Claire did her best to be evasive with some answers and more detailed with others. Above all she told Emily that she did love him. It didn’t start that way. It was strictly a working relationship. Tony could be a wonderful, kind, romantic, gentle man. She also told Emily that Tony was very private, begging her to not repeat anything about their relationship to the media or anyone else. Claire didn’t understand at first how tenacious the media could be, but the longer she had been with Tony the more apparent it became. She asked again, not for Tony but for her, please don’t share private information with others. Emily said she understood.
Emily was very happy to hear Claire sound so happy and excited about Anthony and the wedding. However, what about her weight, she was too thin. And what about meteorology? Did she plan to ever work again in her chosen field? Claire was tired of all the questions. Formulating answers made her head hurt. She wanted to hear about Emily and John.
Emily proceeded to tell her stories about John and the law firm, and about her class and teaching. She talked about some of their friends in Troy and Albany that Claire knew when she lived with them. She also talked about some friends back in Indiana. Claire laughed as they remembered stories from childhood.
The names were people Claire hadn’t thought about in some time. Her mind wandered, thinking about the guest list for the wedding. She wondered if she had anyone to invite other than Emily and John. She thought about college friends, and that reminded her of Meredith. Claire knew Meredith did not intend for her sneak interview to produce such drastic consequences, but nonetheless it had. Perhaps college friends were better not invited.
They joined the men when they thought the game was nearing its end. However, it was far from over, it was getting interesting. Both men seemed to be cheering for the Saints. Claire wondered how John and Tony would get along. They were both incredibly strong willed. Tony was not accustomed to being anything less than the alpha male. John seemed to respect Tony; after all, he was Anthony Rawlings.
Claire loved and respected John. Ever since the death of her father and her grandfather, John was the man of their family, an omnipresent influential part of her life. Now seeing him there next to Tony, she reconsidered her assessment. Tony dominated in structure, probably four inches taller, and in demeanor more self-assured. They both shouted at the screen as the Saints regained the lead with less than two minutes to go. Then the room fell silent when it appeared the game would be tied with a field goal. The Dallas kicker missed the field goal, wide left, and the men simultaneously stood and cheered. Seeing these two men united in a common goal, Claire felt her chest swell with delight.
After the game they sat in front of a warm fire and enjoyed the lovely view of the city and delicious dessert. As Claire sipped coffee, forgoing dessert, Emily told Tony all about the pies Claire used to make. She explained what a great cook and baker Claire was. Tony seemed very interested in this new information.
They discussed the plans for the next day. Tony needed to work, and John graciously agreed to stay at the hotel and do some work also. Eric, their chauffeur, would bring Claire to their hotel and pick Emily up for the bridal boutique. Emily offered to take a taxi, it was no problem, but Claire and Tony insisted. It was settled. Claire would be at the Hyatt Regency at nine in the morning to pick her up. Their appointment was for ten.
Tony then asked if he and Claire could join them for dinner Friday night. They planned to go back to Iowa on Saturday morning. Claire now understood why Tony had been so vague about their travel plans. John and Emily agreed.
Before they left, Emily hugged Claire like she didn’t want to let go. “I have missed you so much. We’re all we have left. Let’s not stay out of touch again.” Her green eyes shone with sincerity. Claire’s began to tear. She wanted to say so much, but knew she was supposed to be elusive.
Before she could speak, Tony injected, “Emily, we have a wedding in three weeks. I bet you will be tired of hearing from Claire after that!” He laughed. They all laughed. Tony offered them Eric for the ride back to their hotel. John politely declined.
After Jan retrieved their coats, John and Emily left. When the door shut, Claire turned to Tony. “Thank you! Thank you so much. This was absolutely the best Thanksgiving ever. I can’t believe you surprised me like this.”
He smiled but she saw the message in his eyes. “Your sister is extremely inquisitive.” Claire agreed. She said her head hurt from working so diligently on answers. Kissing her cheek, “My dear, you should take an aspirin and retire to our room. I will be up shortly. I have some pressing matters in my office that I must attend to.”
