Chapter 14
Danielle
Danielle’s heart raced as she looked down at the excessive amount of skin showing on her body. There was no way she could go out there in this. Not with Morgan out there.
But Morgan had taken her to this fancy boutique and helped her pick out dresses that might look good with her complexion. Something Danielle had no clue about. It would be rude not to fully try on the dress in front of the mirrors out there.
She took a deep breath and pulled the curtain aside just far enough to peek her head around the fabric.
“For the record, I’m coming out there, but this isn’t the one.”
“Just keep an open mind.” Morgan smiled at Danielle’s face peering at her from around the curtain. “Sometimes you never know until you see it from all the angles.”
Danielle wasn’t sure another angle could save this dress, but maybe it would take Morgan seeing it to agree.
She slid the curtain aside and walked out in front of the strategically placed standing mirrors.
Morgan’s eyes widened as she stared at Danielle’s super-deep V-neck. She put a fist to her mouth, but the amused grin peeked around, anyway.
Danielle wanted to wrap her arms around her chest and run back into the fitting area.
“No, wait,” Morgan said, removing her fist from her mouth and holding the palm up. “I’m not laughing at you. You look gorgeous. Seriously.”
Danielle felt her cheeks flushing, and she hoped Morgan couldn’t see it from a few feet away.
Her brain couldn’t stop circling around the word “gorgeous.” Danielle didn’t think anyone had ever called her gorgeous.
Maybe her friends. So it was fine and didn’t mean anything at all, since she and Morgan were also friends now.
Friends who were shopping for a dress to wear to a wedding together.
But sure. Friends.
“I’ll go change,” she said. “So we can move on to the next one.”
There were five more dresses waiting for her. She didn’t want to spend Morgan’s entire afternoon here.
“Not yet.” Morgan pointed at one of the mirrors. “Look at yourself. I mean, really look before you rush off. I want you to see that it suits you.”
Danielle turned back to the closest mirror, and her eyes immediately went to the exposed skin between her breasts. “I cannot wear this. I’m not giving your family any ammunition.”
Morgan laughed. “My mother would hate it. But honestly, that’s a selling point. I’m more worried about you feeling out of place.”
Danielle reflexively put a hand against her chest. “Definitely.”
“I don’t mean that. I promise my sister’s friends will find a way to show even more cleavage.” Morgan eyed Danielle up and down again. “It’s more of a beachy or summer outdoor event look. And you strike me as someone who’d rather gel with the room.”
Danielle nodded in agreement and looked in the mirror again. She spun ever so slightly to make the deep blue bottom half of the dress swirl around her. The lightweight fabric looked like it was floating, and Danielle couldn’t help but feel a bit like a princess in it.
But Morgan was right. It looked a little informal for a fancy night wedding.
“I do like it. Plunging V-neck aside,” she said. “But I agree it isn’t right for this. Probably not right for anything I’d go to. I’ll try on the next one.”
Three more dresses later, they still hadn’t found the one. They found one absolute no, and two mehs. Now there were just two more to try. If one of those didn’t work out, she’d have to go with a meh.
Morgan patted the seat beside her. “Sit. Take a break.”
Danielle didn’t bother to argue. She was exhausted, and they weren’t even done yet.
She gathered up the jewel-green fabric of the maxi dress so she wouldn’t step on it or crease it as she sat down beside Morgan.
From the closer proximity, she could pick up the scent hovering around Morgan—the richness of deep woods with some kind of floral note beneath that.
It was warm and welcoming, and Danielle wanted to inhale it for as long as possible.
“Thank you,” she said. “For today. I don’t think I could have done this on my own.”
“Don’t do a lot of formal dress shopping, huh?”
“Not much need for it at school,” she said with a smile. “Or being a kid chauffeur.”
Today had been the first time in as long as she could remember that she had gone out to do something fun without Lila. Except for Melanie and Kim’s ceremony, where she’d met Morgan. Besides that, her life was pretty small.
Not that she minded. Lila was worth it. But it would be nice to get out alone a little more often, which was why she’d joined Melanie and Kim’s book club. Their book club of three so far.
She was spending the whole afternoon out, while Lila was happily playing with their dog, most likely. And Danielle had been able to arrange it with just a day’s notice. There was no reason she couldn’t do this more often.
Something like this. Not this. And not with Morgan, obviously.
She still wasn’t ready for dating. Not with Morgan specifically, but also not with anyone. While Melanie and Kim were glad to hang out with Lila, Danielle would feel guilty relying on them too often.
But there was Gerri, too.
And Danielle could always involve Lila in some of their activities once she was dating someone.
But really, who would want to hang out with her and her kid?
“So tell me about Lila.”
Danielle thought for a moment that Morgan must have been reading her mind. But then she realized she’d mentioned being a kid chauffeur and brought up the conversation herself.
“You don’t have to,” Morgan added quickly. “I’m sorry. That’s probably too personal.”
“No, it’s fine,” Danielle said. “It’s just… you don’t have to ask to be polite. I’m fine not talking about her.”
Morgan tilted her head slightly, looking genuinely confused. “I asked because I want to know. If you want to tell me about her, of course. I don’t do things only out of politeness. I left that back with my mother and her entourage and all of those obligations.”
Danielle couldn’t imagine what that kind of life was like growing up in. But she believed Morgan about not wanting polite just for polite’s sake.
She shrugged. “Pretty typical kid. Likes her friends, soccer, and Melanie & Kim’s dog.”
“Yeah, sounds typical. And a fun age, I would imagine.”
Danielle barked a laugh. “I don’t know if I’d call thirteen a fun age, but we do have fun. We have a standing Friday night TV date. Ice cream or popcorn. It’s my favorite thing every week.”
A grin stretched across Morgan’s face, and Danielle couldn’t spot even a hint of fakeness in it. In fact, there was a genuineness to that smile and to everything about Morgan that set Danielle’s heart fluttering.
No. No fluttering allowed. Morgan was off limits.
Everyone was off limits, but Morgan especially.
“That does sound like a perfect Friday,” Morgan said. “I have a similar standing date with my best friend, Jen. Normally Sundays when we both have the day off, but she had a family thing this week. We probably don’t watch the same TV shows, though. We watch reality TV mostly.”
“We do, too.” Danielle laughed. “But probably not the same ones.”
She stood and smoothed out the maxi dress she would put back on the hanger in the “don’t want” pile. With a hefty sigh, she said, “Okay. I think I only have one more in me, so let’s see what the next one brings.”