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“I don’t…” I started to argue but stopped. “Okay, maybe I do.” I sighed.
“And you haven’t dated anyone, not really, since Randy, right?”
“I mean, I’ve been on the blind dates you’ve set me up on.” I shoulder-bumped her, and she rolled her eyes.
“Oh, please! We both know those don’t count. Like you said, you can’t flirt to save your life,” she teased. I playfully scowled at her before bumping into her.
“Hey!” I giggled with her. “Oh god! I haven’t dated in forever because I’ve been in love with my ex-boyfriend’s dad. I’m an almost twenty-five-year-old virgin. What do I do?”
“You go over tonight in… ohmygod!” She jumped off my bed and shot straight out of my room.
“Rory!” I called out with a smile because my best friend was a nut. I could hear her talking under her breath in her bedroom. Drawers opened and shut before she giggled.
“I got it!” she called out.
“Rory, I don’t know what you’re up to, but—" My words died on my tongue when she showed back up. There was something about the look on her face that had me torn whether to laugh or be very, very afraid.
I had a feeling whatever she was up to was going to be a terrible idea.
“So… remember how I made that huge lingerie order, like, to treat myself?” she quickly rushed to remind me, and I nodded.
“For Cyber Monday. You bought all those things from Tootsie’s Lingerie.”
“Right! I did.” She bit down on her bottom lip. “Well, I might have sort of bought you something. I meant it as a joke, but now I think it was kismet.”
“Kismet?”
“Serendipity! That’s the one with a sense of humor, right?
“Rory, I don’t know what—" I tripped over my own words when she pulled what she was holding behind her back in front of her. “Oh. My. God,” I whispered and stood from my bed. I was about to take a step forward but stopped myself. “Is that…”
“A Santa’s helper lingerie set?” My best friend grinned from ear to ear, and my eyes felt like they were going to pop out of their sockets.
“You bought me a Santa’s helper outfit?”
“You’re such a do-gooder, babe. You’re always out there doing the most for everyone. I saw this and thought we would get a good giggle out of it Christmas morning, but now…” She let the words hang between us. “Maybe it was meant to be?”
“Wait, what?” I frowned. “You think I should wear that and head over to my very own grinch and ask him to—"
“Scrooge you all the way? Yes.” She wasn’t laughing or making light of it. Nope, Rory was dead serious. But as the shock of the outfit wore off, her idea had merit.
“Go over there wearing that and ask him to just…”
“Deflower you? Take your maiden—"
“Ohmygod! Stop!” I giggled and reached for the set, which she handed over easily. “It’s really cute,” I noted, surprised by the softness in my hands.
“Right?” Rory smiled but didn’t say more. I knew she was watching me closely as I touched the deep green material and the red velvet trim with my fingers.
“I don’t know if I could pull this off.”
“The set? Oh, hell, yeah, you could! Lingerie is all about confidence and—"
“No.” I shook my head. “I mean just show up on his doorstep and make a move,” I whispered even though my heartrate started to pick up speed.Could I?If I did, either way, it would finally put me out of my misery of wanting a man from afar.
“Babe. The man is seriously into you! That much is obvious.” She kept talking, but all I could think about was, what if he didn’t?
What if I put myself on a silver platter for him to devour, and he sent me packing? Rejection sucked, but at least I would know.
