She paused and I tried to read her expression but the screen froze. “It probably wasn’t that much to him. You said he has money. And you’re not prone to exaggerate. I’m thinking this guy could buy and sell the whole trailer park.”
“Right. That’s what he said. Not about the trailer park. About the scarf.”
“So, let him do what he wants to do for you. And you do what you want for him. If you make each other happy, that’s when shit gets serious.”
That made sense. I should just do what was in my heart and he should do the same. As long as we were both happy.
“When did you get so wise?” I asked.
“Grew up this way. It was the way my sister raised me.”
I was suddenly so homesick I could barely stand. Not for Oregon. Not for the Sunshine Trailer Park or my parents, but for Autumn. “I miss you,” I said.
“Don’t you dare miss me. You’re chasing your dreams and hanging out with Sexy Dexter. You don’t have time to miss me.”
I might have paid Autumn’s tuition, but that girl gave me the strength and courage to try to carve out a life for myself outside of the trailer park.
“Although I’m going to miss you like crazy on your birthday.”
“It’s the first one I won’t spend with you.”
“You’ll just have to make Dexter sit in bed, eat ice cream and watch reruns of the Housewives.”
If he was capable of that, the man was worth marrying.
“Is that a glue gun?” Autumn asked, frowning at me as I stuck together the blue felt.
“I just spotted a hole in the hat.”
“Well, if he has sex with you after seeing you in that outfit, you’ll be engaged by Christmas.”
Nineteen
Dexter
I’d offered to pick Hollie up but, she said she’d meet me outside Gabriel’s place and made me promise not to go inside without her. I leaned against the car, trying to see if I could spot her. I didn’t know what I should be looking for, given we were going to a fancy-dress party. I’d asked her a couple of times about her costume but she’d refused to tell me anything. When I suggested Kelly McGillis, Hollie had challenged me to remember the character’s name, and when I couldn’t, she told me she wasn’t going to go as my nameless appendage. Then I made a crude joke about my dick being my best appendage, and she thwacked me with a towel.
I transferred my fighter pilot helmet from one hand to the other. My assistant had done a good job with the costume. The red and black striped helmet even had the word Maverick painted on it in white. My green jumpsuit had all the requisite patches, including the American flag, Top Gun school crest, and Tom Cat. But I felt a bit of a dick. Costumes weren’t really my thing.
I checked my watch. She’d said she’d be here ten minutes ago, but it was difficult to know whether she was normally late. Our relationship had been conducted entirely behind closed doors in my apartment. We’d had that one dinner when we first met, but since then we’d been banished from going outside together.
“Hey, wanna be my wingman?” Hollie called from behind me.
I turned to find her grinning at me. And then her face dropped. “You guys have Dr. Seuss, right?”
I chuckled, taking in her red flannel outfit and the white circular label on her chest that read Thing 1. “You’re adorable. And yes, we do. Where’s Thing 2?”
She pulled out her keys and dangled a miniature version of herself in front of me. “Autumn bought it for me. She has another.” Then she slipped her red-gloved hands around my waist and put her head on my chest. “I like you as a pilot. Maybe I should have gone for something a little more feminine, Sexy Dexter.”
Her blue felt hat, shaped like an upside-down octopus, smacked me in the face.
“You’re the sexiest I’ve ever seen you,” I replied.
“You’re a terrible liar,” she said.
“I mean it. Are you wearing anything under that—what is that—is it all-in-one? Does this zip work?” I reached for the neck of her costume to see if I could reveal what was underneath.
She batted my hand away. “I’m wearing pajamas,” she said. “I got a bunch of felt online and with hand stitching and glue, this is what I came up with. And yes, I have underwear on, you pervert.”
She looked completely cute. I was relieved she’d gone to some effort and not bunged on a suit and said she was a CIA agent or something. Gabriel would appreciate her commitment. All the boys would.
“You look phenomenal,” I replied, kissing her on her forehead. No one would be dressed like her.
“You’re sure you don’t wish I’d come as Princess Leia in the gold bikini?” she asked, looking up at me.