Chapter 4
Tonight is going to be great, Stephanie told herself as she emerged from the bathroom to find her sister seated at her vanity across the room putting on lipstick.
When Simone’s eyes met her sister’s through the reflection horror registered on her features and she froze. “Are you wearing that?”
Stephanie glanced down at the navy blue maxi dress that she’d just put on. It was loose, comfortable and she could wear flats, which was pretty much the trifecta of perfect outfit selection. “Yeah.”
Her sister’s voice dripped with disbelief as she slowly lowered her lipstick. “Tonight?!”
Any lingering doubt that her sister didn’t approve of her ensemble was erased with the incredulous emphasis she’d managed to infuse into the singular noun.
Thankfully, she’d never been a huge fan of her sister’s “less is more” style so Simone’s opinion didn’t bother her in the least. “Yes. Tonight.”
Simone swiveled towards Stephanie. Once facing her Simone placed her hands on her knees and pressed her lips together as she inhaled slowly through her nose before saying with calm authority, “No.”
“No?” Stephanie echoed.
“No. I cannot, in good conscience, allow you, my sister, to go out in public in that.”
Stephanie rolled her eyes. She had a habit of doing that when her little sister was around. “It’s not that bad. I look fine and I’m comfortable.”
“Clearly.” Simone sneered.
“Why are you acting like that’s a bad thing?” Stephanie had never subscribed to the beauty-is-pain philosophy. She subscribed to the, I’m-a-nurse-on-her-feet-twelve-hours-a-day-and-I’ll-wear-a-garbage-bag-if-it’s-comfortable philosophy.
“Look, it’s not your fault.” Simone stood and crossed to the closet. “You wear scrubs every day. Your perspective is skewed. Damaged, really. But never fear my dear, your fashion forward sister is here.”
As much as she appreciated her sister actually taking an interest in her life for once, she really didn’t want to be the recipient of a well-meaning but ultimately disastrous dress-up session. “Simone, I’m fine, I don’t need you to—”
“What about this?” Her sister pulled out a dress that honestly Stephanie had forgotten she even owned.
It was her sole little black dress. The skirt was loose and flirty, hitting right below her mid-thigh. With a halter-top and an open back, it showed more skin than she was used to displaying.
Amber Sloan, who owned Bella, a boutique clothing shop in town had designed it especially for her as a thank you for Stephanie’s volunteer services at several of the programs Amber and her mother Susan spearheaded at the local women’s shelter.
Stephanie organized a free medical clinic for the women’s shelter twice a month. She never expected to receive anything in return and was taken by surprise when Amber gifted her with the one of a kind design. Her plan had been to wear it to the first event that warranted such a special dress. It’d been sitting in the back of her closet for the past two years.
Now, the thought of putting it on stirred the butterflies that resided in her stomach to life. Well, it was actually the thought of Ace seeing her in the dress that had those suckers flitting around in there like they were on speed.
“If you’re not going to wear it, I am. This dress does not belong on a hanger, it belongs crumbled up on the floor.” Her sister’s brows wagged up and down.
Stephanie held out her hand. “Give it to me.”
Simone whooped as she threw the garment at her. Catching the fabric mid-air, Stephanie couldn’t help smiling as she grabbed her lace up heels from the organizer that hung on the back of her door and headed back into the bathroom to change.
Her sister spoke through the door. “Guess what? I found out some intel on tall, dark and sexy when I was down at the river today.”
Stephanie grinned to herself as she slipped off the maxi dress that now seemed so plain and boring. She’d found out some intel of her own, like the fact that he would be coming to the reopening tonight, but she kept that tidbit to herself. “Oh, really?”
“Yes. Ace is short for Andrew Charles Elliot. He’s a bodyguard at Elite Protection but was in the Marines, for like…ever. He served under Seth in Special Forces, which is how he got his job. Seth recruited him as soon as he found out that Ace was getting out.”
Stephanie’s smile dropped along with her heart. Simone had managed to learn more about Ace in twenty-four hours than Stephanie had in the weeks that he’d lived next door. In fairness, she’d been trying to avoid any information regarding the man that she still mentally referred to as trouble. But still, it stung that her sister, her little sister knew so much more about him than she did.
“He’s from Georgia and he’s single and he plans to stay that way.”
“What? Is he going into the priesthood or something?” Stephanie teased as she stepped into the dress.
“Maybe. He’s turned down every female that has stepped up to the plate. Every single batter struck out. He’s polite but keeps everyone at a distance.”