Page 165 of Love in Riverbend
“He said dinner,” I remind my friends.
Jill sits straight. “Have I told you about the time Todd said we were going to dinner, but he didn’t tell me that he was the one who would be eating.”
“Yes,” Marilyn and I say in unison.
“Oh.” She pouts. “Sorry, with all this Justin talk, I’m missing Todd.”
“When is he getting back from that conference in Atlanta?” Marilyn asks.
“Sunday night.” Jill’s smile widens. “I’m going to surprise him at his apartment.” She gestures wide with her hands. “I have it all planned out.”
“Okay,” I say. “If this was part of your big plan, would you wear this dress” —I gesture to the one I have on— “or this one” —I point to one shorter and more casual— “or just go with capris?”
“My plan includes a bubble bath and no clothes.”
I shake my head. “You’re no help.”
“I know,” Marilyn says. “Wear the one you have on. It fits great and you’re beautiful.”
I turn again to the mirror and lift my long hair. I have it all down and flowing. It’s warm on my neck. “I don’t know. It feels a little stuffy.”
“That’s my plan,” Marilyn says. “Don’t wear panties.”
My eyes open wide. “What?”
Jill bounces on the side of the bed. “Oh my God, she’s right.” Jill lifts her hand to me. “I mean, look at you. You’re the proper schoolteacher, but just before the waitress brings your meal, casually lean close and whisper, ‘I forgot to put on panties.’”
I shake my head. Without trying, I imagine the scene. “I can’t do that.”
“You’ve never done that. It’s not that you can’t do it,” Marilyn says. “Justin wants to know your speed.”
Jill chimes in. “Nothing says light speed ahead like going commando.”
“Where is he taking you?” Marilyn asks.
“I don’t know.”
“You need to ask more questions.”
“I like the surprise.”
Marilyn’s eyes widen. “You like surprises. I bet he does too.”
My phone lying on the bed between my two friends lights up. As it does, I hear my mom’s voice from downstairs.
“Devan, Justin is here.”
With two sets of eyes on me, I sense the drop in temperature of the room. No, it’s rising—exponentially—as my cheeks flush. “Seriously?”
“Yes,” they both say.
Hiking the skirt of the dress, I snag the waistband of my panties, drag them down my legs, and step out of them. “There.” The bikini-cut white panties with lace trim lands on the floor.
Jill and Marilyn clap.
“We want details,” Jill says. “Remember, with Todd out of town, I’m living vicariously through you.”
“Oh God.” I feel faint as I consider what I just did.
