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Bailey
August
I pulled the black dress I had purchased earlier this week from the closet and lay it out on the bed. It was a little sexier than what I’d normally go with, but I figured tonight, of all nights called for a little more. I ran my hand over the silky material, my nerves getting the better of me. It was much sexier than what I’d normally wear, and I was more than a little nervous to wear it.
I’d only decided on it after my friend Justine had talked me into it. I’d sent her a picture of me wearing the dress and the eye-popping emoji followed by a heart had made me laugh. That was when my mind went back to the conversation I’d had with her a few weeks ago.
“I have a feeling that he is going to pop the big question to you on your anniversary,”Justine whispered excitedly to me one night at our book club.
“Really? What makes you say that?”
“Well, I saw him in a jewelry store downtown the other day. I was going to go over and say hello, but as I got closer, I noticed he was looking at the engagement rings. I was afraid I may scare him away from doing what you’ve been waiting for, so I left.” She grabbed my hands, and we both squealed with excitement.
“And what have I been waiting for?” I asked.
Justine looked at me and smiled, “You’ve been waiting for him to get his act together and ask you to marry him, before she finds someone else.”
I could feel my cheeks heat at her words and I wouldn’t have said I’d been waiting, but a commitment of some sort would be nice.
I’d acted casually when I’d seen Jim the next day, even though I was busting inside, wanting to know if, in fact, it was going to happen. As the weeks passed, I shrugged off the idea. There was no point in building the idea up in my mind only to get let down because we’d never really talked about marriage. Then one night during dinner, Jim started asking me questions about what types of diamond cuts and ring settings I liked. He even asked me to flip through a few web pages and point them out. As I surfed through the pages, I couldn’t keep my thoughts from drifting back to the conversation with Justine. A week later, he started asking me about vacation spots.“Could be anywhere: Aruba, Antigua, Grand Cayman?”
This convinced me that Justine had been right. As we drew closer to our anniversary, I figured that would be the night he’d ask, and I’d say yes. As the date drew closer, he’d suggested having dinner at an upscale steakhouse just outside of town. That was when my excitement really built. I was so sure that tonight would be the night that he would indeed pop the question I had run out and spent close to two hundred dollars on this dress. I’d recently lost my job because of the company downsizing and really couldn’t afford to purchase it, but I wanted to look amazing for him.
Running my hands over the silky material again, I smiled to myself. Grabbing the towel that lay beside it on the bed, I was just about to the bathroom door when the phone rang.
“Hello.” I sat down on the edge of my bed and sat the towel beside me.
“Hey, beautiful! What are you doing?” a familiar voice sang into the phone.
“Cara! What a great surprise! I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m great. I was just getting ready for our date tonight, and I thought I had better call and wish my girl a happy anniversary.” She giggled.
“Well, sweets, thank you, but really, it’s not a big deal. Do you guys have any special plans for tonight?”
“Dinner and a movie. You know, the usual. You know Ryan, he likes to keep things simple.”
I giggled. “Sounds wonderful. Simple is good. Say hi to Ryan for me.”
“Will do. What about you? Do you have any special plans?”
Without giving it much thought, my excitement got the better of me. I blurted everything out. I told her about what Justine had told me the night of the book club, and about all the questions Jim had asked. Then, while she was still quiet, I took a deep breath. “Okay, don’t laugh, but I think tonight may be the night that Jim asks me to marry him.”
The phone was silent as I waited for Cara’s response. I was wondering if we’d gotten cut off when I heard her clear her throat.
“Whoa, Bailey, are you sure you’re ready for that?”
Even though I could hear the concern in her voice, I felt myself getting defensive. “What do you mean? Am I ready?”
“How do I say this without sounding like an awful friend?”
“You just say it,” I answered. “Now, what did you mean by that?”
“God, this is going to sound awful. Bailey, I never thought that you would get over Jackson. I mean, every time I think of you, I think of the two of you together.”
“Why would you think of the two of us together?”
“I just hoped that time would heal things, and you’d eventually find your way back to him. I guess I always envisioned us marrying our high school sweethearts.”
