She sighs. “Fine. But this might not be enough.”
“We have nearly everything in the whole store.”
“I stand by my statement. Now, to the fitting room. And keep your underwear on. There may have been other people’s coochies in these.”
I nearly trip over my own feet. Nate and I don’t talk about this, and Quinn’s always been uncomfortable with me discussing it since I’ve been with her brother.
“Right. No coochie sharing. Got it.”
“Not with strangers, at least.” She smiles before she pushes me into the dressing room. I have to take a moment to gain my bearings.
Once I pull the first one on, I see why she got a ton. “Are they supposed to be this ... tight?” I ask.
“Let me see,” she says and I open the door. “Oh, wow. Look at those boobs.”
I shift awkwardly. “They’re practically falling out.”
“Yeah, and not in the sexy way. It needs to be tight, but not too tight. This isn’t the one.”
I sigh. “Great.”
“Chin up, my dear. This is a battle we all have to have eventually.”
“But you look so hot all the time. Is there anything that looks unflattering on you?”
“Oh yes.” She says it immediately. “So many things. I just know how to find what works.”
I wind up going through half the pile and don’t like any of them. Scarlett wants to see each one. She never outright says I look bad, just that I need to find something that complements me better.
It’s nice. It makes me wish she lived in Nashville so I could spend more time with her.
Eventually, I pull on an orange bikini that I think is more of a threat than an option. It’s barely a swimsuit, and half of my ass hangs out. The only thing saving me is keeping my nude underwear on.
“This one’s a no,” I say immediately.
“Wait, I wanna see!” she says.
“It doesn’t fit right.”
“That hasn’t stopped you before. Come on. I won’t say anything bad.”
With a cringe, I slowly open the door, stepping into her appraising gaze.
Way too much of my skin is on display, and as she stares at me, I wonder if she’s seeing the cellulite on my legs or the way that the skin and fat jiggle as I move. That doesn’t even include the way my entire top half is nearly hanging out.
This would be a thing that Rob would immediately turn down.
But Scarlett sucks in air. “You think this doesn’t fit properly?” she asks. “Girl, you’re gorgeous.”
“I’m not. This is ... way too much skin showing.”
“There’s no right way to wear anything. If you want something more modest, that’s totally fine. I do think it looks great, though. Especially if you do this.” She reaches up and takes my hair clip out. When my hair tumbles down, I no longer see the version of Maisie I’ve been. I see someone else.
“I used to dress differently,” I say. “I never had a swimsuit, but I wore crop tops and short things a lot when I was in college.”
“What made you stop?”
I take in a breath and then let it out. “Rob said I needed to cover up. I needed to look grown up.”
