Chapter Eighteen
Saturday came quicker than Reese had expected, considering she had spent the whole week waiting for it to arrive.
She glanced down at her phone to see Matty’s reply to her question regarding how dressy the event would be tonight.
They had been texting every day. Nothing very deep, but the usual chitchat that was involved when getting to know each other.
Butterflies had permanently taken up residence in her belly.
Matty: Okay, I asked Kerrie and she said dress nice.
Reese frowned.
Reese: …nice?
Matty: Yes
Reese: Is there any woman nearby who has on mascara or knows what contouring is?
It was a solid two minutes before another reply came in. Reese laughed when she saw the reply.
Matty: Hey, this is Zoe, Bette’s daughter. Do like cute garden party dressy. I’m going to be in heeled sandals and a pale pink A-line dress. The venue is outside with some parts on grass and walkways and the dance floor is a hard surface. Avoid white. That’s what Mom’s wearing. I’d bring a sweater.
Reese: Thank you! That’s much more helpful.
Matty: Anytime girl!
She slipped her shoes on, then grabbed her purse. Haley would be there any minute to go on a much-needed girls’ trip to the mall in the next county. She wanted something new for the party. Something that would make her feel pretty and hopefully catch Matty’s attention.
Matty: So that’s a lot more detailed than dress nice, huh?
Reese laughed.
Reese: It is. I’m going shopping with my friend Haley. I want to make sure I’m dressed correctly.
Matty: I’m sure you’ll look great in anything you wear.
Reese flushed.
Reese: You’re really sweet.
The sound of tires on the old pavement sounded outside. She quickly messaged again.
Reese: She’s here to get me. I’ll talk to you later.
She added a heart emoji and then deleted it. Too soon for a heart emoji.
Matty: Have fun!
A horn tooted, prompting her to toss the phone in her purse and then hustle out of the house, locking it up as she went.
She beamed at her best friend, who was behind the wheel of her mammoth soccer mom SUV. She had to jump to get in.
“Seriously, though, how big of a car do you need?” she asked as she slid in.
Haley shrugged. “It’s worth having all this space.”
She shut the door, and then Haley began backing out of the driveway. She pointed to the dumpster in the back as she went. “Have you had that emptied yet?”
“Yes, and about to be a second time. Honestly, it’s been a lifesaver. I can’t imagine trying to haul everything in my car to the dump. So are we good with going to the mall?”
“I’m game. We have five hours to get there, shop, lunch, and make it back before I’m back on mommy duty.”
“I think that will give us plenty of time. How about lunch first? All I’ve had is coffee.”
“Angel’s?”
“Definitely.”
Angel’s was a retro-style diner inside the mall. They had crispy fries, thick milkshakes, and a hot roast beef and cheddar with a side of gravy for dipping that made Reese’s mouth water just seeing a picture of it on the menu.
“You getting the usual?”
Reese nodded. “Hot roast beef, double gravy for dipping the sandwich and fries, and a caramel shake with a drizzle of chocolate syrup.” Completely sinful and worth it.
“Same, but I’m going classic chocolate shake.”
“Oh, look at you changing it up.”
They placed their orders with a young waitress. She was nice but had one of those voices where every sentence came out sounding like a question.
“So, let’s talk about why we’re here. I get a text from you saying you have a party to go to, and then when I asked if it was with the hot handy lady, you got tight-lipped.” Haley tilted her head, waiting for Reese to explain.
While Reese was thrilled about going to the party with Matty, she was still playing it close to the vest. There was something about putting it out there that made it feel real.
For so long, she had put a firm barrier between herself and dating.
It was easier that way. She had a few long-term-ish relationships in her adult life, but nothing that stuck.
It was always so hard to open up. To talk about things that were hard.
To let go of control. They’d start asking questions eventually.
They’d want to know more about her and her past. What was her family like? Why did she move away from home?
She fiddled with the piece of paper that had been wrapped around the silverware. “It is. She asked me to go to an engagement party for my coworker Kerrie and her fiancée.”
“So this is a date.”
She shrugged. “I mean, I don’t have a firm confirmation on what it is. We’re two people attending a party together.”
“But you don’t know if it’s a date? Isn’t this the same issue you had when you went to her house? That had ended great and sounded like a date.”
