AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Kelly picked George the Gnome up and twisted and turned him around. Eyed him expertly. “Nice glue job.” She put it down and turned to the coffee pot.
“Thanks.” I’d had plenty of practice fixing things, doing craft projects and making Halloween costumes with the glue gun. Kelly trumped me by five kids and had a Masters’ degree in gluing arts. When she gave glue compliments, it was serious.
Once she’d filled a mug, she opened the fridge. “Where’s the milk?”
“All out,” I said. She looked at me like I was crazy. I guess they never ran out of milk at her house.
She sighed, resigned to drinking it black, leaned against my counter and gave me the evil eye. “You wore Capri pants and a white T-shirt on a date? With Ty? I swear I don’t know how you’re my friend.”
I felt contrite and defensive all at the same time.
“Do you or do you not want to have sex again in this lifetime?” She took a swig of coffee.
“Now you sound like Goldie.” To deflect a response, I refilled my own mug. It was ten o’clock, early enough to keep pumping in the caffeine. “Yes, of course I want to have sex.”
“With Ty?”
“Yes, with Ty.Especiallywith Ty.”
Kelly nodded her head, her cute, perky haircut bouncing about. She wore multi-colored plaid shorts with a white cotton blouse with a small frill along the button line. I took stock of my own hair. Ponytail. My own clothes. Tan shorts, white T-shirt with a small flower printed on the front. Flip-flops.
“You look so cute.” I pointed to her outfit. I looked down at myself and groaned. Realized the sad truth. “I dress like the Colonel.”
“At least he presses his clothes.”
I kind of felt like crying. “Hey, that hurt.”
She placed her mug on the counter and gave me a hug. “You either need some cuter—and sexier—clothes or the next time Ty stops by, answer the door naked. This is an intervention.” She put my mug down too, even though I hadn’t even had a chance to sniff it, let alone drink any. “I’ve got the rest of the day. Without children. Let me reiterate. Without children. We’re going shopping. We’re going to find you a wardrobe that makes you look hot, sexy and totally fuckable.”
This day was as much for Kelly as it was for me. The opportunity for the two of us to shop without any kids, hers or mine, was rare. She wanted out of her house and I was a great excuse. Besides, if I dressed like a sixty-something man, I needed serious help and answering the door naked wasn’t an option. Or I didn’t want it to be my only option.
“Okie dokie.”
An hour later,we were on Main Street checking out the shops. The business district was about ten blocks long, from the new library on the east to the old high school on the west. Red brick buildings from the late 1800s to more modern eras lined both sides of the four-lane road. Flower baskets hung from attractive street lamps. It had a quaint western feel. Very small town. Stores included restaurants to used book stores to baby boutiques. Not one chain store. The Parade of Lights, the Taste of Bozeman, the car show, homecoming and the Sweet Pea Festival race all closed Main Street down for family fun. I’d never seen another town that liked to close the main thoroughfare through town for the benefit of the community instead of motorists.
We were in a women’s clothing store where I’d tried on three different fancy dresses, all with various parts of skin exposed. Fancy to me wasn’t prom; it was when I had to wear earrings, makeup and heels all at the same time. I found a little black dress that had tiny buttons running up the front. It had a deep V neck and small capped sleeves. I felt covered, but feminine at the same time. There was not one speck of bling on it. Goldie wouldn’t touch it with a ten-foot pole, but I liked it. Kelly approved, so it was a keeper.
Kelly was in a changing room trying on a pile of items from the sale rack and probably would be awhile.
“I’m going for coffee. I need energy,” I called through the purple velvet curtain.
“You had some at home,” she called back. Obviously, she was afraid I’d make a break for it while she was in her underwear and unable to chase me down.
“No, you had some,” I grumbled. “You took mine away and pushed me out the door. I’ll be back in ten minutes. Want some?”
“Usual.”
I shoved the bag with my new dress under the curtain for Kelly to keep with her. I heard a zipper so I figured I’d have some time before she redressed.
I made my way down the block to the nearest coffee shop, ordered our usual and waited. I had a mocha with skim, no whipped cream. Kelly got the fancier caramel apple latte, with an extra pump of vanilla, whipped cream, and soy milk. She ordered it because she knew I wouldn’t drink it even if I was crawling through the desert and it was the only liquid in sight.
With the beverages in hand, I made my way out of the shop only to bump right into Dex in the doorway.
“That for me?” He pointed to the coffee.
I was completely flummoxed. His spicy cologne wafted up and mingled with the aroma of coffee. His broad chest was a millimeter away from mine in the doorway. A fly couldn’t squeeze through. Boy, he was big. I had no choice but to tilt my head back to look him in the eye unless I wanted to stare at his shirt collar all day.
Wow. His brown eyes were really mesmerizing. I wasn’t sure what it was about Dex, but he could suck you in. Really hot guys had a way of making your whole body freeze up, your brain turn to mush.
