I’m on dress number eight, and I’m exhausted.
“Mommy, look! Buy dis! It’s got a puppy on it!”
The cutest little voice seeps into the small dressing room I’m standing in, bringing the only smile to my face since I stepped into this god-awful strip mall.
“Nolan, put that back and come stand by me, please.”
Nolan? Nolan . . . why do I know that name?
I secure the zipper underneath my arm and step out to view this disaster I’m wearing in a three-way mirror. As I’m turning to gauge how wrong this thing looks from the back, an infectious little laugh comes from somewhere in the store. God, that’s adorable.
“What’s up, Clapton?”
I lean back to look out into the store from the secluded area of the dressing rooms.
The red-head who was sitting next to Reed the other day at the pizza place is standing just outside the doorway, leaning her elbow against a rack of blouses. She tilts her head with a coy smile.
“Fancy seeing you here.” Her eyes fall to my dress, then a finger darts directly at the material rejecting my body. She hisses through a grimace. “That dress,” she says, her voice tight with judgment. “It’s not working for you at all.”
I breathe a raspy sigh while running my hands over the satin covering my stomach. “Tell me about it. None of these dresses are working for me.”
“It’s giving you this double boob thing. Does it have a built-in bra?”
“Yes,” I answer, staring down at my chest. Double boob? That can’t be the only issue.
“Mm mmm. That’s it. That’s the problem.”
“Oh hey! It’s you!”
I look up as the other woman from the pizza shop walks over, stopping at the rack of clothes and wearing one of those kangaroo baby carriers on her chest. The little guy against her makes a soft, cooing sound, while the boy I’m certain was responsible for the giggling hides behind her legs, peeking his head around her thigh.
Nolan. That’s why I know that name. The cutie with the hardhat.
She looks at me like I’m an old friend. Like I’m someone who already means something to her.
“It’s so good to see you. Beth, right?”
“Yes, hi. It’s good to see you guys too.” I wave at Nolan and he giggles again, ducking behind a leg.
I can’t decide how I want to prevent this nightmare I’m wearing from blinding them. I’m fidgeting, but it has nothing to do with nervousness as my arms cross over my chest, then flatten against my stomach, then tug at the material, hoping it’ll somehow tear from my body to reveal something perfect underneath.
I look down at the front of me, then back up at them. “I’m sorry. I forgot your names.”
“Tessa.” The red-head speaks up first.
“Mia.”
The little boy reaches up and tugs on Mia’s shirt. “Mommy, can I pway with your phone?” She hands it to him and he shifts the Playskool tool belt around his waist before hoping up on the chair just inside the dressing room area. His little feet swing in the air.
“Stay out of the app store, please.” Mia tilts the hard hat on his head to see his face. He smiles up at her with the cutest dimples I’ve ever seen, two massive craters sinking in his cheeks, then drops his attention to the phone in his hands.
“I love his little tool belt,” I admire, watching the proud smile spread on Mia’s face. “Is he really into building stuff?”
She works a lock of her dark hair out of the tiny fist claiming it. “He is now. Reed’s given him a new obsession.”
“Speaking of Reed.”
I look over at Tessa, who’s beaming like she’s in on some big secret. Her bright green eyes are wild and knowing, directed solely at me. She pops the gum in her mouth and wiggles her eyebrows before adding, “Ready for Saturday?”
My eyes falls to the front of me. “Not if I can’t find something to wear.”
Tessa rushes out of the dressing room, barreling past Mia.
“Where are you going?” Mia asks over her shoulder. When Tessa doesn’t answer, Mia turns back to me. “So, how are you liking Ruxton? Reed told me you just moved here from Kentucky.”
My eyes widen. He talked about me.
I softly clear my throat. “I like it. I haven’t really explored a whole lot yet, but everyone seems really nice. I like the small town feel. I’ve never had that.”
“Yeah, I’ve always loved that about living here. Everything is so laid back.”
“It’s so different from Louisville. I hated the fast-paced city life. I’m too boring for that. Being here, it just feels right, you know?” She smiles when I pause. “I’m really glad this is where I ended up.”
Her expression turns tender. “I think I said something very similar to that two years ago.”
“You didn’t grow up here?”
“No, I did, I just moved away for a few years. Tessa had me up for the summer and I never left.” Something flashes in her eyes, a memory that brightens them. “I don’t know what it is about this town. Maybe it’s the people.”
“Yeah,” I agree, turning my head when I feel the blood rush in my veins. The dress I’m wearing somehow becomes tighter, more constricting against my ribs. “I think it’s the people,” I say quietly as I tug the material away from my body.
Her delicate laugh grabs my attention. She could pry, ask me if I’m referring to Reed or anyone else in particular, but she doesn’t.