Authors: Suzannah Daniels
“Oh,
they do,” she said, “but they’re still kind of pricey. I was hoping I could
spend about half of that and return the other half to Mr. Milton.”
That
was my girl, always thinking about everyone else.
“Do
you think the other store would be any cheaper?” she asked.
I
shrugged my shoulders, having never priced prom dresses in my life. The only
thing that would make me think the other store might be less expensive would be
that this store serviced the wealthy families that lived on the upper half of
Quail Mountain, the ones with brow lots and weekend parties, the people like my
parents.
“Maybe,”
I said. “We could go look.”
“Let
me ask the girl if they have a sales rack,” she suggested. “If they don’t,
then let’s try the other store.”
“Okay.”
I followed her back to the entrance.
“Did
you find anything you liked?” the sales girl asked Dara.
“I
did, but I was wondering if you might have a sales rack that I could look at
it,” Dara asked meekly. “I’m trying not to spend too much.”
The
girl pasted a bright smile on her face and pointed to the back corner of the
building. “Sure. Back in the corner is our clearance room. Most of the
dresses are last year’s styles, discontinued, or slightly damaged, so I suggest
you try the dresses on and look them over carefully because all sales are final.”
“Okay,”
Dara said. “Thank you.”
Dara
slipped her hand in mine and pulled me in that direction. “I hope I can find
something.”
I
couldn’t help but smile. My mother probably didn’t even know they had a
clearance room.
Lucky
for me, they had several chairs lined up along the wall, and I sat down while
Dara headed to the dresses. My mind drifted to the seemingly impossible task
of finding her mother. I needed to come up with a plan, but I was unsure of
how to go about it.
And
part of me wondered if Dara would be better off if her mother did just drop out
of her life for good.
I
knew Dara wanted her mother at her graduation, so the only thing I knew to do
was to find her mother myself and then decide whether I should try to get her
to come to the ceremony. It could possibly be painful for Dara either way, so
I had to figure out which would be the lesser of two evils.
I
glanced up to see Dara holding a dress in each hand, a sequin-covered, pink
gown and a soft, green gown.
“Both
of these are my size, and they’re marked down to two hundred dollars,” she
said, excitement in her voice. “Do you like them?”
I
was impressed. Both gowns were beautiful. “Yeah, I do. Why don’t you try
them on?”
“You’re
not just saying that, are you?”
“No,
they’re both nice.”
She
grinned. “Okay, I’ll be right back.”
She
held each coat hanger up high, so that the dresses wouldn’t drag the floor, and
disappeared into the fitting room.
I
checked the messages on my phone while I waited and replied to one from Mike.
He was taking Crimson to the prom, and he wanted to know if we all wanted to go
eat together. Since Crimson was one of Dara’s best friends, I knew she’d love
that idea, so I didn’t hesitate to tell him we would.
Dara
approached me in the first gown, her palms pressing the fabric to her chest. I
knew she’d try on the pink dress first. It was her favorite color, and she
gravitated toward it.
Once
she reached me, she turned her back to me. “Could you zip me up?”
I
stood frozen for a moment, enjoying the view of her slender frame. Then, my
fingers trailed along her exposed back, gently caressing the outline of her
spine until they reached the zipper pull. Reluctantly, I zipped the dress,
watching as her satin skin disappeared beneath the sequin-covered gown.
Shocked
that such a simple act could send desire racing through my body, I took a deep
breath and exhaled, hoping that some of my lust would be expelled along with
the carbon dioxide. After a couple of tries, I made a mental note that deep
breathing did nothing to relieve sexual tension.
Dara
spun around and took a step back. I could feel her watching my face, her
expression almost a frown. “You don’t like it.”
Inwardly,
I groaned. Hell, yeah, I liked it. I liked the way the strapless gown showed
off the sexy lines of her collarbone, and the soft pink sequins shimmered under
the fluorescent lighting, reminding me of her lip gloss. I liked the way it
clung to the curve of her hips and the slit showed a peek of her shapely leg.
In fact, I liked it so much that I’d just decided that shopping for prom
dresses wasn’t that bad after all.
