Of course the moment I feel like things are coming together for me, something has to rear its ugly head and threaten to destroy it.
The bell above the door jingles. “Welcome to Dolly’s Boutique!” I hear a voice coming from the back, but I don’t see anyone. Then a petite brunette pops out from behind a wall. “What brings you in?”
“Hi, I’m Broo—”
“Brooklyn Dyer.” She smiles as her full round cheeks threaten to take over her eyes. “I’m Dahlia, or Dolly. I’ve heard about you.”
I laugh nervously. “Good things, I hope. I’m just looking for a nice dress. Something flirty and cute for a date.”
“Oh, how fun! A date! We absolutely have some dresses that will fit the bill.” She motions for me to follow her to a corner. “I think these three would look fabulous on you.”
I run my fingers over a blush-colored one. It’s fitted almost like a corset on the bodice with a long, flowy skirt. It’s romantic and sexy, with long sleeves that sit off the shoulders.
“This one is beautiful. Can I try it on?”
I step into the small curtained dressing room to try on the dress.
“So, I hear you’re from Chicago. I’ve been there once. It was summertime, though, so I avoided the cold.”
“Smart move,” I say as I step into the dress.
“I don’t mean to pry, but small-town gossip always travels fast. I guess it’s nice to hear when someone younger moves into town.”
I slide the curtain open and step out to look in the floor-length mirror.
“You have to get that one. It looks stunning.”
She stands next to me as we both look at my reflection, with everything my sister just told me sitting so close—just under the surface. I swallow down the lump in my throat, telling myself that tonight, none of that shit matters.
I decide to get the dress and change before heading up to the register.
“If you ever want a friend to get coffee with or even check out a spa—I know an amazing one down in Fort Collins, by the way—my cell is on my card.” She holds it up to show me before putting it in the bag with the dress.
“Thanks! That’s so sweet of you, and I’d absolutely love to hit up a spa. God knows, the dry air out here feels like it’s sucked every bit of moisture from my skin.”
I thank her and make my way back to my cabin to get changed and head over to Tyler’s house for our date.
“Now I’d just feelbad ripping that off your body.” Tyler runs his thumb over his bottom lip as his eyes slowly inch their way up my body. He reaches his hand out to my waist, running it over the material before snaking his arm around to settle his hand on my ass. He pulls me forward, my hands catching his biceps as his warm mouth lands on my exposed neck and shoulder. “But I did warn you.” He bites softly at my neck, up to my earlobe.
“Are you going to invite me inside?” I giggle. We’re still standing in his doorway. “Something smells amazing.”
“Mmm, yes it does,” he murmurs.
“I didn’t realize you could cook.” I follow him down the hallway and into the large chef’s kitchen. The smell of fresh garlic and herbs makes my stomach rumble. “I’m starving.”
“My mom taught us growing up. She said it shouldn’t be up to a woman to feed us.”
“I like Celeste. She’s a smart lady.”
I follow him over to the stove, where a pan of roasted green beans with slivered almonds sits ready to eat. He opens the oven and pulls out a cast-iron skillet with two mouthwatering steaks swimming in butter.
I help him plate up our dinner and we both take a seat at the table.
“You sure you don’t want to be my appetizer?”
“If I’m the appetizer, we’ll never even get to dinner.”
“Probably right,” he laughs and we dig in.