“Your surprise. Gran would murder me if I don’t get you there.”
I narrow my gaze. “What’s the surprise?”
He closes the car door and locks it before sliding Duke’s leash onto his wrist. “You know the definition of a surprise, right?” He chuckles at the thunder on my face. I huff as I follow him back onto the main street. He takes a left past the bakery and waves his hand at the door to the boutique.
I freeze, then take a step back. “Oh, no.”
He quirks a brow. “You mean the woman that stands on the bed waving a weapon around and shooting people in the middle of the night is afraid of a little dress shopping?”
My gaze goes flat. I have a love-hate relationship with my body. It’s complex, but putting myself in a situation where others are judging the clothing I’m selecting is a massive no-no.
“I don’t need a dress.”
“You are going on a date tomorrow. You absolutely need a dress.”
Oh, fuck. He’s right, and it’s too late to order something online. My shoulders drop and Fox holds open the door to the store. I storm inside and he follows me. I spin to face him. “What are you doing?” I snap.
“Taking you dress shopping.”
“I can handle this part on my own. Go wait in the car with Duke.”
Fox ignores me and drops his ass onto the pale pink velvetsofa facing the dressing room just as a woman maybe a decade older than myself swans into the store from the back room. Her blonde hair is highlighted to perfection and twisted up into a loose bun. Her subtle makeup speaks of years of practice. I tense. These are the kind of people I’ve spent months avoiding. It’s not that I think she will know Gideon, but it’s these circles I’ve avoided.
She grins. “I’m Lorraine, and you must be the lovely Cleo that Helen has told me about. So you have a hot date tomorrow.”
“Date, yes. Hot, no.”
She quirks a brow at Fox. “Mr. Alderidge, you have nothing to say about not being hot?”
“It’s not me she’s going on a date with.”
Lorraine’s eyes go wide. “It’s Samuel,” I declare before we have a postmortem of my dating future.
“Oh, good choice. Lots of muscles, and the rumor is he’s been blessed if you get my drift,” she says with a wink.
In the city, people are colder and more brutal, but ultimately, they don’t measure each other’s actual dicks. Red Lake is the opposite of that. It’s both a blessing and a curse that they are less interested in the national news over the local gossip.
“We need a couple options. One for tomorrow, and another for the follow-up date.”
There will be no follow-up date. I’m planning on being so painful to deal with that Samuel runs a mile the next time he sees me. But I’m not going to argue with a woman whose livelihood depends on sales and a man determined to make his grandmother’s wishes a reality. Better to suck it up now.
Lorraine eyes my frame with a frown then ushers me into the dressing room. Fox smirks at my pleading look before Lorraine yanks the curtain closed, shielding me from them. “Give me five minutes, Cleo, and I’ll have you feeling like a million dollars,” she sing-songs.
I’ve felt like a million dollars, and it’s not worth the price of my soul. I strip down to my underwear and wait for her to reappear.
She sweeps in with a fistful of hangers. “Oh my, you are hiding quite the hourglass figure under those ill fitting clothes. You know, you catch more flies with honey than vinegar.”
I scowl at her. I’m not here for a hundred different lectures on my less than sunny demeanor.
“Try the white first,” she instructs. “Do you need help?”
“No, I can dress myself.”
She huffs but leaves me alone to try on the first item. It’s a floaty knee-length cotton dress which cinches at the waist and makes my boobs pop up. The little angel sleeves flutter, much like the skirt. I stare at myself in the mirror for a full minute, fighting the feelings of doubt and worry about dressing to attract the opposite sex.
“Are you coming out?” Fox asks.
I squeeze my eyes closed and sigh. “Sure.”
