She looks amazing tonight. She’s in a little black dress of Ally’s. It’s a swingy dress with cap sleeves that hits above her knees. But, she’s in flats. I tell her she looks amazing, but doesn’t she know that there’s a rule that says that no one over fifteen or under eighty should ever wear flats with a little black dress?
I read this in one of my favorite author’s romance novels and its wisdom that should be imparted on every woman. Meryl giggles, telling me she doesn’t walk properly on heels and it’s either flats or crutches.
“I walk like a baby giraffe who was just born when I have heels on.”
Ally’s wearing a hot pink dress with frills and an empire waist. She has on pink suede high heeled thigh-high boots. She looks beautiful with her pink hair in this getup. She’s wearing blue lipstick and bright blue eyeshadow which takes her from starlet-looking to looking doll-like. It’s her, though. In terms of st
yle, she marches to the beat of her own drum, for sure. Each of her fingernails is painted in alternating pastel pink, blue, and white.
***
Buchanan’s Steakhouse is fancy.
We sit down and when the menu comes, I’m suddenly wondering if the two $50 gift cards will be enough to feed and water the three of us.
“I’ve got the difference,” Ally mutters, reading my mind as I look at the prices.
“I’ll just order an appetizer, don’t…” I start to say. And as I look at the prices, I decide to order an appetizer and tap water, because holy crow.
She glares at me and reminds me instantly of my Aunt Susan who always fights over the bill with my parents. It’s easier to let Aunt Susan pay than to argue with her. Not that my mother ever lets it just be that simple. It’s always a scene. We all just get up and go hang out in the parking lot of whatever restaurant while they duke it out, even though it always ends the same. Aunt Susan paying and Mom pouting about it for the rest of the evening.
“Order a steak,” Ally demands.
I raise my hands in defense.
“You, too,” she snaps at Meryl.
“I’d really like chicken cordon bleu,” Meryl whispers to me. “Is she going to make me eat steak?”
I bust up laughing. Ally does, too. Meryl cracks up. And that’s when we see Austin Carmichael walking to the bar near our table.
My laugh dies. Austin. Does that mean Aiden is coming here, too? Austin said they had plans. Was that true?
“Shit,” I whisper, hiding behind my menu.
“What?” Meryl asks.
“Roommate-boss-alphahole-who-saw-me-naked’s brother at 1:00.”
“One o’clock?” Meryl asks, curiously.
“At the bar. Oh!” Ally exclaims excitedly, and then hops out of the booth and heads in his direction.
“Nooo…” I try to say, but she’s already gone.
“Oh God.” I am beyond mortified.
She comes back with Austin and I hear Meryl say, “Oh no.”
She’s holding his hand and steering him into the half-circle booth on the other side of Meryl.
“Hey ladies,” Austin greets.
Meryl scoots over as close to me as she can get without touching me.
Nope, wait…now she’s touching me. Her leg is against mine and it’s jiggling a mile a minute. She’s having a panic attack, I think. I grab her hand and squeeze it and whisper, “Breathe, sister.”
I see her sharp intake of breath and she lets it out slowly.