Page 101 of Sterling Fight

“You are so beautiful,” he whispers, giving me more goosebumps and visions of Judd removing this dress from me.

With that, he steps back and slips through the curtain covering the fitting room. I hadn’t realized I’d been holding my breath, turned on by his appraisal and his tender caress, until he exits. He didn’t touch me anywhere special and yet everywhere is humming. My flesh. My clit. My heart.

I admire the curvy fit one final time, admitting that I feel beautiful in a dress like this. Then I carefully remove it and hang it back on the hanger.

As I open the curtain, a salesgirl surprises me by holding out her hand. “I’ll take it to the counter and wrap it up for you.”

“Oh, I’m not⁠—”

“Your fiancé already paid for it. Judd is so sweet.” Whoever the girl is, she recognizes Judd like the hostess at Evergreen Terrace had, and a tiny pinch pierces my chest. But I remind myself Judd is spending this day with me. He’s made this extra special.

I smile timidly as the girl delicately folds the dress between tissue paper and tucks it into a paper bag before handing me the new purchase. “Enjoy.”

While uncertain when I’d wear such a dress, I thank the salesgirl and step out of the store to find Judd standing on the sidewalk looking at his phone. He glances up the second I hit the pavement and slips the device into his pocket.

“You didn’t need to buy me a new dress.”

“I wanted to.” He shrugs and takes the bag from my hand, then grabs my other one to lead us down the street.

The next spot we visit is the local pharmacy that’s more of an all-goods store. They have everything from a greeting card section to Sterling Falls T-shirts, plus your basic houseware needs and pharmaceutical products. The superstores are located near larger cities, so this pharmacy is for immediate needs.

Judd leads me to a hat rack covered in an array of sun hats and baseball caps, plus a few straw ones. He picks up a grass-woven cowboy hat and sets it on my head. I laugh while he sets a similarly made rancher’s hat on his own.

“Perfect,” he mutters, watching me as I watch him. “Happy National Straw Hat Day.”

I laugh. “You’re making that up.”

“Nope. That’s the surprise mentioned on the invitation.” He takes my hand and walks me over to the counter, where he promptly pays for two straw hats to celebrate the special day.

I’m still giddy when we walk out of the store wearing our new hats.

“One more stop to celebrate May Fifteenth Day.” Judd opens the door to Frederick’s Ice Cream Parlor on the corner of Main and Corner.

“Ice cream?” I question as the cool air conditioning hits us, and we saunter to the freezer counter to examine the flavor options.

Fredericks is famous for seasonal flavors like purple-tinted blackberry and pumpkin spice, but Judd has our order ready.

“Pick between chocolate chip cookie dough or mint chocolate chip. Your choice on National Chocolate Chip Day.”

My smile is so wide it might actually break my cheeks. “Mint chocolate chip, of course.” I hum.

“Of course. Two, please,” he says to the clerk.

Despite it being late afternoon on a Wednesday, the bench outside the shop is taken. We could re-enter the place to enjoy our frozen treat at their bistro tables, but Judd leads us down the street again and out of the business district to the green square off the main streets. Once there, he plops down in the grass, and I follow.

After taking a lick of my ice cream cone, I thank him. “Today has been amazing.”

“Thank you,” he emphasizes. “For being amazing. It’s been really fun. I’ve never planned a day before. Or a date, for that matter.”

I still my tongue on the next lap around my ice cream. “Seriously?”

Judd told me how he and Heather often went to functions or fundraisers. Situations that were more of a collective event than an intimate activity. He’d never picked a movie or a meal, at least not in the last two and a half years.

“Seriously,” Judd states before swiping at his ice cream cone with a long lick. He winks at me and the gleam in his eyes says everything. He’s pleased with himself, and I’m honored to be the recipient of the meticulous planning and effort on his part to make today such a special day. He catered to my quirks and interests, celebrating them, appreciating them.

“Another first,” I state, thinking back to making out in his childhood bedroom.

“Another first,” Judd confirms, staring at me as he licks his ice cream. The grin on his face is easy and relaxed. His body posture matches the ease as he leans on one arm in the grass, enjoying a day in the middle of the week instead of working.