I
forced myself to smile, knowing that she was mistaking my earlier distress for
disapproval. “Dara, the only way you could look any sexier is if you were
naked.”
“Stone!”
she shrieked, her mouth gaping.
“I
meant it when I said that you’d look beautiful in any dress.” I shot her a
devilish grin as I stepped toward her and rested my palms on the curve of her
shoulder. Lowering my voice, I continued, “I also meant it when I said you’d
look even better without the dress.”
She
lowered her eyes and smiled coyly. It was damn cute the way she was so easily
embarrassed.
I
kissed her forehead. “Now, let me unzip you, so you can try the green gown on
for me.”
She
turned, and I unzipped the dress. I watched her as she walked back to the
fitting room, the dress hugging the curves of her derriere, and I caught myself
smiling, smiling because I loved her ass, but mostly smiling because I knew I
was damn lucky that she was my girl.
I
sat back in the chair, my elbows resting on my knees as I stared at the floor
and waited for her, my thoughts reverting back to the fact that I needed a plan
to find her mother.
Oakley
didn’t have a huge population, but I wondered how difficult it would be to find
someone with so little to go on.
I
could physically go to the hotels and ask again if anyone knew of an employee
by the name of Yvonne Golding, but that seemed redundant and a waste of time, something
I didn’t have to spare. Maybe if I had a picture of her, someone would
recognize her even if her name hadn’t been familiar.
I
glanced up as Dara came out of the dressing room, once again clutching the prom
gown to hold it up. When she reached me, she immediately turned her back to
me, so that I could zip it.
I
rose from the chair and stepped forward, unable to resist the chance to skim my
fingers along her bare skin again. I took my own sweet time to zip the dress
up.
She
spun around, the soft green fabric fluttering around her legs. My breath
hitched in my chest when the vision of her registered in my brain. Like the
pink dress, this strapless gown hugged her small breasts and clung to her slender
waistline. Silver embellishments lined the top edge of the dress, drawing my
eyes downward as the design weaved between her breasts and flowed out again
around her waist. Unlike the pink dress, the floor-length skirt on this one
flowed freely around her body, the fabric hanging in soft folds.
But
perhaps it was the color that appealed to me the most. The soft lime seemed to
accentuate her emerald eyes, one of the first things that caught my attention
when she first began working at the bookstore with me over the summer. Why the
hell did I compare all the dresses to parts of her body?
“Do
you like this one?” she asked, posing with her hands on her hips, her eyes
watching me as she waited for my answer.
“Shit,
Dara, you could come out wearing a muumuu, and you’d still look sexy.”
Her
laughter floated to the ceiling. “A muumuu, Stone? Really?”
“Which
one do
you
like?” I asked.
“I
like the one that you like,” she said. “Do you like either of these or should
I keep looking?”
“I
like them both, but the green one makes me think of the first day you came to
work at the bookstore.”
“Really?
Why?”
“Because
your eyes were so bright, they reminded me of a Kawasaki dirt bike I used to
have.”
“My
eyes reminded you of a motorcycle?” she asked in feigned indignation.
“Remember
who you’re talking to,” I replied. “Being compared to a motorcycle is my
highest form of affection.”
“Like
the relentless lick of a puppy?” she asked.
“Exactly.
Who doesn’t like puppies?” I moved closer to her ear and whispered. “Would
you rather I lick you instead?”
She
rewarded me with a thump on the chest.
“Hey,
I’m just trying to accommodate you.” My fingers tilted her chin up, and I bent
down and lightly kissed her lips. “You look absolutely beautiful, Dara, in
either dress, but if you want to know which is my favorite, I’m going to have
to say the green one.” I licked her cheek.
“Ooh,
Stone!”
I
chuckled while she rubbed her hand across her cheek.
“If
I want a puppy,” she blurted, “I’ll go to the pound.”
“But
he won’t be as cute as me.”
“Or
as annoying.”
“I’m
sorry, baby,” I cooed, pulling her into my arms. “I couldn’t resist. You were
just standing there, looking all sexy in that green dress….”
