Page 11 of Moments in Ink

I swallowed hard. “Go out with me,” I said, surprising myself.

I must have surprised her too because her eyes widened.

“I mean, forget that. That was stupid. We’re neighbors. You might be my accountant. Okay, you might not be my accountant. We’re both totally not looking for anything. I shouldn’t have said that.”

“Okay,” Meredith said, and I froze.

“Okay?”

“Okay. Let’s go out. We’re both not looking for anything serious. Right?”

I nodded. “I want nothing to do with serious.”

“Then, sure. Why not? I could use a friend.” She paused, and something in my heart tore, even though I didn’t know what or why. “Or whatever.”

Whatever. I could do whatever.

“Okay,” I said.

“Now, did you find your right angle? Or do you need some help with the camera?” Meredith asked, grinning.

“Really? You want to help?”

“Why not?”

“You could always join me and be the serious businesswoman beside Poison Ivy.”

“I don’t think I’m wearing the right makeup for that.”

“I don’t think you’re giving yourself a chance.”

And then she stepped forward. My breath caught, and she reached for the camera.

“Why don’t you be the star, and I’ll stand behind the lens.”

“For now,” I said, laughing.

“Perhaps.

I let out a breath and let Poison Ivy as a princess fill me.

I could pretend, I could become the people that were nothing like me. Because, as Meredith had said, I didn’t know who I was. But Iwasfiguring it out.

And, apparently, I had a date.

Chapter 4

Meredith

Iran my hands over my face and stared at my closet, wondering what the hell I was doing. I needed to pick what I was going to wear for my date with Zia, but I had no idea what look to go with.

Should I try for girly girl as we had talked about?

Would she like me like that?

We had talked about me in a dress, but was that me right now? I liked wearing pants most of the time, though I still had a couple of dresses I hadn’t donated when I left my husband.

Only I wasn’t sure I was ready to wear a dress. And the two that I had in the back of my closet weren’t set up for dinner and dancing and possibly drinks that Zia and I had talked about after the photoshoot.

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