Page 5 of Bree

I tune them out and think about how I’m going to convince Bree to come out with me tonight. At this point, I know nothing about her schedule, but I’m not about to tell mother that.

5

Bree

When Matt calls me after lunch and explains the situation, I’m less than thrilled. I wasn’t expecting to have to talk with his family as much as a small dinner would require, especially considering how much of a talker I remember his mother being. But he sounds desperate… Iknowhe’s desperate, and a part of me has a difficult time telling him no. With a sigh, I agree to dinner.

“It will be a casual affair, just dinner at the little Italian place on 4th. Just me, my mother and father, and my little sister.”

“Alright, what time?” I ask, looking at the clock on the wall behind my dining table.

“Seven. I’ll pick you up.”

“Okay, sure. I’ll text you my address.”

“Great! See you tonight, Bree.”

“Yeah, see you.”

He hangs up after that, and I’m left to stew in my anxiety. I only have about four hours to prepare myself. I head into my bedroom and start digging through my closet for something to wear. Even though he said it’s going to be a casual affair, I remember how formal his mother was back then, and I’m sure not much has changed.

I tossed one dress after another onto my bed, discarding each as either too short or too low cut or even too boring. Logically, I know that several of these dresses are probably fine, but I need them to be perfect.

“And I’m ridiculous,” I murmur to myself. I’m meeting the family without the perks of being a real girlfriend. I don’t know how I’m going to get through this dinner, much less the New Year’s Eve party this weekend without giving our scam away, but I’m just going to have to suck it up and do my best. I did agree to this; there’s no backing out now.

I grab my cell phone and FaceTime my sister Shay. Hopefully, she can help me pick a nice dress.

“Hey, sis!” Shay chirps on the screen. She’s sitting in the back room of her shop with her favorite pug perched on her lap. “What’s up?”

“Hey, Shay,” I reply, still digging through my closet. “I have to go to dinner with Matt’s family tonight, and I need help picking out an outfit. Do you have a minute?”

“Wait! You’re going to dinner with Matt’sfamily? I didn’t even realize you were dating him again.”

“Er… Yeah, it’s complicated. Can you help me pick a dress or not?”

“Complicated how Bree? I saw you chatting with him at the hospital, but I’ve heard nothing else about him.” I heave a sigh and glare at Shay through the screen.

“Fine. If I tell you, you cannot tell anyone. I’m serious, Shay.”

“Okay fine, I promise my lips are sealed.”

“He asked me to pretend to be his girlfriend for his mother’s New Year’s Eve party.”

“Oh… Wow. That’s – Are you okay with that, Bree?”

“Yes,” I reply. “It’s no big deal. Now that you know, can you please help me pick out an outfit? I’m driving myself crazy trying to decide.”

“Alright,” Shay laughs. “Turn the camera around, so I can see what I’m working with.”

I flip the camera and pull one dress after another out, Shay considering each one before ordering me to toss it to the maybe or the no pile. Once we’ve combed my entire closet, we have a total of three dresses to choose from.

“The question is, do you want to have a sexy edge, or do you want to stay conservative and proper?” Shay asks. I can hear the dog snoring away on her lap. Pugs snore like you wouldn’t believe. It must have something to do with their smushed faces.

“I don’t know, Shay. Two of these are dresses I would wear to Easter dinner with our grandmother. And maybe that’s what I should wear to meet his family, But it’s not me.”

“Well, that settles it then, doesn’t it?” Shay asks.

“Yeah, I suppose it does.”

---