Page 71 of Say You Remember Me
“And plan for a few hours,” he added, pausing with his hand on his door handle.
“A few hours?” I blinked. “You think it’ll take me that long to find a dress?”
“Two dresses,” he corrected. “We’ve got the mixers tonight and the gala tomorrow.”
“Okay, so…a few hours to find two dresses?”
He shrugged, but there was something in his eyes—a glint of mischief—that made me think he wasn’t just planning to buy two dresses.
“What else are you planning?” I asked, narrowing my eyes.
His lips twitched, but he said nothing, just gave me a maddeningly vague look before slipping into his room.
As I walked into mine, I tried to tamp down the flutter of excitement in my chest. It wasn’t like this was a real shopping date. Ian was just leaning into the ruse, helping sell the idea of us as a couple.
Still…it felt nice.
But then, another thought struck me. What if Ian wasn’t planning to spend hours shopping for me but for himself?The man dressed like he’d stepped straight out of a fashion magazine, every piece of his wardrobe immaculately chosen, right down to his cuff links. He might be one of those super picky shoppers, like my sister-in-law Juliette who could spend hours debating between two identical shades of navy fabric.
Oh, no.I groaned inwardly, picturing myself sitting on a fancy couch in some upscale men’s boutique while Ian agonized over tie patterns. If that happened, I’d die of boredom before we ever made it to the mixers tonight.
Shaking off the thought, I headed to the bathroom to freshen up and swap my heels for flats, trying to prepare myself for whatever this “shopping spree” had in store.
203-413-5517: Hey, this is Theo. I hope it’s okay that I got your number from Sloan. But I was wondering if you’d mind sharing some of your potty-training expertise, since I’m apparently in over my head.
The text buzzed on my phone just as I was finishing up getting ready to head back to Ian’s room. I smiled, touched that he’d think to ask me about parenting stuff since we’d only met the one time.
He’d mentioned at Sloan’s party that he’d been parenting his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter on his own since his wife’s tragic car accident a year ago. That couldn’t be easy.
Me: Sure, I’m happy to answer any questions. I’m not sure I’m a potty-training expert since I only had to do it once, and apparently, Grant was pretty easy compared to most, but feel free to ask.
His reply came almost immediately.
Theo: Your kid was easy? Heck, maybe just tell me what you did then because I could definitely use an easy button if it’s out there. Charlotte is just not getting it.
I laughed softly and texted back.
Me: Well, for starters, Grant was almost three when we finally got brave enough to start the potty-training process. So there’s that. But long story short, we decided to bribe him with a toy.
Theo: Okay…I’m listening.
Oh…he was expecting more? He probably wouldn’t like that for Grant, that was all it really took. But I decided to expound a little.
Me: So, we took Grant to the store, let him pick out what he wanted—a toy fishing pole so he could fish like my dad—and after that, it just…worked. He must have been super ready or wanted the fishing pole badly enough that as soon as he knew what he’d get, he went to the bathroom on the toilet every time after that. He even refused to wear diapers at night.
Theo’s response came in quick.
Theo: You’re making that up, right? That can’t actually be real.
I grinned as I slipped my purse over my shoulder.
Me: Apparently, I got really lucky. But I think part of it was that we waited until he was ready. Like I said, he was almost three. I didn’t want to worry about constant accidents—it was way easier to change a diaper than clean up a pee spot on the carpet.
After a quick glance in the mirror to check my reflection, I adjusted the black-and-white striped boatneck blouse I’d paired with white shorts—what Sloan had dubbed my "Audrey Hepburn outfit" when she saw it in my suitcase. Satisfied that I looked okay, I knocked on Ian’s door, ready to head out.
Just as I let my hand drop, my phone buzzed again.
Theo: Yeah…I think I’m going to rip out my carpet and replace it once this is over. My little carpet cleaner only does so much.
