Chapter One
Amy
“Tell me again why this is a good idea?” I look up at Gabi from beneath a pile of dresses on her bedroom floor. She’s been tossing clothes at me for an hour, trying to get me ready for the first date I’ve been on in over two years. And since Shane pretty much stopped taking me out on dates after the first couple weeks, it feels like forever.
“Because you need to get back on that horse.” She holds up a pair of break neck high heels. “And if that horse happens to own a bakery, all the better.”
I roll my eyes. My best friend can be a romantic when she wants to be but mostly she’s just straight-shooting and dirty. I love her for it.
“I don’t know anything about fancy art. What if I say something to offend the artist?” I’ll have to warn Mason that I don’t know how the hell I’m supposed to act so he shouldn’t leave me alone with anyone important.
“You won’t.” Gabi gestures for me to stand up and raise my arms. When I do, she pulls off the t-shirt I slept in and yanks a teal sequined dress over my naked body. “And this is perfect. It sets off your eyes.”
I glance in the mirror. It does look good and makes my eyes pop. After inspecting the width and depth of my ass in the stretchy fabric, I nod to her so she can move on to accessories.
I like the idea of getting dressed up but it’s the execution that I suck at. I’d be happy in yoga pants and a tank top for the rest of my life so I have to rely on the expert skills of my bestie to get me presentable. I hope she ate her Wheaties this morning.
“Your ass looks amazing.” She smacks it to get my attention. “Stop looking at it and tell me which necklace you like better.”
Both are beautiful but I go with the silver pendant to keep it simple. I don’t want to look gaudy and that’s a distinct possibility if I don’t rein Gabi in.
Once we’ve perfected my ‘barely there’ makeup and straighten and curl my hair, I’m just about ready. Mason is due any minute. I go to sit on the couch and remember I’m not quite done. “Shit, I almost forgot underwear!”
I walk toward the suitcase that still holds my daily wardrobe but Gabi stops me with her hand. “Uh uh. The bra is built in and you don’t need panties.”
I laugh and step toward my suitcase anyway but her grip only tightens. “I’m serious, Aims. Nothing underneath. You’ll have a VPL and if things get good, you’ll be all soggy. You don’t want a yeast infection, do you?”
I stare at her in disbelief. Is she seriously trying to tell me that going out in public in a mini dress without panties is for my own health? “No way.”
“Yes way.” She cups her palm around her ear and points outside. “And he’s here.”
Mason knocks on the door and I count to ten before stepping forward and opening it up.
“Hi, Mason. Come in.” I step to the side and gesture for him to enter.
Mason hands me a bouquet of red roses and leans forward to give me a kiss on the cheek. “You look stunning, Amy.” He takes a step back and looks me up and down. “Seriously…wow.”
“Thank you, Mason.” I can feel the heat creeping into my cheeks but I don’t mind. Compliment blushing is nice. Embarrassment blushing is the worst. “You look very nice too.”
He winks and pulls a white paper bag from his jacket pocket. “And this is for you too.”
I laugh at the cream stick from his bakery. A cream puff sounds delicious but my stomach is too nervous to eat. “Thanks for this too. I’ll save it for later.”
“Yeah, like it’ll be here later.” Gabi appears from the kitchen with a vase. “But it’s cute that you think it might be.”
I pull Gabi to my side. “Mason, this is my best friend, Gabi. Gabi, this is Mason.”
“Gabi.” Mason offers his hand then pulls her in for a hug. “It’s a pleasure. If I had known Amy had a roommate, I would have brought an extra cream stick.”
Gabi doesn’t miss a beat. “Well, my
Suzanne Steele, Stormy Dawn Weathers