First Claire went to the kitchen to thank Jan for her hard work. She really appreciated all she did to make their Thanksgiving special. Jan seemed genuinely touched and surprised by Claire’s appreciation. While walking up the stairs, she thought about the estate and the top-notch surveillance, perhaps Tony’s work was to review some video footage of her conversation in the dining room. She told herself it would be all right, she had followed all his rules.
A sister shares childhood memories and grown-up dreams.
—Author unknown
Chapter 26
Tony left the apartment early so Eric could drive Claire and Emily to the boutique. On her way to Emily’s hotel, she contemplated her fiancé. By the time he came to bed the night before, Claire was sleeping. She faintly remembered him kissing her, turning out the lights, and feeling relieved. Maybe he hadn’t been reviewing surveillance. Maybe he was doing actual work on Thanksgiving night? No matter, when he came to bed, he wasn’t upset. That morning, before leaving, he hugged her tight and told her to have fun with her sister choosing her wedding gown. Claire wanted to believe her life was as it appeared.
Traffic to the hotel was crazy. Until she saw the multitude of people, she’d forgotten all about Black Friday. The department stores were inundated with hoards of shoppers. It made their destination of a private boutique all that more appealing. The associates would be totally devoted to them. None of this mad rush she witnessed from the windows of the limousine. Smiling faintly, she fondly remembered Black Friday shopping with her mom and Emily when she was young. To save $25, $50, or $100, they would wake at three in the morning and stand in multiple lines. It sounded unpleasant, but the memories were warm.
Eric approached the Hyatt Regency a few minutes before nine. Emily wasn’t waiting. “Miss, would you like me to go to the front desk and inquire of Mrs. Vandersol?”
Claire thought a moment. “No, we will give her a few minutes, and then I will go in.” Emily hadn’t read the Anthony Rawlings’s rules of punctuality memo. Claire decided she deserved some slack. Five minutes after nine, Emily emerged from the lobby. Eric quickly got out of the car and opened the door. Emily entered the limousine. She hugged Claire again and looked around at the leather seats and splendor.
“Seriously, this is how you get around New York?” Claire said yes. “And you don’t feel ostentatious? Perhaps you haven’t heard our country is in an economic downturn.”
Eric pulled away from the curb, and they entered traffic. It wasn’t the stop-and-go traffic that caused Claire’s neck muscles to tighten, more the sudden onset of defensiveness. “Emily, please don’t judge me or Tony. I want you to be part of our wedding. Let’s have fun looking for dresses.”
Emily exhaled and sat back on the seat. “Claire, I want to. I really do.” Claire could tell there was a “but” coming. “But John and I sat up for hours discussing you and Anthony.”
Sitting straighter, she asked, “What did the two of you decide?”
“We decided we love you. We are so happy that Anthony invited us to get to see you. But here is one of our concerns.” Claire raised her eyebrows, Emily continued, “Why did Anthony need to invite us? Why couldn’t you?”
Claire’s head almost touched the ceiling. She sat so straight and looked Emily directly in the eye. “Emily, that is ridiculous. I could. I told you things have just been busy. With his sch
edule, we are all over the place, as I am sure you’ve read about in the newspapers. I didn’t even know until last week that Tony was needed in New York.” And then to clarify, she added, “He didn’t know until then. He has a lot on his plate.”
“Uh . . . hmmm, please know we are just concerned. It seems like you’re a different person.” The conversation paused, and Emily continued, “That isn’t necessarily bad, but it makes us uncomfortable.” Emily saw her sister: polished, refined, stylish, elegant, and worldly. Not the little sister she knew. “I have tried to learn about Anthony Rawlings. Everything I found about him on Google is business related. He has an impressive reputation as a businessman, but I cannot find anything about him personally.”
“Emily, he is an impressive private man too. But I must emphasize private. He asked me to join him in his private personal life. I want you and John there, but you must respect the importance of his confidentiality.”
They sat in standstill traffic. “Okay, we can do that. But we worry about you. Don’t you get to have a life too?”