“I...” she stopped as the waitress placed their drinks on the table.
She resumed after. “I guess it is? I don’t know.
It’s hard to tell. We’ve been spending time together, but as friends, but it definitely feels like we’re moving away from it.
Especially after hearing her story and her reaction afterwards. ”
“Her story?” Haley asked with a raised eyebrow.
Shit, she hadn’t meant to bring that up.
She busied herself with taking the straw out of the plastic, then taking a long drink.
“Reese?” Haley drummed her fingers against the tabletop.
There was no use trying to get out of it now.
She sighed, then launched into a summary of what she had learned without going into real detail. Despite it not being a traditional AA/NA setting where anonymity was expected, it was still in a non-public environment. It was Matty’s business who she told.
Their food arrived as Reese finished. They thanked the waitress and tucked in. It was as good as always.
“So, this woman is in recovery. For how long?” asked Haley as she dipped a fry into her milkshake.
“Over two years.” She dunked the sandwich in the bowl of gravy, then took a bite. “God, this is so good.”
Haley nodded in agreement. “It is. So, have you thought about what it would be like to get in a serious relationship with her and she relapses?”
She had tried not to think too hard about that. They weren’t even dating yet.
“I mean, with your momma’s past addiction.”
Reese held her hand up. “No, no, we’re not comparing the two. They’re nothing alike. Joyce was an alcoholic narcissist with unmedicated bipolar disorder, and on top of that, she was just not a good person. Matty is nothing like that. She’s had a rough life, but she’s taking all the right steps.”
“Good people make mistakes, Reese. She sounds like a good person, but even good people are fallible. Could you handle being with someone who has the same disease? It is a disease, right?”
“Yeah, it’s classified as a disease because it’s a complex medical condition that requires medical treatment and long-term management. And yeah, they both are, or were, whatever, are addicts, but they don’t have the same DOC.”
“Huh?”
“Drug of choice. And unlike Joyce, Matty has actually sought out help. I guess... I guess I know logically relapse is a possibility, but isn’t there a possibility that any of us could develop an addiction? Or Matty could be like Kerrie and get decades of clean time under her belt.”
“So are you willing to chance that?”
Reese tilted her head, thinking over the question before answering. “I think it’s too early to answer that.”
***
Reese trailed her fingers over the hangers on the rack beside her. There were a lot of options.
“So, you said dressy garden party. Do you want a dress or are we going with a pant and top combo? Oh, or a skirt?”
“Not pants. I noticed she kept looking at my legs when I wore a dress to our study night.”
“Oh, okay, definitely not pants. What about boobs? Is she into those?” Haley pulled out a dress and held it against herself.
She wasn’t as curvy as Reese. They had already checked out a few stores with limited plus-size options that were immediate no’s because of how frumpy and shapeless they were.
They had finally found a store that catered to larger bodies.
“I’m not sure.”
“I mean, she’s a lesbian, right? I’m not an expert, but I assume y’all like boobs.”
Reese snorted and rolled her eyes. “Let’s grab some and just try them on. We can go from there.”
Half a dozen try-ons later, she smoothed her hands over a periwinkle-colored dress that cinched at the waist, then flared out into a flowy skirt that just dusted her knees.
The V-cut in the bust gave a little glimpse at cleavage but didn’t leave her feeling exposed.
She exited the fitting room with confidence.
“Oh wow, that’s perfect!” Haley gushed with wide eyes. “We’ve got a little boobage, a snatched waist, and those legs. Totally perfect. You have to get it.”
“You think?” Reese turned to look at herself in the mirror. She felt so feminine. So soft and curvy. She ran her hands through her hair, lifting it up, then back down. “Hair up or down?”
Her best friend lifted her hand to her chin as she took in every inch of her. After a beat, she answered. “Down. In curls and with strappy heels.”
“I may be on grass.”
“Then grab her arm and lean in while you’re on tiptoes. Seriously, we’re trying to impress her.”
“We?”
Haley rolled her eyes. “I’m living vicariously through you, okay? I can only get so many thrills between cycles of laundry and homework.”
“Okay, okay. Strappy heels it is.” She looked herself over again while balancing up on her toes like she had on heels. “You know what? I think this will be perfect.”
She smiled to herself while silently hoping Matty liked it too.