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“Ready?” she asks defiantly. Contrary to what I was hoping, my reaction doesn’t go unnoticed.
“Sure. Let’s see what you’ve got,” I answer semi-enthusiastically. The sooner we get started, the sooner this nightmare can be over.
I’m just about to step into the changing room when the front door swings open.
“I’m totally in love with that guy. I’m just not sure how to let him know.” Ray Lockhart, Michelle’s distinguished salesperson, walks in carrying a cardboard tray with five tall coffee drinks.
“You still haven’t mustered up the courage to ask the sexy barista out for a date?” Michelle asks.
“Would I be this miserable had I had enough balls? He’s giving off a gay vibe, but I’m still not one hundred percent sure he is. I don’t want to take a chance until I’m certain,” Ray responds, dropping the coffees on a small table in front of where Jessica is still sitting. I nearly sprint in his direction. He sees me coming and grabs a cup before I do. He turns his attention to me and smiles. “This one’s for you, sweetheart. It’s extra caliente.” He winks before dropping two small Euro-style kisses on each cheek.
“You’re the best, Ray.” I thank him.
“Evidently I’m not, since I’m not even able to tell if the object of my obsession could possibly be into me or if he prefers pussy.” Ray turns his lips downwards and sulks.
Michelle snakes around the counter where she was standing and approaches us. “You bring forth a really good point. You definitely need to know which way this guy swings. You don’t want to be barking up the wrong tree. That said, you’re going to have to turn that pout up and I need you to put your smiley face on because right now it’s all about Miranda, not Ray.”
The tall, elegant, impeccably dressed man faces me again. “Miranda, honey, I’m so sorry for taking over like that,” he says, hugging me with care—since I’m still holding on to my coffee—before pulling himself away from me. “Don’t mind me. I’m just being a bitchy gay guy who’s totally infatuated and too scared to admit it.”
“You don’t have to explain yourself to me, Ray. I’m in the same boat.” I sympathize before sipping my piping hot latte.
“Julian Wilkas? You still haven’t made a move on him?”
“I haven’t had the courage to go after him, Michelle. And now that I’m no longer working at Lola’s Paradise, I’ve pretty much given up all hope. Two years of unrequited lust. Can you imagine?” I take another gulp, wishing it was laced with brandy or something.
“Julian is a blind fool,” Jess shoots without lifting her eyes from the Vogue magazine that’s captured her attention.
“Come on, Jessica, the man is a young stud and aspiring musician in one of the hottest indie bands in the city. Let’s not forget, he’s inked with some of the coolest tattoos I’ve ever seen. Everything is effortless about him, even his edgy asymmetric haircut. He has female groupies lining up around the restaurant when he works just to ogle at him. He’s twenty-four, single, straight, gorgeous and every woman he meets falls hard for him. Why would he pay any attention to me even if I’ve been under his nose for the last two years?”
Jessica opens her mouth to answer, but Nikki jumps in first. “More reasons for us to find you the right dress so that you can seduce one of the other eligible bachelors you’ll meet tonight.”
“Nikki’s right, honey. There’s no better time for you to bounce back. Fuck Julian. You’re stepping up with your career, it’s also time to step it up with the kind of man you’re interested in. Kevin confirmed that the crème de la crème will be out at this party. In a few hours, you’ll be surrounded by dreamy athletes and you won’t remember the name of that tattooed musician.” Jessica grins, lifting her coffee cup up as if to toast her revelation.
Kevin O’Keefe is the other reason why Jess moved from Savannah to Los Angeles. She met him on the set of a movie where she had been hired as a junior makeup artist. She had landed the most coveted job on the planet. Kevin was the stunt double for a big Hollywood celebrity and Jessica was responsible for coating his body in oil and touching up his makeup for a scene that looked like it came straight out of Gladiator. By the time the movie had wrapped, Kevin and Jessica were inseparable. After a few months of a long-distance relationship, Kevin asked her to move in with him in LA.
Kevin is a former US Navy SEAL and former champion MMA fighter. After paying his dues, he’s now one of the most sought-after fight coordinators in Hollywood. The biggest directors hire him to create kickass scenes for their blockbuster movies. He’s the same age as Michelle, but they’re totally in love and he’s completely devoted to her.
“In you go,” Nikki says, waving a bright satiny dress at me and pointing a finger towards the dressing room.
There’s no point arguing. I drink one more sip, drop my coffee cup on the table, grab the dress she’s holding and walk into the changing room clinging onto the first design.
“I’ve asked Kevin to introduce you to a few guys he knows. Some are his buddies and others are just stars in their field. You’ll have a plethora of choices tonight,” Jessica chimes.
“What?” I screech from behind the closed doors. “What’d you do that for?” This night is going to be dreadful. Jessica’s taste in men is very different from mine. I love Kevin to pieces, but I’d never see myself dating him.
“We need to put an end to your dry spell.”
“It’s not a dry spell,” I shout back, embarrassed.
Okay, maybe it is. Does she have to make it public?
“What else do you call it?”
“I’ve just been picky, Jess,” I grumble.
“When was the last time you went out on a date?”
“You know perfectly well. It was last week. I went out with Curtis Munro.”
