Page 6 of Dating Your Grumpy Neighbor
4
FELICITY
On the morning of the wedding, I'm in a state of panic. Not only am I going to have to face the judgmental stares of many of my matronly relatives, but I'm also going to have to face them with Emmett the Grouch.
“I’m not sure what you are so worried about,” Christina says, sitting on my bed as I search in my closet for the right dress to wear.
“The dress has to be perfect.”
“Perfect for your family or perfect for your new boyfriend?” Christina teases.
I poke my head out of the closet. “That’s not funny. Emmett is not my boyfriend. He’s just my neighbor or a friend—" I snap my fingers. "A friendly neighbor."
She laughs. "I've heard you use many words to describe that guy, but friendly was not one of them."
“I think I misjudged him. There was something about the way he was last night with me that made me think that he’s not the guy I thought he was.”
“And so that’s why you are trying to find just the right dress for tonight. You like him.”
The sincerity in her voice when she says this makes me pause. Why am I trying so hard? There’s no denying that Emmett is handsome, and I’ve done my share of peeking out my curtains when he’s working in the yard without a shirt, but he’s almost impossible to read. I’ve yet to see him smile. Up until yesterday, his only way of communicating with me was through grunts, one-word answers, and the occasional head nod in my direction. Until he actually opened up last night, I never thought of him as anything but my grumpy neighbor.
"I do kind of like him," I admit in a whisper like I'm afraid he could somehow hear us talking.
“Well, after he pulled his white knight routine last night and then agreed to be your date. He’s got my vote to date you.”
“Don’t get ahead of yourself," I say, both to her and myself. "He's only doing me a favor. He's not asking me to marry him or anything.”
“Yet.” She smiles.
“You are a hopeless romantic.”
“So are you. And so what if I am? I think you falling in love is a wonderful thing, and I plan to do it as often as I can."
“You make it sounds so simple.”
“Falling in love can be, for some. But for others, it's harder to open themselves up and let someone in. And I think that might be something that Mr. Grumpypants next door might have a problem with.” Christina swings her legs off my bed and walks over to my closet. “Let’s see if we can find something that might help open up to his sweet and beautiful neighbor.”
She looks like a woman on a mission as she sifts through each item of clothing hanging in there. We both see the red dress tucked in the back corner that I bought last year but never had a reason to wear until now.
Christina hands me the dress and has me try it on right there. The soft silk of the fabric slips over my body and settles over the curves of my body.
“I can’t believe it still fits,” I say, running my hands down over the fabric.
“Not only does it fit.” She points to the full-length mirror hanging on the wall. “It fits like a glove.”
I turn and gasp at the sight, suddenly remembering why I bought it and why it hasn't been worn since. Christina was with me then, too, when I purchased it. She'd convinced me, despite my reservations, that I needed this dress. The deep V cut of the bodice shows off my boobs in a way I’ve never done before. I’m usually more comfortable hiding myself under baggy sweaters and long leggings. The only thing that covers me is the long flowy A-line skirt.
“It’s way too booby.” I turn to her. “I can’t wear this.”
Christina shakes her head and smiles. “No, it’s just booby enough. He’s going to love it.”
After some back and forth and Christina's threat to light the rest of my clothes on fire so I’d have to wear the dress, I finally agree to her demands, but with one stipulation—she can’t be here when Emmett comes over to pick me up. She helps me with my makeup and sets my dark hair in soft curls. We say our goodbyes.
She's walking down the front steps towards her car in the driveway when I notice Wyatt, my landlord, is parked on the street. As he gets out of his truck, I don’t miss the way his attention is fixed on Christina, but she doesn’t notice any of it as she slips in behind the wheel and drives off.
I might have to help those two “run into” each other sometime soon.
“Heard from Emmett last night that you had an interesting evening," Wyatt says, walking over to me across the lawn.
