“That’s great, baby.”
I hear the bedroom door open and glance up. “Hey, I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you later, okay?”
“Okay. Talk soon.”
I end the call just as Laney steps out of the bedroom. She’s wearing the dress, and it fits her perfectly. Her face is lit up with a huge smile.
“That looks amazing, Laney.”
“I love it,” she says, turning slowly in a circle. “I just wish I still had a date to wear it to.”
“Did you cancel already?”
“Not yet,” she admits. “But without a car, my only option is an Uber, and if I need to make a quick exit…” She trails off, leaving the thought unfinished.
I offer her a sympathetic smile. “Take it anyway. You’ll have another chance to wear it.”
“You sure?” she asks, hesitation clear in her voice. “It still has the tags on.”
“I’m sure,” I reassure her. “Let’s see if anything else catches your eye.”
I lead her back into my bedroom and pull a few more dresses from the closet. One of them is a deep red pencil dress that falls just past the knee, with an exposed gold zipper running all the way from the neckline to the hem. Taylor wore one in a different color to Paisley and Nash’s engagement party, and she looked so incredible in it that I just had to get one for myself.
“Wow, that’s gorgeous.”
“Try it on,” I urge her, practically bouncing with excitement.
She laughs. “Okay, okay.”
I leave her in the bedroom and wander into the kitchen. I lean against the breakfast bar, thinking about what she said earlier. The idea of her cancelling her date lingers in my mind, and while I wait for her to come out and model the next dress, a plan starts to take shape. One that might actually get her to that date, even without a car. I try not to dwell on how furious Ben would be if he found out I was helping her sneak around whileshe’s grounded. But maybe he’ll understand if it means Laney and I are finally getting somewhere.
I fire off a quick message to Ivy, hoping she’s free tomorrow night to help pull off my plan. She replies almost immediately with an enthusiastic yes, and a wave of nerves hits me. Laney might not even want my help, but I’m really hoping she does.
When Laney steps out in the next dress, I can’t help but smile. She could probably pull off anything, but this color against her blonde hair and sun-kissed skin looks absolutely stunning.
“What do you think?”
“It’s gorgeous,” she replies, smoothing her hands over the soft fabric of the dress.
“You should take that one too,” I encourage.
She shakes her head. “I can’t. It’s too much, and I don’t even have anywhere to wear it.”
I dismiss her protest with a wave of my hand. “There’ll be other dates, Laney. Trust me.”
Before she can respond, the intercom buzzes.
“That’ll be the pizza,” I say, heading across the room to buzz open the downstairs door.
“I’ll go and change,” Laney says, slipping back into my bedroom.
I head to the door and grab the pizza as soon as the delivery guy knocks.
A moment later, Laney comes back into the room and drops onto the sofa beside me. I flip open the pizza box and hold it out toward her. She takes a slice of pizza with a grateful smile and settles back into the cushions.
“I’m really sorry for sending that text,” she says quietly, her gaze fixed on the slice in her hand. “I’m so embarrassed, especially with how kind you’re being now. I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me.”
I frown. “I don’t hate you, Laney. Of course not.”
