True to You in Good Hope (Good Hope #14) - Cindy Kirk Page 0,1
woman never seemed to age. Despite being in her mid-fifties, her hair, cut in a sleek bob, didn’t show a single strand of gray.
Piper figured the gray must have known it’d be risking its life if it dared pop up on her mother’s head. It was the same with wrinkles. Her mother’s face remained relatively unlined. Whenever Jenn and Sasha were out together, someone inevitably remarked how they could be sisters. Piper had to admit it was true. The only difference was that Jenn’s face was a little fuller than Sasha’s.
Not that Piper would ever think to mention weight around her mother. She wished her mom were as considerate. Surreptitiously, Piper edged the candy dish even farther out of view. “I was just telling Sasha that—”
“I heard,” Jenn interrupted. “As no doubt everyone in a three-block radius did. How many times do I have to tell you to modulate that loud voice of yours?”
Criticism, par for the course when dealing with her mother, usually waited until after they’d exchanged a few pleasantries. Apparently, being pressed for time, her mother had decided to immediately spring into action.
Digging her nails into the palm of one hand, Piper kept a serene expression on her face as she moved to the next slide.
“If you go with embroidery and beading just above the hip,” Piper pointed out, “it will create a nice, curvy silhouette.”
Interest flickered in Sasha’s eyes. “Something like this might work.”
“While I can see the possibilities,” Jenn’s brows drew together as she slanted a glance at her youngest daughter, “you need to be careful. Curvy is one thing, dumpy quite another.”
Sasha’s cheeks flamed as if she’d been slapped.
“My sister couldn’t look dumpy if she tried.” Even across the thousand miles that separated them, Piper did what she’d done numerous times growing up. She squared her shoulders and figuratively stepped between her mother and sister.
The action deflected her mother’s caustic tongue from Sasha and offered her another target.
“Your expectations are low.” Jenn sniffed. “Which is probably why your sister, who is so much younger, has a man, and you don’t.”
The zing that shot across the miles bounced off Piper. She’d had a lot of practice over the years steeling herself against her mother’s barbs.
“Your future husband has high expectations.” Jenn sent a pointed glance at her youngest daughter, obviously not done talking. “Heath is an important businessman. No man wants a fat wife.”
A stricken look filled her sister’s eyes but disappeared so quickly, Piper might have wondered if she only imagined it.
If Piper were the type to match her mother insult-for-insult, now would be her moment. But inflicting pain wasn’t Piper’s style. Besides, she still remembered her high school years, when she had been convinced her parents were going to split up.
At the time, her mother had been fighting an extra twenty pounds and a roller coaster of perimenopause-fueled emotions, and she’d been convinced Piper’s dad was cheating with his attractive PA. Accusations Jason Ambrose had vehemently denied.
Somehow, whatever issues were between them then had been resolved by the time she graduated from high school.
They were still together, and though Piper was grateful, she’d never forgotten the way her mother had suffered when she’d thought her husband would betray her. No, no matter how angry her mother made her, Piper would never use that time against her.
“Speaking of my wonderful fiancé, I need to get ready for a party tonight.” Sasha smiled at Piper. “Thanks for getting all these together. Though I’m beginning to worry I won’t ever find the perfect dress. I mean, I liked that last one, but only with the beading and embellishment you mentioned.”
“Let me do some more looking. In the meantime, you and Mom can visit some of the bridal salons in your area. If you still come up empty, you can have someone make you exactly what you want.” Piper offered her sister an encouraging smile. “A custom-made gown is always an option.”
“That’s an excellent suggestion, Piper.”
Piper blinked at the approval in her mother’s voice.
“If Sasha is unable to find something that suits her,” Jenn slipped an arm around her daughter, “you can make her wedding gown.”
The instant the videoconference concluded, Piper finished off the bowl of M&M’s. Her stomach churned. Not from the candy, though she really did need to eat something more substantial.
Still, she knew her upset had little to do with food. She’d never been more thankful to live so far away from her family as she was at this moment.