Page 64 of Never Let Go

“True.” I sighed and accepted the coffee, then looped my arm around hers. “Lead the way then, maestro. I’m in your capable hands.”

She perked up. “I was hoping you’d say that. First things first, we need to find a dress, but once we have, we’re also getting a bag and shoes that go with it.”

I grimaced. “Is that really necessary? I’m sure this bag would go with whatever we end up buying.”

She eyed the large, tattered, brown leather handbag I’d had since college. “I love that thing, girl. It’s gorgeous and timeless, but it’s not the right accessory for the big reveal.”

“Fine.” I sighed. “I trust you, but we’re on a budget, okay? I’m not spending every penny I’ve saved on this.”

“Of course not.” She laughed. “I’m a master at shopping for bargains. Don’t worry, okay? I’ve got you covered.”

I nodded, but I also resolved to watch my wallet. Ashley had great taste, but it wasn’t always cheap, and I didn’t even know how this reveal was going to go. There was no way I was splurging and spending as much as my rent for a month on an outfit for a guy that could bolt as soon as he saw me.

As we walked, she started chatting and it distracted me, but I was grateful for it. “It’s so hard to find the right guy these days, but aren’t you glad your search might be over? Fuck knows, the day before my reveal date with Chase, that was all I could think about. That I might never have to dip my toes into the dating pool again.”

I chuckled. “I’d prefer not to have to either, but I’m too much of a skeptic to believe it might actually be true for me.”

“Why?” She frowned. “Tyler is great. At least, he sounds great.”

“He is pretty great,” I mused. “Nothing ever goes right for me when it comes to dating, though. I’m definitely not going to put all my hopes on a man I’ve never seen.”

“What are you talking about?” She hip checked me. “You can’t be doubting him already.”

“I’m not doubting him. It’s just that I thought I found the perfect guy in Foster, but he never asked me out. Then there was Paxton, but it turned out that he was planning on getting married to his job.”

“Both of those guys went to college with you,” she protested. “That was like, a lifetime ago.”

My eyebrows swept up. “Fine. Andrew was after college, and he was so controlling that he would’ve told me when I was allowed to use the bathroom if I’d kept dating him even just a week longer.”

She chuckled. “Okay, yes. I agree. He was horrible, but you only went on a few dates with him.”

“It doesn’t matter. Most of my experience with men has been only a few dates, and it’s been enough that I know better than to get my hopes up now.”

“God, do you remember Bradley?” She laughed. “He was so concerned about his looks that he spent forty minutes in the bathroom at that club we went to.”

I cringed. “Exactly, and Ricky was so horrible with money that he kept asking me to borrow some. Which is why I’ve been single ever since.”

She sighed. “Well, Tyler isn’t like all of them. Everything is going to be fine, and besides, you know him by now, don’t you? What could possibly go wrong?”

I groaned and punched her in the shoulder. “Did you have to jinx it?”

“I didn’t jinx it.” She winked at me and released my arm. “You just need to relax about it, Shel. Seriously.”

She shot me a look over her shoulder as we walked into the first boutique, but as soon as I saw the price tags, I grabbed her arm and dragged her to the next one. She sighed but followed my lead. We ended up finding a deep purple dress on sale that she insisted would look great on me.

It was knee-length with pretty, scalloped sleeves and a low back with a slit so high, the thought of wearing it gave me heart palpitations, but Ashley wouldn’t hear it. “Just go try it on. It’s going to look fabulous. Trust me.”

“I’ll try it, but if I flash my panties just walking out of the change room, we’re putting it back and we’re done with it.”

She held out her hand to shake with me, and I chuckled, took the hanger, and shook her hand to make the deal. As it turned out, however, she had been right.

The material clung to my curves in a similar way that the bridesmaid dress did and my boobs looked awesome. The low back also made my butt look great and the sleeves hid the worst of the cellulite on my upper arms.

I grinned as I walked out, spreading my arms to my sides and turning in a slow circle. “I don’t know how you do it, but you’ve done it again. What do you think?”

She smiled radiantly and held up her hand for a high-five. “I think it’s perfect. How does it make you feel?”

“Sexy,” I admitted softly.