Page 39 of Just a Little Crush

When the saleslady returned a short while later, her whole attitude had changed from disdain to hospitable and friendly. Clearly everything had been pre-approved without any issues, and now seeing us as a nice fat commission, we were given the white-glove treatment.

Whatever dresses we wanted were pulled in our sizes as we drank flutes of champagne and smirked behind the woman’s back at her eager-to-please behavior. We were shown the boutique’s exclusive collections and limited edition gowns that were kept in the back for only those clients who met the monetary criteria. Once we had a plethora to choose from, we were ushered into a private, elegant changing area with a dais and multiple mirrors. As we spent the next few hours trying on the dresses, I couldn’t help but be amused at the way Raven deliberately ran the saleslady ragged with random requests, always asked in the sweetest, most polite manner.

Whenever the woman rushed out of the room to do Raven’s bidding—to bring her a pair of matching shoes, or other accessories that Raven then decided didn’t work for her—I saw the devious twinkle in her eye and the two of us giggled, the amount of champagne we consumed contributing to our silly moods.

After trying on nearly a dozen gowns, I finally found “the one”. I knew it the moment I stepped up on the dais and saw my reflection in the red, strapless, formfitting gown, and Raven’s gasp confirmed it. A short while later, Raven found hers, a one-shoulder style in a stunning amethyst hue.

Raven insisted we buy a new pair of heels to go with the dresses, along with appropriate earrings and formal handbags to complete the look. When we were done and the saleslady rang up our purchases, my stomach was in knots awaiting the total. Except I quickly learned in places like this, they didn’t give you a final amount. They just ran the credit card because cost was not an issue to their clients, or a customer carrying a no preset limit Centurion card.

We left the boutique and went to lunch, both of us ravenous after a morning of trying on gowns. Then, Raven surprised me with another stop at a trendy hair salon in the city, where she’d made both of us appointments. A few hours later, my blonde hair was brightened with highlights, as was Raven’s. It had been years since I’d treated myself to a good trim and long layers, and by the time we walked out of the salon, my silky hair styled into soft waves, I literally felt like a million bucks.

Caleb’s jaw-dropping reaction when I arrived at his penthouse for dinner later that evening shored up my confidence, as well. Even though my first instinct was to tell him “you shouldn’t have”, I thanked him for the day he’d given me without any qualifiers, letting him know how much I appreciated his thoughtful gesture.

I could tell my acceptance made him happy as he framed my face in his hands and stared into my eyes. “You deserve beautiful things, and I’m glad I can give them to you.”

His husky tone and genuine words made me melt and feel as though I was living in a fairy tale, where he was Prince Charming and I was Cinderella. It was a romantic, whimsical notion, and one I told myself not to get used to, because beneath the makeover and gorgeous things he’d bought me today, I was still the girl who’d grown up in a trailer park and Caleb Kane was still out of my league.

***

When I walkedinto the conference room at work the next morning for a team meeting for PureGlow, arriving before any of my other coworkers besides Jack, he did a double take at my new hair style and I laughed at his wide-eyed shock.

“Damn, you look…great,” he said, his tone amazed.

I set my laptop and paper cup of coffee down on the table and grinned at him. “So, are you insinuating that I don’t look great every day?” I teased.

“Ahh, shit. I walked right into that trap, didn’t I?” he said, and grimaced. “You always look good—”

“Thank you for the compliment,” I said, letting him off the hook so he didn’t have to fumble for an explanation, and he looked relieved. “How was coffee with Valerie this morning?”

Usually, the two of us took the subway to the office together when I worked on Tuesdays and Thursdays, but since starting at Dare PR almost three weeks ago, a few times a week Valerie left a bit earlier to meet Jack at a nearby café for coffee before work started.

On those days, she took an Uber, and admittedly, it made me nervous knowing she was out on her own without me around because of Mark, but there had been nothing since that phone call and I knew I had to let go of my own fears for her and let her live her life without me hovering.

“So, I held her hand on the very short walk to the office after our coffee date,” Jack said, grinning at that small step forward in their friendship. “I told her I wanted to take her on a proper date, and she said yes. So, we’re going out on Saturday.”

I crossed my arms over my chest and arched a brow at him. “What do you consider a proper date?”

He laughed at my inquisition. “I was thinking dinner, and a show.”

I nodded, impressed. “Okay, I approve.”

“You approve?” Amused, he tipped his head at me. “Isn’t Valerie older than you?”

I took a drink of my warm coffee and shrugged. “She is, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be protective of her.”

The humor on his face gave way to seriousness. “I’d never intentionally hurt her,” he said, which I believed. “I like her. A lot.”

“Spoiler alert,” I said, grinning at him. “If you don’t already know, the feeling is mutual.”

A low, warm chuckle escaped him. “I kind of suspected that when she let me hold her hand.”

I laughed, too, genuinely happy for my sister as I checked the time on my cellphone. It was ten minutes later than the time Jack had set for the meeting, and it was just still the two of us. “Where is everyone else?” I asked.

“I called off the meeting.”

“You did?” I asked, surprised that I hadn’t gotten the memo, too. Especially when I had so many more great ideas to share with everyone on the PureGlow campaign. “Why?”

He looked me in the eye, his expression unreadable. “Because Brandy and Samantha asked me to send you to their office instead.”

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