Page 63 of Wild Promise

“Then go try it on,” he said with a grin.

Margot draped it over her arm along with the others they’d picked out and led Lucy toward the fitting room.

Zane wandered over to me, leaning against the rack I’d been pretending to browse.

“You’re good at this,” I said.

“At what? Standing around while women shop?”

“At making people feel like they matter.”

He went quiet for a moment, his shoulder pressing against mine. “She’s a good kid, Melina. She deserves to feel special for a night.”

“She does.” My throat tightened. “She hasn’t had a lot of that lately.”

“I know.” His hand found mine and squeezed. “Neither have you.”

Before I could respond, the fitting room curtain swept open, and Lucy stepped out in the dress she’d admired. It was beautiful on her. The color was perfect, the fit was right, and the beading caught the light when she moved. But it was the look on her face that got me. Shy and hopeful and lit up from the inside.

“Oh, Lucy,” I breathed.

“Is it okay?” She smoothed her hands down the front, turning to check herself in the three-way mirror.

“Okay? Kid, that Jasper guy doesn’t stand a chance,” Zane said, and the easy pride in his voice made my eyes sting.

She beamed. Full-on, radiant. And when she caught my eye in the mirror, I nodded, not trusting my voice.

“This is the one,” she decided, spinning once more. “Right?”

“That’s the one,” I agreed.

Lucy disappeared back into the fitting room to change, and Zane went to stand near the checkout counter, his hands shoved back in his pockets. I lingered near the fitting rooms, waiting for Lucy, when Margot appeared beside me.

“Would you like to try something on?” she asked, already pulling a hanger free before I could answer. “This one would be stunning on you.”

It was gold. Not flashy gold, not costume gold, but a warm, burnished shade that seemed to glow under the shop lights. The fabric was fluid and light, with a subtle shimmer that moved like water when I touched it.

“Oh, I’m not shopping for myself,” I said, even as my fingers lingered on the silk.

“Just try it,” Lucy called from behind the curtain. “For fun.”

“Yes, for fun,” Margot said with a wink, and something in me caved.

Why not?

I took the dress into the other fitting room and stepped into it. The fabric slid over my skin like it had been made for me, and when I turned to the mirror, my breath caught.

The lines were simple, the back cut low, and the gold caught the light with every movement, warming my skin, making me look like someone I barely recognized. Someone who wasn’t tired or stressed or held together by caffeine and credit cards.

“Let me see.” Lucy appeared at the curtain before I could stop her, and her mouth fell open. “Oh my God, Meli. You have to get it.”

“Lucy...”

“I’m serious. You look incredible. Like, red-carpet incredible.” She grabbed my arm and tried to pull me out of the fitting room. “Come show Zane.”

“No.” I planted my feet. “I’m not showing Zane. And I’m not buying it.” I checked the price tag, and the fantasy shattered. “See? Two months’ pay. For a dress.”

Lucy’s face fell, but she recovered with a stubborn lift of her chin that reminded me so much of Dad it hurt. “You deserve something beautiful, Melina. You deserve it more than anyone I know.”