Chapter 4
“You definitely can’t wear that to an engagement party,” Lola says from where she sits in the middle of her bed.
I pull the hanger from my body and inspect the dress I just pulled out from her closet. “Why not?”
“Well, for starters, it’s white.”
“What, Kate’s supposed to wear white to every single event surrounding her wedding?”
“Yeah, that’s typically the vibe.”
With a sigh, I pull the white cocktail dress away from my body and put it back in Lola’s closet, then shuffle a few more hangers looking for something to wear tonight.
Kate and Jason booked a gorgeous event venue for their engagement party—not at all surprising considering how much they like nice, elegant, beautiful things—but when I went to get dressed today I realized I have absolutely nothing appropriate to wear.
When I texted my best friend this afternoon in a panic—now that she’s finally home from a week in London—she promised me access to her closet, a listening ear, and a charcuterie board while we caught each other up on the last two weeks of our lives. So, I Ubered here immediately.
“Well where do you keep your cocktail dresses that aren’t white?” I ask.
“I don’t go anywhere that requires a cocktail dress.”
“Then what’s this for?” I point to the white dress I just put back.
A fond smile touches Lola’s lips as she stares wistfully at the dress. “A photoshoot with Kai.”
“Oh.” I pretend to grimace, then push the dress further to the side. “Lola, boudoir shots are supposed to be in lingerie.”
Lola rolls her eyes. “That’s obviously not what it was for.”
“I don’t know why you think that’s obvious.”
“Oh!” she says, ignoring me. She untangles her legs and hops off the bed, striding over to where I stand in front of her closet and starts pushing hangers to the side. “Aha!” She beams as she pulls out an emerald green silk slip dress that I vividly remember packing for her last spring.
I slowly turn to face her with a disbelieving look. “Lola, I am not wearing that dress.”
“Why not?”
“Correct me if I’m wrong, but is this not the dress you were wearing in Greece when you and Kai finally got together?”
She holds it out and looks at it fondly.
“It’s still a nice dress,” she says quietly.
She seems to shake out of the memory and extends it to me again, shaking it slightly as if that would entice me.
“It’s also the only other option I have right now, so it’s either this or you Uber back to your own place and find a dress. ”
“There’s definitely nothing worthy of this venue back in my own closet.”
“Then here.” She shoves the dress into my hands.
I begrudgingly take it and hold it up to myself in the mirror. I do like the way the color looks on me. Something about the green makes my blue eyes seem deeper. With a sigh, I pull the thin straps off the hanger. “Fine, but I’m breaking the love spell on it.”
She winks at me. “We’ll see about that.”
Ever the dependable best friend, Lola ushers me to the little vanity table in her room and helps me put loose waves in my honey blonde hair.
It’s nice having someone help me for once instead of being the one to always help others.
I spend so much time putting myself last in an effort to help Kate or Lydia or my mom that I never take the time to do my hair or go shopping for something nice to wear whenever I do make the time to go out with her or try and date.
I don’t make time for it often, but still.
I nearly purr like a cat as Lola combs her fingers through the curls she just put in. I’m so relaxed I almost miss her say, “I still can’t believe your baby sister is getting married.”
“You’re telling me. I thought Lydia would be first.”
She arches a brow at me in the mirror. “Not you?”
“Please,” I scoff. “I think Kate would’ve lost her mind if I did something so big before she did. And I think she likes that I can be the butt of the joke by being single.”
“Well, maybe tonight you can find your eligible bachelor.”
I groan, my heart sinking slightly that now I have to field this conversation with my best friend. “Not you too.”
“What? I’m not pressuring you to find anyone. Just saying maybe he’s closer than you think.”
“If he is out there, I doubt tonight is the night that I meet him.”
“Why do you say that?”
“First of all, anyone associated with Kate and Jason are not likely my type,” I say, ticking up my finger.
I love my sister, but she’s wild and impulsive and a little bit self centered.
Okay, fine, a lot self centered. And Jason, the ever-doting fiancé, is obsessed with things like sports cars and the stock market.
Not bad hobbies by any means, but certainly not something I can have an enjoyable conversation about.
I tick up a second finger. “Second, I don’t want to date right now.
I’m already in a state of transition with this new job, which is terrible for my mental health. ”
Lola tilts her head to the side as she takes in my excuses. “Your new job is bad for your mental health?”
