How I Found the Perfect Dress by Maryrose Wood Read Free Book Online

under the covers and only a tiny bit awake herself.
    â€œGood story,” she mumbled. “Made us both sleepy.”
    It took some pretty vigorous shakes to get Colin to the point where I could lead him down the hall to the guest room. Only half-awake, he didn’t resist as I pulled off his battered Nikes.
    â€œSorry I’m so wiped. Must be the time change. . . .” he mumbled. “Haven’t been sleeping well, lately . . . Right now I swear I could sleep for a week, though. . . .”
    â€œWant me to tuck you in?” I joked, but of course it wasn’t totally a joke.
    â€œI’ll manage,” he said, letting his head sink back into the pillow. I had to snatch the flower away so it didn’t get crushed.
    Before I could even say good night, he was asleep.

    b Ч ten-thirtЧ sundaЧ morning tammЧ Was starving and whining for breakfast, but Colin hadn’t come down yet. Dad insisted we start without him.
    â€œTen-thirty and still asleep! It’d be even later in Ireland,” my dad commented, as he stirred his coffee. “Half the day’s wasted.”
    â€œDon’t be inhospitable,” Mom said, ladling out the fruit salad she’d been chopping all morning, which was carefully garnished with perfect circles of kiwi and sprigs of fresh mint. “He’s exhausted from traveling.”
    â€œHe knows about chickens,” Tammy said, her mouth full of waffle.
    â€œNeed to brush up on my roosters, though. It’s well past sunup!” Colin practically jogged down the stairs. “Good morning, everyone! I can’t thank ye enough for lettin’ me lie in. That was quite possibly the best night’s sleep I’ve had in me whole entire life.” He smiled charmingly at my mother. “I hope I didn’t cause ye to miss church.”
    Ha. My mom’s idea of Sunday worship was hitting a sale at Lord and Taylor’s.
    â€œMorning,” my dad said, sounding embarrassed. “Coffee?”
    â€œHardly feel like I need any, but sure.” Dad poured him a cup, and within seconds my mom produced a warmed plate laden with perfectly arranged fruit, homemade waffles and a festive drizzle of raspberry syrup.
    â€œWe were planning on doing some shopping today,” she said, as we watched Colin shovel the food down. “Would you like to see the mall? It’s quite something!” Mom said “the mall” with a special glow, like, “Would you like to see the Taj Mahal ? Would you like to see the dead come back to life ?”
    Say no, I prayed. Anything but the mall.
    â€œIf ye don’t mind,” Colin said, glancing at me, “I’d be more than happy to just enjoy your beautiful home, and relax here for a bit.”
    â€œI’ll stay home too,” I said quickly.
    Mom got it right away, but Dad slammed his coffee mug down and pushed back his chair. “Me too. I’ve been meaning to organize the garage.”
    At my house, we spelled clueless D-A-D.
    â€œDaniel,” Mom intoned, in the low pitch she only used when she was about to boss him around. “I really think you should come shopping with me and Tammy. Let Morgan and Colin have a chance to catch up.”
    â€œBut the garage is a mess—”
    â€œIt’s been like that for eight years, ” said my mom, the professional closet organizer and most passionately anticlutter person on the East Coast. “It can wait.”
    My mom could be kind of a goddess herself, sometimes.
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    Colin and morgan ... alone at last ...
    As the sound of the Subaru whisking my parents and Tammy to the mall faded into the distance, my heart started to pound. What to do first? Throw myself at Colin and plant a juicy wet one right on his lips? Tell him how much I’d missed him and beg him to move to Connecticut? Offer him more coffee and wait for him to make the first move?
    Colin seemed unsure too. “Ye didn’t tell