Fiona nods next to her. “If you don’t believe us, just put ’em on and see how you look.”
Jun hands me a set of nude lingerie as well. I go into the dressing area, strip out of my clothes and try on the items Lareina selected. Jun must have a magic eye—the underwear molds perfectly to my body and provides great support. The dress is made with a silk that feels ultra luxurious against my bare skin, and the color flatters my complexion without making me look “bloated.” The belt somehow completes the outfit, just like Lareina said. One of Jun’s assistants sneaks in a pair of cute silver sandals. I slip my feet in them and check my reflection. The dress is as lovely as Lareina promised. My eyes shine, and the smile on my face couldn’t be brighter.
When I come out, she nods. “Man, I’m good. You’re a babe! Josh won’t know what hit him when he sees you in that dress!”
Fiona claps. “You look spectacular!”
I grin. “Thanks. I… I didn’t know I could look like this.” I rest my hands on my cheeks. “I always went for neutral colors like beige.”
“Nothing wrong with beige, but do you actually like it?” Fiona asks, her gaze skeptical. “You look more like a bright color kind of girl.”
I bite my lower lip as more of Mom’s criticism flows through my mind.
That cobalt blue is terrible for your complexion. Of course it looked great on Katt, but really, you should know better.
The pencil skirts are wrong—make your butt look flat. If you hit the gym more, maybe you could pull it off.
“Not really. But it’s the least offensive color.”
“Offensive?” Fiona looks around theatrically. “To whom?”
“Um…”My mom?I swallow the words before they can come out. “People?”
Lareina shakes her head. “Haters, you mean. They aren’t worth your energy. Don’t dress to please others. Dress to please yourself. You have the most beautiful platinum hair and violet eyes. I know plenty of people who’d love to have that.” She speaks like she doesn’t notice or care that my hair is curling wildly. “You’d own any color, but with those eyes you’ll look stunning in a deep, vibrant blue.”
“Oh yeah. Very hot,” Fiona says. “And with your figure, pencil skirts would look amazing. Josh won’t be able to tear his eyes away from you if you show up in one at the office.” She grins.
“Totally.”
With their encouragement, I pick out items in shades and styles I’ve never dared, thinking I couldn’t possibly pull them off. But honestly, I lookgreat. Feel beautiful too. Lareina and Fiona’soohs andaaahs start to drown out Mom’s critical voice in my head. The vivid colors send shivers down my spine. The various fits and styles boost my confidence that I reallycanwear anything.
Jun keeps the champagne flowing, and Lareina and I clink our glasses after each successful selection, while Fiona gorges on chocolate.
Soon, an elegantly lined, woven-seagrass basket is full. Jun’s people bring out makeup too. After selecting a foundation and concealer, I choose several adventurous shades of eye shadow and lipstick. Might as well go all the way.
“That navy is going to be amazing,” Lareina remarks as she sifts through some of the colors in my basket. “With your eyes, you can go pretty wild.”
“I’m envious.” Fiona sighs. “I love that color so much, but it looks weird on me.”
“I think I have enough,” I say after we pick out several bras and thongs to add to the already fairly large pile. There are countless shoes—my God, Lareina is obsessed with them. Ihad to surreptitiously remove several pairs from the approved mound. But I keep some dressier ones, others for work and home. Shoes and accessories that I can mix and match. Just imagining myself in those bright shades and various styles makes me feel like I’m a star, in charge of my life, rather than some unseen extra in somebody else’s existence.
Fiona leans to Jun and whispers something in her ear. The latter’s eyes slide in my direction, then she smiles.
“What is it?” I ask, a little uncertain about the sly smile.
“Just working out the final logistics. Seriously, I love what we picked out. Josh will think it’s money well spent.” Fiona’s eyes gleam.
“Thank you.” I flush.
“Aw, it was fun. I loved it,” Lareina says. “And your new dress is so cute!”
“I think so too.” My cheeks grow even warmer. The bright sunflower-yellow sundress I put on is really adorable. It has a small kitten embroidered on the chest.
“Me too,” Lareina says.
“Besides, I discovered something I can eat other than cornflakes. That should make Bryce happy,” Fiona says with a grin.
“Yay!” Jun cheers.
