Chapter 1
-Victoria-
“I’m not wearing this.” Brooke, one of my best friends, held up an adorable blue and white polka dot dress so I could see it from her phone’s camera.
“Why not?” I grinned at her. Of course she hated the dress. It didn’t include a stitch of denim, and I’d sent a pair of strappy heels to go with it.
“The neck is too low.” Brooke made a face and held the garment at arm’s length. “And I don’t do poofy sleeves.” Her dark, short hair stood on end, and what I could see of her current outfit consisted of a sarcastic T-shirt under filthy overalls.
“It’s not going to bite.” I settled into one of my kitchen chairs and put my phone down on the pink unicorn stand.
“You sure?” Brooke managed to lean farther away.
My friend had been born and raised in the great state of Texas which meant anything girlie had to include cowboy boots, jeans, and fringe. Oh, and a hat. Preferably one borrowed from a handsome man.
Or so I imagined.
But even Texas gals could be swayed. “You’re a strong, independent woman, Brooke. If you and the dress had to go ten rounds in a boxing ring, I have no doubt you’d win.”
“Sure, darlin’, because I wouldn’t be wearing it.”
I rolled my eyes. “It’s not like you have to leave the house. Just a quick shower and then try it on.”
Brooke pulled her phone close to herself and made a face. “What, you don’t like a little dirt?”
“A little dirt” was a huge understatement. “What have you been doing, crawling around on the ground?”
“Rogue sheep don’t catch themselves.”
I shook my head. “I thought you had people for that.” I had no idea how she dealt with a bunch of wild animals that could attack at any moment all day every day. The thought sent a shiver through me.
Unfortunately, my mind went from wild sheep to dogs, which brought me back to Logan’s dog, Sky. Which, in reality, brought me back to Logan?the tall, handsome, funny, delicious restaurant owner up in Big Bear, Alaska.
The one I’d flirted with for almost three weeks total before giving him a friendly hug and coming home.
The one with the nice smile, the great eyes, and a sense of humor, who I could see myself spending forever with.
Focus.
I straightened and batted my eyelashes. “Brooke, will you pretty please try on the dress so that I can see if my plan is going to work?”
“You mean the one where you mail out complete outfits to people?” Brooke set the dress down on her bed, which I noticed was covered with a quilt made from flannel and denim squares. Seriously, I needed to hook her up with something pink. Or at least something not blue or red.
“The one where I send the perfect outfits to curvy girls so they don’t have to try on a bunch of clothes in a store, find nothing that fits, go into a spiraling rage, then self-medicate with either chocolate or cheeseburgers afterward.”
“Now you’re making me feel guilty for not wanting to help.”
“Would I do that?” I put a hand on my chest.
“You would.” Brooke sighed. “Fine, let me shower, and I’ll put on your silly dress.” She jabbed a finger at the phone. “But you’re not forwarding this picture to anyone.”
“No ma’am. This is proof of concept.” I added, “But if you like the dress, you can keep it.”
She grunted and hung up.
I laughed and sat back. My apartment lay around me like a warm blanket. Bright colors accented almost everything, because while I enjoyed working from home, I also liked feeling as if I were outside. It wasn’t the cleanest place at the moment, which was making me twitchy, with a bunch of plus-sized clothing neatly piled on one end of the coffee table, a stack of mail that I still hadn’t gone through on the bar, and my desk in the corner which housed three monitors.
Hey, a girl had to be able to program and watch shows simultaneously.