Lucky you. But bringing the rest of the band into the conversation brought Dex into the room, into our burgeoning relationship, and I didn’t like the way that made me feel. I wasn’t the kind of person who regretted much. My philosophy was more “What’s done is done, let’s move on.” But for the first time in my life, I wished I’d never hooked up with Dex. Because what was happening with Daniel felt so much more real, so much more substantial that I didn’t want the memory of my fling with his cousin getting in the way.

So I changed the subject. Are we back to this now? Words on a screen?

I don’t think I’d say we’re *back* to this. How about “in addition.” Because I love your words on my screen, and I don’t know that I’d want to give them up.

Fair enough, I texted back. I love your words on my screen too. The words looked intimate when I typed them out, like a confession. I reminded myself not to read too much into it. He wasn’t saying he loved me, he was saying he loved our exchanges. Our communication. There was a difference, and it was far too soon for anything deeper.

Or was it? Another text from him popped up on my phone while I was thinking. But here’s the great thing. Not only are we texting good morning, but I also get to see you. In person. It’s like a dream come true.

Whew. So much for not reading too much into it. I like your dreams, I typed. My eyes flicked up to the top of my screen, and I yelped. Speaking of seeing me, I need to get going if I’m going to be on time. Who was I kidding? Being on time was already out of the question. Time to shoot for not being embarrassingly late. I let my phone clatter to the table as I abandoned the last few bites of my bagel, much to Benedick’s delight, to finish getting ready for the day. I grabbed the outer layers of my costume and dashed out the door in little more than my chemise and my boots. I could finish getting dressed at the Hollow.

The good thing about having worked at this Faire since almost the beginning was that putting on the outer layers of my costume was second nature to me. I was ready in a flash, and right when I’d started looking for Emily to cinch me into my corset, she was looking for me for the same reason.

“You know, I was thinking,” Emily said.

“Thinking what? Ooof!” A sharp tug on the corset strings from Emily had me almost losing my balance, and I groped in front of me for one of the posts that held up the stage’s canopy, much like Scarlett O’Hara holding on to the bedpost. “Warn a girl, will you?”

“Sorry.” She didn’t sound sorry. “How long have you had this outfit, anyway?”

I shrugged, bracing myself as Emily tugged again. “A few years. Why?”

“Well, I was thinking we should go shopping this morning.”

“This morning?” I looked over my shoulder at her. “We kind of have a Ren Faire to work, remember? Besides, I’m not going to the mall dressed like this.”

“Funny.” She gave my strings a sharp tug, more in rebuke than anything else. “I meant here, before the gates open. I just . . .” There were a few more small tugs as she evened everything up and tied the strings off. Then she sighed. “You were right. We were going to plan new costumes together. And I went and did it without you. I’m so sorry.” She sounded on the verge of tears, as if she thought she’d betrayed our friendship, and that broke my heart.

“Oh, Em. That’s okay.” And it was. Sure, I’d felt a little stab of hurt yesterday, but in the grand scheme of things it was no big deal. We both had a lot going on. Weddings and long-distance maybe-relationships. And since I’d spent the better part of last night snuggled against Daniel watching bad television, it would have taken a lot to upset me today.

But it still meant something that she wanted to make it up to me. I looked down at my ensemble, really studying it as I adjusted the way my chemise lay under the corset. The movements were automatic after spending so many summers adjusting the same outfit. Maybe Emily had a point. And far be it from me to discourage someone who wanted to go shopping. I looked back up at her, her eyebrows raised in a question, and I grinned at her. “Let’s go shopping.”

“Yay!” She grabbed my arm and we slipped away from the rest of the cast, still getting dressed and ready for the day, and hurried up the hill to the vendors. They were already set up, after all, and wouldn’t mind making an early sale.

“What do you think?” Emily took a blue flowing underdress off the rack and held it up to me.

I shook my head. “With my hair? I’d look like Alice on her way to Wonderland.”

