go dress shopping with me right now?” she asked once he was seated. “Because guys usually hate that kind of thing.”
Paris grinned as he cranked the truck. “Sitting back and watching you come in and out of a dressing room, modeling beautiful clothes, sounds like a fun way to spend an afternoon to me.” He winked before backing out of the driveway.
For a moment, Lacy was at a complete loss for words. “I mean, I’m sure you have other things to do with your Saturday afternoon.”
He glanced over. “None as fun as hanging out with you.”
She melted into the passenger seat. No one in her life had made her feel quite as interesting as Paris had managed to do last night and today. Just the opposite, the Ladies’ Day Out group, while well-meaning, had made her feel boring by elaborating on the truth.
Paris made her feel other things as well. Things that were too soon to even contemplate.
Chapter Five
Every time Lacy walked out of the dressing room, Paris felt his heart kick a little harder. The dresses in Sophie’s Boutique were gorgeous, but they paled in comparison to Lacy.
“You’re staring at me,” she said after twirling in a lavender knee-length dress with small navy blue polka dots. “Do you like this one or not?” She looked down. “I kind of love it. It’s fun, and that’s what I want for my reunion.” She was grinning when she looked back up at him. “I want to dance and eat all the foods that will make this dress just a little too tight the next morning.” A laugh tumbled off her lips.
Paris swallowed, looking for words, but they all got stuck in his throat. His feelings for Lacy were snowballing with every passing second—and it scared him more than Mr. Jenson did.
“Well?” she said again.
“That’s the one for sure.” He tore his gaze from her, pushing away all the thoughts of things he wanted to do to her in that dress. He wanted to spin her around on the dance floor, hold her close, and kiss her without apology next time.
Next time?
“Oh, wow! You look so beautiful!” Sophie Daniels, the boutique’s owner, walked over and admired Lacy in the dress. “Is that the one?”
Lacy was practically glowing. “I think so, yeah.”
Sophie turned to look at Paris. He’d met Sophie before, and she’d flirted mildly with him. He hadn’t returned the flirting though because, beautiful as she was, he wasn’t interested.
But he couldn’t deny his interest in Lacy.
“Now it’s your turn,” Lacy said.
Sophie gestured to the other side of the store. “I have a rack of men’s clothing in the back. Let’s get you something that will complement what Lacy is wearing but not steal her show.”
“As if I could steal the attention away from her,” he said while standing.
Sophie’s mouth dropped open. With a knowing look in her eyes, she tipped her head, signaling for him to follow her while Lacy returned to the dressing room to change.
“You seem like a nice guy, Paris, and Lacy deserves someone who will treat her well,” Sophie said to him over her shoulder as she led the way.
“It’s not like that between us.” He swiped a hand through his hair. “I mean, Lacy is terrific, but the two of us don’t make sense.”
Sophie started sifting through the men’s clothes on the rack. “Why not? You’re both single and attractive. She avoids the spotlight, and you kind of grab people’s attention wherever you go.”
“I do?” he asked.
Sophie stopped looking through the clothes to give him another knowing look. “Opposites attract is a real thing, and it makes perfect sense.” She pulled out a dark purple button-down shirt that would match Lacy’s dress. “Do you have black pants?”
“I have black jeans,” he told her.
She seemed to think about this. “Yes, black jeans will work. You just need to dress up a little bit. You’re a jeans and T-shirt kind of guy, so let’s keep the jeans.” She nodded as if making the decision. “You, but different.”
“Me, but different,” he agreed, taking the shirt from her. That’s how he felt with Lacy. He was still him but more grounded. And Lacy was still reserved but also coming out of her shell, and he loved watching it happen. “Do you have any bathing suits?” he asked on a whim. “One for me and one for Lacy?”
Sophie’s eyes lit up, a smile lifting at the corners of her mouth. “Of course I do.”
“I’ll take one for each of us then.