26. On The Way Down #2
The abrupt sound that comes out of Jase honestly startles me.
If he had been eating something, I’d think he was choking.
Instead, his shoulders shake and I realize he’s trying not to laugh.
One look in my direction, and the dam breaks.
Jase isn’t just laughing. It’s not even a guffaw.
He’s laughing so hard his eyes start to water.
“Damn, Birdie. I know you think I’m an asshole, but I thought you filed me in the James Spader Pretty In Pink category. Not full-blown Walter White.”
When he sees I’m not sharing in his amusement, he sobers up, at least a fraction.
“What the hell gave you the impression I’m pushing drugs?”
“You were at Murdock’s.”
“So were you.”
“Yeah, but I was there to dance . Not meet up with some black market dealer.”
One of Jase’s eyebrows quirks up. “I wasn’t there to sell. I was there to buy. And no, it wasn’t drugs.”
“Whatever you say, Tony Montana,” I mutter as he pulls alongside the curb.
Jase looks like he might say something else, but I don’t give him the chance, climbing out.
Before I shut the door, I turn back to him with my hand extended, preparing to ask for my phone.
He won’t know when to pick me up if I can’t tell him when I’m done—
But he cuts the engine and opens his door, getting out as well.
There are plenty of other shops all along the main drag, so I assume he’s heading to one of them, only to find his long strides carrying him to the boutique ahead of me.
Jase pulls it open and gestures me through, and I still expect him to turn and leave.
He doesn’t.
He strolls inside right after me.
Everything in the boutique is cream-colored, from the walls to the carpeting to the upholstered chairs outside the dressing rooms. I’ve never been in here, anticipating the store would cater specifically to bridal and bridesmaid attire, but there’s a full range of styles for every occasion.
And the price tags have my eyes bulging a little.
Lauren already paid in advance for my bridesmaid dress and any alterations, but Candice also said she had a little black dress in mind for my date with Wes.
Despite the simple design, the one I’m currently looking at is still over two grand and about twenty times more expensive than anything in my closet.
I steal a glance at a couple more tags to find the other dresses cost even more.
Yeeeeah, no.
As pretty as they may be, there’s no way in hell I’m tapping into my savings account for one dress intended for one date.
A young woman no older than my sister comes to the front of the shop the second she sees us, all too ready to usher me to the back when I tell her my name.
“Sarah’s prepping your dressing room, so feel free to have a seat anywhere you’d like,” she says, gesturing to the chairs around the different sets of three-piece mirrors.
Most of the seats are occupied by men who look thoroughly bored or annoyed, all on their phones.
Jase and I take the two available chairs by the largest dressing room, likely reserved for brides.
The oldest gentleman talks in low tones on what is undoubtedly a business call as the teenager next to him looks to be playing a mobile version of that vampire apocalypse game.
I’d take sitting by either at the moment rather than the twenty-something Patrick Bateman wannabe seated to my right.
I seriously hope he’s the bride’s brother or cousin or friend and not her fiancé, because I catch an unintentional eyeful of his DMs when I sit down.
Going to a boutique, the only exposed breasts I anticipated seeing today were my own in the changing room.
Yet, there are two images of a woman I thankfully don’t recognize showing off her…
ample assets for the camera. The fact that Bateman needs to adjust how he’s sitting only has my skin crawling further, and Jase doesn’t miss it.
He doesn’t even ask. The chairs are so close together that he’s able to literally slide me over and lift my backside onto his lap. Before I can object, he maneuvers out from under me, taking my previous seat as I sit in his.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
A few minutes later, Candice greets us, all air kisses and giddiness, declaring I’m all set in dressing room three.
She looks down to see Jase lounging there and smiles.
“And I see you’ve brought company with you today.
It’s always good to get a little male perspective.
Can I get you anything while you wait, Mr. Webber? ”
The gears in my head and apparently even my legs grind to a halt at the namedrop, because I come to a halt, stealing a look back at Jase.
The Stepmonster actually told everyone that Jase’s last name is the same as Lauren’s?
Can you say awkward?
“It’s Rivers, actually. And no, I’m good.” He returns her smile, but it slips a fraction when he sees Candice’s confusion…and then what I can only assume is the inevitable “light bulb” moment as she processes the correction.
