AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“So don’t wear a bra. It’s not like you’re a D-cup.”
True. But I wasn’t one to walk around with the girls free, no matter how small they were.
“It’s red, Lauren,” I said, grabbing the dress.
“Which will look great with your hair.” She took the dress and held it against my front. “See,” she said, turning us toward the full-length mirror on the back of the door.
I shook my head. “It’s too much. I’ll look ridiculous.”
“You’ll look hot. Do you want all these people to pity you, or would you rather make them question why anyone would let you go?”
“I broke up with Brad.”
“Because he cheated. And every single person out there knows it.”
I sank onto my bed. “How would they know that?”
Lauren sat beside me and grabbed my hand. “I love your mom. She’s one of the sweetest people I know, but sometimes her good intentions have a way of backfiring.”
My stomach sank. “What did she do?”
“Try not to be mad, but she told all her friends what happened. She didn’t want any of them asking you about Brad or why you were home. You can imagine how fast word spread after that.”
I’d been in Peace Falls almost three weeks, and no one had asked me a single question about why I was back or why my husband wasn’t with me. I should have realized something was up, but I just figured no one cared. It’s not like I was the town’s sweetheart. “How long have you known?”
Lauren had the decency to cringe. “I heard people talking about you at Karma the day before you arrived. I figured the harm was already done, and you’ve been in so much pain lately, I didn’t want to make it worse.”
“Great,” I said, flopping back on the bed and putting my arm over my eyes. “Want to ditch the picnic and watchMean Girlswith me?”
Lauren pulled my arm from my face. “Then we’d have to tell your mom why. And you and I both know how much that would upset her.”
“Maybe for once I don’t care.”
Lauren shook her head. “Come on, you have to make an appearance in this dress and make sure Poppy isn’t scaring people from the dessert table. If you still feel like hiding after an hour, we can bingeMean GirlandThe Princess Diaries.”
“Half an hour.”
“Fine.”
“And no makeup.”
“Mascara and lip gloss.”
I nodded and she clapped her hands.
By the time Lauren finished with me, I had a high ponytail that kept my neck cool but freed my curls. The dress showed a lot of skin but somehow remained tasteful, even without a bra. I dug a pair of silver sandals from the closet and allowed Lauren exactly one minute to apply whatever makeup she wanted. I’m not sure how, but she somehow managed smokey eyes and the perfect gloss application in under sixty seconds.
“See,” she said, standing behind me at the mirror. “You’re stunning.”
I smiled. I looked the best I had in years. As soon as I thought it, all the color drained from my face. Cal was bound to stop by the block party at some point. What if he thought I’d worn this dress to get his attention?
“Nope,” Lauren said, shaking her head. “Whatever you’re thinking, stop. We’re going outside right now.”
The party was already in full swing. Someone had set up a sound system to play an eclectic mix of songs. Thankfully, whoever selected the playlist had better taste in music than Mom. The neighbors clustered in groups to chat, others moved from one table to the next filling their paper plates. A crowd had formed around the dessert table. I was relieved to see Mom behind it, passing out treats. I spotted Poppy arranging food at the table next to ours and sucked in a breath when I saw who stood beside her.
“Aren’t you glad you’re not wearing that romper now,” Lauren whispered in my ear.
As if he sensed me staring, Cal looked up. Our eyes locked and his jaw clenched. I dropped my gaze to my sandals and when I looked back up, he’d disappeared into the crowd.
