28. Tori
28
TORI
“Here’s one that’s $179 a night.” Lucas swiped at his phone screen while I drove. After lunch, I needed something to keep me from thinking too much about the wedding tomorrow. Dealing with the traffic and construction around Atlanta was the perfect distraction—for better or worse.
We could do better on the price. “Look for one along the highway. It doesn’t have to be super nice, it’s only for one night.”
There’d been no point in driving back to Macon today. We could do that before the wedding tomorrow. There were more things to do around here anyway—not that we’d come to sightsee.
“Here’s one. It’s a hundred and eleven plus tax. Wow, that’s a lot of tax.”
“Is it on the highway?” I asked, tapping the steering wheel.
“Yes, pretty close.”
“Okay, sounds good. My credit card’s in my purse. Can you reach it?”
“Hold on, I’m not there yet.” He spoke out loud as he scrolled. “Non-smoking… two beds… or did you want two rooms?”
“One room is fine.”
“Okay, two queen-size beds. Check-in is any time after four. And—there. Got it,” he said, giving a satisfied nod.
“Wait, you didn’t get my card.”
“I just reserved it with mine. It was already in my phone.”
“I’m paying for the room,” I said as firmly as I could.
“I understand.”
“I’m serious. You’re only here because you were kind enough to come help. So you’re not paying.”
“I told you, I understand. When we check in, we can ask them to—oh crap, they just emailed the receipt.”
It was kind of odd how much I wanted to strangle him, even though he was helping me. “I’ll pay you back.”
“Sure, but you don’t have to, I mean?—”
“Lucas, remember that extremely uncomfortable conversation we had last night? One of the main points, if not the actual thesis, was that you don’t need to protect me.”
“Extremely uncomfortable?”
“You disagree?”
“Yeah, I think you’re downplaying it.” He let out a quiet, rueful laugh and rubbed the back of his neck. The muscles of my face felt stiff when they broke into a small smile.
Last night’s discussion had been awful, but finding out my mother was marrying Doug had eclipsed it. “What’s a stronger word than extremely , then?”
He didn’t lift his gaze from his screen. “You’re the future English teacher.”
Oh yeah. “Umm… astoundingly uncomfortable. Phenomenally uncomfortable. Overwhelmingly uncomfortable.”
“Yeah, all of the above. And you could get a summer job as a walking, talking thesaurus.”
Thank god he was still looking at his phone, because my jaw dropped when he mentioned the safeword Kyle had given me. Hopefully, that was just a coincidence.
“We’ve got an hour or two before we can check in,” he said. “I know a really good bookstore, if you’re interested.”
“No thanks. I know what we can do.”
“Care to share with me?”
“You’ll see.”
“Guess I will.” He put his phone into his pocket.
Forty minutes later, I parked in front of what was quite possibly my favorite spot in the entire state.
Lucas squinted through the windshield. “A thrift store?”
I turned off the engine. “Not just any thrift store. An upscale boutique that always has the best finds.” Okay, boutique was kind of stretching the truth a bit, but it was still a nice place. “Remember that green dress I wore on our date?”
“Vividly,” he said, in a tone I couldn’t quite identify.
“I got that here.”
Lucas examined the storefront with renewed interest.
“My mom and I stopped here whenever we could make it to Atlanta. Doug would never be caught dead in a thrift store, so it’s something that was just for us.”
“Ah,” Lucas said. “I get it. We’re here because this place is sentimental to you and your mother.”
My eyes rolled so hard they almost made a complete rotation. “No, we’re here because we need something to wear to the wedding tomorrow.”
“Oh.” Lucas glanced down at the flannel button-down shirt he wore over a white t-shirt and his black jeans. Then he looked over at the oversized sweatshirt and the jeans I’d thrown on this morning. “Good point. Okay, let’s go shopping.”
“It’s called thrifting.” I climbed out of the car with a grin on my face. If I could just focus on the store itself and not the reason why we needed the clothes, this might even be fun. “And I’m excellent at it.”
Lucas moved to my side. “Then let’s go thrifting.”
We started in the men’s section. It didn’t take long to locate a pair of black trousers that fit Lucas remarkably well—though he let out a low whistle, surprised by the reasonable price in spite of the quality. I found him a crisp white button-down and a black tie in another aisle.
“Black?” Lucas asked, brow furrowed. “Wouldn’t a patterned tie or something be better?”
