I rolled my eyes when she turned her back away from me and unzipped the garment bag, removing the dress from inside. The jingle of the bell on the door rang, and I poked my head out from behind the curtain in time to see Jackson walk in.
"Be right with you," Zoe sang.
Jackson glanced over at me, gave me half a smile, and sat down on the chair just inside the door.
"There you go, Bailey. Just slip into that, and then one of my girls will be in to start pinning," she said, stepping out of the small room, pulling the curtains closed.
I set my purse on the chair and took a minute to catch my breath. Why hadn't Cara told me that Jackson would be here this morning as well?
"Jackson, you’re early," I heard Zoe say.
I had my answer and frowned as I parted the curtain a little to be able to see what was going on.
"Yep, on my way home from work. Figured I would stop in now instead of having to get up in a little bit. Plus I have to work tonight, so I'd like to get some sleep."
"It's really good to see you. I've been missing you the last few nights. Think you might have a free night soon that we can get together?" she said, resting her hands on his chest.
I could see the tension line Jackson's face as he looked down at her hands. He shook his head, grabbed her wrists, and removed them from his chest. "This isn't the place nor the time to discuss this, Zoe. I meant what I said."
"I don't think you did. I mean that certainly wasn't the vibe I got from you the other night when I wanted a ride home."
"Zoe, it’s enough," Jackson said, raising his voice. "I told you, it's over."
I watched as she nodded. "That's too bad." She mumbled as she stepped back away from him, "I'll be right back. Just going to see if the girls have your suit back there."
As soon as she was gone, Jackson glanced over to the curtain I was behind and locked eyes with me. Even though I stepped back quickly, I prayed he hadn't seen me watching them through the crack, even though I was pretty sure he had.
I was just undoing my jeans when I heard Zoe's voice, and again I peeked, between the curtains this time to see that Jackson had now hung his jacket up. He turned back toward Zoe, giving me a glimpse of his perfect ass in a pair of tight-fitting jeans. The white T-shirt he wore hugged every muscle he had.
"All right, Jackson, we have the room set up on the other side," Zoe said, walking over and lacing her arm through his, her free hand resting on his bicep.
An undeniable surge of jealousy fired through me. I wanted to shout out and tell her to take her hands off him but bit my bottom lip instead, stopping myself. I had zero right to be jealous of anyone. After all, I had given him up.
"You are going to look stunning in this suit. Makes me wish I were going to be your date," she continued. I rolled my eyes at her comment.
"Is that right?" he questioned.
"Yes. The suit will also bring out the color of your eyes."
I rolled my eyes again and was surprised when the curtain was pulled open and Jackson, Zoe, and the girl who was coming to pin my dress stood looking at me.
"Oh, Bailey, is everything okay? Did you need help getting into that dress" Zoe questioned.
Jackson glanced over and gave a small but very sexy smile. "Not at all," I bit out as I pulled the curtain back across without saying another word and began getting changed while she took Jackson out of earshot.
It had been half an hour, and I stood with my jaw tight as the girl put the last few pins in the back of my dress. "All right, I think that's it,” she said, running her hand over my torso. “I'll help you get out of the dress so you don't stab yourself."
I'd just finished getting dressed and pulled the curtain open in time to see Jackson come walking around the corner. He looked as if he had just been put through torture, and I couldn't help but giggle to myself. Zoe was on the phone but watched from the counter as he stopped in his tracks and held his hand out in front of him, signaling for me to go first.
"Hey," he muttered, coming close enough to me that I could feel the heat from his body on my back as his cologne invaded my senses.
I looked down to the floor, biting my bottom lip before meeting his gaze. "Hey." I smiled gently.
"How you doing?" he asked quietly.
"I'm okay. You?"
"Well, now that that is over with, I'm much better," he said, nodding in Zoe’s direction, who was still watching us intently.