Page 14 of Perfect Imperfections

“Ellie,” Cam sighed. “You’re going speed dating. An event where some guys will be looking for a quick and easy lay. Now think about how they’re going to interpret that shirt. Do you really want to deal with hours of lewd jokes and disgusting come-ons?”

It wasn’t fair. Why were women responsible for what men thought or did? Why couldn’t she wear a punny shirt that—okay, yes—maybe had a slight sexual connotation to it? Was it too much to ask for people to enjoy her weird sense of humor without using it as an all-access pass to bone town?

As unfair as society and gender constructs were, her friend was right. The people close to her rarely got her punny T-shirt humor. It’d be a lot to ask a bunch of strange dudes looking to hook up to see it as the joke it was meant to be and not an invitation for sex. Dang it! This was why she hated dating. She wasn’t any good at it.

“Fine. I’ll change, but I am not wearing that red scrap of floss you brought for me.”

Cam threw up her hands in exasperation. “It’s not a scrap. It’s a five-hundred-dollar dress, but you’re right.” Her friend picked up the miniscule garment, masquerading as clothes with a wince. “I forgot you kind of need…a bit more up top to fill out the bodice on this thing.”

“Did you bring any dresses from the pre-teen department?”

“Stop that!” Cam scowled. “You are beautiful and perfect just the way you are. Every woman is. Tall, short, big, small, double Ds or amazing As, we are women, hear us roar! Variety is the spice of life, and we keep it delicious!”

She loved her friend. The woman had this unique ability to see the good in everyone and everything. She had the confidence of a toddler who’d just gotten ahold of their parents’ phone and thought they could outrun them. Ellie didn’t hate her body, sure she lamented the fact that she didn’t always feel womanly enough, but she liked herself just fine. Cam loved herself, but not egotistically. The woman just saw the benefit of every angle and curve. She never judged and Ellie found that to be an asset and a goal to aspire to.

“Here, try this.”

Cam tossed a wad of black cloth at her. Ellie grabbed it out of the air—okay, so she grabbed it when it hit her in the face. Sports were never her things.

“What’s this?”

“Something I bought on sale but neglected to check the washing instructions. Damn thing shrunk like a man’s junk in ice water. I hate it when things can’t be tossed in the wash. Who has time or money for dry cleaning?”

She agreed. If she couldn’t wash it in a machine, she left it on the rack.

Unballing the material, Ellie quickly shucked her clothing and slipped the dress over her head.

“Wow! It’s a good thing I accidentally washed that. You look amazing, Ellie!”

At her friend’s words, she turned to face the mirror attached to the back of her bedroom door and sucked in a gasp. The little black dress was gorgeous. Ellie didn’t own many dresses. She found them uncomfortable and never had occasion to wear them. But this. This dress she would wear on the walk to the mailbox downstairs.

The fit and flare style of the skirt gave the appearance of actual curves, and the knee-length hemline made her look flirty and fun without causing her short stature to give the appearance of a child, as some dresses did. The neckline of see-through mesh paneling gave the dress a peek-a-boo kind of sultriness without being so daring that she felt uncomfortable. And when she slipped her hands down the side, she discovered the best thing of all.

“Does this dress have pockets?”

“Yup. One of the reasons I bought it.”

A cute dress with pockets. If only it was machine washable, it would be the trifecta. The Unicorn of dresses. Oh well, two out of three wasn’t bad.

“How much did it cost? I’ll reimburse you for it.”

“Forget it. You keep it. It looks amazing on you. Not like I can squeeze into that thing anymore.”

She turned from the mirror to frown at her friend. “Seriously, Cam. I’ll pay you for the dress.” She knew her friend was in a similar money conscious situation as she was, though Cam had family money, she hated using it. Cam highly valued her independence. Zookeepers were rarely high rollers.

“And I’m serious too, Ellie. I don’t want your money. Consider it a birthday present.”

Rolling her eyes, she smiled at her friend. “My birthday was three months ago, and you already got me a present.”

“Happy Arbor Day then. That’s next week, right?”

“Yeah, but I’m pretty sure people don’t give Arbor Day presents. I think you’re supposed to plant trees and stuff.”

Cam shrugged, leaning against the dresser. “I’m starting a new present tradition. Besides, we are hoping some guy plants his big, thick—”

Ellie reached over to smash her hand over her friend’s mouth, fighting to hold in her laughter. “Stop! Don’t utter another filthy word or I’m not going to be able to look any of these guys in the eye tonight without thinking of that…mental image you put in my head.”

“What mental image?” Cam muffled around Ellie’s palm.

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