didn’t even serve breakfast at his restaurant on Saturdays or Sundays, which meant the lunch shift was the early one. I glanced down at my watch, realizing that they’d be getting ready to open soon.
Meanwhile, I was across the country in a fancy mall, getting outfits for the campaign instead of making myself useful at the restaurant. It was a total mindfuck, but as I looked around the boutique we were in, seeing rail upon rail of clothing I never would’ve even looked at before, I knew it was true.
Katie and Dane were with me, the puppet masters pulling the strings for today’s episode of Leah’s Grand Adventure. They’d dragged me into a few stores this morning, but we hadn’t been very successful just yet.
Apparently, what we needed were outfits for every occasion. Casual and dressy, formal and informal. Accessories that were understated and others that were shiny as hell.
Katie seemed in her element. I half expected her to burst into song at any moment, clutching the fabric she was admiring to her chest and twirling in a circle while singing about glorious clothes.
A smile touched my lips at the thought of it, and Dane must’ve noticed because he nudged me in the ribs with his elbow, glancing down at me with curiosity burning in his eyes. “Have you got a soft spot for shopping, or do you just really like that dress Katie is holding?”
“Neither of the above.” I inclined my head toward her. “What do you think the chances are of her spontaneously bursting into a song?”
“I heard that,” she chimed in, spinning to face me with a sassy grin spreading on her lips. “I’ve always loved this store, but I’ve never been able to afford anything in it.”
“Amen to that, sister.” I raised my hand for a fist bump, seeing Dane chuckling out of the corner of my eye. “What so funny?”
“Nothing. I just don’t really get the allure.” He looked around the store, and Katie winked at me before lifting the dress in her hand for him to see it.
Realizing what she was up to, I took the bottom of the skirt and let it flare out, showcasing the long slit it had almost all the way up to the bodice. “You don’t see the allure of this? Really?”
He flicked his gaze toward it almost dismissively until he saw what I was referring to. His hand came flying out like a shot, reaching around the hanger as he tugged it to him. “You’re trying this one on.”
“What? I—” My eyes widened, but it was clear the point I’d been trying to make had backfired on me. “Fine, but it’s not going to fit.”
I eyed the royal blue material, swallowing as I noted how tiny the space for the hips were. “A Barbie doll wouldn’t fit comfortably in there.”
“Actually, it’s your size,” Katie said airily, taking the dress back from Dane to skip over to the rail next to the dressing room we’d been directed to.
There was a sitting area outside it, a heavy paisley-print curtain separating the cubicle where I’d be getting naked soon from the rest of the shop. I sighed but nodded when she came back, resigned to the fact that I’d be trying on a lot of stuff today I wouldn’t ordinarily wear. All I could hope for was that the lights in a store as fancy as this one would be kind to me. Surely, they won’t be the type that’s on a mission to highlight every lump and bump as clearly as humanly possible.
“I’ll try it on,” I agreed. “But we might need to go drinking later.”
Katie laughed, obviously understanding exactly what I meant as she hummed her agreement. Dane, on the other hand, simply frowned at us both before he shook his head.
“I have no idea what just happened, but I’m always up for drinking,” he said before shrugging out of his jacket and hanging it over one of the armchairs outside the dressing room. “Let’s get started, shall we? We only have today to make sure you have the basics and that you’re covered for the next few weeks at least.”
Katie had told me earlier that designers and wardrobe people would often be responsible for dressing me for certain events, but that for the most part, getting dressed would be up to me. I’d reminded her that I was twenty-eight and had been dressing myself for years, the point being that I was perfectly capable of doing it, but