Page 45 of Operation Prom Date
The beautiful dresses deserved to be revered, so I hardly breathed as I approached the rows and rows of them. I walked along, occasionally lifting one up for a better view. Silk and jewel tones and slinky black and red and strappy gowns with bling, and it was totally dress heaven.
Then I saw it.
Thedress.
The one I instinctually knew was destined to be mine. Gauzy beaded top, bronze sash at the waist that perfectly tied together the almost nude with a hint of gray fabric and the smoky colored tulle skirt.
I lifted the top few layers of the full, floor-length skirt. “It’s so pretty. Usually I go for bright colors, so I wouldn’t expect to like the combination, but this screams a night of magic under the stars. Which seems extra perfect for theWish Upon a Startheme.” I spun to Cooper. “Don’t you think?”
He shrugged, proving that, unlike me, he had the casual gesture down pat, and making it clear his enthusiasm level for the prom hadn’t grown any since we first discussed it. Not that it mattered or anything, since I was still planning on asking Mick, so I wasn’t sure why that non-newsflash thought even popped into my head. “If you like it, I like it,” he said.
“Do I have time to try it on?”
“Like I’m going to say no to that puppy-dog face.”
Come to think of it, my lips were stuck out in a pout and I might’ve been batting my eyes extra, but I hadn’t done it on purpose. Not that I didn’t appreciate my features going to bat on my behalf, especially since it’d worked.Please have my size, please have my size.
My hand shook as I sorted through the hangers.
Miracle of miracles, I found my size. But I also saw the price tag.Three hundred dollars?“Hmm.”
“What?” Cooper scooted closer.
“It’s just more than I planned on spending. I haven’t even asked Mick yet, either.” I pinched my lip between my fingers. “Maybe I’m jumping the gun.”
“It’s free to try on, and the asking part’s only a matter of time.” Cooper put his hands on my shoulders. “Do you think I’m going to let us fail Operation Prom Date?”
“No?”
“One more time, with a little more faith.”
“No.” The warm fuzzies came back full force. At first I couldn’t even get him to call it by name, and now he was the one giving a pep talk.
“That’s right.” His voice morphed into drill sergeant mode. “Now, you take that dress and you try it on.”
“Yes, sir.” I hugged Cooper—I couldn’t seem to stop hugging him. He was super huggable, after all. The way he automatically wrapped his arms around me sent a sense of security through me that I’d never felt with a friendship before, not even when I thought Amber and I would be friends forever.
The saleswoman came over as I pulled the dress off the rack, and then she ushered me into a dressing room.
I shimmied into the dress, and I couldn’t decide whether I wanted it to look amazing so I could conclude my search for the perfect dress, or if I wanted it to not fit quite right so I wouldn’t justify spending that kind of money on a dress I’d only wear once.
But as the fabric fell into place and I turned to face the mirror, I decided that it’d be worth it just to feel this beautiful for one night.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Cooper
I skimmed through my phone, checking different sites as I tried not to inhale any more of the overly floral scent floating in the air of the shop. I’d shake my head at myself for getting talked into dress shopping on a Saturday, but I’d finally accepted my fate. Kate made me lose my common sense, and I was a total sucker for whatever she wanted.
The door to her dressing room swung open and I glanced up. Every ounce of oxygen left my lungs.
On the hanger, it’d just looked like a dress. On Kate, it looked… I didn’t have the words. It hugged her curves and brought out her sassy side while still holding on to the sweet. I got the stars thing now, because she glittered like the night sky.
“Well?” She swooshed the skirt from side to side. “What do you think?”
Speak. Say something. Don’t just stare and drool.“I think the last thing you have to worry about is not finding a date.” I stood. “You look amazing.”
Suddenly I understood her comment about a night of magic, too, because I was definitely under her spell.
