Page 84 of Bless My Body

weekend.”

I agree to go only because I love that place, and I will never turn down an offer to go shopping

with my best friend. Even if I don’t buy anything, I love trying things on. Stella grabs her keys and

kisses Ozzy goodbye before we drive to downtown Brunswick.

I recap my morning with Ezra to Stella on the drive. She laughs and reminds me of when she and

Ozzy used to sneak around and have sex on a public beach. That was obviously before Wes found out

they were together. I thought she was crazy at the time, but now I understand it a little more. Not

because I’m in love with Ezra or anything, but because I know what it feels like to be addicted to

good sex.

Maybe that’s what I’ve been feeling—the side effects of addiction. Sex with Ezra is like a drug.

When I’m not doing it, I’m thinking about it—thinking about him. And it scares the shit out of me. But

I promised him thirty days, and I refuse to back down for being a little chicken shit.

We get to the boutique and find a place to park right in front, which is surprising since the store is

having a sale. We walk in, and Stella immediately zeroes in on the dresses.

“What kind of dress should we be looking for?” she asks.

“I have no idea. He just said black-tie, whatever the hell that means.” I hope this isn’t going to be

too expensive. Looking at some of these price tags makes me regret not accepting Ezra’s offer of

paying for my dress, but my tiny little bit of pride wouldn’t allow it.

Stella twirls around the racks, grabbing handfuls of dresses while I peruse a little slower. I see a

lot of short party dresses that I’d love to wear, but I have a feeling they wouldn’t meet the dress code

for the party I’ve been invited to.

My best friend finds me, and her tiny arms are overflowing with dresses. “Let’s find a fitting

room,” she says, tugging at my arm with her free hand. My eyes widen at the number of dresses she

has, but I’ve never been one to back away from a challenge.

We have to wait a minute for a fitting room, but when one finally frees up, Stella follows me in.

She hangs the dresses on the hook and hands me the first one. It’s a beautiful floor-length black dress.

It’s a silky material and really pretty and clings to my body in all the right places.

“Wow, you look amazing,” Stella says after she zips up the back. I do a spin before looking at

myself in the mirror.

“It really is pretty. Do you think this is the one?” I ask.