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The conundrum stayed with me all day, only getting worse as the hours ticked by. When I eventually got home, I was already in a flat spin, practically ready to start pulling out my hair as I stripped off my clothes and went to stand in front of my closet in my underwear.
For thirty long minutes, I tried on one outfit after another, but I hated them all. I was seconds away from faking my own death to get out of dinner when Tasha appeared in my doorway.
“What are you doing?” she asked, frowning when she glanced at the pile of discarded items on my bed. “Fall is an odd time for spring cleaning, don’t you think?”
“No, it’s not that. I wish it was, but I have a dinner.”
“With the Pope?”
“No, but it kind of feels like it. Actually, no. That would’ve been better. This is at Jane Thayer and her husband’s house.”
She paused halfway to my bed. “Jane Thayer, as in, the head of Thayer Steelworks?”
“The one and only.”
“Wow.”
“I know.”
“That’s pretty freaking fancy.” Tasha’s eyebrows climbed to her hairline and she promptly switched direction from heading to my bed to coming to stand next to me at the closet. “What are you wearing?”
“Why do you think I’m standing here?”
She shrugged. “Well, you have to wear something.”
“That’s the current plan, but what am I supposed to wear to dinner at the house of not one, but two billionaires?”
“Beats me.” She suddenly stilled, a slight frown furrowing her brow. “Wait. Thayer. I wonder if my new friend is related to them.”
“Your new friend?”
“Yeah. From ethics class.” She pulled out her phone and opened her messaging app, showing me an unsaved contact of someone whose name came up as Holden Thayer. “Do you think your Thayer and mine are brother and sister?”
“I have no idea, but unless it’s going to help me figure out what to wear, we’ll have to work it out later.”
Tasha rummaged through a few things in my closet, finally pulling out a simple, dark blue dress. “Here. Wear this.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. It won’t make you look like you stood here for an hour trying to decide what to wear.”
“It’s been more than an hour.”
She gave me a pointed look. “Do you want them to know that?”
“Obviously not.”
“Then wear this.” She shoved the dress toward me and I took it, pulling it over my head before striding toward the mirror.
My stomach was in absolute knots as I looked myself over, but she’d been right. The dress was stylish and classy without making it look like I was trying too hard. “Do you think rich people notice when someone doesn’t know which fork to use?”
Tasha laughed. “Relax, babe. I don’t know if they’d notice that, but I suspect everyone notices when someone is so nervous that their hands are shaking.”
“Shit, I didn’t even notice that until you pointed it out.” I shook my hands out, trying to diffuse the nervous energy.
“You’re welcome.” She started toward the door, turning back to smile at me once she’d reached it. “Just relax and enjoy tonight, Alicia. You deserve a break.”
As she spun around and disappeared into the hall, I decided she was right. I did deserve a break. As long as I didn’t make a fool of myself, I would have a great time.
