Page 48 of Abandoned

With the last curl set in her long, dark hair, she unplugged the curling iron and checked herself in the mirror again. She was ready. Finding the right outfit for tonight was the hardest part. Was the sundress she picked out modest enough? Should she switch to capris and a blouse?

She snapped a photo in the mirror and texted AJ.

Is this appropriate?

Before she even stepped out of the bathroom, her phone rang. AJ. “Hey.”

“I need more context.”

“Date with Will. I think he’s gonna kiss me tonight.”

“You guys haven’t kissed yet?”

“Nope.”

“Well, that dress definitely invites it.”

“It’s too revealing? I’m so bad at this. I don’t even know.”

“It’s probably fine, but do you have a tank top you could wear? While I’m sure he’d appreciate that neckline, it’s a little deep.”

“I’m so glad I texted you.” Zara shuffled through her closet. “Wait, this dress might be better.”

She changed then sent a pic to AJ.

The dress had a scoop neck and flutter sleeves, all in a navy material with small white flowers. It flowed all the way to her knees.

“Got it. That’s perfect. And it’ll match his eyes.”

“Thank you, AJ.”

“It’s what friends are for. Glad I can help.”

“I have one more thing to ask.” Zara dug her sandals out of the bottom of her closet. “I need a distraction. I used to read a ton, but since I became a believer, I can’t bring myself to read the stuff I used to. I don’t want to fill my mind with the raunchy stuff anymore. Have any reading suggestions?”

“That I do. I can bring you a book or three to church tomorrow if you’d like.”

“I would love that. Are you going to first service?”

“As always, but I’ll stick around until you’re there.”

“I’ll be a little early too. I still don’t know how you get up for first service.”

“It’s what I do. You have fun on your date tonight.”

“I will. Oh, I was going to ask, are you going to Megan’s party on Tuesday?”

“At least for a little bit, are you and Will going?”

“That’s the plan. I’ll see you tomorrow. And thanks again, AJ.”

“Anytime.”

The women hung up, and Zara glanced at the clock. She had less than ten minutes.

She spent them running around, first looking for her sweater because the chances of the air conditioning in the restaurant being frigid were pretty good. Then she grabbed her conceal-carry purse and switched everything over. It was entirely too hot to carry on her inner thigh, and that was the only body option she had with her dress. Maybe she didn’t even need to carry. Will probably was, but it needed to become a habit.

She zipped the purse and heard a knock on the door. Grabbing her sweater and sunglasses from the counter, she skipped down the hall and opened the door. “Hey.”