Chapter 35
thirty-five
. . .
After the girls crashed into my home, demanding I go on a date with Sean, the green-eyed journalist, I could find no valid reason to say no.
That evening, I opened my front door to Trixie dragging what she called her ‘let’s get sexy’ bag. Until now, I didn’t believe Brandi when she mentioned Trixie owned every color lipstick, eyeshadow, mascara and whatever other make-up women wore on dates that she housed in a special case.
For someone who rarely wore make-up, apart from lip gloss and eyeliner, I humored the girls’ suggestion for a Trixie makeover. An hour later, despite the exhaustion, I hardly recognized the reflection staring back at me. The woman in the mirror looked softer, confident.
“Wow, Trix, you’re amazing.”
“I know.” She danced a happy jig. “Now for the dress.” Hands on her hips, she stood outside my closet, surveying my clothes in earnest. “Here, try this one.” She reached inside then held up a black sexy number I forgot I owned.
Laughing, I removed my robe and was about to take the dress from her when her shocked gasp paused my hand mid-air.
“Oh, my God, what happened to you.” She pointed to my body.
I glanced down. Two rows of scars, starting just below each breast and descending to my panty line, in neat little stripes against my skin.
For a moment, I forgot the reason I never appeared naked in front of anyone.
The reason I never wore revealing clothes or two-piece bikinis, the reason I chose to be single.
The reason I shouldn’t be going out on this date.
“Don’t tell me,” Trixie’s whisper had me lifting my eyes to her watery ones.
My throat thickened. Even though she’d rather I not share something I didn’t understand myself, she couldn’t hide the hurt she felt for me.
I swallowed the emotion and offered her a paltry smile.
“Honestly, I don’t know what they are.” It was the truth.
“As a doctor I understand they’re self-inflicted injuries, but I have no idea when they began and when they ended.
Most importantly, why.” I sighed. “My sister doesn’t know either.
She says I probably hid them from her. Maybe one day I quit harming myself and stuffed the memory at the back of my mind. ”
“She’s right, Ish.” Trixie slid her arms around me in a tight hug. “It’s why skeletons like to stay hidden.” She leaned back to look at me. “If they appeared suddenly, they might scare people away. Or worse, they might scare the very person who imprisoned them.”
Since knowing her, Trixie’s airy-fairy attitude suddenly made sense. It was her coping mechanism for her pain. She palmed my cheeks, her blue eyes glowing with tears. “Your secret is safe with me.”
“Thank you.”
“Now.” She wiped her eyes. “Let’s find you a—”
“What if…” I trailed off, touching the raised skin on my ribs. A phantom itch crawled along the lines. I wasn’t sure this date was a good idea.
“Don’t say it,” Trixie’s abrupt reprimand had me looking up. “Ish.” Her expression softened. “The right man will see your true beauty beneath your scars. Finding him means stepping out of your comfort zone. A case of trial and error, right?”
“Oh, my God. Such sentimentality from you.” I teased, lightening the mood.
She laughed, playfully punching my arm. “Oh, just you wait and see.” She narrowed her eyes at me, faking a scowl. “One day, you’ll see me for the true love guru I am.”
Laughing, I took the black dress from her. Another thirty minutes later, I stood in front of the mirror having changed my dress for the tenth time. “Too casual,” I muttered, slipping the yellow sleeveless summer dress over my head.
“What about this?” Trixie backed out of my closet with another dress.
Frowning, I took it and held it against my body, enjoying the cool feel of the material against my skin.
“It’s stunning and brings out your eyes. Not too casual, not too formal. Yet perfectly sexy.” My social media influencer with her camera pointed at me was already clicking away.
“I’m in my undies, Trix.”
“Right.” She pocketed the phone giving me a sheepish grin. “I’ll wait till you’re dressed.”
“That might work,” I didn’t keep the sarcasm out of my voice, but my chuckle made her beam.
She set a pair of white ankle-strap sandals at my feet. “The stiletto heel will add that right amount of sass.”
Smiling, I stepped into the heels, zipped them up at the back and slipped on the dress.
I kept my eyes on the mirror while I buttoned up.
The dress was sleeveless, leaving my arms bare.
I caught sight of the faint, jagged circle on the inside of my left forearm.
An old burn mark I hardly thought about, having accepted it just a part of me, besides, not remembering helped.
“Yes!” I got a shout from Trixie. “I love it. God, I wish the girls were here to see how sexy you look.” Stasia and Brandi were still on duty and why Trixie was here alone. “What about you?”
I turned from left to right for a bit, admiring the fit.
Red with small white flowers, the garment ended mid-thigh.
Simple buttons from a deep cleavage down exposed a fair amount of skin.
A cinched waist hugged my curves while the lightly flared skirt danced around as I moved.
Earlier, I’d washed my hair and left it to dry naturally.
Now, the big curls bounced mid-back, making the overall look, hot.
“I love it too.” My response got another excited shout. “Thank you, Trix.” She moved closer to kiss my cheek and I let her. The peal of the doorbell had me glancing at my bedside clock. “Punctual man.”
“I’ll get the door while you finish up.” Trixie threw over her shoulder as she headed out the door.
Shaking my head at her enthusiasm, I added mascara to the smokey eyes Trixie insisted on. Touched up my naturally pink lips with clear gloss and finished my look with small diamond ear drops.
Downstairs, I walked into the living room to find Trixie engaging Sean with her usual babble. She stood with him as I entered.
“Wow.” His smile appreciative, his gaze roved the length of my body.
With sandy-blond short hair, green eyes and a muscular build, the man was dressed in dark denim and a white button-down. I could see why he’d piqued Trixie’s interest. He was extremely good looking.
“Hi.” I held out a hand the same time he leaned forward to hug me. Laughing, I dropped my hand and accepted his light embrace. He ended it with a soft kiss to my cheek.
“When Stasia mentioned you were beautiful, I wrote it off as her usual appreciation for the girls she’s always trying to hook me up with. I’m glad I finally gave into her ministrations. You’re stunning.”
“Thank you.” My flaming cheeks sabotaged my attempt to act natural. I hadn’t done the dating thing since first-year college. There was never enough time. “You’re easy on the eye too.”
His head dipped in gratitude, his laugh a throaty chuckle. “Shall we go?”
I nodded then turned to Trixie. “Thank you for tonight. Lock up when you leave, okay.”
“Sure.” With a quick kiss to both my cheeks, she watched me climb into Sean’s car before closing the door.
As the engine purred to life, I glanced back at the house. For just a second, I felt a prickle on the back of my neck. The feeling of being watched. I shook it off. It was just nerves.