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  Di pointed at Min. “You’re my sister and you’re going to be my maid of honor and you’re going to look beautiful because that lavender is just your color and it’s all going to be perfect.” She had the same maniacal look in her eye that Nanette did, so Min shut up.

  “Well, there’s nothing we can do about it now.” Nanette stood up, disgusted. “You were late, and we have a million things to do. The dinner’s in three hours, for heaven’s sake. You’ll have to try on the rehearsal dinner dress without us.”

  “Rehearsal dinner dress?” Min said. “Why—”

  “I found something for you that will be slimming.” Nanette shook her head at her eldest daughter, the disappointment. “Make sure the hem is in the right place. If it cuts you at the knees, your legs will look like fence posts.”

  “Thank you, Mother,” Min said, figuring this was a fight she didn’t care about. She just felt tired.

  Her mother stopped and met her eyes. “I know you think I’m awful. But I know how the world works. And it’s not kind to fat people, Min. It’s especially not kind to fat women. I want to see you happy and safe, married to a good man, and it’s not going to happen if you don’t lose that weight.”

  “She’s not fat,” Diana said from behind her. “She is NOT FAT.”

  “Not your loud voice,” Nanette said, and Diana glared at her.

  “Screw my loud voice, stop telling her she’s fat.” Diana stopped, looking as surprised as Nanette and Min that she’d said it. She went on, in a calmer voice. “Leave her alone.”

  Nanette shook her head and leaned forward to grip Min by the upper arms. “I just want you to be happy,” she said, and then stopped and squeezed Min’s arms again. “Have you been lifting weights the way I told you to? Because if your arms aren’t toned, those chiffon sleeves—”

  “We have to go now,” Diana said, pushing her mother toward the door. “We’ll be late as it is.” She turned back at the door and said, “You look great,” before she left, too.

  “Yeah,” Min said and turned back to look at herself in the mirror. The chiffon blouse wasn’t too bad, but her breasts were just obnoxious. “Oh, Lord,” she said, and tried to sit down but the skirt was too tight.

  “Wait a minute, wait a minute,” the fitter said and scurried around behind her to unzip the skirt before it split.

  “I hate this,” Min said as she stepped out of the skirt.

  “The color is wonderful on you,” the fitter said, and Min looked back into the mirror and thought, She’s right. Diana has a perfect eye for that kind of thing. “You’re lucky you didn’t get the green one,” the fitter went on as she unlaced the corset and Min began to breathe again. “The colors are going to look lovely going down the aisle, green and blue and your blue-violet, but the little blonde who has to wear the green is so unhappy about it.”

  Wet, Min thought. Well, that’s what you get for dating the groom.

  “Now, I’ll bring you the dinner dress, and we’ll get you all fixed up.”

  “Yeah,” Min said. She took the blouse off and stood looking at herself in the mirror. Full breasts, full hips, full thighs . . . She tried to remember what Cal had said but her mother’s voice was louder.

  “Here we go,” the fitter said, coming back. “We’ll just slip this over your head . . .”

  Min looked at herself in the mirror as the dresser zipped her up. Her mother had chosen black, of course, a sheath dress with a vertical white insert down the front that made her look vaguely like a penguin. V-shaped inserts at the waist were supposed to give the illusion of a waistline but instead made her look like a penguin whose bow tie was riding low.

  “It’s very slimming,” the fitter said.

  “Right,” Min said, and picked up her mother’s apple. “Slimming.”

  From behind her Cal said, “God, that’s an ugly dress,” and she turned to see him leaning in the doorway, holding a bottle of wine and two glasses.

  Min’s heart gave a leap. “Oh, good, it’s you.”

  “What were you thinking, Minnie?” Cal said, coming into the room, his eyes on hers. “Take that thing off. It’s an insult to your body.”

  “Only one of many today,” Min said. “My mother picked this out. She has excellent taste.”

  “I don’t think so.” Cal put everything on the low table by the couch. “I could pick out a better dress than that.”

  “You’re on,” Min said. “I’ll give you five minutes while I eat this apple, and then we’re hemming this thing so my legs don’t look like fence posts. Did you bring a corkscrew? I could use the wine, too.”

  Cal took the apple out of her hand. “Apples and wine? I don’t think so.” He tossed the apple in the small gold wastebasket beside the table and pulled a corkscrew out of his pocket. “Your legs are great. Take that dress off. There must be a better one someplace.”

  “Downstairs,” the fitter said eagerly, looking at Cal as if he were the best thing she’d ever seen.

  Min looked at Cal and remembered he was gorgeous.

  “Hi.” Cal smiled at the fitter. “I’m Cal.”

  “Hi,” she said back, smiling wider. “I’m Janet.”

  Oh, for crying out loud, Min thought.

  “Janet, you look like you have exceptional taste,” Cal said to her. “I know you didn’t pick that thing out.”

  “No, no,” Janet said, disavowing all knowledge.

  “I bet you could find her the perfect dress,” Cal said, looking right into her eyes, sincerity made flesh. “Maybe something bright red.”

  “Blue,” Janet said. “She looks wonderful in blue or violet.”

  “So she does. Go find a great blue dress and we’ll celebrate with a drink.”

  Janet hesitated. “Mrs. Dobbs was very clear . . .”

  “I’ll take care of Mrs. Dobbs,” Cal said. “You take care of the dress.”

  When Janet was gone, Cal screwed the corkscrew into the cork and yanked it, and the cork popped out without a fight. Then he poured her a glass. “Here. You’re tense.”

  “My mother was here,” Min said, taking the glass and wishing he was touching her. Except she was fat.

  “That explains why Janet looked like a deer caught in headlights.” Cal looked over his shoulder. “She’s not here and you haven’t kissed me in an hour, Minerva. Come here.”

  Min stepped down off the platform and went to him, loving the way his arms went around her, trying not to think about how fat she must feel under his hands, and then he kissed her hard, and she sighed against him, grateful to have him even if she didn’t know why he wanted her.

  The bet.

  Nope, never, that was not it, she believed in him.

  “What’s wrong?” he said.

  Min shook her head. “Rough fitting.”

  “Let me guess,” he said. “Your mother. Ignore her. Think about me.”

  She smiled in spite of herself, and he kissed her again, his mouth gentle on hers, and she felt the tension in her body begin to ease.

  “There you go,” he said, patting her back. “Now drink your wine. I’m going to get you drunk and then have my way with you under the table at the rehearsal dinner.”

  “Oh, if only,” Min said and sipped her wine.

  Half a glass of wine and several kisses later, Min was feeling much better, and Janet came back with a hanger full of something dark purple and slinky.

  “You’re kidding me,” Min said. “This is for me, remember?”

  “No, this one’s for me,” Cal said, looking at it on the hanger. “I’m taking you to this thing and I’m not going to look at a butt-ugly dress all night.”

  “Leave,” Min said. “I’m not undressing in front of you.” Yet. She thought of Nanette grabbing her arm and squeezing. Maybe never.

  “Well, a guy can hope,” Cal said, and took his wine out the door with him.

  When he was gone, Janet said, “That’s your boyfriend?”

  “Yes,” Min said, surprised to realize he was.