“Got any great ideas?”
“Makeover!” CeeCee shouted gleefully.
“Makeover?” Anxiously, Lacy reached a hand up to pat her honey-blond hair, which hung in a single braid down her back, and she glanced at her loose-fitting cream-colored floral jumper. “What’s wrong with the way I look?”
“No offense, sweetie.” CeeCee drew her knees to her chin in a characteristic gesture. She was wearing black Lycra leggings, ballet slippers, and a stretchy pink crop top. Her tomato-red curls flowed like a flame across her shoulders, free and unfettered. “But you don’t dress to attract the male species.”
Lacy winced at her friend’s honesty. True enough. She purposely picked outfits that would not draw attention—no flamboyant colors, no short skirts or plunging necklines.
She preferred sensible clothing. Flats to high heels, stud earrings to dangly hoops, clear nail polish to scarlet. Yes, the more conservative her attire, the more secure she felt.
Except when it came to her undies. There she indulged herself, allowing her fantasies free rein. She could afford to splurge on panties, teddies, and bras. She had nothing to be afraid of. Men never saw her underwear.
“Why do I have to call attention to myself?” She frowned.
“Honey,” CeeCee said in her quaint southern drawl, “why do you suppose flowers are so colorful?”
Lacy shrugged.
“To attract bees and butterflies.”
“But,” Lacy said, “I won’t know what to say to a bee when he flits around my flower.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Janet told her. “You act cool, aloof, distant. Make them work for it.”
“Nope,” CeeCee argued, demonstrating the difference in their personal styles. “You smile and make eye contact.”
“All right,” Janet conceded, “but follow her advice only if you’re interested. Give the rest of them the cold shoulder.”
“I don’t want to impress anyone except Bennett.”
CeeCee sent Janet a do-you-want-to-give-her-the-birds-and-bees-lecture-or-should-I look and shook her head. “The girl’s got a lot to learn.”
“What is it?” Lacy glanced at her friends. “Tell me.”
“How did you get to be twenty-seven years old without picking up on some of this?” Janet asked.
“You guys know how old-fashioned my parents are. They didn’t exactly tutor me on becoming a blond bombshell. Both my sisters are younger. On the rare occasions I had a date, my folks insisted one of my brothers go along as chaperone.”
“And after high school?”
“It’s always been hard for me to meet men,” Lacy confessed.
“Things have got to change. If you want Dr. Sheridan to notice you, then you’ve got to get other men interested in you first. Guys are, by nature, commitment shy. You have to set the hook before you reel them in.” CeeCee pantomimed casting with a fishing pole.
“I don’t understand.” Lacy moaned and covered her face with her hands. “This is too complicated.”
“Come on, you can’t hide out forever. Not if you want to win Dr. Sheridan’s heart,” Janet said gently.
“Yeah, get out there and have a blast.” CeeCee nodded.
“Let me see if I understand you. In order to catch my dream man, I have to pretend to be a carefree party girl who flits from man to man without a concern in the world?”
“You’ve got it,” CeeCee exclaimed. “That’s the male psyche in a nutshell.”
“But won’t guys think I’m easy?”
“Yes, that’s the whole point.”
CeeCee’s reasoning distressed Lacy. Couldn’t Bennett just fall in love with her for herself? Why did she have to fake being a gregarious party-girl?
If he was only attracted to that facade, what would happen when Bennett discovered that she wasn’t like that at all?
“What if I attract him and we start going out? What happens when he expects things to, er, progress further than a good-night kiss?”
CeeCee blinked in disbelief. “You mean you’ve never...”
Lacy shook her head. “Never and even if I wanted to go to bed with a man, I’ve got to be in love with him, and I want him to be in love with me, too.”
“Hang on.” CeeCee zipped from the room and returned a moment later with a roll of condoms. She tossed it in Lacy’s lap. “A girl’s got to protect herself.”
Lacy thrust the condoms at CeeCee. “I’m not ready for this.”
“Keep it. You never know when it might come in handy.”
Nervously, Lacy palmed the condom and dropped it into the pocket of her jumper. “I don’t think I’m going to have to worry about a condom right this moment. I’m so shy. Let’s start with that. How do I begin to overcome my bashfulness?”
CeeCee wrinkled her brow. “Can you think of a time you weren’t shy?”
Lacy shook her head. “No.”
“Wait a minute.” Janet snapped her fingers. “Didn’t you