Vera always snapped at her when she said that but it was true. Adam often acted like a clone of his overbearing father.

Right now, Adam was scowling as he stared straight ahead. He looked like he wanted to rip someone apart.

Not fair, Kelly thought. She had the right to be angry. She was the one whose almost-husband had run away. She was the one being forced—well, persuaded, anyway—into pretending that everything was all right.

When Adam turned and saw her, he faked a smile.

Wish I had a photo of that, Kelly thought. From the tip of his nose up, his face was scrunched in anger. From the nose down, he was smiling. It was a physically impossible facial expression.

“Don’t tell me. Vera isn’t coming.”

“She’s very busy. She—”

“She forgot, didn’t she?”

Adam nodded. “Yes. How about if we skip this and get something to eat?”

“No, Mr. Selfish. You’re going to help me find a dress for your bride.”

“But—”

“You’re already in a bad mood, so this couldn’t make you feel worse.”

He blinked a few times, then gave a genuine smile. “That’s true, but I know nothing about wedding dresses.”

“And I do? I’ll model the dresses and you try to imagine which one Vera would like best.”

“Something in silver would be my guess,” he mumbled.

Kelly quit smiling. “What happened?”

“Nothing. I got...” He smiled at her. “Dumped.”

Kelly laughed. “I assume you mean for the day.” He nodded. “Maybe we should start a club. We’ll call ourselves the Dumpettes.” They started walking toward the pretty shop.

“Why are you smiling?” he asked. “I thought you’d be miserable. Having to pick out a wedding dress for somebody else isn’t what I’d think a girl would want to do.”

“I was very unhappy until I saw you. We can’t both be miserable at the same time.”

“So we take turns?”

“Yes,” she said seriously. “We have to.”

Smiling, he opened the door for her.

Inside the shop, a tall, thin woman introduced herself as Miss Evie and she took charge. “You’ll try on several dresses,” she said to Kelly. “But you won’t tell him which one you choose. Leave some surprises for the day.”

“He’s not—” Kelly said.

“And she’s not—” Adam said.

They stopped talking and just stood there, looking embarrassed.

Miss Evie looked from one to the other. “Honey, I know so many bride secrets that nothing shocks me. Tell me what the problem is so I can dress you.”

Kelly took a breath. “He’s marrying my sister, but she won’t pick out a dress, so I’m going to get one for her.”

“Okay,” Miss Evie said. “As bridal secrets go, that’s pretty mild.”

“Oh?” Kelly said. “Who else has a bigger secret?”