"Okay. I'm coming out."
"Awesome!"
Ruth pulled the door open and saw Katie standing in the middle of the room near the foot of the bed.
"Come on out here," Katie encouraged her. "You can see it in front of the big mirror!"
That was a very positive look on things.
A positive outlook that she wanted to cling to.
"Okay."
Ruth tried to feel more positive than she would normally be and stepped up in between Katie and the mirror.
Holding the dress tightly to her chest, she drew in a breath, sucking in her stomach and everything else she could possibly suck in.
She waited for a moment, wondering when Katie was going to pull the zipper up.
And when she was nearly out of air, Ruth gasped out with her last breath. "I'm ready when you are."
"Ready?" Katie leaned to the side to look at Ruth in the mirror. "It's done."
"Done?" Ruth frowned as her brain tried to grasp the words that Katie had said. "It's zippered?"
"Yep!" Katie clapped her hands together. "Lower your hands and take a look."
She lowered her arms and waited for something catastrophic to happen.
A split seam.
A horrifying pop of something.
Ruth relaxed a little, trying to breathe normally.
And she could.
Turning slightly in one direction and then the other, Ruth watched as the black fabric with the bright red roses swirled around her legs. The front of the dress where she'd lifted her 'girls' to put them in place was covered in gathered fabric thatmade her look like her breasts were much more perky than her thirty-something breasts were.
"Turn around!"
Katie's cheerful voice was all she needed to do a little spin around herself. The feeling of the skirt swirling around her legs was incredible.
She did another turn and when she stopped she found herself a little breathless. "Wow."
Katie jumped up and executed a perfect pirouette beside her and ended with a cheerleader-like jump in the air. "Wow is an understatement! You look so awesome!"
Ruth had to agree. And she felt awesome, too. "I haven't tried to put it on since I bought it, but it fits now!"
"Yeah!" Katie moved closer and leaned in against her arm. "It makes you look amazing!"
"It makes me feel amazing." Ruth beamed and tried to put her arm around Katie's shoulders and found herself stopped by the off-the-shoulder shoulder straps. "Okay. No side hug for you right now."
"That's okay." Katie moved around in front of her and grinned. "Can I hug you?"
Katie was still beaming, but Ruth thought she heard a little plea in Katie's voice. And in her eyes, Ruth thought she might see just the hint of tears.
"Yeah," Ruth's voice was softer than she'd been a moment before, "of course."
