Page 52 of All For You
“No. Not really.”
He laughed, one of those deep belly laughs you felt down to your soul. I couldn’t help but join in.
“Come on. Don’t you trust me?”
“That’s a loaded question, Owen.”
“Fine. I’ll take it back.”
Reaching out, I snatched the white bag out of his grip. “Never.” When I felt inside, I held my breath, secretly praying my hand would not come in contact with a bug or something else equally as gross. Instead, I was surprised to feel the softest of materials.
Lifting the fabric in one hand and dropping the bag to the floor with my other, I was stunned to find a lovely silk dress. The color was the most beautiful shade of purple, between eggplant and maroon. I couldn’t decide, as the light from the setting sun hit it in different areas.
“Owen, this is gorgeous. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
“Did you pick this out yourself?” I asked, inspecting the dress closer. The sleeves would hang off my shoulders, and the hem would hit just above my knees.
“I did.”
The tag hung loosely around the underside of the sleeve, and I tried my best to ignore it, but the triple zeroes immediately caught my eye. The silk was the nicest I’d ever felt, but I wasn’t sure I would be willing to pay a couple thousand dollars for it. I’d stepped into Nicole’s Boutique in town, and she sold all sorts of items. Some bargain and some high-end. She catered to everyone. It was why her store was a success. But I’d never looked at the racks with the designer labels. Not because I didn’thave the money for them, but because working on the farm didn’t necessitate that sort of clothing.
“I want to argue about you spending this much money on me, but I’m not going to,” I explained as I hugged the dress against my body.
“Really? I expected a full-blown shitstorm to be honest.”
“I can give you one, if you’d like, but I’d rather just thank you again. I’ve never had something this nice before.” Stepping toward him, I stood on my toes, my lips barely reaching his jawline, and I left a lingering kiss. “I’m going to wear this tonight. I’ll be right back.”
I hurried up the stairs, whipped my black dress off my body, and replaced it with the purple garment. Standing in front of the mirror, I twisted back and forth, admiring the way it set on my body. The silk dress looked like it had been made for me.
I considered pulling my hair up into a twist but instead left my hair in long, loose waves. Trudging through my closet, I reached for a pair of black-and-tan espadrilles that were a gift from Jenna I’d never worn. Slipping them on my feet, I walked back and forth in the wedges to make sure I would not topple over, then made my way back down the stairs.
I felt like Lainey Boggs fromShe’s All Thatwalking down the steps, and Owen was my own Freddie Prinze Jr. In my head, “Kiss Me” was playing on repeat.
“Wow,” Owen breathed. “You look beautiful.”
“Thanks.” Just then, my stomach chose that moment to chime into the conversation. “Sorry. I haven’t eaten yet.”
“That’s okay. I thought we could stop by Angelo’s then hit the 9:00 p.m. movie.”
Internally, I counted the hours of sleep I’d get if I got home by midnight. Wake-up was usually at four or five. Normal Aspen would have complained. Normal Aspen would have askedto skip dinner and head to the movie early. Non-social Aspen would have suggested skipping it all together.
But the new Aspen who was trying to live her life smiled at her fake date and grabbed his outstretched hand as he guided her from her house. New Aspen ordered a glass of wine with her baked ziti. And the new Aspen chose a seat in the back row of the movie theater, where she and her fake boyfriend could make out through the entire movie.
At one point, we even knocked the tub of popcorn to the floor.
The old Aspen really liked this new Aspen, regardless of the fact that things would likely go back to the way they were when Owen left.
But this Aspen was going to live for the moment, no matter how few hours of sleep I was going to get. And when Owen asked if I wanted to go back to his place for a bit after the movie, I immediately accepted.
Chapter Fourteen – Aspen
Rory’s house was dark when we arrived. I followed Owen up the front porch and over the threshold, where he switched on a lamp that rested on a small console table by the door. I was already familiar with the layout of the house and set my purse on the table, then walked over to the living room.
“Can I get you a drink or anything?”
“Um… whatever you’re having is fine,” I replied. I was more nervous now than when he picked me up. There was something different about being in his place. Here, we weren’t faking it for anyone. There were no cameras or gossipers. No girls eagerly waiting for him to sign their breasts. It was just us, and I didn’t know where in the sand to find the drawn line.
