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“Why? Did it not go well?” She isn’t fooling anyone with that sweet voice of hers.
We make our way back to the dressing room and she finds her selection of dresses hanging on the back of one door and mine on the one next to hers.
Before stepping into mine, I grip the frame and keep talking. “I got asked what my favorite brand of toothpaste was. I said whichever cleans my teeth as a joke and he made a face like he wasn’t amused.”
She pulls her lips into her mouth to stop her smile but failed. “Was that the worst of it? I mean, was there anyone else there worthwhile?”
I point my finger and waggle it at her. “Stop fishing. You know exactly who was there.”
She flashes me a toothy grin and enters her room, shutting the door as I cross the threshold of mine. “I believe it’s Grey who does most of the fishing around SoS, not me.” Her voice floats over the top of the wall.
I roll my eyes to myself in the mirror before taking the first dress off the hanger. “What were you hoping to accomplish by having us both go there?”
I shimmy into the first garment, nervous as I wait for her answer. Savy is known for her meddling and matchmaking. Just never thought she’d try to use her wily powers on me. She knows how complicated our situation is—how different the circumstances are.
“Do you want complete honesty or a version of the truth?” The dressing room wall muffles her country twang.
Hand on my hip, I eye myself in the mirror, pleasantly surprised by this first dress. “I think you already know my answer. I’m coming out now.”
Opening the door, I step out and in front of the bigger mirror in the hallway. Savy swings open her door and her eyes widen to twice their size. “Oh, Turtle. That is stunning on you. Oh my god. Wow, just wow.”
I spin and the buttery soft fabric flares with the motion, caressing my skin. Under the bright lights, the tiny sparkles shimmer like the constellations in the night sky.
She looks amazing herself in the tea length emerald-green dress, with black tulle peeking out from under the hemline.“That’s the one for you. It’s beautiful.”
She curtseys and laughs, the moss in her hazel eyes popping against the color of the dress. “Thank you. I agree.”
She sidles up to me, and we stand side by side. “I’m going to ask you this one question, and I need you to be honest with yourself. You don’t even have to answer me if you don’t want to.”
The hairs on my neck stand up, and I swallow, nodding for her to continue.
“If Grey were to date someone—let’s say Rowan—and they get serious and he decides to marry her one day, would you be one hundred percent okay with it? No jealousy, no regret, nothing but friendship and your blessing?” She stares at me with open and earnest eyes, but holds mine captive none the less.
I can’t hide it anymore.
Uncertainty bleeds throughout my chest and the same shattering feelings I felt seeing him with Rowan at the coffee shop rise to choke me. Fear roots itself into my spine and I’m bound to the ground, paralyzed and unable to admit either way how I truly feel. Or I’m too scared to probe deeper. Right this second, the idea of him with someone else turns my stomach and freezes my heart.
Savy’s gaze in the mirror softens. “It’s okay to be afraid. Some of the greatest love stories out there are full of fear of the unknown.”
I need to take a deep breath, the room getting smaller and smaller. “What if he doesn’t have true feelings for me? I’d be mortified if he found out I’m entertaining ideas about us and I was dead wrong about his.”
“Turtle, the man is crazy about you—has been for a long time.” Her voice hosts an alarming amount of exasperation. How blind have I been?
This time my eyes go round, and I shake my head. “There’s no way. I mean, I’ve never…” So, his sleep talking wasn’t a figment of his imagination? Or mine? That kiss was real?
She shrugs, spinning to face me head-on. “He’s good at hiding his feelings.”
Tears prick behind my eyelids. “But, what about Preston? I… I can’t… this is hard to talk to you about.”
“If you’re worried about what P thinks, don’t. He’s moved past it. He wants to see everyone happy. The only one standing in your way is yourself.” Her words drip with the truth and I don’t know if I’m ready to hear it.
I sink down in the chair next to me. “What if I screw it up?” I whisper, as if making my voice smaller will shelter me from any fallout.
“What if you don’t?” she whispers back with a gentle smile.
“It might be too late. He’s been hanging around with Rowan… they seem like they’ve connected.”What if I’ve already lost my chance?
“Grey could connect with an unplugged lamp and still expect it to turn on.” She dials up the sarcasm, leaning against the wall, playing with the ends of her chestnut-colored braid.