Claire felt her blood pressure rise. She needed to defend the life she’d despised for months. It was time to utilize the compartmentalization, bring out the good stuff. “Just because I haven’t contacted you doesn’t mean I don’t have a life. I do. I have a very full and rewarding life. I live in a beautiful home. We attend a number of events and functions. I’ve met wonderful friends in the Quad Cities area.” She surveyed Emily’s reaction. “I’m not doing meteorology currently, but I am working with Tony. As I said, he is a very busy man, with a busy schedule.” She didn’t need to offer more explanation.
The car moved again. “Are you living with Anthony there? And how long have you been living with him?”
Claire exhaled; as much as it killed her she knew she couldn’t spend her day like this. It was too much work, and although it was early her head pounded. “Okay. Emily, I am sorry this didn’t work.” Claire suddenly pushed the button to open the window to Eric. “Eric, we have a change of plans. You may drop me off at the boutique, but Mrs. Vandersol will be going back to the Hyatt.”
Emily stared at Claire in disbelief. Eric answered, “Yes, miss.”
Claire shut the window. She sat back in the seat, didn’t speak or look at Emily. She should be sad, but truly she was mad. She also realized she’d behaved like Tony. Perhaps she was being too cautious about his rules, but she knew too well that behaviors had consequences. Given the choice, she’d choose to err on the side of Tony.
“Claire, I am sorry. You’re obviously a strong independent woman. I think of you as my kid sister, someone who needs us to look out for her. Anthony Rawlings is lucky to have you in his life. I still don’t understand how it all happened. I don’t care how wonderful he is. He is the fortunate one in this relationship. I love you and want to be a part of your wedding. If this is what you want, we will support you 100 percent.”
Claire was too emotional to be completely like Tony. Overwhelmed with a sense of relief, she reached over, hugged Emily, and smiled. “Good! Let’s put this behind us and have fun looking at dresses!” Pushing the button again, she said, “Eric, we are both going to the bridal boutique.” She closed the window.
“One more thing though.” Concern showed in Emily’s green eyes. Claire exhaled, she didn’t want to hear one more thing.
“John is planning to speak to you tonight about your prenuptial agreement.”
“What? I don’t know anything about that, he should talk to Tony.” Claire thought about that scenario. “On second thought, no, tell him not to worry about it. I totally trust Tony, and I honestly couldn’t care less about his money. It really isn’t an issue. Tell John to forget it.” Emily said she would tell him, but couldn’t make any promises. After all he was an attorney, and Claire was his kid sister-in-law.
The entrance to the boutique was a grand ten-foot door surrounded by limestone. Above the door was a street number but no visible store name. There were no gowns in the window or advertisements evident, a different experience from when they had shopped for Emily’s dress. Claire knew from past boutique shopping that to enter the boutique you needed to ring the bell. However, Eric called ahead and as he parked the car and opened the door for Claire and Emily, the door of the boutique opened.
A woman in her fifties or sixties dressed in posh business attire rushed out to welcome Ms. Nichols to their modest boutique. She introduced herself, Sharon Springhill. As she ushered the women into the shop, she gushed, “Ms. Nichols, we were so happy to receive Mr. Rawlings’s call yesterday. Since that moment we have worked diligently to create a collection especially for you. We truly hope that you, the future Mrs. Anthony Rawlings, will find the dress of your dreams today.”
Claire did her best to play the person she’d become. Looking at Emily she could sense her uneasiness and decided this was an opportunity to educate her sister. “Ms. Springhill, I am very excited to be here today. Mr. Rawlings told me the wonderful reputation of your boutique. I appreciate you taking the time to personally assist me on this holiday weekend.” Ms. Springhill thanked Claire for the kind words. (Emily witnessed Claire’s ease with the situation.) “Now, Ms. Springhill, this is my sister, Mrs. Vandersol. She will be my matron-of-honor. Perhaps Mr. Rawlings informed you our wedding will be on December 18. I am hopeful that you will not only be able to assist me with my dress, but also one for my sister.” (Emily would experience the treatment Claire endured.)
