Page 76 of Ridin' Free
I was about to black out the screen and get out of bed, assuming she wouldn’t get back to me right away—but then I saw the floating dots, indicating she was typing. They appeared then disappeared, appeared again then disappeared once more before my phone began to ring.
I coughed out a quiet laugh as her name lit up my screen. I accepted the call and brought the device to my ear.
“Hello?”
“So, I was going to text, but then I figured calling would be faster—and time is of the essence, especially when you’ve got two kids,” she said in greeting. “To answer your question, a grab-n-go find is totally hit or miss around here unless you have a shopping buddy and an hour or two.
“Lucky for you, I’m available. I need thirty minutes to make myself human; but after that, I can meet you. Mustang can stay with the girls until around one or so. You down?”
A small smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I considered her offer. Tess had a generous soul. I knew she would help, but I didn’t think she’d drop everything to do so.
How many times have you done the same?
I knit my eyebrows together at the thought. It was true, on more than one occasion, when I was called upon by a Stallion or his ol’ lady, I showed up. It wasn’t so outrageous a notion I would be extended the same courtesy. After all this time, it shouldn’t have caught me off guard.
It did, anyway.
“Yeah. I’m down,” I replied. “Where should I meet you?”
Forty minutes later, I parked my Bronco in a vacant stall at the Powder Basin Shopping Center. The plan was to meet Tess outside of Marshalls. I was waiting only a couple of minutes before I spotted her headed my way. She waved when she saw me, and I jerked my chin in a silent reply.
“Hey. Got a hot date tonight, huh?” she teased upon her approach.
“Depends on what we find inside.”
Tess grinned. “Challenge accepted. How hot we talkin’?”
I glanced down at myself, adorned in my customary attire of denim and cotton. Ben told me once he didn’t care what I wore, and I believed him. Nevertheless, for at least one night, I wanted to be more than the bar wench he’d seen a thousand times.
‘I see you, Ali-Mae.’
‘You sure are fuckin’ beautiful.’
Ali-Mae.
For him, that’s who I wanted to be.
“I like floral prints,” I admitted, meeting Tess’s steady gaze.
Her eyebrows shot up her forehead in unobscured shock. “Okay—so we’re channeling pretty girl vibes?”
“Pretty girl with edge. Not changin’ my boots.”
I watched as her eyes dropped down to my feet. She hummed a mischievous laugh then started for the doors. “This is going to be fun. Come with me.”
One hour, two stores, and ninety-three dollars later, I was fully outfitted for the night. I had a new dress, matching underwear, and even a small pendant necklace we found on sale and she insisted I buy. Tess didn’t mess around, and I knew I couldn’t have done it without her. She had the patience of a saint.
“Thanks for your help,” I said as we walked toward the parking lot together.
“Of course. This was fun. And—for what it’s worth—I think you’re going to blow his mind. Kind of wish I could be a fly on the wall when he sees you in that dress.” She paused, narrowed her eyes, and then teased, “Then again, maybe not. I’m no voyeur.”
We shared a laugh, and I felt oddly giddy at the idea of knocking Ben off his feet.
More than that, I basked in the carefree levity of this moment, and the feeling of being a normal woman who could laugh with her shopping buddy.
“Have fun tonight,” she insisted as we began to part ways. “I expect an update tomorrow. You’ll hear from me if I don’t hear from you first.”
I left not merely knowing her statement was a promise, but also wanting to be the kind of woman who sent a morning-after update to her closest friends.
