Chapter 16 #2
“Really? But I’d have to go on the dock and then deal with people.”
Scarlett laughs and sits up. “Maisie, I’m inviting you to go shopping with me. If you don’t want to, fine. But at least let me down gently.”
“Oh,” I say as my cheeks heat. “You know what? That would be nice. But we’ll have to go slow. I might freak out.”
She laughs. “Good thing I’m a trained professional. I won’t judge you. As long as you don’t judge me for how much money I’m about to blow.”
Getting off the boat isn’t fun, but it’s not terrible. I find myself missing Nate, but Scarlett is nice enough about it and holds my hand without immediately letting it go.
We’re able to walk to all the local shops and find one that’s dedicated to swimsuits. The second we step inside and get to a fitting room, she goes wild. It gets hard to see her through all the swimsuits she has piled on my arms.
“You do know I only need one, right?”
“Oh, my young padawan, you’re new to shopping for a swimsuit. It’s like a war. You have to find the needle in a haystack.”
“Did you just reference Star Wars ?” I ask with a laugh.
“Hot people can be nerds too. Let me guess, you and Nate love it?”
“Nate does. So does my other friend, Quinn. I don’t get the hype.”
“Excuse me?” She raises an eyebrow.
“How about we pretend I didn’t say that. I can’t handle another lecture about Star Wars . Ever.”
“I should be on Nate’s side here,” Scarlett mutters. “At least you’re cute.”
My answer is cut off by her tossing another one at me. “I think my arms are gonna fall off,” I complain.
She sighs. “Fine. But this might not be enough.”
“We have nearly everything in the whole store.”
“I stand by my statement. Now, to the fitting room. And keep your underwear on. There may have been other people’s coochies in these.”
I nearly trip over my own feet. Nate and I don’t talk about this, and Quinn’s always been uncomfortable with me discussing it since I’ve been with her brother.
“Right. No coochie sharing. Got it. ”
“Not with strangers, at least.” She smiles before she pushes me into the dressing room. I have to take a moment to gain my bearings.
Once I pull the first one on, I see why she got a ton. “Are they supposed to be this ... tight?” I ask.
“Let me see,” she says and I open the door. “Oh, wow. Look at those boobs.”
I shift awkwardly. “They’re practically falling out.”
“Yeah, and not in the sexy way. It needs to be tight, but not too tight. This isn’t the one.”
I sigh. “Great.”
“Chin up, my dear. This is a battle we all have to have eventually.”
“But you look so hot all the time. Is there anything that looks unflattering on you?”
“Oh yes.” She says it immediately. “So many things. I just know how to find what works.”
I wind up going through half the pile and don’t like any of them. Scarlett wants to see each one. She never outright says I look bad, just that I need to find something that complements me better.
It’s nice. It makes me wish she lived in Nashville so I could spend more time with her.
Eventually, I pull on an orange bikini that I think is more of a threat than an option. It’s barely a swimsuit, and half of my ass hangs out. The only thing saving me is keeping my nude underwear on.
“This one’s a no,” I say immediately.
“Wait, I wanna see!” she says.
“It doesn’t fit right.”
“That hasn’t stopped you before. Come on. I won’t say anything bad.”
With a cringe, I slowly open the door, stepping into her appraising gaze .
Way too much of my skin is on display, and as she stares at me, I wonder if she’s seeing the cellulite on my legs or the way that the skin and fat jiggle as I move. That doesn’t even include the way my entire top half is nearly hanging out.
This would be a thing that Rob would immediately turn down.
But Scarlett sucks in air. “You think this doesn’t fit properly?” she asks. “Girl, you’re gorgeous.”
“I’m not. This is ... way too much skin showing.”
“There’s no right way to wear anything. If you want something more modest, that’s totally fine. I do think it looks great, though. Especially if you do this.” She reaches up and takes my hair clip out. When my hair tumbles down, I no longer see the version of Maisie I’ve been. I see someone else.
“I used to dress differently,” I say. “I never had a swimsuit, but I wore crop tops and short things a lot when I was in college.”
“What made you stop?”
I take in a breath and then let it out. “Rob said I needed to cover up. I needed to look grown up.”
Scarlett frowns. “I’m sorry. He told you to cover up?”
“Yeah. He pointed out things that made me want to over time. I want to think I look good, but when I look at myself, I’m remembering all the things he made me notice.”
“First off, fuck your ex.”
“You’re a therapist. Should you be saying that?”
“I’m off work right now. Trust me, I think it often. Usually about men. Your partner gets no say in what you wear. You do. And making comments on your body? Absolutely not.”
“You’re right.”
“What does Nate think?” she asks.
“I don’t talk to him about this kind of stuff.”
“But does he ever make any comments like that?”
“Oh, God no. He would never.”
Scarlett raises her brow and I realize she led me right to her point.
“I didn’t think about all of it. Not logically, at least. I avoided it.”
“Sometimes the body knows what the mind doesn’t, even if you’re afraid. Don’t ever doubt the power of denial. We all have it every now and again.”
“At least I’m not a total idiot.”
“You’re not. And you’re out of that relationship. No one will make a comment like that again, and if they do, punch them in the face.”
“You’re advocating for violence?”
“Absolutely.” She laughs. “Especially to idiots. Now—” She leads me to the mirror. “What does Maisie think about this outfit?”
I look away from all the things that Rob would’ve pointed out. I can see the slight olive tone of my skin, pale after being hidden for so long. I may be shorter, but I like the curve of my hips and the way my boobs look because of the underwire the bikini has.
“I ... like it. Even if I’m nervous.”
“There you go,” Scarlett says. “So, we’re getting this.”
“Which means we’re done, right?” I don’t like the idea of cutting this off here, but we accomplished what we came for.
“Absolutely not. I saw some dresses at the shop next door we both need to try on.”
I perk up immediately. “That sounds fun. But I don’t need a dress.”
“Every lady needs a hot dress. You included.”
“Will we make it back to port in time?”
She pulls out her phone. “Close enough. But we have no time to waste. Let’s go.”