Raquel sets her sandwich down and squeals with excitement as she grabs for her napkin.
“Graham!” Beth calls out from the kitchen.
He quickly glances behind him and then looks back at me. “I’ll pick you up around five tonight, okay?”
“That sounds great.” I pick up a fork and stab at the omelette, my stomach growling.
“Oh, this is perfect!” Raquel exclaims after Graham ducks back into the kitchen. She grabs her sandwich again and takes a bite. Shechews her bite for a moment before she asks, “What are you going to wear?”
I glance down at my jeans and sneakers, baggy T-shirt, and apron.
“What, is my apron not sexy enough for you?” I ask playfully. I grab the loose ends from the knot holding it to me and swing them at her in my best burlesque move.
She laughs. “You have to look good,” she says, “not that you don’t now, but this is important. You both deserve some happiness. Besides, we’ve been waiting for this all summer.”
I narrow my eyes. “What do you mean, ‘we’?”
“Beth and I,” she says as she takes another bite. “He’s had it bad for you since day one.”
I think about what she’s said, replaying every interaction Graham and I have had since we met. I start to get self-conscious about my appearance. I mentally flip through my closet as we sit there, wondering what I can wear and if it will be up to her standards.
“We’re both off at three,” she continues, “I could come over and help you get ready if you want.”
“Sure,” I say. I don’t want to admit to her that besides the date with Jake — if you can really even call it that — I’ve never been on a decent first date before. I have no idea what I’m doing.
“Perfect.” She smiles. “It’s a date.”
Raquel and I head back home later that afternoon to start making me over for my first official date with Graham. I sit on my bed, watching as she stands in front of my closet, flipping through item after item.
“No,” she repeats as she moves another hanger to the left. “No, no, no.” Three more slide along to the discarded section.
At this point, I’m beginning to wonder if I have anything at all that she will deem worthy of such an occasion. It isn’t until she is at the back of my closet that I hear her say, “Yes. This…” she turns around, “this will work.”
She’s holding a pale pink sundress with small roses on it. I’d forgotten that I had it and it honestly reminds me of the wallpaper in the bathroom I share with Beth. She tosses it to me and declares, “I want to see the full visual. Try it on.”
I laugh at her dramatics but do as she commands. I trudge down the hallway and close the bathroom door before stripping my work clothes off and sliding the dress over my skin. It’s airy and soft, perfect for a late-July evening in Driftbay. I glance over my reflection for a moment before I open the door and walk back to my bedroom.
She smiles as she sees me.
“I love it,” she says. “It’s perfect. Now.” Raquel puts her hands on her hips and glances around my bedroom. “What are you planning to do about your hair? Makeup? Shoes?”
I shrug.
She turns back to my closet and starts surveying the options for footwear.
“What size shoe are you?” she asks as she picks up a pair then sets them back down.
“Nine,” I say, resuming my perch on the bed. I fidget with the chain around my necklace, the peridot charm turning into a worry stone.
She turns around and bends down, undoing the sandals on her feet.
“Me, too,” she says, “and these would look perfect with that dress. Trade me!” She tosses the sandals to me and I barely catch them. I slip them on and then get up, grabbing a pair of Converse out of the closet to give to her.
She directs me to the bathroom, to help me with my makeup. She carefully applies a touch of eyeliner and directs me on how to properly apply contour and blush. It’s like a crash course in the beauty industry by the time she’s done with me. She curls my hair, something I never do. By the end of the afternoon, I barely recognize myself, but in a good way. My features are highlighted by the makeup, not overshadowed. My hair flows gently down my shoulders like a waterfall and frames my face nicely.
She steps back into the hallway and smiles as she admires her handiwork.
“You’re ready,” she says.