“So
you really do like the green one the best?” she asked.
“Yeah,
I really do.”
“I
guess that settles it then,” she said. “Will you unzip me?” She turned her
back to me.
“Can’t
think of anything I’d rather do.” I grasped the zipper pull. “Wait, yes, I
can.”
“Does
it involve a motorcycle?” she snapped.
I
laughed. “Nope. It has nothing to do with a motorcycle.” I unzipped her
dress, and she began walking back to the fitting room.
About
halfway there, she gasped and turned to look at me while she clutched the dress
to her chest, her blond hair sweeping across her shoulder. “There’s only one
thing I can think of that you’d probably like better than riding motorcycles.”
I
grinned. “Exactly.”
“Making
mud pies,” she said more to herself than to me as she swung around and kept
walking.
I
laughed. “I do love a good mud pie,” I called as she disappeared into the
fitting room.
Damn,
I had the urge to take Dara to my favorite mud hole. I checked the ten-day
forecast on my phone, wondering when the next good rain would arrive.
Dara
Scarlet
folded her arms over her chest and looked at me with contemplating, brown eyes.
She cocked her head to the left, then to the right. “Don’t tell him I said
this, but I have to agree with Stone. That color does look amazing on you.”
I
sat down on the edge of my bed, my lime green prom dress flowing around me. “Thank
you, but how should I wear my hair?”
“How
does Stone like it? Up or down?” Crimson asked as she sunk down beside me,
looking at my reflection in the dresser mirror.
“Who
cares how he likes it?” Scarlet asked, her dislike for Stone obvious in the
tone of her voice.
“Dara
does,” Crimson answered, flipping my hair to the front of my shoulders and then
examining my reflection again.
“Well,
she shouldn’t,” Scarlet replied.
“No
reason to get snippy just because you don’t have any dating prospects,” Crimson
told her twin sister.
“How’re
you wearing your hair?” I asked Crimson, who was going to the prom with Stone’s
best friend, Mike Waters.
“I’m
wearing mine up in a braided twist. Scarlet fixed my hair like that yesterday,
and it looked really good.”
“How
do you think I should wear mine?” I asked Scarlet, whose eyes were still fixed
on me.
Scarlet
approached me, her long, thin fingers weaving into my hair and scooping it up
on my head. “You should wear it up and have curls cascading down, and you
should have sparkly accents in your hair to match the bling on your dress.
“When
I get through with you two girls, Stone and Mike’ll be wanting to poke all the
other guys’ eyes out.” She rubbed her palms together. “This is so up my
alley.”
“What?
Poking guys’ eyes out?” Crimson asked. “No wonder no one wants to date you.”
“Can
I help it if no one on Quail Mountain lives up to my standards?” Scarlet asked
with a shrug of her shoulders.
“Well,
let’s just see if you can deliver,” Crimson challenged. “I’d like to see Mike
a little jealous for once.”
“Pfft,”
Scarlet puffed out between her glossy lips. “I can deliver on a freshly
polished silver platter wrapped up in a perfectly tied bow. And you know it,”
she added, pointing a French manicured nail at Crimson.
“Speaking
of below-standard guys, where’s Stone at today?” Scarlet asked me.
“Don’t
be mean, Scarlet. His parents are out of town, and he has to run some errands
for them.”
“Out
of town?” Scarlet questioned, furrowing her daintily plucked eyebrows. “I just
passed his parents on my way here.”
“Are
you sure it was them?” I asked.
“Uh,
yeah. It’s kinda hard to miss them in that fancy sports car. His dad must’ve
been having a midlife crisis when he bought that.”
“Maybe
they’re just now leaving,” I suggested.
“Maybe,”
she agreed, her voice lacking conviction. “Or maybe he’s got another
girlfriend.”
“Scarlet,”
Crimson hissed. “Seriously, just because you don’t have a boyfriend, you don’t
have to ruin it for everyone else.”
“I’m
not trying to ruin anything. I just don’t trust him.” Scarlet sat on the bed
beside me. “I’m still rooting for Chance.”
