Page 44 of Sweet Escape at Bayside
Violet blurted out, “I’m meeting his parents.”
“Oh my gosh! Hisparents?” Emery began pacing. “This isserious. I was a nervous wreck meeting Dean’s parents. Wehaveto go shopping. What are they like? Where are you meeting them? Have you ever met a guy’s parents? It’s the worst experience you could ever imagine.”
Violet dropped her pen and pushed to her feet. “Can you please try to control your giddy word vomit?”
Emery put her hands on her hips and said, “Nope. When are you going?”
“Saturday. Lunch. Boston.” Great, now she was getting nervous again.
“Restaurant or their house?”
“No idea. Shoot. Does that matter? Either way I’ll feel like I’m under a microscope.”
Emery crossed her arms and tapped her chin with her finger, squinting at Violet. “It’s lunch, not dinner. So you can be casual, but it’s afirstmeeting, so not too casual. Maybe slacks?”
“Not a chance.”
“Skirt?” Emery asked hopefully.
“Unless it’s leather and mini,no.”
Emery let out a disapproving sigh. “I think we can do something with skinny jeans and the black fringe boots you bought for Des’s wedding.”
“I have black skinny jeans.”
“The ones with tears?” Emery sat on the edge of the desk.
She didn’t own jeans without tears. “Yes.”
“You can’t meet his parents wearing torn jeans. We need to shop, or I can lend you a pair, but you should have some clothes that aren’t black and…Oh my gosh! You’re wearing amaroonshirt. Holy cow. How did I not notice that at breakfast?”
“Between Dean’s kisses and your egg-gasms, is it any wonder you missed it?” Violet looked down at her shirt and said, “I dress for my moods. Can we please move on? I have no idea what his parents are like, but they’re doctors.”
“Oh, Vi.” Compassion rose in Emery’s eyes. “I know your tattoos are a big part of who you are, but what if his parents are super uptight and conservative? You don’t want to be judged unfairly.”
“I’ve been thinking the same thing, even though it goes against everything I have ever believed in,” she confessed.
“Well, you don’thaveto cover them.”
Violet paced, mulling it over.
“You could ask Andre what he thinks,” Emery suggested.
“No. Then he’ll be in a sucky position. Who wants to tell their girlfriend she should cover her ink? Oh, who cares.” She threw her arms up and said, “I’ll cover up. I’m going to be nervous enough. I don’t need my tats becoming athing.”
“Okay. So…shopping?”
“Why do I feel like I’m going to regret this?”
Emery squealed and threw her arms around Violet. “Because the best girlfriend-time memories always carry a little regret! Although it’s usually from too much tequila and a guy whose name you can’t remember in the morning.”
Violet pried her off. “Yeah, well, I wouldn’t know about that. I don’t dogirlfriend time.”
“You do now!” Emery dragged her out of the office. “I need to grab a shirt, and then it’s girlfriend time!”
SEVERAL HOURS LATER, Violet and Emery sat in a café with shopping bags at their feet and a plate of nachos between them.
“Admit it,” Emery said as she snagged a chip. “You had fun shopping with me.”