I shook my head. “I can’t wear a black dress to my mother’s wedding if I want to avoid a scene, so you’ll have to rock the black tie. Think of it as a small protest.”
He blinked, then shrugged. “All right.”
I smiled, pushing the tie into his hands. “Trust me—you’ll look great.”
He nodded, adding it to the pile in the cart, but I saw the hint of a smile on his face, and realized that he wanted to look good for me. That was an endearing thought.
Once Lucas had everything he needed, I headed for the women’s section. Lucas watched as I worked my way rapidly down a row of stylish dresses. “Speed shopping,” I said when I caught his eye.
“You look like you know what you’re doing.”
“Yeah. I do.” But suddenly, I worried that had come out wrong. “It’s not like I’m one of those women who live to shop. But I do like wearing nice clothes, and I especially like finding something amazing that’s been overlooked by everyone else. There’s no way I could afford any of these dresses when they were new, but when I’m in a store like this, it feels like if I can search long and hard to find a hidden gem, then I’ve sort of… earned the right to wear it. If that makes any sense.”
“It does.” He put his hand on my shoulder.
“Oh god,” I said sharply, and he jumped back as if he’d hurt me. But I couldn’t focus on that because the dress hanging in front of me took my breath away.
It was the most gorgeous thing I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t stop staring. My mind raced as I focused on it, but then, with effort, I made myself move on. It wasn’t appropriate for a daytime wedding.
A few minutes later, I spotted a pink-and-rose sheath dress that had a designer label. The silky material swirled with rose-gold watercolor-style patterns, and I held it up against myself.
It was sleeveless and form-fitting and came down to just above my knee. It seemed like too much to ask to find a dress I liked and perhaps one that Lucas would think I looked pretty in, but his eyes gleamed as he took it in.
“You should definitely try that one on.”
His reaction pleased me. “I’ll just be a minute.”
Minutes later, I examined myself in the mirror, lifting my hair out of the way to get the full effect of the dress. It fit well, hugging my curves, but the fabric hung loosely around my chest, and I knew the reason why.
I poked my head out of the dressing room. Lucas was sitting in a chair a half dozen feet away, scrolling on his phone, but then he looked up.
“Um… would you mind zipping it? I can’t quite reach it.”
His cheeks flushed as he walked over, and for a moment, I wondered if he used to go clothes shopping with Natalie.
I stepped over to the three-way mirror, and he moved in behind me, his body radiating warmth. I lifted my hair, and his fingers brushed my shoulder blades, sending a tiny shiver across my skin as he pulled the zipper closed. His hand lingered briefly, gliding along the silky fabric before settling on my shoulder.
He cleared his throat, looking at our reflection in the mirror. “Wow, Tori. You look… really good.”
The dress was pretty, but I couldn’t help appreciating how he was standing so close. In the mirror, we looked like a couple. It was an oddly intimate moment.
Finally, I shook my head to clear it. “I think this is it. I’ll go change back.”
But I didn’t move. The sight of him behind me was more enticing than the dress—though I liked both.
Finally, I turned to go back into the dressing room, but he stayed put, blocking the way. “Don’t you need me to unzip it?”
Oh. My mind was really scattered today. “Yes, please.”
Lifting my hair again, I waited for his soft touch, shivering when it came. He pulled the zipper down halfway and stepped back.
I argued with myself while I changed into my own clothes. Lucas was being so amazing, especially after our argument last night. I didn’t want this closeness with him to end—but there was something I needed to do that had the potential to ruin it.
He smiled as I added the dress to the shopping cart.
“I’m going to look for some shoes and then I’ll check out,” I told him. “Why don’t we meet at the car in fifteen minutes?”
“No, I can?—”
“Lucas, I’m paying for your clothes—you wouldn’t need them if you weren’t helping me today.”
He smiled. “I was going to say that I’ll stay here with you.”
My stomach gave a painful thump and guilt rocked through me. I didn’t want to lie—but I also didn’t want to hurt his feelings. “You’ll just be bored. I’m only going to try on some shoes.”
He gave me a funny look. “And you don’t want me to see that? Are you afraid I have a foot fetish or something?”
I laughed, but inside, I was chastising myself. He was such a nice man—and it felt like I’d hurt him over and over lately. I took a deep breath. “I’d really like a little time here by myself.”
Hurt flickered across his face. “Because of the time you and your mom spent here?”
Relief filled me, and I jumped on that. “Yes.”
