The dress Felicia picked out is a green jersey maxi dress with spaghetti straps. The fabric is soft and flowy, so it highlights my curves. It’s sexy but understated. Practical enough that I’ll be able to wear it again. I can even wear my favorite sandals with it.
Thea, the sneak, brought along several pieces from her collection of vintage jewelry, which we alloohandaahover. Felicia makes her promise to bring the items to her to bid on if she ever decides to sell any of her pieces. In the end, I let Loretta pick out the jewelry, since I figure she knows best.
She picks out a set of earrings, bracelet, and necklace. It’s not what I would have picked, but when I see the result, I know it’s perfect. I feel like the coolest version of myself I’ve ever been.
After checking out, Reb and Thea make plans to come over and help me get ready on Saturday. Maybe I imagine it, but Loretta almost looks sad that the evening of epic shopping is over. So, on impulse, I give her a hug and remind her I’ll see her Saturday night.
It’s not until I’m at home alone, my champagne buzz gone and all my new clothes hung up and organized in my closet that I start to think about lunch the other day at Hung Out to Dry. Was Keegan acting weird about the makeover?
Maybe?
A little?
I mean, if I didn’t know better, I’d say some of those comments he made about Reid seemed almost ... jealous.
But surely that’s not the case. Why would he be jealous of Reid?
It can’t be that. No, it must be that he’s just feeling protective. After all, it hasn’t been that long since Ollie and I broke up. Undoubtedly, he doesn’t want to see me get hurt.
I’m rewatching season one of The Good Place when I shoot him a text:
Thanks for loaning me your mom today. She was awesome. Totally deserves her title as the Queenmaker.
Thanks for inviting her. She had a blast
I pause, mulling over how different today was than I thought it would be. I expected having her there to be a bother. I expected judgment from her. On some level, I guess I thought she was there to keep me in line and make sure I wouldn’t embarrass the McQuades this weekend. In retrospect, I don’t think it was that. I got the feeling that she genuinely just wanted to be included.
But seriously, she was so helpful. ??
And now I will look totally fabulous at work from now on.
There is a long pause and lots of dancing ellipsis before he replies.
You always look great.
I stare at the text for a moment, because that feels ... off, somehow. Like he’s annoyed. Like I’ve annoyed him.
I want to talk to him, to have some reassurance that things will go back to normal, but I also don’t want to text impulsively. I’d rather say nothing at all than say the wrong thing. Do I play it casual and pretend nothing is wrong or do I just come out and ask him?
I go for a joke.
Who died and left Aristotle in charge of ethics?
As soon as I hit send, I’m hit with a wave of nerves.
I’m being a coward. Maybe I should just own up to the weirdness?
There’s a long pause, during which ellipses trickle across my screen, stop for a while, and then start up again. The knot in my belly gets tighter. Or bigger. Or something. When I can’t take it anymore, I ask,
Are we okay?
Yeah. Of course.
Are you watching The Good Place? Shouldn’t you be preparing for your presentation?
Um, obviously. ??
You need to get to work. ??
