Page 14 of Too Hot to Sleep
"—exactly what you need for a—"
"—summer afternoon wedding. Won't you—"
"—follow us?"
Georgia's gaze bounced back and forth, then she nodded and followed them to a rack of long filmy dresses. They flipped through the hangers, each whipping out a flowing garment. "The pink stripe will be beautiful—"
"—with your hair. But the yellow—"
"—will set off your lovely—"
"—complexion. Although the blue floral—"
"—is a perfect complement for your eyes." The men looked at each other, then nodded and said in unison, "The blue floral."
Not her first choice, Georgia acknowledged silently. In fact, floral prints didn't even make her short list; she gravitated to solid-colored clothing. But since her opinion obviously didn't matter, she mutely acquiesced as they shooed her into a dressing room and waited outside, the toes of their pointy shoes tapping. To her surprise, they were right—the blue floral mimicked the indigo of her eyes, and the voluminous fabric fell in feminine folds that skimmed her ankles. She smiled into the mirror, turning quickly to watch the delicate hem float on the air. Suddenly, her older sister Fannie came to mind. Georgia had always tagged along to stores and sat in a corner of the dressing room to watch the magical Fannie try on dress after dress for the many dances and parties she attended. She was breathtaking and possessed an uncanny knack for picking the dress that best showed off her perfect skin and more perfect figure. Their mother would stand behind Fannie in the mirror, beaming as the saleswomen proclaimed Fannie the most beautiful girl they'd ever seen. No one could take their eyes off her, most especiallytheir mother, from whom Fannie had inherited her flashing green eyes and glossy flaxen hair.
Meanwhile, Georgia, being her father's namesake and sporting her father's blue eyes and unremarkable brown hair, withdrew more and more into the background. Once they'd even left her at a department store by accident. Her father, whom she adored, had come to pick her up and had stopped at a pawnshop on the way home to buy a used 35mm camera. Georgia had been hooked instantly. Photography became her escape, her window on the human condition, and a link to her beloved father. He had died from cancer the summer she turned sixteen. She had just learned to drive, she recalled. To this day, she'd yet to get her driver's license.
Her mother loved her; she had simply been preoccupied with Fannie and all that Fannie was. She still was, except now the preoccupation included Fannie's wealthy husband and their two darling daughters. It was a full-time job for her mother, keeping up with the accoutrements of Fannie's charmed life in Denver. Georgia had been left to her own devices, furthering her photography and attending nursing school. One didn't have to be spectacular looking or musically inclined or a prima ballerina to take pictures, or to be a nurse.
Georgia scrutinized her silhouette and frowned. A darn good thing, too.
"How's it going in there?" one of the Toms called.
She exhaled and emerged nervously to head-nodding and hmm-hmming.
"Darling, you will—"
"—upstage the bride."
She smiled, pleased despite their exaggeration. Then, feeling somewhat like a dressmaker's dummy, she submitted to their tucking and pinning to the tune of snapped fingers and quick sniffs.
"What will your date be wearing?" the taller one asked.
"A suit, I suppose," she said. If he came, that is.
"Anavysuit?" the other one asked, his voice suspicious. "He simply must wear navy to complement your dress."
She nodded mutely. Being a nice dresser, Rob probably had a navy suit in his closet. Georgia frowned. But why did the image of a navy uniform keep popping into her mind?
Both Toms scribbled on a piece of paper. "Go to the accessories department in Elm's and buy the Derrin straw hat—"
"—with a white band. Then go to footwear and buy the white espadrilles—"
"—with the ankle strap. By the time you get back—"
"—your lovely frock will be ready."
They smiled in unison and recapped their ink pens. Powerless to disagree in the wake of their frighteningly good taste, she took the piece of paper and stopped herself short of a curtsey before she re-donned her scrubs and left the store. Mall merchandising, she suddenly noticed, was all about sex. Loud, pulsing music. Lingerie and skimpy clothing in the windows. Judging from their stiff nipples, even the mannequins were turned on.
Bombarded with erotic cues, she simply couldn't stop thinking about the phone call. And she couldn't stop obsessing over Rob's reaction. Darn Toni for raising the questions in the first place. And darn that Ken Medlock for forcing his way into her impossibly crowded mind. She was suddenly glad she would most likely never see the man again.
As she was told, Georgia headed toward Elm's and, unfamiliar with the upscale store, meandered around until she found the accessories department. Feeling somewhat conspicuous, she glanced all around before trying on hats in the line the men had suggested.WhichDerrin straw hat with a white band? There were so many. She tried on style after style, thenconceded she hadn't enjoyed herself so much in a long time. She even loosened the clasp from her hair, toying with the idea of wearing it down for the wedding. At last she settled on a bowler style, crossing her fingers that Tom Tom wouldn't object to her choice. The espadrilles were fun and comfortable, but a lot more expensive now than when they were first popular a couple of decades ago.
Swinging both bags, she gave in to the rumbling in her stomach and stopped at the food court for a bagel and cream cheese. The mall was a great place to people-watch, a favorite pastime, even without her camera. Take that old man over there reading the paper—priceless. Or the triplets in the combination stroller, all eating ice cream. Or the policeman leaned over, lecturing a group of preteens seated around a table.
Georgia stopped chewing and squinted. Officer Medlock?
