Page 55 of The Promposal

“You should be impressed,” I told her as I shifted my weight from side to side, making my skirt sway softly. “You are so talented. Are you sure you don’t want to go into fashion design?”

“I’m just copying someone else’s work. I didn’t come up with the idea for either dress on my own.” She went over to her jewelry box and started sorting through it. “I think silver earrings will work best with your dress, and I have the perfect pair of dangling ones—here.” She came back over and held one of them up to my ear so that I could see it in the mirror. “I also have a matching necklace.”

“You know I’m not this kind of person, but you were forewarned. Thank you.” Then I grabbed her and hugged her. I seemed to be doing a lot of hugging lately. Maybe it wasn’t as bad as I always thought it was.

But Ella deserved a hug for saving the prom for us. Now we had really unique and beautiful dresses.

When I let go of her, she smiled at me and asked, “So what are your plans for the rest of the night?”

I had already filled her in on my conversation with Jake in the hospital. “I was going to go put on something nice and wait in my room for a phone call or invitation to go somewhere to get my promposal. But I’ve decided that’s pathetic, and you and I should do something together.”

And if a phone call came or Jake showed up, well, I was sure Ella wouldn’t mind if I bailed a tad bit early from our plans.

“Let’s binge watch something,” she suggested.

I agreed. Lately we’d been really into watching British period dramas together. Our boyfriends (or ex-boyfriend, in Ella’s case) weren’t very good company for it. It was definitely a girls-only thing.

Ella helped me out of my dress and hung it up. I put my clothes back on while she changed from formal wear to yoga pants and an oversize shirt. We sat on her bed, and she pulled up our Amazon account on her laptop. She clicked onNorth & South, which we’d recently started.

I looked at her comfy clothes and wondered if I should go change, too.

But I left my jeans on. I wanted to be prepared. Just in case.

There was nothing wrong with having a little hope, right?

Except for when your hopes get dashed and your boyfriend does not come over to ask you to the prom.

My restless night turned into an early morning, and prom was now less than ten hours away.

Still no promposal.

Whatever Jake had planned, he was cutting things awfully close.

Ella and I had created an itinerary for the day. We were in the middle of doing mud masks with cucumbers on our eyes when my phone rang. I removed the vegetable from my eye to see who was calling me.

To my surprise, it was Kenyetta.

Obviously I’d given her my number just in case, but this was the first time she’d ever called me.

“Hey, Kenyetta. What’s going on?” This kid was taking me up pretty quickly on the whole “I’m only a phone call away” thing.

“There was an emergency at the hospital with one of my dad’s patients. He can’t come to my recital today.” I could hear the wobble in her voice.

“I’ll come.” The words just burst out of me, with no thought behind them. I had so much to do, like, decorate an actual prom, but in that moment, none of it mattered.

Because I had been in her shoes. I grew up with a single father who often missed important events in my life because of his work. At least in Dr. Drummond’s case he was saving lives, which probably made it a tad easier to deal with. My dad just usually forgot.

I wasn’t going to let her feel completely alone and forgotten.

“Really?”

“Of course. Text me when and where, and I’ll stand up and yell the loudest for you.”

“It’s a ballet recital,” she said with a sad laugh. “Not a concert.”

“Don’t care. I’ll be the one in the middle shouting, ‘Kenny-the-Pooh!’ and holding up my phone with the flashlight app on.”

This time I got a real giggle. “You are dumb. I’ll send you the information.”

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