picture looked like…we just had a late night, that’s all.”
It had taken nearly an hour long conversation to convince them that she was, first, not on drugs, second, that she and Tommy were both doing well, and third, that she and Tommy were only friends.
She still hadn’t quite figured out how she was going to explain everything to her parents. She didn’t want to lie to them, but she didn’t want to tell them the truth either. So she fed them the same lines she’d been feeding Amy—she and Tommy were just catching up. She wasn’t sure what was going to come of it, if anything.
In a way, it was the truth.
Penny hadn’t a single clue what was waiting for her down the road. This was all so unfamiliar to her. And there were so many questions without answers. How long did they play this game? How far would they take it? Where did they go afterward?
But Tommy didn’t know anything more than Penny. They would play it by ear, he said.
And so she continued on in uncertainty.
“Do you know what you’re looking for?” Amy asked as they entered the large mall. Penny shrugged her shoulders.
“Maybe something fun?” She realized that Tommy hadn’t really seen her in anything outside of the clothes she wore to work—her simple, plain clothes.
“That helps,” Amy said, her tone very serious as she hooked her arm through Penny’s and led her through the mall. They finally found a large department store that Amy expertly navigated, where they eventually found various styles of dresses hanging on several different racks.
“Nothing crazy,” Penny warned as she caught a glimpse of something covered in jewels and feathers.
“Oh, you never let me have any fun,” Amy whined. “Here, take this one.” She pushed a hanger into her hands. “And these two.”
By the time Amy was finished, Penny had six dresses to try on—all different, and all different colors. It wasn’t until the last one that both she and Amy agreed. Penny eyed the short, deep red colored dress doubtfully before slipping into it. But the moment she glanced in the mirror, she changed her mind.
“That’s the one, Pen. We don’t even have to look at anymore.” Amy clapped excitedly. “Now, all we have left to do is pick out some shoes, some makeup, and figure out what to do with your hair.”
Penny groaned inwardly.
Now she remembered why she’d given up on putting so much effort into clothes.
It was incredibly too time consuming.
Chapter Six
“Aunt Penny, you look so pretty!” Darla exclaimed, standing in the doorway of Amy’s master bathroom. “Are you getting married?” Penny couldn’t keep the bubble of laughter inside and Amy gave her friend a very dirty look.
“Sit. Still.” Amy grabbed a damp cotton ball and began dabbing at Penny’s cheek.
“Sorry, Mom,” Penny said very seriously.
“Close your eyes.” Penny followed Amy’s orders, feeling the light tickle of the brush on her eyelids.
“Amber, come look at Aunt Penny!”
“She’s not done yet!” Amy scolded, but Penny didn’t think there was much more that could actually be done. For a girl who wore only the bare minimum when it came to makeup, she felt as if Amy was using her face as her own personal canvas.
“Oh come on, it’s just dinner and a movie!”
“Penny, this is the first date you’ve been on since Kevin. I don’t care if it’s the most casual date you’ve ever been on—”
“It’s not even really a date—” Amy stared at Penny for a moment, narrowing her eyes. “Okay, fine, it’s a date.”
“Thank you.” Penny rolled her eyes at her friend. “Now, as I was saying. I don’t care if it’s casual. I don’t care if you have paparazzi following your every move. What I do care about is that you look great. Because when you know that you look good, the rest comes easy.” Penny sighed, not wanting to admit that Amy had a point. She also knew that, especially with the paparazzi sure to be following them around, Penny wanted to make sure she at least looked presentable.
People were going to have a hard enough time believing that Thomson Davis was going for a girl such as herself. She wanted to try to be convincing.
“There, all finished.” Amy sat back, taking survey of her work. “And I must say, I did a pretty good job. It’s been awhile since I’ve done somebody else’s makeup.”
Penny turned to look at herself in the mirror. For all the time Amy had spent on her makeup, Penny couldn’t see much