Every Bride Needs a Groom by Janice Thompson Page A

was from South Carolina. Or Alabama. Or Georgia.
    Turned out I was right on the last count. She hailed from Georgia. Looked like we had another thing in common: peaches. All of this I learned in only a couple minutes of knowing her. And the fact that she had a passion for fashion, as she put it.
    The three girls seemed giddy and fun as they took photos of me and then shared about their various jobs at the shop, but Madge was all business. “I’ll show you around until Nadia is free.” She turned her attention to Brady and smiled. “Sound agreeable?”
    â€œSure.” He shrugged. “Not sure it’ll take very long.”
    â€œAre you kidding?” I glanced at the racks on my right. “I live, eat, sleep, and breathe wedding gowns. This is like heaven to me.” I glanced around the room. “Everything is so . . . white.”
    â€œJust how you pictured heaven, then?”
    â€œWell, close.” I released a happy sigh. “Just waiting for the angel choir to chime in.”
    â€œMy pitch is terrible,” Madge said. “So don’t count on me for any angel action.”
    Brady laughed and gave her a hug. “Well, enjoy yourselves, ladies. I’ll let Mom know you’re here. If anyone needs me after that, I’ll be in my office.”
    I still couldn’t quite figure out what a pro basketball player was doing with an office at a bridal shop, even a shop owned by a family member. Had he traded in his running shoes for gowns and veils? Very odd. I tried to picture the look on Casey’s face should he see his favorite player seated behind a desk at a bridal salon, but I couldn’t. No doubt he would cringe at the very idea. Then again, what did it matter what Casey thought?
    Madge’s words interrupted my own thoughts. “We’ll start with existing gowns so you can see Nadia’s work,” she said. “It should inspire you. She’s going to be creating yours from scratch, you know, based on your favorite movie or TV star.”
    â€œOr singer,” Twiggy chimed in.
    â€œYes, or singer.” Madge nodded. “Point is, you get to choose the person who inspires you, and Nadia will take it from there.”
    â€œShe does such a spectacular job of capturing the look and feel of that person in the gown,” Crystal said. “Have you seen the Katharine Hepburn gown? It’s like you’ve stepped back in time.”
    â€œI’m sure they’re all great,” I said. “But I really need to tell you that . . .” My words trailed off. I couldn’t seem to spit out the rest.
    â€œOh, it’s okay, honey,” Madge said. “No need to spill the whole story right off. You need time to think it through, I suppose.”
    â€œTime to choose the best parts of the story for the Texas Bride interview,” Crystal added.
    â€œIn the meantime, I’ll show you the inner sanctum. Nadia’s design studio.” Madge leaned close to whisper, “Almost no one gets to go in there, so you have to promise not to share what you see until that reporter from Texas Bride comes to interview you. It’s all top-secret information until then. Got it?”
    â€œGot it,” I echoed. “But that’s really why I’ve come. I have something I need to tell you that’s kind of a secret too.”
    â€œOoh, inquiring minds want to know.” Madge laughed.
    â€œKatie’s great at keeping secrets.” Lori-Lou gave me a “please don’t spill the beans until after she’s shown us around the shop” look, and I obliged by closing my mouth and trailing on Madge’s heels.
    I elbowed my ornery cousin and mouthed the words, “I have to tell them.”
    She gave me a bemused smile, followed by a wink. Goofy girl. Did she not understand that I couldn’t go through with this?
    We saw the gowns, many of which took my breath away. I’d never seen so many