I
sighed. “Chance and I are over. If you like him so much, you should ask him
out.”
Scarlet
shook her head, her hoop earrings swaying. “No. I have a rule not to date my
best friend’s ex-boyfriend. Besides, I thought y’all were good together.”
“Well,
that was before she met Stone,” Crimson interjected. “Can’t you see the poor
girl’s in love?” Crimson patted me on the shoulder.
I
smiled. Once I’d met Stone, I had no interest in anyone else. I glanced at
Scarlet. “She’s right, ya know?”
“Yeah,
I know,” Scarlet acknowledged with a lack of enthusiasm. She took a deep
breath. “I just hope he deserves you.”
Stone
Oversleeping
sucked. I’d intended to get an early start on my road trip to Oakley, but
somehow I’d slept through my alarm.
I
hated taking the time to stop for breakfast, but considering I was on my bike,
eating on the go was not an option. Besides, I desperately needed caffeine.
Since
I’d told Dara that I was busy running errands today for my parents, I decided
to forego Awesome Sauce, in case she happened to be there, and opted for a
small café that was usually frequented by an older crowd.
I
ordered a meat lover’s omelet and a large, sweet tea. While I was waiting on
my food, I mulled over my strategy, or lack of, for finding Dara’s mother.
“Stone,”
a sultry voice called from behind me.
Shit.
Not now.
I
shifted in my seat and planted a smile on my face. “Jess, how’re you?”
She
sashayed to my table and slid into the empty seat across from me, giving me a
lascivious grin. “You look lonely.”
“I’m
just having breakfast, Jess.”
“So
what’s up?” She settled back in her chair, her eyes locked on mine as she
played with the silver bangle bracelets dangling from her wrists.
“I’m
going to take a ride to Oakley.” I leaned back as the server brought my food.
“Why
would you want to go Oakley? That town’s a bore.” Her eyebrows rose. “Unless
you’ve got a girl there….”
I
took a bite of my omelet and glared at her.
“What?”
she shrieked.
“You
know I’m with Dara.”
She
rolled her eyes. “Yeah, you were so much more fun before she came along.”
“Besides,”
I continued, ignoring her comment, “since when have you been to Oakley?”
“Since
my brother’s been working there. Me and mom visited him one weekend. It was
totally lame.”
“Drew’s
working in Oakley?”
“Temporarily.
His company’s moved him up there for about six months until their job’s
finished.”
“What’s
he doing in Oakley?”
“Refurbishing
a bridge.” She ran her fingertip along my hand. “Want some company? I’ll
ride to Oakley with you.”
“Jess,
nothing’s changed since the last time we talked.” I held her gaze. I wanted
her to understand that anything that had gone on between us was over. There
was no way in hell that I was going to take her anywhere.
But
if Drew had spent some time in Oakley, I wondered if he might know of a hotel
other than the ones listed on the Internet.
“Could
you text me Drew’s number?” I asked, thinking it was worth a shot. While I
hadn’t spent much time with him, I knew him well enough from my many months of
dating Jess to call him up and have a conversation. “I might need help finding
my way around town.”
She
pursed her lips and exhaled through her nose. “I reckon, but you should take
me with you.”
“Jess,
just text me his number, please.”
She
swiped her phone, pressed the screen, and in a few seconds, I heard my phone
ding with a text message.
“There,”
she said, her full lips pressed together.
“Thanks.”
I watched her, and I couldn’t help remembering the night at Awesome Sauce when
she claimed that she was in love with me. I had felt like such a prick. “Are
you doing okay?” I asked, truly hoping that she was happy.
“Why
wouldn’t I be?” she asked, tilting her chin upward.
“Good.
I’m glad.”
She
stood, smoothing her miniskirt back down into place. “Tell Drew I said ‘hey’.”
“Okay.”
She
turned to leave, her high heels clicking against the tile floor. She stopped,
angling her body toward me. “Stone?”
I
raised my eyebrows in silent question.
“This
is hard for me to say, but…Dara’s good for you.”
I
nodded my head in agreement, and she turned and ambled out the glass door, the
bell ringing as she exited.
