Page 94 of The Broken Heart Playlist
“But it’s so much fun,” Tess maintains, totally unrepentant.
They get to work, Tess filing and painting my nails, Sofia styling my hair into soft waves, and Kenzie performing her magic on my face.
Their conversation swirls around me while they work. They have a way of finishing each other’s sentences and leaping from one topic to the next with startling ease. They make it a point to include me in their discussions, filling me in on details if I don’t know the context.
I feel a pinch in my chest. I never understood Tess’s loyalty to her friends. The almost sacred tradition of their Wednesday night get-togethers. But this circle of besties care deeply aboutone another and make no effort to hide it. They’ve seen each other at their best and worst and love each other anyway.
I had close friends at school, a few in college, but they all fell away when I married Oliver. I’ve been telling myself for so long that I don’t want or need friends, but now I wonder if I’ve been missing out all these years.
“What are you planning to wear tonight?” Kenzie asks me.
“Jeans and a nice blouse.”
Tess looks pained. “Isn’t that what you wear for work?”
I shift uncomfortably. “Pretty much.”
“You might want to wear something different for a date,” Sofia recommends.
Kenzie clasps her hands together. “A dress would look beautiful on you.”
My lips twist. I’ve worn only one dress since the end of my marriage. A pretty but casual maxi dress that I slipped on at the last minute for a family lunch at my parents’ house. I remember the stunned and admiring look on Gideon’s face when he saw me.
I haven’t had the courage to wear another one since.
It takes me a moment to get my words out. “I don’t know if any of my dresses will still fit me.”
“Of course they’ll fit you,” Tess responds in surprise. “You’re practically the same size you’ve always been.”
She doesn’t understand. Physically, yes, I might be the same size, but it feels as though my shape has changed. The new version of Kate carries too many hard edges, sharp lines, and rough corners. She’s no longer the carefree woman who moved so easily and freely in those dresses.
Kenzie offers me a gentle smile, somehow understanding the turmoil inside me. “A dress will still fit you, Kate. You might have changed, but dresses are forgiving. And sometimes we wear them to change how we feel inside.”
Sofia touches my arm lightly. “I have a dress that will suit you perfectly.”
After a brief, whispered consultation with Kenzie and Tess, Sofia disappears, then returns holding a steel-blue, sleeveless midi dress with a V-neck.
I run my fingers over the soft material. “It’s gorgeous.”
“Try it on,” Tess urges.
I hesitate only briefly. I suppose it won’t do any harm. They discreetly turn their backs while I shimmy into the dress. It hugs me perfectly.
Tess does a circling motion with her fingers, and I obligingly perform a slow twirl.
“It’s like that dress was made for you,” Kenzie observes breathlessly.
“Sofia, this looks expensive,” I say, torn. “I can’t—”
“You can and you will,” she informs me in a tone that brooks no argument.
Then she deposits a pair of stunning Jimmy Choos on the floor in front of me. “The finishing touch, Cinderella.”
I stare in trepidation at the expensive shoes. They’re a treat I haven’t allowed myself in a long time. “They look like weapons.”
Sofia smirks. “Oh, they’re weapons all right. Your man will be completely defenseless against them.”
My response is automatic. “He’s not my man.”
