Veronica explains that all of us can choose a dress for Casey, including herself, and we'll go from there. Mrs. Taylor wastes no time searching through the dresses. Casey follows her mom's lead and I head towards the opposite wall to look. Casey hasn't expressed what type of dress she wants. I don't know if she'll want mermaid or ball gown, or if she wants a sweetheart neckline or a plunging one. Tulle, beads, sparkle, lace, silk, and every fabric possible catches my eye. One in particular gets my attention. I pull it from the rack and examine it. It has small sleeves, maybe meant to fall off the shoulder, and the bodice is almost a sheer lace material. The lace continues down the dress with a light tulle layer covering it. It's actually kind of beautiful. "Found my pick," I say, walking over to the Taylor girls. Casey has a dress in her arms and her mom is pulling out a dress. Mrs. Taylor's face lights up and she grins widely. "This is it," she says. "I know it." Veronica comes back with a dress in her hands. She takes the dresses from all of us and has Casey follow her to the changing room. Mrs. Taylor and I sit on the small gray couch near the mirrors. She finishes her champagne while mine is only half empty. "I hope she tries on mine first. I have a good feeling about it," she says, shifting in her seat. A few minutes later Casey emerges from the dressing room wearing a monstrous white dress that is practically consuming her. She stands on the little podium in front of the mirrors and smooths her hands over the dress. It's a satin material that reminds me a lot of my prom dress senior year. Casey faces us and I see how plain the front looks. The bodice is entirely made up of the stain material, even the straps over her shoulders. It just looks too simple. Mrs. Taylor's face is unreadable. "Well, I think I liked it better on the hanger." "It's not terrible, mom," Casey says, looking herself over in the mirror. "It does have pockets." Mrs. Taylor shakes her head and scrunches her nose. "It's not enough." Casey looks at me. "I gotta agree with your mom here," I say. "It's not you." Casey nods. "On to the next." She disappears back to the dressing room and Mrs. Taylor browses through the dresses again. Casey comes out in her pick, and Veronica's picks, which are pretty, but not really enough. When Casey emerges wearing the dress I picked, I see the vision, and the dress is almost there. Casey seems to agree. She likes the off the shoulder look, but needs a fuller skirt to get the bridal moment. We scan through the racks again and I hope we can find one that will be perfect. Our appointment time is running down and I'm getting anxious. Veronica seems to be thinking hard and she goes straight to the corner of the racks. "I know we have it," she says as she sifts through the dresses. She pulls one out and shows it to Mrs. Taylor, who looks at the price tag. Her eyes widen. "Why is it discounted so much?" "We don't usually keep dresses for more than a year, but we were certain this one would sell. No one was ever interested in it," Veronica explains. "I think this one might work." She takes it to Casey in the room and Mrs. Taylor and I sit again. "I really have to see the dress on before I judge," Mrs. Taylor says, crossing her legs. Casey walks in with the dress on and my breath catches in my throat. If this isn't a wow moment for her, I'm going to be disappointed because the dress is absolutely perfect. The dress has a sweetheart neckline and would almost be strapless without the thin hanging straps made of small pieces of fabric mimicking leaves or petals. That leaf/petal fabric dips into the neckline and seems to cascade down the dress like a waterfall. The waist is cinched before turning into an A-line skirt. There's a slight shimmer in the tulle under the petals, bringing just the right amount of glam to the dress without overpowering it. The dress is on the longer side, so Casey has to hold it up as she walks to the podium. Her eyes scan over the dress and for a moment no one says anything. "Mom?" Casey asks. Mrs. Taylor has a gleam in her eye like she's about to start crying. She blinks quickly and wipes her eyes. "Oh, it's stunning," she finally says. I feel my eyes burning and I take a deep breath to stop myself from crying too. The dress looks so amazing on Casey and she's not saying anything, which makes me nervous. "Lacey?" she asks me. "I think it's perfect," I say, smiling at her. Casey lets out a breath like she's been holding it forever. "Oh, good. I was hoping you guys would love it because I think this is the one." Mrs. Taylor starts wiping her eyes furiously and Casey walks over to her to give her a hug. They smile and laugh at each other and the moment is so tender. A particular sadness hits me. I'll never get a moment like that with my mom. I push those thoughts away because this is not the time to be selfish about what I don't have. This is Casey's moment and whatever sadness I feel I can cry about later. Casey and Veronica discuss hemming the bottom of the dress so it isn't super long. The woman who gave us champagne takes me to a section where the bridesmaid dresses are so I can get a headstart on picking. Casey told me she wants the bridesmaid dresses to be a light pink or a blush color. It's a little vague because of the color variation between those two, but I'm going to make it work. The bridesmaid section is a lot smaller, so there are less dresses to choose from, but I see a lot of pink. Soon Casey and Mrs. Taylor join me and we eventually settle on a long, light pink dress with a