Page 85 of No Mistakes
CHAPTER 36
MANDY
The day has finally arrivedand to be honest, the little girl inside is screaming at being in a fancy boutique like this, trying on dresses for an event I’m not even invited to.
“What do you think about this dress?” Eva asks, holding up a black floor-length gown and giving it a dramatic little sway against her body, like she’s about to waltz into some royal gala.
I tilt my head, sipping my complimentary champagne. “It’s nice… for a funeral.”
Her mouth drops open because, of course, I’d say that in a boutique full of people, but she’s already laughing before I even finish my sip. “Alright, alright, I get it. Not this dress.”
She drapes it over a rack and flops down next to me on the sofa. Around us, women are pulling dresses like they’re in a supermarket sweep, staff darting back and forth with armfuls of fabric like their lives depends on it.
Eva leans her head onto my shoulder, her voice dropping into that mock-casual tone she uses when she’s fishing for gossip. “Sooo… are you finally going to tell me what happened between you and Ant?”
I shift, pretending to be fascinated by the bubbles in my champagne while heat creeps up my cheeks. The moment hespoke to me flashes in my mind, and I can’t help the small smile tugging at my lips.
“He took me to a fairground,” I admit.
Eva jerks upright so fast her champagne spills over her top. She freezes mid-spill, wide-eyed. “Shut. The. Fuck. Up.”
I look down at my hands, biting back my grin. “Yeah… I know.”
Eva reaches forward, grabbing my arm like she’s trying to shake the rest of the details out of me. “No. No, you do not just drop that and then sit there like you didn’t just hand me the best piece of gossip I’ve had in months.”
I take another slow sip of champagne just to make her wait, enjoying the chance to watch her squirm in her seat. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
Her eyes narrow. “Not a big deal? Mandy…”
I sigh, setting my champagne down so she knows I’m about to get serious. “He makes me happy, Eva. There’s just… something about him. He doesn’t have to do anything big or fancy, he just-” I shrug, trying to put everything into words. “-he makes me feel like I can breathe. Like I don’t have to be anyone else but me.”
Eva’s expression softens, the teasing slipping away. “You really like him, don’t you?”
I smile. “Yeah. I really do.”
And just like that, she’s smirking again. Content with my answer. “Good. Now let’s find you a dress that’s going to make him even more speechless and every other man in that room terrified.”
A tall brunette woman appears in front of us, a smile on her face as her gaze flicks between me and Eva. “Looking for anything in particular today, ladies?”
Eva looks at me, answering before I can. “Floor length. Statement colour. Something that will make a man fall to his knees.”
The woman nods, turning towards a rack of dresses located at the back of the room. The second her back is turned, Eva reaches across, grabbing my hands, “Are you ready to go to the ball, Cinderella?”
I can’t help but laugh as she sits next to me, a smile spread wide across her face. “Why yes, fairy godmother, I am.”
The joke is light, but there’s this weird little tug in my chest, the kind that sneaks up on you. I never had the chance to go to a prom. Never walked into a room in a gown with people turning to look, never got the opportunity to go dress shopping with my friends… but maybe today will change all of that, and I might finally get that moment, for me.
The next twenty minutes play out like one of those movie montages where I walk out in dress after dress while Eva fires off her opinions without a worry in the world.
I step out in an emerald satin dress, doing a slow spin, before stopping in front of her.
“Gorgeous,” she says, tilting her head, “but a bit bridesmaid-y.”
I nod in agreement and head back to the dressing room.
Next up is a champagne silk dress with a thigh-high slit.
“You look like a Bond girl,” she says with a smirk. “But can you sit without flashing someone?”
