It was a solid two minutes before another reply came in. Reese laughed when she saw the reply.
Matty:Hey, this is Zoe, Bette’s daughter. Do like cute garden party dressy. I’m going to be in heeled sandals and a pale pink A-line dress. The venue is outside with some parts on grass and walkways and the dance floor is a hard surface. Avoid white. That’s what Mom’s wearing. I’d bring a sweater.
Reese:Thank you! That’s much more helpful.
Matty:Anytime girl!
She slipped her shoes on, then grabbed her purse. Haley would be there any minute to go on a much-needed girls’ trip to the mall in the next county. She wanted something new for the party. Something that would make her feel pretty and hopefully catch Matty’s attention.
Matty:So that’s a lot more detailed than dress nice, huh?
Reese laughed.
Reese:It is. I’m going shopping with my friend Haley. I want to make sure I’m dressed correctly.
Matty:I’m sure you’ll look great in anything you wear.
Reese flushed.
Reese:You’re really sweet.
The sound of tires on the old pavement sounded outside. She quickly messaged again.
Reese:She’s here to get me. I’ll talk to you later.
She added a heart emoji and then deleted it. Too soon for a heart emoji.
Matty:Have fun!
A horn tooted, prompting her to toss the phone in her purse and then hustle out of the house, locking it up as she went.
She beamed at her best friend, who was behind the wheel of her mammoth soccer mom SUV. She had to jump to get in.
“Seriously, though, how big of a car do you need?” she asked as she slid in.
Haley shrugged. “It’s worth having all this space.”
She shut the door, and then Haley began backing out of the driveway. She pointed to the dumpster in the back as she went. “Have you had that emptied yet?”
“Yes, and about to be a second time. Honestly, it’s been a lifesaver. I can’t imagine trying to haul everything in my car to the dump. So are we good with going to the mall?”
“I’m game. We have five hours to get there, shop, lunch, and make it back before I’m back on mommy duty.”
“I think that will give us plenty of time. How about lunch first? All I’ve had is coffee.”
“Angel’s?”
“Definitely.”
Angel’s was a retro-style diner inside the mall. They had crispy fries, thick milkshakes, and a hot roast beef and cheddar with a side of gravy for dipping that made Reese’s mouth water just seeing a picture of it on the menu.
“You getting the usual?”
Reese nodded. “Hot roast beef, double gravy for dipping the sandwich and fries, and a caramel shake with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.” Completely sinful and worth it.
“Same, but I’m going classic chocolate shake.”
“Oh, look at you changing it up.”
