Britt touched his arm. “You’re right. But I’m glad you’re not giving up on art.”
“Never.” He put his hand over hers. “Once I make a commitment, I’m committed.”
They talked and sipped their coffees, with Hunter taking a short break to get them two sausage rolls. By the time he had to go to work, he was firm in his decision to go back to school. “I’ll get some info from the community college.” He stood up.
“Let me know how I can help,” she said as they walked out of the café.
“Just be by my side, Britt.” They stopped in front of his bike. “That’s all I need.” He kissed her, then got on his bike, giving her a rakish wink before putting on his helmet and driving off.
Britt hugged her purse to her chest.Sighandswoon.
She felt a tap on her shoulder and turned around. Two tall, tanned, gorgeous women about her age were behind her, carrying their coffees in their manicured hands.
“I’m sorry,” one of them said, pushing aside a straight, caramel lock of hair from her forehead with a long white fingernail. “Is he your boyfriend?”
The question caught her so off guard she couldn’t answer.
“He’s so hot,” the other woman said, fanning her face with her hands, gold bracelets jangling on her thin wrist.
They were staring at her as if she had six sets of eyes. “Yeah,” Britt said, lifting her chin. “He is my boyfriend.”
They exchanged looks, then looked back at her with plastered-on smiles. “Well, I guess there’s hope for all of us then,” the caramel-haired girl said.
The other one, a perfectly coiffed blonde with flawless skin leaned closer to her. “You go, girl.”
Britt gaped as the two of them walked toward a silver SUV.What. Just. Happened?Had they just made fun of her, like so many popular kids had done in school? Or were they just as in awe of Hunter’s good looks as she was?
Then it hit her that it didn’t matter what their intent was. She answered them and she survived. Even better, she hadn’t felt an instant of anxiety. She still didn’t—just some confusion. Wow.
So this is what normal feels like.
Chapter 19
“What about this one?”
Amy peered over the dress rack and looked at the black off-the-shoulder formal gown Laura was holding up. “Not enough coverage,” she said, sliding a few more unsuitable dresses to the side.
“Oh, please.” Laura walked over to her and held the dress in front of Amy. “You’d look sexy in this.”
“I don’t want to look sexy. I want to look appropriate.”
“Appropriately boring.” Laura folded the dress over her arm. “Try it on anyway. For me, your dearest friend who is teeming with jealousy.”
Amy’s head popped up, but she relaxed when Laura winked at her. Amy almost hadn’t told her about Max’s invitation, considering their conversation on the patio a few weeks ago when Laura had admitted she was lonely. But the two of them had been shopping buddies for years. Besides, it was just another friendly outing with Max. She’d made that clear when she called and asked Laura to help her shop for a dress. However, Laura hadn’t sounded convinced.
This was their fourth dress shop, including hitting the mall, and Amy was starting to lose hope that she would find anything. And while she wasn’t going to compromise her standards, she’d humor her friend. “Okay.” Amy slid over two more dresses, then stopped at a caramel-colored gown with a high, jeweled collar. Itwas sleeveless, but backless, like Laura’s choice. “Ooh, I like this one.”
Laura nodded. “It’s beautiful. Even better—it’s in your size.”
Amy took it. A short while later after combing through all the gowns, she found one other dress, a red and silver number that looked more suitable for Christmas but was pretty and modest. She took them to the dressing room while Laura sat nearby.
When she put on Laura’s suggestion, she immediately wanted to take it off. She’d never been a bosomy woman, but the neckline still felt way too low. The dress was also formfitting, and even though she was fit, the gown outlined the slight tummy bulge she could never get rid of. If she chose this, she’d have to fight with shapewear to get it to look good. Still, she showed it to Laura, who promptly gave it a thumbs-down.
“You’re right,” she said. “Too revealing.”
Amy quickly took it off and rehung it, then slid the silver and red dress off the hanger. When she slipped it on, it was much more flattering. The top was completely covered in silver sequins sewn onto thin, silver fabric. The neckline was acceptable, and unlike the other two, it had three quarter sleeves. The red skirt flared out a little at her hips and the hem brushed against the floor. She nodded at her reflection and showed Laura.
“Definitely a contender,” she said.
