Page 153 of Really Truly Yours

We all laugh. Annalise sits back. “Okay. I’ll behave now. But truly, Sydnee, Grayson is awesome. And for the record—and I know I speak for Avery on this because we discussed it last night—we like you and we need another sis-in-law. So, whatever you do, do not let him get away.”

Chapter 34

Sydnee

This day is turning into a marathon. It’s a good day, but all the social interaction is exhausting.

I’m not normally a big crier. Tears were counterproductive in my household growing up. But right now…I could cry.

What kind of idiot spills a murky, milky chai latte—a drink Annalise suggested—on the jersey her boyfriend gave her to wear to his big game? Worse, the shirt was laid across my open suitcase, and the one blouse that would have been a possibility got damaged, too.

Disaster.

I check the time. We leave in twenty minutes. Laundry isn’t an option.

Seriously, I want to sink onto the lovely, gold brocade comforter and release the tears, tears which may be as much about the intensity of the day as any lamentable wardrobe malfunction.

No, it’s definitely about clothing, too. I’m already criminally under-wardrobed, and everybody knows it. They’re simply too polite to say anything.

There’s no way I can attend this caliber of an event in the drab pullover I wore today. So many adorable items from that trash bag are at home, items I was too proud to bring.

Pride before a fall? Check.

A knock shakes the guestroom door. I open, and there’s Avery. Her eyes make a quick sweep of me. “Are you about ready?”

Her smile is sweet, but I read her thoughts.

I explain the situation. She chews her perfectly glossed lip. “Hmm…obviously I don’t have anything that would fit you. Come on.”

She leads me to Annalise’s room. Marco, thankfully, isn’t there as we explain my predicament. “I don’t suppose you’d have anything I could borrow? I’m so sorry to ask.”

Annalise claps her hands together. “Are you kidding me?” She glides across the room, throwing open the closet door and flourishing her arm. “I’ve got all this!”

Avery and I peer inside. She chokes on a laugh. I gape in awe.

The giant walk-in closet, floor-to-ceiling, is the stuff of my wildest dreams.

I collect my wistful thoughts. “But…you don’t live here.”

She smirks. “Which is exactly why my mother is insisting I pack up as much as I can carry and take it back to Colorado. She wants to turn my room into another guest bedroom ASAP.”

She strolls inside, her fingers wiggling in the air as if she’s got a brilliant plan she can barely contain. “I know the perfect thing…”

Ten minutes later, I can’t believe my eyes. I’m wearing a silky, navy, halter-type blouse over light-colored pants that fit like a glove and end right at the top of my ankle. Annalise has gone the extra mile, outfitting my feet in adorable wedge sandals and slipping some bangle bracelets on my arm as a bonus.

My toenails are painted a pale pink, and with their pretty French tips, my fingernails have never looked so nice. The clothes fit like they were made for me.

I don’t recognize the woman in the mirror.

Avery has worked some kind of magic on my drab hair. She’s clipped it atop my head and added a few loose curls with Annalise’s iron.

I look…amazing.

Can I say that?

Yes, I’ll say it—but only tonight. I’ll savor the moment.

I only hope I look good enough that Gray forgets what a clumsy klutz I am and doesn’t miss the jersey too much.

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