“Test what?”
“Go for a walk up and down the street.”
“What?” I fight the urge to snatch up a red flannel blanket from her couch to cover myself. “But what if a guy in the street tries to talk to me?”
“Then it means the dress is working.” She pats my arm reassuringly as she continues steering me toward a fate I’m not eager to embrace. “We just need to know the dress is having the desired impact.Ithink you look hot, but we need a guy’s perspective. Is it too much or is it not enough? Go talk to Jack.”
“Flirtwith Jack?” I frown. He’s more of a friend, and when we talk, I get friend vibes from him, unless I’m useless at reading signals, but maybe Lucia has picked up on something I missed. “I don’t know about that, Lucia.”
“No.” She opens her front door. “Talkto him. If he does nothing but stare, the dress is doing its job.”
“And if he doesn’t notice it?”
“He’s gay.”
I stare at her. “You’re joking.”
“I’m joking,” she says with a smile as she nudges me out into the hallway. “Let me know how it goes. I have other dress options.” Then she closes the door in my face, proving she wasn’t joking at all.
The dress does the job and then some.
A guy halfway down the street licks his lips and strides toward me. I hurry away, tugging the hem of the skirt down as I peer over my shoulder while he closes the distance. I’m practically running as I burst into the hardware store, scaring Jack shitless.
“Fucking hell,” he yells, mid-dive behind the counter for the baseball bat he keeps for protection. “I thought someone was here to rob the place.”
“Sorry.” I yank the rising hem of the dress back down to daytime decency levels.
He tucks his bat behind the counter and eyes my dress curiously. “Uh… nice dress.”
I glance at the front door. When the man on the street doesn’t follow me inside, I relax and join Jack at the counter as he returns to filling a shelf with stock. “Lucia sent me out to test it before my date later. She told me to walk down the street to get a guy’s perspective.”
“Alone?” Jack wipes all expression from his face. “That, uh, doesn’t seem like a good idea.”
I make a face. “It wasn’t. A man was looking at me like his birthday and Christmas had come all at once.”
Jack laughs. “Well, tell Lucia the dress—from a guy’s perspective—is very nice.”
“Thanks. I will.” I lean on the counter, watching Jack for a bit.
Between restocking, he glances over at me. “You don’t look that excited about something that's supposed to be fun.”
“I am. But…” A small sound makes me glance nervously at the door.
His eyes flick from the door to me. “Want me to make sure that guy has gone?” he offers.
“Please!”
Rounding the counter, he heads for the front door. I follow him out, and we peer one way and then the other. There’s no sign of the man.
“Thanks. I should probably go finish getting ready for this date or I’ll be late,” I say, making no move to go anywhere, and not because I’m scared I’ll bump into the guy who followed me down the street.
He gives me a long, searching look before closing the door and leaning against the wall. I join him, crossing my arms and covering my boobs to avoid attracting more unwanted attention.
“You don’t want to go on this date, do you?” he asks.
I let out a sigh. “I’m scared.”
He frowns. “Of the guy? Did you push you into it?”