higher neckline, even though that isn't what Casey wants. She said she might like the same neckline as her dress, but there are only so many dresses we can get on short notice that come in this color. The dress they have out is my size so Casey urges me to try it on to see what it looks like on. In the changing room I slip the dress on easily and I instantly like how it feels. It's a silky material with a slit on the side that goes up to my knee. It drapes over my body pretty nicely and it feels lightweight. I walk out and Casey immediately gives me the thumbs up. "I love it already," she says. "I actually like the neckline on you. It'll look great on Lauren and Ivy too." She snaps a picture of the dress so she can send it to them. "It's the perfect color." After I change out of the dress we talk with Veronica about pricing and down payments and such. We leave quickly to catch the appointment at the venue, which is closer to the outskirts of town. Online it looked pretty nice, but there were different areas for the wedding. An outdoor garden area, a modern indoor area, and an area with a small chapel. Mrs. Taylor follows us to the venue. Casey explains there was an opening the weekend she wanted because a bride canceled on the venue. She says the garden area is open, but has some worries over the weather. When we arrive, we're met by the manager of the venue. He's a short man with a balding head. He explains the previous brides plans, saying they were to marry in the small chapel and have the reception in the garden area. Casey seems to like that idea too. The manager shows us the chapel, which is small, but Case doesn't mind. The garden is absolutely gorgeous. Green bushes outline the area leading to an arch where the entrance is. Looming trees hang over the circular tables along the sides. A wooden dance floor is in the middle of everything and Casey starts to envision where everyone will sit. The manager talks about their catering services, DJ services, and other amenities if needed. Casey seems blown away by it all until she starts to worry about the price. The price for everything is more than she anticipated, but Mrs. Taylor assures her that they'll help her and Levi out with the costs. The appointment ends with Casey signing some papers and Mrs. Taylor making the deposit. When we walk out it's already going on two o'clock. Mrs. Taylor leaves and Casey and I head into town for a late lunch. We find ourselves at a small sandwich shop and we dig into the food like we haven't eaten in five years. "Okay," Casey says, setting her sandwich down. She reaches into her purse and pulls out a paper, unfolding it so I can see it. It's a long list of wedding goals. "I can scratch the venue, the dress, and the bridesmaid dresses. I already sent Levi on a mission to do the cake." She has a lot of her list crossed off already. "You already got the flowers and photographer?" I ask her. "One of my regulars at the restaurant owns a floral shop and he said he'll give me a discount on the flowers and won't charge me a delivery fee," she shrugs. "The photographer is a college student. She's only nineteen, but her photos are amazing and her prices are reasonable." "So," I say glancing over the list. "Legal documents for license, hair and makeup, and tuxedos seem to be the bigger issues now." She twists her face. "I got a sample fabric of the bridesmaid dress to give to Levi so him and the boys can find vests to match for the tuxedos. I'm putting a lot of trust in Levi, but I also gave him a list of what not to get." My phone vibrates and I expect it to be Ben, but a new number pops up. I quickly read over the message. Hey, it's Dylan. I emailed HR about the job earlier this week, but haven't heard back. Just letting you know "Hair and makeup might just be me with your help. I don't know if I can trust anyone else to do it. Plus, I'm getting low on our budget so it'll be better if it's me anyway," Casey continues. I nod along, so she knows I'm listening. Then I text Dylan back. Thanks. I really appreciate it "Are you texting Ben," she elongates his name in a sing song voice. A feel a smirk on my face. "Actually no. It's Dylan." Her eyebrows raise. "Wow, okay." Before she can get any ideas I say, "He said his company might have a job for me so he's just checking in with me about it." She seems suspicious. "Isn't it a little weird that you might work in the same company as him?" "It's two totally different areas," I shake my head. "I probably won't get the job anyway." There's a different look on her face and I can't tell what she's thinking. "What?" I ask. It doesn't look like she wants to speak her mind, but she sighs. "I don't know. I like Ben, but there's a teeny-tiny part of me that wants you back with Dylan." "Oh god, don't say that," I say, leaning back in my seat. Things are already too weird and if I catch myself feeling something for Dylan again it might turn disastrous. "Okay, okay, forget I said it," she surrenders. "Ben is definitely a cutie and a keeper." I like Ben, I do. I'm just waiting for the flaw to blow up in my face. There's no way he can be this perfect. "Anyway," I say, thinking of something else to talk about. "What about the bridal shower?" She tilts her head. "Um, I completely forgot about that." She seems to be in a panic as she pulls out her phone and starts to type furiously. The stress of the wedding is back again as I think of the bridal shower. Even the bachelorette party is creeping up. As the maid of honor, that's going to be my job and I have no idea what to do. Maybe Cora or Bee can help me