Chapter One #2
But being socially engaging wasn’t in my DNA. Clubs and get-togethers brought back memories of high school dances I’d force myself to attend only to end up standing by the wall, watching everyone else have fun. After an hour or so, I’d slip out, knowing no one even noticed.
I knew Jaxon’s charm was a natural part of his personality and not reserved for me, yet I still couldn’t help the rush of nerves and desire when he came to Sweeny’s and spoke to me. Even if it was only to order his drink with that sexy smile and ask me about my day.
I groaned and dropped my head in my hands.
“Get your act together,” I said to the empty room.
The movie I’d watched, where the quiet, shy schoolteacher by day changed into a sexy seductress by night, sprang to mind.
I picked up the paper to read the announcement again.
“Maybe I can try this. Be someone else for one night, ’cause the me I am sure as hell isn’t working. ”
The meeting was at a hotel in Albany. There was bound to be a bar. I could go and hang out. See what might happen.
I rubbed my face. Was I actually thinking of traveling close to fifty miles to pick up a man? And what? Have sex with a stranger? The thought both repelled and excited me.
“The worst that could happen is no one talking to me. And I’m used to that.”
The event might have been nine hours away, but I had no problem going into full-blown panic mode. I left the kitchen and ran to the bathroom, where I stared in the mirror. I was a shaggy mess.
“God, I need a makeover,” I mumbled as I pushed the thick mass of waves off my brow.
After showering, I stood looking at my closet door, contemplating what I’d wear and narrowing my eyes at my meager decent clothing selection.
“Absolutely not. I need something new.”
Fueled with a purpose, I threw on a sweat shirt and jeans. I could do this.
First stop—haircut.
“You have a gorgeous face and the prettiest green eyes. Show them off. Plus, your hair is to die for. I have so many clients who ask for this color,” Haley, the stylist, told me.
As always, if someone complimented me, I didn’t know what to do.
“Th-thank you.”
She kept going and even trimmed my eyebrows.
“Now you’re supermodel ready.”
I laughed at the thought and blushed when she kissed my cheek.
Inside The Elegant Male, Appleton Falls’ small menswear store, long-time salesperson Edward Tripton approached me, eyes twinkling behind his silver-rimmed glasses, mouth turned up in a wide smile.
“Theo. How can I help you?”
“Uh, well…I thought I needed some new clothes. It’s been a while…”
“It has.” Edward’s face lit up. “Terrific. And, lucky you, we have a sale going on. Let me show you what I think would look good.”
Edward was a spry man in his midseventies with the smooth skin of a man half his age and thick salt-and-pepper hair.
His outfit reflected the pricier side of the store he worked at—a perfectly tailored suit, crisp white shirt, and lustrous silk tie.
I’d heard that in his younger years, he’d worked for one of the big fashion designers in New York City.
I ended up spending more on myself than I had in years.
Actually, ever. I usually bought new clothes at a big box store, and then only if the old ones shrunk in the wash or fell apart from age.
In the four shopping bags were sweaters, shirts, jeans, casual pants, and two pairs of dress slacks, which Edward had insisted I try on.
“Well?” he asked with a knowing arch of his brows. “What do you think?”
I’d always wished to look like one of those models in magazines, confident and comfortable in my skin, and I’d always laughed at how ludicrous it sounded.
Now? I wasn’t laughing.
“I…I really like it.” The hunter-green sweater and slim black pants made my eyes stand out and hid the fact that I lacked washboard abs and buns of steel. “Thank you for all your help.”
Surprising me, Edward squeezed my shoulder. “I’m glad. I’ve known you for a long time, and it hasn’t been easy for you, has it? Your father was a hard man to live with.”
My stomach lurched.
“It was okay,” I muttered, fingering the edge of the sweater. “I’m fine.”
“You are,” he agreed. “More than that. You’re a good-looking man who needs to believe in himself. Sometimes a simple change of clothing can nudge you along. I hope you see that now.”
At home, I tried on my purchases again. I buttoned up a crisp green-and-white striped shirt and tucked it into the dark-washed jeans. For the first time in years, I smiled at my reflection in the mirror.
A halfway turn gave me a good look at my ass, and I grinned.
“Not bad.”
But even then, after getting ready, as the time ticked nearer to when I had to leave, nerves washed over me.
“Why do I bother? Nothing’s going to change. It’s just going to be a waste of time and energy.”
I glanced outside and saw a car stopped at the red light at the corner in front of my house. It was Jet’s, and I wasn’t ashamed to stare. Harte, who was driving, leaned in close to kiss him. My hands clenched into fists.
“You can do this. You have to.”