There was nothing important, and once he slipped it into his pocket, he found himself watching Daniel as he moved around Holly, adjusting the way the dress hung. He also tugged at the square bodice of the dress, speaking softly to Holly, who lowered her gaze and shook her head.
“Don’t worry. I can fix it. I’ve been making my own clothes for years.” He flashed a bright smile in James’s direction and nodded. It was truly going to be all right.
“I think that’s it.” Daniel stepped back and had Holly slowly turn around. “Why don’t you go take off the dress. Just be really careful—there are a ton of pins.” Holly carefully stepped down, and Clare went with her into the back of the store once again. Daniel drank the last of his coffee and tossed the cup in the trash before sitting down next to James.
“Thank you.” He was so grateful for what Daniel was doing to basically save the wedding.
“Your mother really messed that up for her. I have no idea what she was thinking. But I will say this, the store certainly should have contacted her before they changed Holly’s order.” Daniel sighed. “I can make this work, somehow. I will, because I am not going to let your sister walk down the aisle on her special day in anything that doesn’t make her look the way she deserves to look.” The determination in Daniel’s expression drew James closer before he realized it was happening.
Holly joined them, and Clare brought out the dress in a plastic protective cover, carefully laid over her arm, and handed it to Daniel. She clearly felt bad, but it wasn’t her fault.
“Let’s get back to the house so I can plan how I’m going to do this before we need to leave for your meeting at the church,” Daniel told Holly gently. “It’s going to be okay.” Daniel handed the dress to him and then hugged Holly. “I’ll do my very best.”
* * *
“Are you really going to be able to fix this?” James asked, standing behind Daniel as he worked in the bedroom with the dress laid out on the bed, pins everywhere. “It seems like a huge amount of work.”
“It is.” Daniel turned to the open door, and James closed it for privacy, returning to where Daniel sat as he made notes. “I have to do something. This dress is all wrong for her.” He sighed, and James massaged Daniel’s shoulders.
“What can I do to help?” he asked. James was probably going to regret asking. He knew nothing at all about sewing, but the job just seemed huge.
“Believe it or not, you’re doing it.” Daniel set down the notebook and pencil. “At least now I know what I’m going to do.” He rubbed his eyes. “When are we supposed to leave?”
“You don’t need to come.”
“We told your sister we’d go with her and Howard. Besides, I need a break before I tackle this thing. I’m going to have to pick apart the seams and resew them. It’s fiddly work, but not the most complicated thing I’ve done.”
James leaned down, hugging Daniel from behind. “You’re a real lifesaver, you know that? Mom can sew, but I doubt she’s up for this kind of project.” Even though she should be the one fixing this mess.
“We have to get ready to go. Howard picked up Holly a little while ago. I think he’s doing his best to keep her calm, and that’s probably the only reason Mom hasn’t been hung up by her ears.” Why she had to meddle in everything and thought she knew better than everyone else was a mystery to him. She always seemed to think Holly exaggerated the size she wore. Mom was always sorry after she meddled, but she just couldn’t seem to help herself. If she would have left things alone, none of this would be necessary. But on the other hand, Daniel had come to the rescue.
Daniel nodded. “Let’s make this as quick as possible so I can get back here to work on this before we go to the parties tonight.”
James nodded, but stopped Daniel with a light touch before he reached the door. “I want you to know that all those guys, the losers…were also complete fools to let you slip through their fingers.” Daniel’s eyes shone, and James nodded. “None of them had a clue.” Daniel squeezed his fingers, and James felt that pull once again. Daniel’s lips parted, and James didn’t see the dress, the makeup, or the fake chest. All he saw was the man under the trappings, the one with the kind heart, hiding it under a veneer of sass and one-liners.
He was becoming more and more confused by the hour, not about his feelings, but by what was real. So many of the things between them were built on an illusion that James had no idea what the underlying truth was. The shitty thing was that he was responsible for the sleight of hand in this situation, and that settled in his gut like a lump. Even though his heart told him to just back away and think things through, put some distance between them, he still drew nearer, and felt Daniel doing the same.