“Riley would be proud of you.”
“She is. She professed, and I quote,‘In that dress––in that bold color––you’ll lasso a ranch hand before dessert.’”
“She kills me.” Miranda laughs. “However, in this case, she’s right.”
There’s nothing like a holiday sale in New York City.
I love everything about this dress.
I lucked out.
It was the last one in my size in the store. Once Nonna Ambrosia chopped off the length, it was perfect.
The sash that ties in a knot at the front gives the illusion of smaller breasts and the maxi length makes me feel so much taller than I am.
I’m usually a little self-conscious about exposing my arms, but it’s way too hot for me to be covering up. Since the color makes the dress, I kept my accessories to big gold hoops and a chunky bracelet. I decided on a simple party-perfect makeup and after a half hour of hard work, I managed to tame my waist-length hair.
“I feel pretty. Bonus, it’s super comfy,” I say, extending a leg out.
Miranda’s gaze drops to my gold sandals. “No cowgirl boots?”
My eyes move to her thousand-dollar hand-stitched brown and turquoise boots accentuated by flowers running up the leg—a birthday gift from her man—before pulling my gaze back to hers. “With a dress?”
“Down here, boots go with everything.”
“Noted.”
“There are a few shops in town, but you’ll get a great selection in Fort Worth or Dallas.”
“I’ll keep that in mind for the next time I’m there.”
“Speaking of which, since you got back in town late last night and you’ve been helping Riley all day, we didn’t get a chance to catch up. How was it?”
“I can’t believe I ended up working there for two weeks. The pace is a lot busier than it is here. I’m glad to be back in Summerville.”
Since I was already in town, Riley asked me to cover for a few other chefs who were sick in her other two locations. Thank God she footed the hotel bill.
“I’m from Savannah and lived in LA, and I feel the same way,” Miranda says. “I’d rather work here in Summerville anytime. It’s true I’m closer to my honey, but it turns out, I don’t mind living in a small town.”
She has a dreamy relationship… one I can only hope for.
“There are a lot of new faces,” I say, looking around.
“Yeah, there were two waves of new hires.”
“Are all the men in the area ruggedly handsome or is this a state-wide thing? Come to Texas where we grow ‘em hot.”
“You bet.” Miranda nods. “Of course, I wrangled the hottest one of them all.”
“Without a doubt.”
We both laugh.
Hunter is from LA, but everything about him screams bona fide local boy.
“There’s no denying it. Men down here are tempting. The small-town charm factor is icing on the cake.”
I nod as my eyes bounce around the garden.
