Page 93 of Enough
I ask the girl if they have it in my size, and she gallops into the back room to check. After a few minutes, Gwen finds a shiny black dress that’s fitted and low cut. She takes it behind the curtain to try it on. The girl returns with a proud smile on her lips and hands the dress in my size to me. I rush into the room with Gwen to try it on. I help her zip hers and she helps me with mine.
“Does my waist look too wide?” I question.
“Not at all. I love the slit up the side. What about me? Is this too low cut?”
I lift and lower my eyes to take her in. “I don’t think so. It really suits you and your figure!”
We laugh as we twist and turn. After trying on a couple of other dresses, we decide to go with our original choices. Then I remember I don’t have a strapless bra.
“Oh shit. I’m going to need to get something without straps.”
“The sales girl hears me and brings me a red bustier in my size before I can utter another syllable. I try it on and it makes my boobs look twice their size. I eye the price and it’s fifty dollars. I sigh and change back into my clothing.
“Well?” Gwen asks as she tries on some shoes.
“It’s too much.”
“Umm… I forgot to tell you undergarments are included as well. It’s a whole outfit,” the saleswoman tells us.
Gwen and I glance back and forth and we shrug. “Get some new panties while you’re at it!” She waves.
After we both have new shoes, dresses, and underwear, we head home to get ready. At 4:45, the limo driver knocks on the door to let us know he’s here but to take our time. I glance out the upstairs window as I fluff my hair. It’s a long black stretch. “Shit…” I mumble and Gwen strains to see it too through the blinds.
“This is going to be awesome,” Gwen sings. “I’ve always wanted to seeLes Miserables. I can’t believe this day!”
“I know, right?”
We step back to check each other out, and I suddenly feel like a princess. Grandma Kay and Marlow enter the room.
“Wow! You look so pretty! Can I wear that dress someday?” Marlow asks.
“Ab-so-friggin-lutely!” I tell her, and she jumps up and down. Nothing could spoil my high today. I feel pampered and pretty.
Kay snaps a picture or two of us, and we head down the stairs. I grab my cell and stuff it into my purse.
“Are you sure you’re really okay with this?” I question Gram one more time.
“I think I’m just as excited about this night as you are, maybe more. Now go! Have a wonderful time. We’ll be fine here. There’s no need to rush home.”
I kiss her cheek and wipe my red lipstick away before Gwen hugs her. I lift my dress, kiss the kids, and angle my purse under my arm. Kay watches anxiously from the entry aswe laugh our way to the limo.
The driver immediately leaps up to open the door for us, and Gwen is the first to slide inside.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me!” she shrills.
I bite my lip in excitement. Maybe it’s bigger on the inside than she imagined. The minute I tip my head into the door to climb inside, I see why she said what she did and my mouth gapes.
Inside the limo, dressed in black tuxes, are Cooper and Nick. They’re holding glasses of champagne and smiling from ear to ear. Gwen is gawking, and Cooper leans over to plant a small kiss on her lips.
Nick’s eyes dart over me and he takes me in appreciatively. Before I realize it, Kay is standing next to the door with her camera snapping pictures.
“Hey, beautiful,” Nick says in a deep, smoldering voice. “Are you surprised?”
I gaze between Nick, Cooper, Gwen, and Kay, not sure what to make of what I see. “I don’t understand.”
Kay’s the first to speak. “These two set the whole thing up. Cliff never won any tickets. These two gents just wanted to do something special for you, so they called me and asked me to play along. They bought the spa day, dresses, and everything. I say they’re quite a catch if you ask me.”
Nick leans forward and kisses Kay on the cheek. “You’re quite a catch, Kay.”
