Page 61 of Love At The Shore
“But you still need a new dress.” Maureen grinned and darted back to the rack of sundresses. “What about this one?”
She held up a light blue dress with thin straps and a dramatic navy velveteen leaf design swirling over the bodice and long skirt.
It was very pretty. And very, very date-like.
“What’s wrong with what I’m wearing?” Jenna glanced down at her striped shirt and cropped pants.
Maureen rolled her eyes. “You can’t wear khakis on a date.”
“It’s not a date. It’s a dinner. With thekids.” Besides, Jenna had lived next door to Lucas for weeks already. She was pretty certain he’d seen her in her bathrobe and fuzzy slippers on a few occasions.
“Tomato, tomahto.” Maureen dangled the dress in front of her.
The shop’s sales clerk appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. “Can I help you find a size?”
“No,” Jenna said.
At the exact same time, Maureen smiled and blurted, “Yes.”
The sales clerk glanced back and forth between them.
“Just try it on.” Maureen fluttered her eyelashes at Jenna. “Please?”
She wasn’t going to give in. If Jenna didn’t agree to try on the dress, Maureen would probably try and wrestle her into it.
“Fine.” She plucked the hanger from Maureen’s grip. “But it’s not a date.”
“No, of course not,” Maureen said, but her smile was triumphant.
And as Jenna stepped into the tiny dressing room and slid its curtain closed, she heard her best friend whispering on the other side.
“It’s a date.”
Chapter Thirteen
Afew hours later, the housewas clean, dinner was ready, and Jenna was wearing the pretty blue dress.
Maureen hadn’t taken no for an answer. And once Jenna had slipped it on and taken a look at herself in the mirror, she’d been easier to convince. It really was a lovely dress—slim, pretty and a little more glam than khakis without being over the top.
Still, five minutes before Lucas was due to arrive, she decided to change back into her cropped pants and trusty cardigan. Lucas would probably show up in his ordinary surfer uniform of a hoodie and board shorts. She’d invited him over for dinner with the kids. There was a zero percent chance he’d consider it a date, and here she was in a dress with spaghetti straps and her hair freshly blown out and tumbling down her back in thick waves.
What had she been thinking?
She reached to unzip the back of the dress and step out of it, but it was too late. Before her fingertips made contact with the zipper, someone knocked on the door.
It had to be Lucas.
Too late to back out now.
She took a deep breath and made her way to the living room, where she caught her first glimpse of him through the storm door on the patio. At least she thought it was Lucas—she barely recognized the handsome man standing on the deck in a crisp button-down shirt and dark, slim-cut pants. And was that abouquet of flowersin his hand?
Her footsteps slowed and for a ridiculous fraction of a second, she thought she might cry. She couldn’t remember the last time anyone had brought her flowers.
Her hand shook as she reached for the door knob, and when she swung the door open, they stood quietly looking at each other as if for the first time.
“Wow. You look…” She swallowed. “…different.”
Lucas’s gaze turned tender. Reverent. “You look incredible.”
