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“But he said he was going to come back and see you,” Serena griped. Trying as hard as she might, Serena’s efforts to get Macy to talk to Duke weren’t working out. If there was a problem or a concern dealing with Duke’s party, Macy made Serena handle it. Serena had tried to flake out on a meeting with Duke, but Macy had been one step ahead of her. She had to be one step ahead. If she wasn’t, she would have easily fallen back in with Duke and not been able to resist his charm. She needed to stay strong.
“Sure, he would come back to visit, but I’m not sure I’m the stop-by-and-visit type of girl.” Macy sighed. “Seeing how the paparazzi went crazy with him at Mario’s party gave me an insight on what it really would be like to get involved with Duke.”
Monique sighed impatiently. “You’re already involved with him.”
“And it’s not better,” Serena said. “You’re slamming things around the house. You’re moody. Andy and Spencer said they feel like they need to walk on eggshells around you.”
“It really is,” Macy argued with her friends. “Duke and I are in two different worlds. He was just taking a break from his celebrity life and I just happened to be a part of it.”
Monique shook her head and tsked at her. “The paparazzi were here because Kristina called them. Duke had been here for almost six weeks and he hadn’t been hounded like that. So it’s not really a true experience of what life with him would be like.”
“It is true,” Macy countered. “Duke was here because he was getting into some pretty bad stuff, partying, drinking and whatever, and Pablo brought him down here to clear out his head. He was just here taking a break.”
“That doesn’t mean he hasn’t fallen in love with you, Macy,” Monique said.
“It doesn’t mean that he has, either. He hasn’t really said it, you know.” Macy wasn’t sure if that’s what hurt the most—that she was supposed to stand by his side while he allowed this farce with Kristina to continue, or that she didn’t know how he really felt about her?
“So if he said he loved you, would you reconsider things?” Serena asked.
“Well, if he said it right now, it would just be staged and not real.” Macy shook her head back and forth as her friends groaned in frustration. She chewed her bottom lip for a brief second before she confessed her problem. “Do you guys realize that she wants him to go along with the charade, saying that the baby she’s carrying is his?”
“That bitch!” Serena exclaimed, balling her fists against her hips. “Girl, just let me have one minute alone with her. I’ll get her straight.”
Macy shook her head. “As much as I wouldn’t mind that, it still wouldn’t help the situation. Duke’s kindness to Kristina affects my family.”
“But you have to realize, Kristina knows her career is washed up. She was nothing without Duke,” Monique was saying. Macy had learned through Monique that since the Tallahassee station, WKSS, was an affiliate of her DC station, Kristina was allowed to be the guest anchorwoman. While Macy couldn’t bring herself to watch Duke on television last week, she was glad to hear that Kristina was reporting the news from the field instead of right next to Duke. “But you know, I can understand that you have Gia and MJ to protect.” Monique nodded her blond head, beginning to understand.
“Gia knows what’s going on. She has already had enough people at school Tweeting her to find out what’s happening, because everyone at school was getting to know Duke as the coach’s helper, and that Gia was responsible for bringing him there. And now all that’s going to change. He’s going to leave.” Macy inhaled deeply. If she thought about it anymore, she would start crying again. Sadly, she shook her head and reached for the doors. “Let me get out of this dress and find the right one. This one is too long.”
As she closed the doors, Serena called out over the top of the door, “So if you’re so sure things are going to end between you and Duke, why are you in search of the perfect dress?”
“Because even though he’s leaving, I want him to see what he’s going to miss.”
On the other side of the door, she heard Monique and Serena agree with her reasons. She slipped out of the dress she was trying on and back into her jeans and black sweater. She flipped her hair out from her collar when she heard Gia and Maylen panting as they ran into the dressing room. There was a slight panic when she opened the door and saw both girls faces’ were bright red. They were both speaking at once. Monique was trying to calm Maylen down.
“What is going on?”
“We found the perfect dress for you, Mom!” Gia cried.
“Okay, fine, let’s go find it. Hang on, let me find my...”
Gia pulled on her arm. “We don’t have time. It’s Christmas Eve and there’s one dress left and we got to get it before someone else buys it for tonight.”
“Fine. Fine.” Macy shook her head and laughed as Gia and Maylen guided her down the corridor of the top floor of the mall. They’d gotten there first thing in the morning, and it wasn’t that busy. Now it seemed like people were everywhere. She started to understand the urgency and picked up her pace.
Behind her, Serena was laughing. Monique was running as she pushed Lucia in the stroller. They had to look like a sight. They stopped short in front of a little boutique, Desideri. From what Macy knew of the store, its wares rivaled Victoria’s Secret lingerie. It catered to women of all sizes. Macy stood at the entrance, glancing up at the fancy black letters, then back down at her teenage daughter. She cocked her eyebrow. “What do you know about this place?”
“I Tweeted that I was at the mall with my mom who was looking for a dress. My friend Michaela’s sister works here and says she has the perfect dress for you.”
“How does she even know what my size is?”
“She saw you on the news at Daddy’s stupid Ugly Sweater Party and knew exactly what you needed to shut Kristina Barclay up.”
Great, the whole world’s first impression of her was in that ugly sweater. Damn Mario! “I can’t go in there. They sell lingerie.” Macy clutched her heart and feigned outrage. “I am a mother.”
“And clothes,” Serena said, catching up to them. “I’ve been in here once or twice. C’mon...I’m sure we’ll find something.”
The curvy mannequins in the window were all wearing seductive satin or lace. Macy would have thought that pushing the clothing up front would have been a better idea. But she took going in there with a grain of salt. She needed a dress.
