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He frowns now. “Fat? You’re all curvy, soft, and sexy! Has pregnancy made you go blind?” His expression clears. “Is that why you’ve been eating all those salads?”
His words make me blush again and I’m speechless. He always insists on saying this. I feel doubt trickle into my mind. Maybe I’m just being oversensitive to my own body. Lucas has always liked me for who I am. It’s only after I got pregnant that I started having all these self-image issues.
When I don’t say anything, he just dives into his fourth slice and says, “Besides, Debra wants you to come to her shop and pick out a dress.”
I’ve looked up Debra’s shop online and I gulp when he brings it up. “That’s very nice of her but I’ve seen the prices, Lucas. Your sister is one of the chicest designers in the States. I don’t think—?”
“It’s not a request.” He looks pained now. “I’ve been ordered to bring you there today or tomorrow for a fitting. Of course, you won’t be expected to pay for it.”
This seems a little over the top to me. “I don’t want you to pay for it
“I’m not,” he says, simply. “She wants to gift it to you.”
When I gape at him, he grins. “I think she’s just really happy that you’re not a figment of my imagination.”
I recall what Debra said back when we ran into her at the café. I’m still quite uneasy about the whole idea. “Still, it’s not right. She works really hard on her designs. I don’t want her to just give it away. It doesn’t seem very fair.”
Lucas smirks. “You want to tell her no? Good luck with that. I’m a lawyer and she still manages to beat me at every argument there is.”
I’ve already experienced some of Debra’s personality and I have a sinking feeling that denying Lucas’s sister anything isn’t possible. “So, dress shopping with Debra, huh?” I ask, faintly.
He just grins at me. “She’s not that bad. I mean, she’s not all bad.” His grin fades. “I’ll try to protect you.”
I just groan.
By the time we get back to work, it hits me how he’d completely distracted me from the problem of Darren.
Debra’s shop is bigger on the inside than one would think.
There are all sorts of lovely dresses hanging on racks and sketches posted on the walls.
Lucas is seated on one of the fancy plush couches, watching me being poked and prodded by his sister. There’s another woman standing on the side, watching me. She’s a tall brunette and was introduced as Debra’s friend. Grace.
“You don’t have to go to all this trouble, Debra,” I beg. “I can just get something off the rack.”
“Nonsense.” Debra ignores my pleading. “Do you want something to drink? Grace, get some champagne in her.”
Grace just laughs silently at my predicament and hands me a bubbling flute, advising, “It will be easier if you bear this in silence. The more you protest, the more champagne she’ll make you drink.”
The glint in Debra’s eyes makes me close my eyes in hopelessness.
We’ve been here for two hours and she’s made me try on incomplete dresses, making adjustments on them.
Lucas has busied himself with playing with Sophie, studiously ignoring my silent cries for help.
“A hem of silver would go nicely,” Debra muses, loudly.
Then one of the shop attendants immediately brings forward large but delicate laces of shimmering silver.
Debra sits down on the ground choosing from the many options and starts hemming it at the bottom of the midnight blue dress I’m wearing.
“Debra, you have a wedding in three days. You really don’t have to do this.”
She just gives me an absentminded smile, pats me on my butt, and keeps hemming.
It takes us another two hours to finally be done with it and Debra kicks us out, promising to have the dress sent to me on Friday.
Disorientated, I blink owlishly at the shut door of the shop.
