Page 19 of Brodie

Reese

“What about this one?” I hold one of Aunt Ileana’s dressesin front of me so she can see me on the iPad I have propped up in her closetagainst her mirror.

“Boring,” she calls out, and I roll my eyes. It’s the thirdtime she’s yelled the same thing in the last ten minutes. As I assumed when Itold her that Brodie invited me to go to New York with him for a fundraiser,the first words out of her mouth were, “Don’t buy a dress until you lookthrough my closet.” Wait, that’s a lie. The first words out of her mouth were,“I need to look into him before you accept his offer.” Ten minutes aftergoogling him with Marco at her side, she told me to raid her closet.

“What part of this dress is boring?” I ask, looking down atthe sleeveless red dress with its high neckline, pretty lace, and sheer-paneldetails.

“It’s not you. You’re young and beautiful. That dressdoesn’t show enough skin.”

“Should you be telling her she needs to show more skin?”Marco asks, looking at my aunt with a frown.

“She’s going on a date with a handsome man; of course, sheshould show more skin.”

“It’s not a date,” I cut in, and her gaze moves to me.“Brodie and I are just friends, remember?”

“Of course.” I swear she rolls her eyes, but the iPad is sofar away, I can’t tell for sure. Shaking my head, I rehang the red dress and goback to sliding through her rack of dresses. When I notice a hanger withnothing on it, I begin to take it out just to hang it back with all her unusedhangers. But when I tug it off the bar, I notice that it does have a dress onit, but the straps are so thin they’re almost invisible against the blackhanger, and the dress is cut so low I didn’t see it before. My heart startsbeating funny when I pull it fully out of its spot. The dress is absolutelybeautiful. It’s also very, very sexy. The top is a lace bustier with asweetheart neckline and black velvet detailing outlining the cups that almostlook like a built-in bra. The black lace over the sheer material isbody-hugging and would likely hit me at about mid-calf.

“Try it on,” I hear Aunt Ileana say and look across thecloset. “I bought that twenty years ago in Paris and never had an occasion towear it.”

“It’s so delicate.” And it is. The lace material is sofinely detailed that one snag could cause major damage.

“Try it on,” she repeats. So, with a nod, I take it to herbathroom and close the door. It takes some effort to get myself into the dressand zip it up, but as soon as I have it on, I know it’s the one. Not only do Ifeel beautiful, but it fits me perfectly. I poke my head out the door andshout, “Don’t look yet.”

“Okay,” she calls back, and I rush across the room to herheels and grab a pair of strappy, flesh-colored sandals off her shelf. Theyhave a high heel and a thin strap that crosses over the tops of my toes andthen wraps around my ankle. When they’re on, I tie my hair back into aslicked-back ponytail and walk toward my iPad.

“Ready,” I say, and my aunt’s face appears on the screen.

“Oh, my beautiful girl.” She covers her mouth with her hand.“It’s…”

“Perfect,” Marco finishes for her softly.

“Yes. It’s perfect.” She smiles at me. “That dress looksbeautiful on you, Reese.”

“Are you sure you’re okay with me borrowing it?”

“It’s yours. It was obviously made for you.” She smiles andthen glances at my feet, grinning. “The shoes, on the other hand, you’ll haveto return.”

Laughing, I turn to my side and take myself in. With the sunI’ve been getting, my skin isn’t its normal pale shade but a golden-bronze. Andmy hair has lightened in places, making it seem almost as if I had highlightsput in. I don’t look like the same woman who moved here a couple of months ago.And I don’t feel like her either. I’m happy—happier than I’ve been in years.

“What are your plans this evening?” Marco asks as I take offthe heels.

“Brodie said he got the stuff to make kitchen sink cookies,so we are doing that and watching a movie.”

“You two have been spending a lot of time together,” AuntIleana says casually, but I know her. And I know there was nothing casual aboutthat comment. She’s digging, hoping I’ll tell her that something is going onbetween us. Like that I’m pretty sure he was going to kiss me yesterdayevening. And I’m also pretty sure I would have kissed him back.

“We’re friends. And as he explained to me, this is his timeoff. When he starts practicing soon, I probably won’t see him as much.”

“He told you that he won’t see you as much?”

I frown. “No, he just told me he will have to practice mostdays.”

“Hmm.” She hums, and I shake my head at her. “I’m going togo change and then head up to his place. I love you.”

“Love you, too. Have fun tonight.”

“Thank you. And thanks again for letting me raid yourcloset.”

“What’s mine is yours.” She smiles. “I’ll call you when weget to Rome since we are traveling tomorrow.”

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