Joan swatted her sister’s knee. “Give it a break, Jos.”

“For real,” Janet said. “Be nice.”

“I am nice. I’m trying to get to know her a little, loosen her up a bit,” Jos said, smiling slyly.

Ryann took a long pull on her drink for courage. “What do you want to know?”

“Stuart told Joan, who just told me, that you’re a big-time hotshot in New York. Judging by those clothes of yours, I don’t doubt it.”

“Thanks?”

“What’s your love life like out there?”

“Jesus, Jos,” Janet said.

Ryann met her eyes, unwavering. “I do just fine, thank you.”

“Hmm…I bet you do. You are really attractive. I don’t usually go for a femme type—”

“Or any lady at all,” Janet broke in.

“But you’re really something,” Jos continued. “Still, you could do a lot better right here, you know. Maddie likes you, and you like her. I can tell.”

Jos’s expression was a little too sincere for her liking. They’d been joking around before, but she was clearly at least half-serious now. She tried to think of some cutting comeback, something lighthearted enough to come off as a joke, but stern enough to get Jos to drop this line of questioning, but she didn’t get the chance. Maddie came out in her wedding outfit then, and Ryann’s mouth snapped shut audibly.

Imagining her dressed like this and seeing her dressed like this were entirely different. The jacket was a lovely dark red, inlaid with braided silver thread and buttoned at the top across her chest. Part of the waistcoat showed on her stomach, an off-white with silver braiding, the knee-length pants a bright, floral, decorated silver, the stockings a blinding white. She had an old-timey, scarf-like white necktie (cravat, some deep part of her brain tossed in) and black buckle shoes. With her messy short, blond waves completing the style, she was, in a word, gorgeous.

“So how do I look?” Maddie finally asked, her eyes meeting Ryann’s, specifically.

“Check out Ryann’s face for an answer,” Jos said.

She elbowed Jos hard, and everyone laughed, finally breaking the tension.

“Is it totally silly?” Maddie asked, clearly uncomfortable. She plucked at the buttoned lapels a little, rocking back and forth on her heels.

“You’re hot as hell,” Jos said. “Isn’t she, Ryann?”

She had to shake herself into reality. She cleared her throat. “It’s really…nice.”

“High praise,” Maddie said. “Oh, well. I guess it’s what the guys want, so it’ll be fine for a day. At least it’s more comfortable than I thought it would be. Let me change, and we can get out of here, Ryann.”

Maddie disappeared in the back, Joan following for some further measurements. Ryann took a moment to gather her wits, finishing her champagne and desperate for another.

“You’ve got it bad, girlfriend,” Jos told her.

Ryann didn’t argue.