Page 67 of Love & Rockets

Darla clenched her fists to keep from fidgeting. She stood trapped in the fitting room with her former classmates. Back in school, Brooke had been kind and friendly to everyone, but Laney…not so much. Getting knocked up in their senior year had given Delaney Tarrington even more ammunition for her mean girl machine gun, and Laney hadn’t been above using what she thought she knew. They’d reached a sort of cease-fire in the months since Laney and Harley had become an item, but like most things involving Darla and her past, it was an uneasy truce.

Julia Dalton had made short work of sweet-talking Beau and Bubba Pickett. After feeding Zelda Jo a few lines about encouraging a blossoming romance, and basically making her out to be Darla’s yenta and fairy godmother all rolled up into one, the two women escaped. Their first stop had been Fringe, Mobile’s most exclusive hair salon and spa. There, Julia brushed Darla’s protests aside with a wave of her hand and the irrefutable argument that she was investing in her son’s happiness. There, they picked up Connie Cade, who’d clapped her hands with glee when she saw Darla being led from the stylist’s chair to the manicure station.

Forty-five minutes later, the three of them were in Julia’s luxury SUV headed for Sassafras, one of the upscale boutiques in Spring Hill. The shop Laney managed for old Mrs. Markham. While they were en route, Brooke called Julia with a question about wedding flowers, and voila! Darla found herself right back in the bosom of the St. Patrick’s crowd she’d been avoiding since the day she walked out and refused to look back.

“Come on out. We want to see,” Connie Cade called impatiently.

Darla fingered the sleek fabric then cast a worried glance at Brooke and Laney. Swallowing her pride, she tipped her chin up and asked the burning question. “How much does it cost?”

“Don’t worry about the price,” Brooke admonished gently. “What’s important is Laney’s magical nips and tucks make it absolutely perfect on you.”

Brooke’s smile was kind, but that didn’t surprise Darla. Brooke always tried to be kind. She turned to Delaney, expecting she’d get the nitty-gritty out of her. “How much?”

“Ten trillion percent off,” she said, giving the seam of the skirt a little tug. She glanced up, her piercingly dark eyes frank with understanding. “You know the store is closing, right?”

“Still, even on clearance—”

“It’s perfect,” Brooke announced with steely finality. “Now, get out there and show the mamas so Laney can work her magic and we can move on to shoe shopping.” She flashed a bright smile. “I love shoe shopping.”

Moving with a deliberate lack of speed, Darla stepped down from the portable pedestal Laney’d placed her on so she could pin the alterations she’d make to the dress and moved to the curtain. She took a deep breath then pushed the heavy satin aside. She was greeted with a soft gasp and Connie’s exuberant squeal.

Harley’s mother jumped out of the spindly antique chair and rushed to her side, a wide smile creasing her face as she spun Darla to face the mirrors. “You look like Betty Boop!”

Darla groaned and Jake’s mother laughed as she moved to join them. “As his mother, I should probably defend my boy from such powerful weaponry.” She paused, her gaze lingering on the plunging neckline of the scarlet-red dress. “But you look so incredible, so I can’t. Gracious me, what I’d do to have half your figure.”

Startled by the unadulterated envy in the older woman’s tone, she eyed Mrs. Dalton’s lean, athletic frame. “I’ve always wanted to look more like you or Laney.”

Connie snorted. “The grass is always greener.”

“And so is the lettuce,” Brooke said with a sympathetic little laugh. She elbowed the willowy brunette at her side. “This witch eats cheeseburgers every day. I hate her guts, but I’m too scared of her to ditch her.”

“The secret to a life-long friendship,” Laney intoned dryly. Stepping behind Darla, she waited until their gazes met in the mirror. “How does it feel to you? Sexy or uncomfortable?”

“I don’t know,” Darla confessed.

Laney nodded her understanding. “The dress looks gorgeous on you, but if it makes you uncomfortable at all, then we look for something else,” she said firmly, her gaze unwavering despite the round of protests from the audience gathering behind her. “If she doesn’t feel sexy, then the dress isn’t going to do any good.” She dragged her gaze away to level a look at the ladies crowding into the mirror’s reflection. “It’s about how she feels, right? This dress screams confidence. It says, ‘I’m a woman who gets what she wants, and I want you to want me.’” She paused for effect then met Darla’s eyes in the mirror. “The woman who wears this dress has to be prepared to have the man she wants fall at her feet. Are you ready to deal with the inevitable outcome?”

Darla’s breath hitched, but her answer rushed past in a husky whisper. “Yes.”

“Excellent! Get your mice and get to work on the alterations,” Brooke said, clapping her hands then rubbing them with glee. “We need to go find some killer shoes for those feet.”

****

Brooke hadn’t been kidding about the shoes being killer. Her feet ached after only five minutes, but there was no turning back now. Harley’d smuggled her up there using his master key for access, and now she was literally stranded. On Jake’s rooftop. With a blanket and a fancy picnic catered by the chefs at Saus. Wearing nothing but her Betty Boop red dress and ankle-breaker heels with no jacket or wrap, despite the crisp autumn breeze ruffling her newly-trimmed and glossed hairdo. Gracie had wholeheartedly approved the plan when Connie laid it all out for her. Well, not all everything, but the portion of the evening likely to be rated PG-13 carried the Gracie stamp of approval.

Her daughter had only one request for her before being decamped to Connie’s house for an unheard-of school night stay-over. She had to make sure the telescope Dr. Jake kept on his roof was pointed directly at the moon. She did as she was told, carefully removing the protective cover, then gingerly adjusting the intimidating piece of equipment. The darn thing had to be worth more than three months’ rent. Thankfully, the moon was the one thing in the night sky she had no trouble locating, so she didn’t have to mess with intimidating piece of equipment much. The thing was huge. And bright. So bright the entire rooftop looked like it had been dipped in silver.

“Okay, I’m going. Sheesh, you’re pretty bossy for a kid, you know?” Jake said into his phone.

Darla couldn’t restrain her smile. Grace was on point with her portion of the plan.

“You know NASA will probably post some really great shots on their website,” he said as he let the access door swing shut behind him. “No, right. Those aren’t taken here.”

His steps slowed when he spotted the blanket dotted with covered plates, then stopped dead when she stepped out from behind the telescope. Dark eyes locked on her. She saw his knuckles turn white as he gripped the phone pressed to his ear. He wet his lips. “You set me up, kiddo?” He didn’t take his eyes off her as he listened to whatever Gracie was saying. “Yeah. Yeah, she does.” His Adam’s apple bobbed. “Are you at Connie’s?” He nodded. “Okay, well, do your homework. Brush your teeth. Oh, and check the NASA site for pictures,” he added before ending the call.

Darla gave him a shaky smile as he shoved the phone into his pocket. “Sneaky isn’t her strong suit, but she’s pretty persuasive.”

He glanced down at the camera in his hand. “She got me up here.”

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