“No, Lola. Change. I’m bad at change.”
“But it’s a good change.”
“Yes, but my first interview went horribly.”
The memory of the shattered plates, the cut palm, the condescending tone in Chef Matthews’ voice as he told me about how to properly introduce myself—it all flies through my mind and makes blood boil all over again.
“Ugh. ‘Goodbye, Jane,’” I mimic his parting words to me, still ringing in my ears and irritating me after all this time. “God, I still can’t believe him.”
“I can’t believe you’re still angry about this. It was more than a week ago now.”
“And it’s still haunting me,” I say. “My first story and it was an absolute mess.”
“Literally.”
I turn in the chair, pointing a reprimanding finger at her. “You’re not helping.”
She holds up her hands in surrender, but she’s still smiling. “Sorry. Carry on.”
I sigh, turning back to my reflection in the mirror, deciding to put my energy into mentally preparing for the engagement party instead of thinking about the chef who made me cry. He doesn’t deserve another second of my attention. “I think it’s all out of my system now.”
“Good. That means we can let it go and move on. He sent back answers, as promised. You turned in your story on deadline. Your boss loved it, and you got another assignment for next week. I’d say it all turned out fine.”
“Yeah, but it wasn’t a fun experience.”
“They can’t all be.”
“All I’m saying is that you were born to do this job,” Lola says. “Have some confidence in yourself. Don’t let Chef Jerk Face make you second guess yourself.”
“I should’ve credited him as that in the article.”
“Okay, well you wouldn’t still have your job if you did, so it’s probably for the best.”
She douses my head in so much hairspray that a coughing fit takes over.
Her smirk in the mirror has me wondering if she did it on purpose to stop my complaining.
I’m still trying to catch my breath as I narrow my eyes at her as I lift a hand and fan away the fumes.
Lola hands me a lip stain and I apply it before shoving it in my clutch.
She points at the little purse in my hands. “I want that lip stain back someday.”
“We’ll see. I’ll probably be too busy kissing all the eligible bachelors to remember to return it to you.”
Lola rolls her eyes. “If you’re kissing eligible bachelors with that lip stain, then you can keep it.”
“That’s how I feel about the dress.”
Despite my protests, Lola was right about the cocktail dress.
It slides on smoothly, a whisper of cool fabric against my skin.
Lola helps me zip it up and I look back at my reflection in the mirror, amazed that it fits me as well as it does.
Lola and I are close in height but I’m slightly curvier than she is.
Blessedly, the fabric doesn’t pull too much.
“Stunning.” She smiles at me in the mirror. “See? You probably won’t break the love spell.”
A small wave of hope rushes through me at the idea that maybe I do find my Prince Charming tonight and finally stop being the only single sibling, but I really do need to focus on this job first and foremost anyways.
But instead of admitting to any of that, I just say, “I guess I’ll have to keep the dress and the lip stain now.”
Once my fake lashes are glued on well enough to stay for a few hours, and my favorite shoes—blush pink stilettos with bows on the back—are strapped to my poor feet, I call an Uber to take me to the venue. Kai shows up just as Lola is walking me outside to the waiting car.
“Wow, Jane,” Kai says as he walks up the steps. “You look great.”
I wave a hand at him in an “awe shucks” gesture. “Thanks, Kai.”
The compliment might as well be coming from Charlie, but I still take it in stride. A compliment is a compliment after all. Maybe someday I’ll hear it from someone who isn’t a brother to me.
“Is that the dress—” Kai starts, and I can tell it’s time for me to go.
“Alright, lovebirds,” I cut him off. “I’m out of here. Wish me luck.”
“Good luck,” Lola calls after me as I slowly walk down the steps, gripping the wrought-iron railing so I don’t tumble down the stairs and miss the engagement party altogether. Kate would never forgive me for that.
Once I’m buckled into the backseat of the car, I turn to wave out the window. Kai already has an arm around Lola’s waist.
“Bye, mom and dad,” I shout to them out the window as the car starts to pull away.
They stand on the stoop of her apartment building, waving after me like proud parents and I can’t help but to smile at the sight of my best friend so happy.
And the way Kai feels like family now just as much as Lola always has and not like an annoying boyfriend I have to third wheel with.