I
scarfed down the rest of my omelet and hit the road. Oakley was a straight
shot, and even though it mapped out on the Internet as being four hours away, I
made it in three and a half. I pulled into a gas station, removed my helmet,
and got off the bike. My ass ached, and I needed to stretch my legs.
From
first appearances, Jess was right about one thing. Oakley looked about as much
fun as a lecture from my father. I had the overwhelming feeling that I had
taken a step back in time, and I glanced around the dilapidated town, wondering
if they even had a cell tower.
I
fished my cell phone from my pocket and glanced at the signal indicator, which
was about half its normal strength. I pulled up Jess’s text and dialed Drew’s
number. It rang and rang until voice mail finally picked up. Damn it. I hung
up.
After
I screwed off the gas cap, I picked up the nozzle and began pumping gas, hoping
that Drew would call me back.
Ten
minutes later, I had stalled as long as I could. If I was going to have time
to look around town, then I needed to get going. It would be a long ride back,
and I wanted to spend some time with Dara this evening.
I
shoved my helmet on and rode a wheelie through the parking lot in a vain
attempt to add some excitement to the hell hole known as Oakley. I rode down
the main drag in search of a hotel.
It
didn’t take long to find one. As I pulled into the parking lot, a shudder ran
down my spine at the horrid thought of having to actually sleep in this hotel.
Appalled by the state of disrepair, I quickly made my way inside. Pulling my
phone out of my pocket, I pulled up a photo of Dara with her mother.
When
I entered the building, the overwhelming smell of mothballs assaulted my
nostrils. I held the back of my hand up to my nose, hoping for a scent of
cologne or soap or anything other than the foul odor that wafted through the
lobby.
A
thin, elderly man peered at me over the gold rim of his glasses from behind the
front desk. A few, unruly strands of his comb-over stood straight up
defiantly, and his appearance was so comical, it was all I could do not to have
a stupid grin on my face.
I
waited briefly for him to greet me, but when he failed to do so, I got straight
to the point. “Do you have an employee here named Yvonne Golding?” I showed
him the photo.
“Who’s
askin’?” He glared at me with distrust.
“My
name’s Stone. Her phone’s been disconnected, and I’m just trying to locate
her.”
“Never
seen ‘er before.” Clearly bored with our conversation, he began flipping
through a magazine lying on the counter.
“Thanks
for your help,” I said as I turned to escape.
He
grunted a response.
Damn,
if that was any indication of what this town was like, then I’d be relieved to
get the hell out of it.
Dara
I
glanced at my watch. When Crimson and Scarlet left my house this morning, I
promised them that I would meet them at Awesome Sauce for lunch. Not wanting
to leave home until I had finished by homework, I had waited as long as I
could, which made me run a few minutes late.
When
I finally arrived, Crimson waved to me from a booth in the back, and I hurried
along the aisle.
“Sorry,
I’m late,” I breathed out in a rush. “I wanted to finish my homework before
Stone came over tonight.”
“Speaking
of Stone,” Crimson said in a low voice. Something about the way she said it
got my attention.
“What?”
I asked as I slid into the booth beside her.
“I
got a call from Chloe earlier,” Scarlet said. “She wanted to know if you and
Stone had broken up.” She paused. “I told you I didn’t trust him. You
should’ve stuck with Chance.”
I
glanced across the bright red tabletop at her. “What’re you talking about?”
Scarlet
exhaled loudly, her long, dark lashes fanning across her cheek as she stared
downward, studying her fingernails. “Chloe was having breakfast with her
mother and grandmother at that little café down the road that all the old
people eat at.” She looked back up at me.
“And?”
I urged, wishing Scarlet would get to the point.
“And…she
saw Stone and Jess together.”
“Can
you be more specific?” I asked, a clump of dread settling in my stomach.
Crimson
touched my arm and spoke softly, “They were sitting at a table together.”
“I’m
sure there’s a perfectly reasonable explanation,” I said, refusing to believe
that Stone would have ditched me for the sole purpose of going out with Jessie.