“I get it.” He gave me a quick kiss on the temple, patted my arm, and walked away.
It was the kiss that did it. “Lucas, wait.”
God, I was a terrible person. But lying suddenly felt worse than hurting him.
He turned, an eyebrow raised.
“I, um… what I told you just now was a lie, and I’m sorry. I just didn’t want to hurt you.”
He returned, looking confused. “You’ve got this look on your face like you’re about to tell a little kid that Santa isn’t real.”
That seemed easier than this situation. “The thing is… I saw a dress back there. One that I really liked.”
“So you’d rather get that one?”
“If it fits, I want to get both. Because…” Crap, this was hard. “Because I need a dress for tomorrow night, too.”
It took him a moment to understand, and then his face fell. “For your date with Kyle.”
Shit.
“I’m sorry. Truly sorry. I want you to know there isn’t a single person I’d rather have by my side at the wedding tomorrow. Not Kyle. Not Jayden. Not even Hailey. You’ve been wonderful, and I feel like the world’s most horrible person, but… but I do need something for it. It sounds like a pretty fancy place.” Not that I had any clue where or what it was.
Lucas was silent for a long moment. I waited, bracing for an anti-Kyle tirade. Or the kind of hurt silence that cut deeper. But finally, he nodded. “So why don’t you go try it on?”
Relief flooded me, settling right next to the guilt. “Thank you. How about I meet you up front in ten minutes?”
He shook his head. “What if you need help zipping it up, too?”
I let out a shaky breath. “I couldn’t ask you to?—”
“You’re not asking me to. I volunteered.” His expression was unreadable, his eyes darker than usual.
“But… I can’t ask you to help me shop for a dress for—” For a date with a man you hate, I concluded silently, feeling like garbage.
He sighed. “I was there when he dared you, Tori. He told you to wear something that makes you feel sexy. I’m not thrilled with the idea of helping you find a dress for a date with him, but I would like to help you find something you feel good in. I’m kind of curious about the dress you spotted before.”
His response left me speechless. After a long moment, I squeezed his hand and led him over to the clothing racks again. I quickly found the dress that had made my breath catch in my throat before. “Don’t look until I put it on, okay?” It was messed up to want him to think I looked pretty in it—but I did.
“All right.”
Leaving the shopping cart with him, I went to try it on.
The front and back of the beautiful gown were lower cut than the one for tomorrow, so I was able to zip it up myself. Then I stepped out of the dressing room to see it in the better lighting in front of the three-way mirror.
The dress was glamorous, a form-fitting evening gown in a champagne-toned satin fabric. It had spaghetti straps, so I slid my bra straps down my arms and tucked them into the bodice of the dress. It had a deep V neckline—low enough to feel daring, but not so low that I’d be too shy to wear it. Even if I had been, I doubted I could’ve resisted such a beautiful dress.
Somehow, it both hugged my curves and accentuated them. Delicate silver beading sparkled when I moved. There was a high slit over one thigh that I’d have to be careful about, but the overall look was elegant, like something out of an old movie. I felt like a combination of a princess and a femme fatale.
A dark shape appeared in my peripheral vision and then Lucas was there, standing behind me like he had before. Staring at the dress in the mirror. He was silent for a long, drawn-out moment. Then he swept my hair back over my shoulder on one side, as if to see the bodice better.
Anxiously, I stared at his face in the mirror. It was so damn selfish to hope he liked it, but I couldn’t help it.
Finally, he spoke. “Tori, you, uh… you look—” He let out a soft laugh, shaking his head. “Yeah, I’ve got nothing. You look absolutely unreal.”
My cheeks heated, but my smile was wide as I stared at him. My body shivered as his gaze swept up and down my reflection. “Is that a good thing?”
“It’s… I don’t even know how to describe it. It’s vintage, and classy, and… wow, you look beautiful. Really fucking gorgeous.” His eyes raked up and down me again. When he spoke again, his voice was low and intimate. “The assignment was to find something you feel sexy in. Do you?”
“Yes,” I breathed. But I didn’t quite know how to explain that the main reason I felt sexy was because of the way he was looking at me.
“Then I guess you’ve completed your dare.” He dipped his head and planted a light kiss on my neck where he’d brushed back my hair. Then his hand slid down my back as he stepped away. “Kyle’s a lucky man.”
Then, as I battled guilt, he told me he’d meet me up front and he walked away.