Page 23 of Her Secret Wish

She’d been asked that so many times in the past few days it had obliterated her last nerve, but it seemed different coming from Shannon. “I’m actually not too bad. Once I get these itchy stitches out I’ll be as good as new.”

Shannon looked at her forearm with an understanding nod. “John would have pulled them out by now if he were the one injured.”

Rachel sighed. “Yeah, I probably would have too, but there’s one little section deeper than the rest. I’ll let the stitches do their job. Then I’ll yank them.”

Laughing, Shannon circled the desk to plop down into her chair, hand going to her barely-there belly. “Are you just here to visit or work?”

Rachel shrugged. “Whatever. Who’s here?”

“No one right now. It’s pretty dead today. Even Duncan went home this weekend.”

Damn, Rachel thought. The world must be ending. That kind of derailed her plan.

“Is there anything I can help you with?”

Rachel looked at the small, pretty woman and took her courage in hand. “Are you busy?”

Shannon blinked and glanced down at the blotter, then back up. “No, not really. A client came in this morning to drop off a check but I’m pretty much free now. I was just catching up on some tax stuff. Why?”

Rachel shifted on her feet, a little uncomfortable. “Were you serious when you offered to go shopping with me?”

Excitement lightened Shannon’s pretty hazel eyes. “Of course I was. Let me put a few things away and we can lock up on our way out.”

Rachel wondered what she’d let herself in for. Shannon was really nice, but would she be able to spend hours with her?

It turned out that she could. John’s fiancé was truly a remarkable woman, but Rachel had kind of already known that. Hell, the woman damn near had to be a saint to be able to put up with Palmer’s nasty disposition.

As they went from store to store, though, at the Northfield Stapleton Mall, Rachel realized how much feminine information was packed into Shannon’s head. Yes, a lot of it was basic and usable for most women, but Rachel doubted she would use it very often. They went to a high-end department store and received tips on make-up. Though she cringed at the ridiculous prices, Rachel bought a couple of items like some foundation and eye shadow that even she had to admit looked good on her and made her eyes seem luminous.

Over her objections, Shannon escorted her to a clothing store with gear that seemed to be a little young for her. She cringed at some of the displays.

“Don’t you like dresses?”

Rachel frowned. “No. No dresses. Definitely not my cup of tea.”

“But are theyhiscup of tea?”

Did Dean like dresses? With a sigh she conceded he probably did. Most men did, right? “Yeah, maybe.”

Shannon pulled a couple of dresses from the racks that weren’t completely hideous, so Rachel stepped into the changing room to try them on. On the first one, the top was definitely skimpier than what she was used to and the bottom felt completely exposed! She had to check the mirror several times to make sure that the fabric wasn’t tucked into her panties or something. It felt too drafty.

Shannon’s eyes widened when Rachel stepped out and she moved forward to tug at a couple of folds. “Dude, you look hot in this,” she hissed. “With your body you can pull off just about anything you put on.”

Rachel wasn’t convinced. The biggest drawback was that the scar on her neck was exposed. There were a few other women around but as soon as she became aware of them it felt like they were all looking at her. “I’m not sure I can wear this.”

Shannon retrieved a sweater type thing from a nearby rack. “Would this make you more comfortable?”

Rachel swallowed, so appreciative that Shannon seemed to understand her reticence. Shrugging the shoulder cover on, Rachel turned to look at the three-reflection mirror. “Okay, maybe I don’t look hideous in this.”

Shannon laughed lightly. “I told you, you lookhot!”

Hot would be stretching it. Better than expected would be more accurate. She turned, looking at as many views as she could. Yes, she had a decent shape. Maybe better than average boobs. Her legs were strong and lean. “What shoes would I wear with this?”

Shannon produced a pair of strappy flat sandals from a nearby shelf. Impressed, Rachel looked at the small woman and wondered how the heck she knew what size Rachel wore in everything. Shannon grinned at her and winked.

Rachel walked out of the store with several new outfits, including the dress and sandals. She had tried everything on and gotten Shannon’s approval. And before she knew what was going on, she had told Shannon all about Dean.

“He sounds like a total sweetheart,” Shannon had sighed at one point. “It probably doesn’t matter what you wear for him.”

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