Page 20 of A New Chapter

Chapter 11

The next day, during a lull at the bookstore, Emma lamented to Kelly, “I don’t have anything to wear.”

“You’re welcome to borrow something of mine, but I still can’t believe you said yes.”

“I know, I caved. He caught me at a busy moment, and I was just trying to get him off the phone.”

Kelly shook her head. “Yeah, right. I think that subconsciously you really wanted to go with him, and that’s why you said yes. I’ve been reading about the power of the subconscious mind, and…”

“Not helping, Kell. I don’t need you to psychoanalyze me; all I need is for you to find me something to wear!”

“Fine. When Brett comes in to relieve us, we can go to my apartment, and you can dig through my closet.”

“Thank you.”

“But I still say you’re in for big trouble tomorrow night.”

“Why is that?”

“Because weddings are romantic, and when two good-looking single people attend a wedding together, well, you know what can happen.”

“Yes, but when the two people are friends…”

“Friends, schmends. Call it whatever you want, but don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Kelly’s closet was like a gold mine. She was a self-proclaimed “serial dater,” and she had clothes for every occasion. Emma was a couple of inches shorter than her, but they still wore roughly the same size. Emma rifled through the dresses, which Kelly had aligned neatly in one section of her closet, and held them up one by one.

“Too flashy,” Kelly said about a short silver-sequined number.

“Too boring,” she said about a black shift dress.

Emma pulled out a deep purple dress and was just about to put it back without asking for Kelly’s opinion when…

“Wait, that one’s perfect,” Kelly blurted out.

The dress was sleeveless with a deep vee in the front and the back. The skirt portion was simple and draped nicely to the knee, but there would be a lot of skin showing up top, and that made Emma nervous.

“I don’t think so, Kell. The top portion is a little too breezy for my liking.”

Kelly giggled. “It won’t show as much as you think, Em. Try it on, and you’ll see. The color is perfect for you.”

Some friends were good for the ego, and Kelly was definitely one of them. They had met during their senior year in college and had been inseparable ever since. Kelly had been there for Emma’s wedding, through her divorce, and at the opening of A New Chapter. She had been working for a marketing firm prior to the opening of the bookstore, but she hadn’t been happy there. When Emma had offered her a job, she had jumped at the chance. Emma had put her in charge of marketing and promoting the store, and she attributed much of its success to Kelly’s sales skills. Emma was the true book lover, who excelled at interacting with the customers, giving book recommendations, and choosing the inventory, while Kelly promoted the shop from behind the scenes. They complimented each other perfectly, and Emma couldn’t imagine her life without Kelly in it.

Having seen each other in all manner of dress and undress, Emma discarded her khakis and plaid button-down shirt and slipped into the purple dress. She turned in a complete circle in front of the mirror on the back of Kelly’s bedroom door and waited for her friend’s reaction.

Kelly’s golden brown eyes sparkled, and her smile lit up the room. “You look beautiful, Em.”

Emma had to agree. The color complimented her light skin and reddish-blonde hair, and the vee in the front didn’t show nearly as much skin as she thought it would. Of course, her breasts weren’t as ample as Kelly’s, so there wasn’t as much to show, but she still felt sexy nonetheless.

“All you need is your black patent pumps, and you’re good to go,” Kelly said.

“I love it, Kell.”

“You’re going to knock Zack’s socks off tomorrow. And maybe the rest of his clothes too!”

On Saturday morning, Emma felt surprisingly calm about attending the wedding with Zack. She was even looking forward to it. She’d convinced herself that it would be a fun night out with a friend and that was all there was to it! She had just finished setting up for story time when she heard Zack’s voice. She went toward the front of the store to greet him and Gracie, and stopped dead in her tracks.

Emma’s eyes swung from Zack to Gracie to Alicia and back to Zack again. She recalled him telling her that Alicia was going to take Gracie home after story time, but she didn’t expect her to come in the store. It was probably the norm for divorced parents to present a united front for their child’s benefit; however, it caught Emma off guard to see them all together. Gracie looked like the picture of happiness as she clasped both of her parents’ hands.