“Do you want a similar style to the suit?” she asked. “Stylish, but not 100% formal?”
“Anything that will pair well with my suit and show off just how gorgeous Tally is,” Alec replied before I was able.
My breath caught. How was I supposed to remind myself that all of this was fake when he kept calling me beautiful?
The sales assistant collected several dresses for me to try and sent me in first with a long, rich purple dress. It fit well but was cut a little lower than I’d like. Alec nodded, but she shook her head.
I tried on another, and then another, and on and on until I felt like a girl in one of those makeover montage scenes from a romantic comedy film. I couldn’t deny that they made me feel good. Particularly, a pale blue one the color of shallow ocean in the tropics and a pink gown that complemented my complexion well.
I was wearing the blue dress when Alec announced, “I think you need accessories too.”
The sales assistant snapped her fingers. “You’re right. What do you think? A purse? Shoes? Sunglasses?”
“Everything.”
She breezed away.
“No.” I put my hands on my hips. “I haven’t even said I’ll buy one of the dresses yet.”
“Because you won’t.” Alec smirked. “I will.”
I threw my hands up in the air. “You can’t just throw away your money on me.”
His expression grew serious. “I don’t consider this to be throwing it away. Any money spent on you is worth it.”
My heart skipped. I tried to tell myself he didn’t mean anything by it, but my subconscious began weaving more daydreams in which my best friend suddenly fell madly in love with me.
When the assistant returned, she was accompanied by a young, pretty Asian man who was carrying a small bench upon which sat a number of pairs of shoes. The woman held a box and from where I stood, I could see several purses within.
“That dress is perfect for you,” the man said, placing the bench on the ground and doing an exaggerated chef’s kiss. “May I suggest these shoes to go with it?”
I took the pair of white strappy sandals from him and turned to the woman. “What else am I matching with this?”
She offered me a white leather purse and a sunglasses case.
Half an hour later, I had two full outfits to choose from, accessorized not only with shoes, purses, and sunglasses, but also with a simple silver pendant necklace.
We’d also gathered quite an audience. Apparently, word had spread about my predicament with the wedding and my ex, and now the sales staff were personally invested in making sure I looked my absolute best.
“You know, I really don’t need all this,” I said to Alec, trying to keep my voice low so the observers wouldn’t all hear.
“Maybe not,” he murmured back. “But you deserve it. You’ve been my best friend for years. You’ve been there for every one of my important milestones. Let me do this. Nothing is too good for you.”
I melted right then. Who wouldn’t?
“Which dress is your favorite?” he asked.
I dithered, not really sure. Personally, I like the pink best, but I had a feeling the blue looked better, and wasn’t that the point of all this?
“The blue one,” I replied firmly.
“Okay then.” He slung his arm around me and gave me a hug. “That wasn’t so hard, was it?”
I just looked at him.
He laughed. “Think of it this way: If you were my girl, it would be my job to spoil you. For all intents and purposes, you are my girl right now, and there’s no woman I’d rather spoil than you.”
“Why are you single?” I asked, baffled as always by the state of his social life. He had so much to offer. One day, someone was going to be smart enough to lock him down, and then there would be no more of these wonderful days spent together, just me and him. No girlfriend would tolerate our closeness. At least, I doubted they would.
