Page 19 of Striking Out In The Mountains

Cara

“Can you show me?” the saleswoman asks as I linger inside the changing room, looking at the dress from all angles.

I take a deep breath, pull back the curtain, and step out.

“Wow,” she says as I do an awkward little pose. “You look beautiful.”

She’s a salesperson. She makes money to say that.

I sigh as I turn to the mirror. It’s a beautiful white sundress that falls just above my knees with a blue flower pattern and thin spaghetti straps. I love the dress, but my shoulders look so masculine in it. My biceps look huge.

Dresses like these always make me look so bulky. It puts into stark contrast what my body looks like versus what society deems feminine.

The last time I wore a dress like this, I overheard some guys laughing behind my back saying it looked like a man was wearing a dress. I went home, threw it in the garbage, and criedmy eyes out. And that’s just the men. The women are even worse. They’re just better at hiding their jabs and insults.

I might look tough and confident on the outside, and I am when it comes to stopping a perp or breaking up a brawl, but when it comes to beauty, I’m as insecure as the next girl. Even more so.

“I don’t know,” I say as I look at it again. “Do you have anything else?”

She pulls out a few more outfits, but I keep looking back to the white and blue dress hanging on the door. It really is lovely. Finally, I take it. If Graham can’t handle me the way I am, then at least I’ll know it right away.

I bring it home and get ready, putting on makeup and trying to hide my swollen temple with a creative hairdo. I put ice on it last night, so it’s not too bad.

I’m all done up and pretty nervous when he arrives to pick me up at six. He rings the bell of the little house I’m renting and I take one last look in the mirror before opening the door.

Here goes nothing…

“Wow,” we both whisper at the same time when we see each other.

Graham is standing on my porch looking dreamy as hell in a deep blue button-down collared shirt rolled up his thick sexy forearms, dark jeans that hug his muscular thighs, and spotless brown shoes. He’s holding one single red rose but seems to have forgotten all about it. He straightens up when he sees me and stands there—frozen with his heated eyes locked on me.

I feel tingles from my toes to my fingertips as his sexy mouth falls open slightly, his dark eyes sweeping over me like he’s trying to take in every detail at once. For a second, I think he’s about to say something, but nothing comes out. He just stands there, holding the rose like it’s a gift to a goddess he wasn’t expecting to meet.

I shift, a little self-conscious under the weight of his stare. I’m not used to having men looking at me like this.

“What?” I ask, my voice more defensive than I intended.

He blinks and shakes his head a little like I’ve just snapped him out of a trance. “I’m sorry,” he says, his dark possessive eyes still trailing all over me. “You just… You’re beautiful.”

“Oh,” I say, feeling my cheeks getting hot. “Thank you.”

“Is this new?” he asks, looking a little shaken. “The dress, I mean.”

His eyes roam up my body, lingering on my bare shoulders and arms, but not in a way that feels critical. It’s more like he’s admiring a masterpiece.

I can feel my heart pounding. Both with excitement and worry.

“I got it today,” I say, kind of wishing I bought something that covered me up a bit more. “I wasn’t sure about it, though. I can change…”

“No,” he says with a fierceness to his tone. “Don’t. Please. You’re stunning, Cara. Absolutely stunning.”

I want to believe him, but it’s hard.

“I know dresses like this don’t really suit me.”

Graham’s brow furrows as he takes another step closer until we’re just a breath apart. “I’m sorry, but I’ve never heard anything so untrue. I’ve never seen a sexier girl in my life.”

I feel a warmth rise to my cheeks, my insecurities momentarily shoved into the background by the intensity of his gaze. My fingers tug at the edge of the dress instinctively. “You don’t mind the muscles?” I ask softly, unable to keep the question from spilling out.

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