Shiloh:They don’t call him that because he’s dating Sky. It’s because of the way he treats her.
Skylar:He treats me fine.
Tiff:As much as I do want to discuss the Aids/Sky situation can we get back to the topic at hand. Maggie? How the fuck was your date?
Skylar:There’s no situation
Shiloh:We want details. Was he a gentleman? Or is there a trail of clothes from the front door to the bedroom?
I reminded them that there were four children in the house and that he was a perfect gentleman. Each of them had put in their own opinion but they were all happy for me.
Maggie:The next step to Operation: Wooing - The Gala evening. I’m supposed to get a dress. But I am not sure how I feel about him giving me his credit card to do it.
Tiffany:Which one? Is it silver or black?
I got out of bed and fished the card out of my wallet.
Maggie:Black. He said you should get a dress too.
Tiffany:Wow. He’s only ever allowed me to use the company silver one for the gala. Black must mean he’s serious. We are going to make such a dent on that thing.
Shiloh:Ryder has tickets to that event too, I need to get a dress as well.
Grace:I want photos!!!!
Cat:Same!
Skylar:Ditto!
Two hours later with Theo watching the kids and Tiffany playing RideShare driver and Shiloh in the backseat, we were on our way to San Diego.
And not to an outlet mall. Oh no, with Tiffany at the wheel, we stopped at a boutique with valet parking and a doorman. Seriously, it looked like we were entering a high end hotel, not a dress shop.
I turned to Tiffany. “Are you sure about this? This is not exactly a pretzels after shopping place.”
As I said the words, a woman walked up to us, looking at Tiffany. “Ms Snow. It's so good to see you. I cannot believe a year has passed already.”
“It has, and this time I brought some friends with me.” Tiffany looked completely at home in the boutique despite her entire outfit being thrifted or designed herself. “Marie, please meet Maggie and Shiloh Bauman.”
Marie looked to be in her forties with her dark hair sleeked back into a low, long ponytail. Her navy blue shift dress hugged her slight curves. Her eyes darted from Tiff to Shiloh in her floral sundress and then to me in my faded jeans and sneakers with a Reverse Cowgirl T-shirt. “And all three of you will be on the same account.”
“Oh no.” Shiloh shook her head. “I’ve brought my fiancé’s credit card.”
Shiloh had no problem flicking the silver plastic between her fingers.
Tiffany also shook her head. “Also, it will not be the same card you have on file. My brother has provided his girlfriend with his personal Amex card.”
Marie’s thin eyebrows raised up her forehead. “Oh.” She attempted a smile but it didn’t quite hit the mark. She turned to Shiloh. “And you mentioned your fiancé?”
“Yes, Ryder Hawkins.” Shiloh did not look impressed. “But Marie, it should be mentioned. That boutiques like this are not rare in San Diego. We are willing to go somewhere more welcoming if you’re not happy to help us.”
The spluttering and fumbling that followed would be comical if it wasn’t so blatant. “Can I get you something to drink? Champagne, perhaps?”
Tiffany did not bother to hide her smile. “I’m the designated driver, but please get each of these ladies some champagne.”
“Of course.” The woman gestured to one end of the showroom. “The evening gowns are toward the back. You can start on that end, with the Alexander McCalls and make your way around to the Missy K dresses. Once we have an idea of what each of you like we can pull some ideas and go from there.”
Browsing the dresses was the easy part, even if it took longer than expected.
