she asks, pushing her round glasses further up her nose as she walks around me, inspecting every inch of my frame.

“Yes, Jessie.” I giggle when she squeals excitedly, pulling me to the platform in the center of the back room.

“Excellent, dear. I have just the fabric, but let’s start with some base designs,” she says, rushing around the room to grab various dresses and gowns in different cuts before setting them on a stool before me. “Let’s see here.” She holds different swaths of fabric up to my cheeks, clicking her tongue in approval or disapproval before holding up another. “No, no, yes, no …”

After tossing most of the fabric samples aside, she settles on two: one a metallic, forest green, and the other a deep, shimmering blue.

“Now, let’s see you in some of these gowns so we can figure out what works with your figure,

dear.”

She waves at the pile of dresses before helping me into them, one after another.

“Alright, looks like I have a good idea of what will look good on you in these colors, dear.

Now I just need a few more measurements, and you can be on your way, alright?”

I laugh and nod my head. Jessie’s always been an overly excited person who moves at a whole different pace from the rest of the world, but she’s the best in her field. She holds the tape measure up to me, wrapping it around various parts of my body and clicking her tongue before making notes on a tablet in her hands.

Once she finally finishes and allows me to put my clothes back on, I stretch my aching back, ready to be done with the process.

“You’re going to love the gown, dear,” she says. “Let’s see here … We’ll be able to get started on this today, so you can come back on Wednesday for the final fitting. We’ll have the final product and accessories delivered to your house Friday afternoon.” She clicks her tongue happily as she walks away, leaving me to find my way out. I leave the boutique with a smile, calling a thanks over my shoulder as the door chimes.

Wednesday comes quicker than I expected, and before I realize it, I’m heading back down to the dress shop with Dad. As usual, Jessie greets us at the door, fliting about excitedly. Dad watches the small woman with a fond smile. She bounces from one side of the store to the other while one of her assistants ushers us into the back room. Dad takes a seat off to the side while I’m shepherded behind the curtain. Jessie herself rushes into the room with a bundle of green and blue fabric in her hands.

With a little help, I slip into a dress that fits like a glove. After Jessie has zipped up the side of the gown, she has me spin around, not allowing me to view myself in the mirror until she’s inspected every inch.

“Hmmm, yes, yes. We need to let out this seem … let’s see, an eighth inch, and take the bust in a quarter inch so she doesn’t spill out,” she mutters to her assistant, who’s hastily typing on a tablet. Jessie waves over another girl, who brings a pair of silver, strappy heels with green and blue

alternating sequins. Jessie notices me admiring the shoes and grins. “Emeralds and aquamarines, dear. Your father wanted to spare no expense.”

The assistant stops before me and helps me slide into the gorgeous shoes while a third woman places a silver necklace with a teardrop-shaped gem around my neck.

Once the necklace is situated to rest perfectly at the hollow of my throat, the girl who brought the shoes hands me a pair of matching earrings, which I quickly slide through the holes in my earlobes. The woman who handed me the necklace returns with two silver cuff bracelets, each with a ring of green and blue gems. After everything has been placed on me, the four designers step back and admire their work with matching smiles.

“She’s gorgeous.” “Beautiful.”

“Perfect. You’re really outdone yourself this time, Jess.”

“I know, ladies. After all, we can’t have the Terran princess going to a ball in a potato sack, now can we?” Jessie laughs. She walks around me one last time before stopping in front of me with a smile. “I suppose you want to see, huh, Amy?” With a laugh, I nod, barely able to keep myself from bouncing like an excited eight-year-old. “Let her see, ladies!” Jessie says with a flourish.

Two of the assistants tug on the curtains covering the mirrors, letting me finally see the finished product with an excited gasp.

“Oh, Jessie, it’s perfect!” I spin in a circle, admiring myself from every angle. I don’t even recognize myself. The dress is a flowing, silken fabric that shimmers with every move. The dress is strapless with off the shoulder fringes, a form fitting bust that tapers down to flare appealingly at my hips. The dress narrows again near my knees before flaring out again near my ankles. The fabric is a gradient of greens and blues, starting as a deep, forest green at the shoulders and ending as a shimmering, ocean blue at my feet. When I turn, the gems on my shoes peek out from beneath the dress, adding the illusion of shimmering water.

“I’ll send someone to help with your hair and makeup on Friday,” Jessie says. “Of course, you also have a matching tiara. Nothing fancy, but it’s part of the station.”

“Thank you, Jessie.”

“I’m glad you like it, dear. Shall we show your father?” she asks with a smile.

I nod and allow the woman to help me down from the platform and follow her out into the private sitting area. When we emerge, Dad is reading a magazine, but he looks up quickly when Jessie clears her throat. It takes him a moment to notice me, but I can tell when he does, because his mouth drops open and his eyes widen in shock. Giggling at his reaction, I spin in a circle to let him see the full effect.

“Oh, wow. Ames, you look amazing. Thank you, Jessie. Once again, you’ve outdone yourself.” “Not a problem, your majesty,” she says with a curtsey.

Dad growls playfully at her. “You know we’ve done away with those titles, Jess. I’m just plain

old Councilman Burke now.”

Jessie chuckles and shakes her head. “You’ll always be a king, Richard, regardless of what title you hold.”