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Finally, six dresses were selected and Ava was despatched to the changing room.
‘You used to love clothes shopping.’ He looked speculatively at Thea.
‘You used to hate it.’
He chuckled. ‘I learned. What did you do?’
‘Unlearned?’
Ava’s appearance in a red and white patterned summer dress diverted his attention. ‘Turn around.’ He considered for a moment. ‘It’s a nice dress, but it’s not really an evening dress. And it doesn’t do that much for you.’
What he meant was that the sleeveless dress, cut to flatter the curves of a slightly rounder figure than Ava’s, was a bit too old for her. Thea mentally congratulated him on his tact.
‘That’s what I thought. It would be good to get a nice summer dress for the holidays, though.’ Ava shot him a wheedling look.
‘Yes, you do need one. We’ll have a look, see what they have.’ Lucas waved her back into the changing room. ‘Try the next one.’
‘That’s downright unnatural.’ Ava had disappeared back into the changing room and Thea leaned towards Lucas.
‘What? You didn’t think it was too old for her?’ Lucas’s eyes had a hint of mischief in them.
‘Yes, much too old. What’s unnatural is you sitting here, making helpful suggestions, instead of hanging around in a corner somewhere, wishing that this was all over so we could go and get lunch in the pub.’
‘Things change. And lunch in the pub doesn’t sound too bad either.’ His assessing gaze swept over Thea, so intense that it was almost a physical touch. ‘Actually, the dress would suit you.’
‘I don’t wear dresses much these days.’ Never, actually.
His eye surveyed her jeans and grey hooded top. ‘Shame.’
Before she could tell him it was just a matter of practicality, he was on his feet, scanning the rails of dresses. Ava appeared again from the dressing room, looking surly in the extreme, in a white ruffled concoction.
‘No. Definitely not. It makes you look like a Christmas cake.’ Thea gave her opinion and Ava giggled.
‘Where’s Lucas?’
‘Gone to find you another dress.’
Ava grinned. ‘Will you help me with the next one?’
‘Yes, of course.’
The next dress was a plain, wrap-around style, which gaped a little at the front. ‘This is no good. My bra’s showing.’ Ava pulled the dress this way and that miserably.
‘It just needs a pin. Look.’ Thea held the neckline of the dress so that it wrapped interestingly, rather than plunging dangerously.
Ava thought about it, and then nodded. ‘I really like that.’
A couple of other women, obviously in the changing room for consultation rather than to buy, expressed their approval and someone produced a safety pin. Lucas was shown the dress and told Ava she looked gorgeous, and once that was settled Ava tried on a couple of other summer dresses, settling on a pinky-purple shift dress that suited her dark hair and eyes.
‘Now you.’ It seemed that Lucas wasn’t going to let Thea off the hook and he handed her the red dress. Distressingly, he seemed to have estimated her size correctly.
‘I don’t think so.’
‘Go on. It’ll look great on you.’ His eyes dared her to do it. ‘Just try it. What’s the harm?’
Plenty that couldn’t be voiced and nothing that could. And Lucas made her feel safe. He couldn’t help it and neither could she, it was just one of those things. Thea turned and walked into the dressing room.
She almost chickened out. In the mirror, her legs looked too pale, her arms too thin, and having habitually worn trousers for so long, a dress seemed unbearably revealing. But this was Lucas she was up against.