Emily was immediately met with her own entourage of associates. Claire smiled at her sister as their eyes met. Emily shook her head, it didn’t seem real. The women were offered coffee, water, tea, and champagne. Next they were escorted to seats in front of an open area. It reminded Claire of a dance floor in a hotel reception hall. Ms. Springhill explained to the ladies that she put together a collection especially for Mrs. Rawlings. It included many of the top wedding gown designers: Vera Wang, Oscar de la Renta, Manuel Mota, Monique Lhuiller, Maggie Sultero, Winnie Couture, and Mieko, as well as others. “Please sit back and relax while models display the most extravagant and stunning wedding gowns you have ever seen. Feel free to make any requests. If you choose, you may see any gowns again, and please touch the magnificent fabrics.
“Ms. Nichols, once you narrow the selection you may try on those gowns. We will then take your measurements so that the gown of your dreams will be tailored specifically for you. Also, if you desire a certain gown but would like something changed, the designer can be contacted and every effort will be made to accommodate your desire.
“After the wedding gowns, they will gladly repeat the process for Mrs. Vandersol. Is there anything we can get you to make you ladies more comfortable?” Claire told her they were fine and excited to see the gowns.
The decision proved incredibly difficult. Most of the gowns were exquisite. Actually, some were a little strange, Claire and Emily exchanged glances. However, most were elegant. There were glamorous gowns with bold contrasts in volume, rich fabrics such as lace, organza, or heron, and the finest accessories. Some were covered with drapes that were bound with precious-stone details, natural folds, pleats, ruffles, or tulle.
There were fashionable gowns with very thin and light materials in fluid, sheer, and mermaid-cut styles. These were made with soft fabrics like chiffon, pleated chiffon, or morbid tulle. They accentuated curves, had impeccable details such as asymmetrical necklines, floral appliqué, feathers, or rich gemstone embroideries.
The Oscar de la Renta and Monique Lhuiller gowns were created in an attempt to recreate a world of dreams and pure fantasy. These wedding dresses had flattering strapless necklines, meticulously enhancing the waist, and skirts with spectacular volume. They included stunning A-line and mermaid styles, lined with thousands of feathers, cascading ruffles, and magical applications. Claire thought they would make Cinderella or Belle proud.
The sisters watched models for two hours and Claire created a short list of over ten dresses. She felt overwhelmed. Ms. Springhill sugg
ested that Ms. Nichols and Mrs. Vandersol enjoy a light lunch while they saw the ten dresses again.
While dining on chicken salad on a bed of lettuce with a side of fruit and iced tea, Claire narrowed the race to four. They varied significantly. The first gown had a beautiful A-line neck with a mermaid bodice and a large skirt covered in fine feathers. The skirt could be bustled or left down for a chapel-length train. The next gown, by Oscar de la Renta, was crafted from the highest quality chiffon and a flowing full satin skirt with a mermaid bodice that was accented with intricate hand embellishments and glistening Swarovski crystals. The third was strapless with an empire waist, the underlay made with morbid tulle and a sheer overlay embossed with floral appliqués of lace and gem stones. And the fourth, by Vera Wang, was very creative, classical smooth lightweight silk chiffon designed to hug the bodice, with a full, flowing chiffon skirt. What made this gown different was the embroidered lace off-the-shoulder overlay that created lace sleeves and a chapel-length train. The decision made, Claire would try on the four dresses.
First they needed to see the matron-of-honor dresses. Emily was slightly taller than and not as lean as Claire. The dresses they viewed were mostly black or silver, but Ms. Springhill promised any color that Claire desired. Claire smiled. “That is wonderful we will be able to get pink!” Ms. Springhill didn’t know she was teasing. The ladies snickered.
They narrowed it to a satin Oscar de la Renta gown with a tighter skirt, a Valentino gown with a lace overlay, and a Monique Lhuiller gown that would be perfect with Claire’s second choice. They realized Claire must choose her wedding gown first and then the matron-of-honor’s dress would be chosen to complement.
At two thirty they began trying on gowns. When Claire looked at her watch she had a sickening feeling that the process was taking too long. She worried that Tony would wonder where they were. Or perhaps he might think they went somewhere else? She would let him know how time-consuming the process was as soon as she got the chance.