Wish Upon a Star by Jim Cangany Page B

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stunner. White as newly fallen Christmas snow, with a high, lacy
neckline and long sleeves, it had a Victorian feel. While the dress was
full-length, it didn't appear to have a train. It was elegant and stylish
in a simple way.
    It was Annie.
    I closed my eyes and visualized her in the dress. She'd be
gorgeous beyond belief in it.
    The phone was taken out of my hands. I opened my eyes.
Miranda was grinning at me. "Told you he'd love it."
    Annie sat across from me. "Do you E.J.? It's not
    too...old-fashioned?"
    Old-fashioned wasn't the issue. Neither of us had any idea
what her chest would look like after mastectomy, reconstruction and
possibly even radiation. Before all of this, she'd talked of a
form-fitting, strapless number with the expressed purpose of driving me
insane. The high neckline of this gown was her surrender to the
inevitable.
    That didn't matter to me. What mattered to me was saying "I
do" to her. She could be in shorts and a t-shirt on our wedding day
for all I cared. Whatever she chose to wear, she'd look fabulous.
    "It's not old-fashioned. Not by a long shot. I think it looks
classy and you'll look amazing in it."
    Her cheeks bloomed pink as her lips curled up.
"Thanks."
    Mission accomplished . She would look
amazing in the dress. "Did you look for a matron of honor
dress?"
    "I decided on burgundy and I'd like Miranda's dress to be
full length. Beyond that, I'm leaving the details to her."
    I raised my eyebrows.
    "Don't worry, E.J. Annie's not giving up as much control as
you think. She gets final approval on the design."
    "Well, alrighty then." I rubbed my hands together. "Now that
I have some colors, I can get to work on my tartan."
    Miranda gave me a confused look and turned to Annie, who
shook her head.
    "Yes, Randi. Tartan. He's got it in his head that since he's
Irish, he should wear a kilt. I made the mistake to agreeing to his
choice of wedding-wear before I knew what the little sneak was up
to."
    I raised my glass. "'Tis the most formal of occasions. To
marry my sweet lassie in anything less would be an insult."
    "Yeah, just as long as a gust of wind doesn't blow up your
skirt. That would be an insult to us all," Miranda said.
    "Amen to that, sister." The girls clinked glasses amid a
    three-part chorus of laughter.
    Miranda took off after an impromptu dinner at Bazbeaux's.
Annie and I were getting ready for bed when I finally asked why she
was acting like she'd been on a caffeine binge.
    Her shoulders sagged. "Busted. I've been meaning to ask you
something, but you have to promise not to get mad."
    "Okay." I drew the word out. When she didn't go on, I
nodded. "I promise not to get mad at you."
    "I know you love me, and I know you want to take care of
me. But I'm going to drive myself to my chemo appointment
tomorrow."
    "You don't have to. I don't—"
    "I know you don't mind. I can take care of myself, though.
And this way, you don't have to be waiting for me to text you.
Besides, you could use a break. Go visit the bike shop, or go bug
Gloria."
    She gave me a hug. "I'll be fine. I promise."
    I think she could tell I was disappointed, but I'd promised
her I wouldn't get mad. Instead, I returned the embrace and nuzzled
her neck. "If you insist. But I'm going next time, since that's your first
round on the different treatment. Deal?"
    She gave me her heart-melting smile. "Deal."
    Despite the fact that we'd basically lived together for almost
a year, I was still an early riser and Annie still held it against me if I
woke her before ten. Not surprisingly, she gave me the evil eye when
I nudged her at nine-thirty.
    "Your appointment's in an hour and a half. I've got breakfast
for you."
    She sat up and sniffed the steaming mug I handed her.
"Mmm, French Vanilla. Good work. Let me shower and I'll be there in
a few."
    Fifteen minutes later Annie joined me for breakfast. When I
commented about her speed in the bathroom, she ran her hand over
her bare head.
    "Probably the only good thing about this