“Good point.” She replaced the dress and started hunting through the rack. “Who do you want to be?”

I had to laugh. “That’s the question, isn’t it?” But my hand went to my belt pouch, and I drew out the dragonfly necklace I’d bought the summer before. There was my answer. I wanted to wear something that was deserving of the sparkle in that dragonfly’s eyes. Something that matched the thrill I’d felt yesterday when Daniel had kissed me. “Something to match this.”

Emily’s smile widened. Maybe she remembered the moment I’d bought it too. “Good call.” She stuck the blue dress back on the rack and rummaged around, while I moved to look at corsets. There were ones in all different sizes and shapes, underbust and overbust styles, as well as simple waist cinchers. I dismissed the cinchers and underbust corsets out of hand: not enough support. I had far too much bosom to go braless, and if I was going to cinch myself into a corset, I shouldn’t have to deal with underwires too. That was just cruel.

“Here you go.” Emily was back with another dress, and as soon as I saw it, I knew it was a winner. Flowing, gauzy fabric in a color that could only be described as marigold: bright orangey-yellow that would make me look like a blazing sunset come to life. I looked from the dress back to the display of corsets, and reached immediately for a green and brown brocade bodice that was a similar shape to the one I’d stuck Emily in her first couple seasons at Faire. Perfect.

“No,” Emily said. “Are you sure about that?” She looked disappointed by my choice. “You wear greens and browns now. Isn’t this about getting you something different?”

“This is different,” I said. I reached behind me for my corset strings and pulled, undoing all the hard work Emily had done just a few minutes ago. “You’ll see. I know what I’m doing.” I took the dress from her and the vendor showed me back to the dressing area, a little space roped off and draped with fabric. On the way I grabbed an overskirt in a matching brown.

“No!” Emily howled. “Come on! I picked out that gorgeous dress and you’re just going to cover it up with brown!”

“Oh my God, will you just trust me for five minutes?” I laughed all the way to the dressing area, and once inside I shimmied out of my longtime tavern wench outfit and pulled the sunburst-colored dress over my head. Skirt next, then I shrugged into the bodice and started the work of lacing it up. It was so much easier wearing a costume that laced up the front. I should have done this years ago.

While I was getting dressed, the vendor and Emily were making small talk on the other side of the curtain.

“Wedding’s coming up soon now, isn’t it?”

“Yep!” Emily’s voice was high and chirpy, a sign that nerves were taking over. “A week from today.”

“And everyone’s okay with the wedding day being on Sunday? I mean, obviously it works best for all of us, but your family and everyone? It’s not the most conventional day for a wedding.”

“I’m getting married at a Renaissance faire,” Emily said. “I think conventional left the building a long time ago.”

I had the bodice laced up; now I bent over to adjust everything before I gave it a final tightening up. “Has Simon told you where you’re going on your honeymoon yet?” I tossed the question over the curtain in an effort to change the subject. Maybe reminding her that all of this planning came with a nice vacation at the end would help.

It didn’t help. “Nope!” The chirpiness in her voice only increased. “All I know is that we’re leaving right after the last day of Faire. He said he’ll tell me what to pack a couple days in advance.”

“Wow. That must be killing you.” I tied off the bodice and ran my hands down my sides. The elaborate brocade felt downright decadent after so many years of wearing simple tavern wench clothes.

“You have no idea.” Emily sighed. “But I’m trying to be chill about it, let Simon have his fun.”

“That’s awfully nice of you.” I refastened my brown leather belt around my waist and tied the dragonfly around my neck. “I know how much you like to . . . Wait a second.”

“What?”

I pushed the curtain open to glare at her. I wanted to cross my arms over my chest, but the bodice had hiked up the girls sufficiently enough that they were an obstacle. I settled for putting my hands on my hips. “I’m a project, aren’t I?”

Emily’s eyes went wide. “Holy crap, Stace. That looks amazing. You’re right, I’ll trust you in all wardrobe-related decisions from now on.”