When I Fall(42)

Her delicate laugh grabs my attention. She could pry, ask me if I’m referring to Reed or anyone else in particular, but she doesn’t.

“We should all hang out sometime. Tessa and I could use another girl in our group. We’re quickly getting outnumbered.” She places a hand on the back of the baby’s head and lifts her eyebrows, waiting for my agreement. I say agreement because I doubt anyone has ever said no to Mia. She seems too sweet to let down.

“I’d love to hang out with you guys.”

“We have game nights and stuff at my house. It’s really a lot of fun. And you need to meet the guys.” She begins twisting back and forth, bouncing a little when the baby begins fussing. “Ben, my husband, is Tessa’s brother. She’s dating Luke who works with Ben. And you already know Reed.”

She bites her bottom lip to keep her smile under control. That only fuels mine. Ear to ear, I grin like he’s standing directly in front of me. She drops her mouth to the top of the baby’s head and lowers her voice.

“CJ comes sometimes. He’s really nice too.”

I do a quick count of the men, including the two in the room. “You’re definitely getting outnumbered,” I tell her as Tessa walks back into the dressing area.

“Here we go,” she says, marching directly at me.

“Oh, uh, is . . .” I stammer as several garments are shoved against my chest. All black dresses, but different styles.

Tessa guides me into the dressing room I emerged from minutes ago with a hand to my shoulder.

“Any of these dresses will do for Saturday. I guessed a size five-six, was I right?”

Wow. Who can guess someone’s size just by looking at them?

“Yeah, that’s . . .” I look down at the dresses in my hand, then back up at her. “How did you . . .”

“It’s a gift.”

She takes one of the dresses and hangs it up on the rod along the wall, repeating this until I’m left holding one. Her red hair is slightly disheveled, falling out of the loose pony at the base of her neck. We’re similar in size, but I have a couple inches on Tessa. Mia towers over us both. The two of them couldn’t be more opposite, not in appearance or demeanor.

Turning to face me, Tessa brings her hands to rest on her hips, looking satisfied with herself.

“You need to look slammin’ at this thing. You have great tits, so use them. All of these dresses can be worn without a bra, and that’s exactly how they should be worn. Don’t cage those babies up. You want to leave some things to the imagination, but a bangin’ cleavage isn’t one of them.” She moves past me and closes the door behind her, leaving me alone in the small room.

I hold the dress up in my hands to get a good look at it. It’s short, the material form-fitting, and the part that would cover my chest is sheer.

“This would show nipple,” I mumble, sticking my hand down the neck of the dress.

“Nothing wrong with that!”

I laugh at Tessa’s remark, then turn my head so I’m staring at the door. My arms drop. “Are you two waiting for me to try these on?”

“Yup,” both women answer, their voices light with excitement.

“Even if you don’t like it, step out and let us see it,” Tessa says. “I might be able to tweak it so it’ll work.”

“Some of these are really short.” I pass a hand over the dresses hanging in front of me. I’m not used to wearing anything like this. “And this one . . . who wears a dress that has a slit up this high?”

Forget about the possibility of everyone at this thing seeing my chest. This one would show vagina.

“I own that one in white.”

I pull my hand back into a fist, wincing. My eyes fixate on the door as uncomfortable silence fills the longest seconds of my life.

Shit. Recover, Beth! Say something!

“It’s . . . I love it. It’s so pretty.” My words stick to my tongue, struggling to escape my mouth. I’m insulting my new friends. Awesome. I’m sure they’ll be dying to hang out with me now.

As my head drops against the wall, laughter erupts from behind the door.

“Tessa, tell her you’re kidding!”

“I am. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. That was too easy.” Tessa’s voice breaks with a cackle. “Whew. I crack myself up sometimes.”

“You’re a brat,” Mia teases, her voice getting louder as she moves closer to the door. “Beth, we’re ready when you are. Take your time.”

I like these girls. They make even this torture enjoyable.

Lifting my head, I pull my shoulders back and switch the dress in my hand for another that’s hanging up. “Okay, but I’m not doing nipple. I’d like to leave whether or not I have any piercings to the imagination.”