Chapter One
“Come on, girl. Live a little,” Lucy Carter urged Maizy Owen as they browsed the lingerie.
Maizy put the catsuit back on the rack. “It would be a waste of money, Lucy. Where would I wear it? Parent teacher conference night?”
Her soon-to-be sister-in-law giggled as she removed the sheer black lace confection from the rack and held it up to Maizy, looking her up and down with speculation in her piercing blue eyes. “The right man is just waiting to see you in this. With your curly black hair and gorgeous looks, you’d knock some poor guy dead in his tracks.”
“Well then what good would he be to me?” she asked with a giggle as she put the catsuit back again. She wanted it so much that it hurt to walk away from it but there was no point in spending money that wouldn’t have a return on the investment. And if she ever did find a guy to wear it for, with her luck, she’d slip into it, show off the cat’s tail, kitty ears, and split crotch, and wind up scaring the poor guy off with her rowr.
Because that’s how my luck is with men.
They were in Discretion, the adults-only ladies’ boutique situated on the outskirts of Morehead, Texas, shopping for lingerie for Lucy, for her wedding and honeymoon. Lucy had also hinted that Maizy needed a little girlie fun before she started gearing up for the new school year which would begin in a month.
Lucy grinned, lifted the catsuit off the rack, and put it in Maizy’s hands. “Try it on.”
“I’m not modeling that for you!”
Lucy snickered. “I never said I wanted you to. Go try it on for yourself. Summer? She can try that on, right?”
From across the shop, Summer Webster looked up at what Maizy held in her hand. “Be my guest, just leave your panties on. Let me know if you need help.”
Lucy grinned triumphantly. “Try it on just to see what it would look like, before you put it back.”
“I’m too short.”
“Try it on.”
“And dumpy.”
Lucy coughed. “Bullshit. Try it on.”
“No one wants to see me in this.”
“It’s for you. If anyone else ever sees it, that’s just bonus. Do something just for you.”
“I’m on a budget.”
Lucy rolled her eyes, looked at her watch, and whispered, “Chickenshit.”
Maizy tried for indignation. She really did. The twinkle in her Amazonian future sister-in-law’s eyes made Maizy giggle. She was really grateful to Patrick for bringing Lucy into her life.
“I’m not a chickenshit.” She pushed the garment into Lucy’s hands.
“Of course not because you’re trying it on.” Lucy put it back in her hands.
“Lucy,” she moaned. My ego does not need the hit right now. “Fine. Have it your way. But I’m not modeling.”
Lucy smiled, evidently satisfied. “Model it for yourself. You’re the one who matters.” Her eyes filled with compassion. “That ex-fiancé of yours is a dumbass and didn’t deserve you. I think you need something to feel good about right now, Maizy.”
Just like that, the lump rose in Maizy’s throat. “Oh, stop. Today is supposed to be about shopping for you, for the wedding, and about having fun.”
“Who’s to say I’m not having fun? Try that on and I’m gonna go look at dildos.”
Maizy burst into laughter along with Lucy, as she stepped into a changing room, feeling even more grateful to her. Lucy had a way of knowing what people needed.
She dropped her purse on the bench and sat down to take off her shoes. She glanced in the mirror and sighed. The first thing she saw as she sat there was her abundant thighs. Next, she saw heavy breasts that made her bra straps dig into her shoulders and her back hurt at times.
The face in the mirror was a nice one and she’d been told that she had a great smile. Great hair. Great eyes. Great skin that tanned easily. Her friends had always been jealous of that fact. She didn’t think it was all that great because nearly everyone in her family teased her about being the Native American throwback while all the rest of them were fair. But the fact remained that when people pointed out how great her eyes, or her hair, or her smile was, she knew that they meant the rest of her was flawed.
Once barefoot, she stood and undressed, avoiding looking in the mirror.
Fine, damn it. I’ll try on the catsuit. Shut Lucy the hell up. And get out of here with what’s left of my shredded ego. She immediately felt bad for thinking that about her future sister-in-law.
She thought about the belly dancing costume hidden in the back of her closet at home. It’d been almost a year since she’d worn it. She thought of the beautiful veils, the bead and sequin work, and her coin scarves. She missed belly dancing, missed attending class every Friday night in Morehead, and missed her friends from class.