Her easy smile suddenly looks forced, the muscles in her cheeks tightening. “Of course.”
She clears her throat as she tries to still keep a polite front, suddenly all too happy to escort me away.
I disappear into the dressing room and find a light purple cold shoulder gown already waiting for me.
The material looks like it’s probably satin, and to my surprise, the mermaid silhouette slips on effortlessly.
Normally when that happens with my clothes, it’s because I’ve lost weight, making the articles hang off of me in the least flattering way.
This, however, hugs my figure in all the right places, and even I have to admit…
I kind of look hot. Aren’t bridesmaids dresses supposed to be hideous?
I can’t zip up the back on my own, but before I can ask for assistance, I freeze at the sound of whispering outside my door.
With the music playing overhead, I can’t make out exactly what they’re saying, but I hope I’m hearing them wrong from the few words I do.
Yeah, I’m pretty sure that’s wishful thinking.
I only open my door a crack to get someone’s attention, and the two sales associates abruptly end their conversation, practically jumping back from one another. I know I shouldn’t care, but I find my heart sinking into my stomach once I’m zipped up and exiting the dressing room.
The five minutes I spent in there proved sufficient for the gossip train to run its course, if the whispers and stares in Jase’s direction are any indication. Not that he would notice.
Jase is the only male not using his phone, at least at the moment, because the second he looks up from his screen to see me, it slips right out of his hands and hits the floor.
And I don’t think he notices, either.
It’s honestly the most adorable reaction I’ve ever seen, even if it is coming from him, and I can’t fight back my smile.
I turn away in favor of the three-section mirror before he can see me, but again, it’s a mirror.
Jase can see my reflection perfectly well, not to mention the blush spreading across my cheeks.
Seriously, stop it, Ali! It looks like you care what he thinks, and you don’t .
My internal scolding doesn’t do me any good, and I just pray I can blame my reaction to his reaction on the fact that I’m suddenly getting a lot more attention.
Candice and the woman responsible for doing alterations immediately begin gushing, confirming again that my reflection in the dressing room wasn’t lying. The girls look great, the gown hugs every curve, and I’m not shy to admit that my ass looks fantastic.
“Talk about fitting you like a glove. There’s barely any work that needs to be done,” both women say, pinching the smallest amount of fabric in only a few areas.
The teenager lets out a wolf whistle, immediately receiving a light smack to the chest from his father, and I laugh.
That is, until I see Jase finally recover his wits and grab his phone off the ground.
I can’t read his expression in the mirror, but the way he picks it up, almost in slow motion, I’m worried that maybe his screen cracked.
It sounds stupid, since it was barely a fall, and the cell landed on the plush carpet, but the model is old, and maybe there was already a crack in it I hadn’t seen. Perhaps it made it worse.
But then why is Jase pulling out my phone? Is it still in vibration mode? Is someone calling or messaging me? His eyes dart back and forth between the two screens, and as far as I can see in the reflection, mine is still black.
“Soooo,” Candice coos, her previous giddiness back in place, “do you know where young Mr. Holbrooke is taking you Friday?”
That definitely brings my attention back in front of me, and I’m not the only one. Jase’s eyes snap up, catching mine in the mirror briefly before I force myself to look at Candice.
“Uh, Colmár.” It comes out more like a question, because I’m not sure if I’m even pronouncing the name correctly. I’ve never heard of the restaurant before, and when I pulled up the information for it on my phone, there wasn’t much on the place.
Candice, Sarah, and the tailor all gawk at me like I just said Wes is taking me to the moon, but I guess it’s not that far off. Apparently, the restaurant opened this past spring, and reservations have to be made months in advance to get through the door…unless your last name is Holbrooke, that is.
“Well, that settles that.” Candice swoops back over to me with a little black dress in her arms. “You’ll definitely be needing this.”
I dare a peek at the price tag and almost choke. “Oh, that won’t be necessary, really—”
Candice waves me off. “Of course it is. This is a Holbrooke we’re talking about. Play your cards right and listen to your Auntie Candice, and you’ll be trying on dresses in there next summer.” She indicates the large bridal changing room, only making my cheeks burn redder.