Page 51 of You, As You Are

Getting involved with Iain beyond this fake date plan was the worst idea, anyway. She didn’t have time nor the mental energy to start giving her heart away again. She’d been burned over and over by boys who gave fancy promises and broke their words to be patient with her needs. She was tired of having to do it all again; be vulnerable only to have her wounds thrown back in her face.

For once, Maisie just wished that someone would actually listen when she said that she needed time.

“And as for this dress …” Vera ran her fingers down the edge of the calf-length skirt, noticing the slit in the satin-soft fabric. It had long, cold shoulder sleeves that were perfect for hiding bra straps, since the low V-neck would be perilous for Maisie without any kind of support. The intense tone of the emerald fabric paired with the body shaping style gave a far sexier vibethan she usually went for – certainly too much for a seventy-one-year-old’s birthday party.

Vera’s open-mouthed silence and glittering eyes said enough.

“It’s too much for your party,” Maisie said, adding, “I don’t want to scare Iain off.”

“I don’t think he’d be scared off at all, sweetheart. I think he’d be a silly soul not to fawn over you in this.”

“I don’t think Iain knows how to fawn.” Maisie drew the dress out of hernain’sgrip, intending to put it back where she’d picked it from across the shop.

“He might surprise you.” Vera threw her a wink, and Maisie guffawed.

How would a man of Iain’s staturefawnover a woman? She couldn’t imagine him being soft and sweet and buying her ‘just because’ flowers on a random Tuesday.

“Right,” Vera announced while Maisie pictured Iain in a florist’s, looking utterly confused. “Come on, Moo Moo. I don’t have a dress, and time is ticking.”

“Yes, right.” She pivoted.

“Don’t you dare put that dress back on the shelf.”

Maisie stumbled to a standstill. “But I already have a dress for tonight.” She wasn’t going to buy this one – it was too much of a showstopper for her to have any occasion to wear it.

“Maybe. But there are always other nights.” Vera flexed her fingers in a ‘give it here’ motion.

“Nain—”

“Quit protesting,” Vera insisted. “Let me spoil you while I’m still alive.”

After a further minute of protest, Maisie handed over the dress, worried to the bone by that offhand comment.

Still alive– was there a reason for Vera not to be soon?

Thisis what sent Maisie’s stress hormones into overtime. She needed to ask outright what was going on, but she couldn’t do it on Vera’s birthday.

‘Are you dying?’What kind of question would that be on the day she celebrated another year of life?

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

IAIN

Maisie Moss

I’m sorry in advance for what you’re about to walk in to.

Iain wasn’t surprisedin the slightest, when he powered his way up the hill to Ms Vera’s house, to see disco lights in her front window illuminating the room inside with every colour under the sun. He’d left Ted at home after an hour-long walk, which appeared to be a good idea when he spotted the beast of a black cat perched on one of the bedroom windowsills above.

He’d chanced the weather and walked twenty minutes across town, suspecting that the parking situation on Ms Vera’s narrow street would be difficult with the number of elderly guests arriving. He was right. And as he creaked open the garden gate, he saw the living room filled with swaying ceramic hips and replaced knees. Half of them must have forgotten their hearing aids because the music reached him even out here.

At least he could count on Maisie being in there somewhere for some sane company, most likely dancing along to Earth, Wind & Fire. Plus, they had their plan to enact. The one hedidn’t know why he’d agreed to so quickly. As soon as the wolves started circling, he would need her with him in there.

There was no point in knocking on the door when he wouldn’t be heard, and it opened right into the heart of the party.

“Iain!” Ronnie threw his arms in the air and shimmied around the crowd towards him in perfect time to the boogie song bouncing off the walls.

“Su’mai, Ron. Where’s the birthday girl?”

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