I pull the hanger from my body and inspect the dress I just pulled out from her closet. “Why not?”
“Well, for starters, it’s white.”
“What, Kate’s supposed to wear white to every single event surrounding her wedding?”
“Yeah, that’s typically the vibe.”
With a sigh, I pull the white cocktail dress away from my body and put it back in Lola’s closet, then shuffle a few more hangers looking for something to wear tonight. Kate and Jason booked a gorgeous event venue for their engagement party—not at all surprising considering how much they like nice, elegant, beautiful things—but when I went to get dressed today I realized I have absolutely nothing appropriate to wear.
When I texted my best friend this afternoon in a panic—now that she’s finally home from a week in London—she promised me access to her closet, a listening ear, and a charcuterieboard while we caught each other up on the last two weeks of our lives. So, I Ubered here immediately.
“Well where do you keep your cocktail dresses that aren’t white?” I ask.
“I don’t go anywhere that requires a cocktail dress.”
“Then what’s this for?” I point to the white dress I just put back.
A fond smile touches Lola’s lips as she stares wistfully at the dress. “A photoshoot with Kai.”
“Oh.” I pretend to grimace, then push the dress further to the side. “Lola, boudoir shots are supposed to be in lingerie.”
Lola rolls her eyes. “That’s obviously not what it was for.”
“I don’t know why you think that’s obvious.”
“Oh!” she says, ignoring me. She untangles her legs and hops off the bed, striding over to where I stand in front of her closet and starts pushing hangers to the side. “Aha!” She beams as she pulls out an emerald green silk slip dress that I vividly remember packing for her last spring.
I slowly turn to face her with a disbelieving look. “Lola, I am not wearing that dress.”
“Why not?”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but is this not the dress you were wearing in Greece when you and Kai finally got together?”
She holds it out and looks at it fondly. “It’s still a nice dress,” she says quietly. She seems to shake out of the memory and extends it to me again, shaking it slightly as if that would entice me. “It’s also the only other option I have right now, so it’s either this or you Uber back to your own place and find a dress.”
“There’s definitely nothing worthy of this venue back in my own closet.”
“Then here.” She shoves the dress into my hands.
I begrudgingly take it and hold it up to myself in the mirror. I do like the way the color looks on me. Something about thegreen makes my blue eyes seem deeper. With a sigh, I pull the thin straps off the hanger. “Fine, but I’m breaking the love spell on it.”
She winks at me. “We’ll see about that.”
Ever the dependable best friend, Lola ushers me to the little vanity table in her room and helps me put loose waves in my honey blonde hair. It’s nice having someone help me for once instead of being the one to always help others. I spend so much time putting myself last in an effort to help Kate or Lydia or my mom that I never take the time to do my hair or go shopping for something nice to wear whenever I do make the time to go out with her or try and date. I don’t make time for it often, but still.
I nearly purr like a cat as Lola combs her fingers through the curls she just put in. I’m so relaxed I almost miss her say, “I still can’t believe your baby sister is getting married.”
“You’re telling me. I thought Lydia would be first.”
She arches a brow at me in the mirror. “Not you?”
“Please,” I scoff. “I think Kate would’ve lost her mind if I did something so big before she did. And I think she likes that I can be the butt of the joke by being single.”
“Well, maybe tonight you can find your eligible bachelor.”
I groan, my heart sinking slightly that now I have to field this conversation with my best friend. “Not you too.”
“What? I’m not pressuring you to find anyone. Just saying maybe he’s closer than you think.”
