AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I looked down at what I was wearing. After work, I had gone home to throw on some jeans and a T-shirt. Gina was right, I didn’t want to show up on Linc’s doorstep looking like this. Still, I could easily go home and change. I didn’t have to raid Gina’s closet.
She was already two steps ahead of me, laying some selections out on the bed. “You try them on and pick which one you like. I’m going to make a phone call.”
Alone, I examined the articles Gina had picked. They were two skirt and top combinations and two dresses. I went for the dresses first. I didn’t often wear dresses, and I felt like they would be special. Sliding into the first, I looked at myself in the mirror. It was red and curve-hugging with a skirt that brushed my thighs. If I wore this outfit to go visit Linc, there would be no doubt as to what I was after.
I pulled the red dress off and tried on the other. This one was black and white and looked more like something you might wear to a job interview than a passionate reunion. Zipping it up, I could see why Gina had suggested it. It was certainly very flattering. I tried on the two skirt combinations next but ultimately went back to the little red dress. There was nothing like too much firepower when going into battle.
I put the dress back on and left the bedroom. Walking out into the living room, I found Porter and Gina sitting together on thecouch. Gina stood up when I entered, gasping in appreciation. Porter’s eyes grew wide, and he nodded slowly, like a man who knew enough not to compliment another woman in front of his girlfriend.
“I called Lindsey, the owner of the Wood Rose Salon,” Gina announced. “The salon is closed, but Lindsey says you can come over to her house, and she’ll give you a trim and a blowout.”
I stared at my friend, shocked but happy. This was turning into a bigger event than I had planned. “I should just go over there?”
Gina smiled, excited. “Yeah, she’s expecting you.”
“Thanks!” I gave Gina a hug.
“Be careful,” Porter said, rising for his own hug.
“Always,” I responded.
I grabbed my jeans, shirt, and sneakers from the bedroom and took them out to my car. Gina lent me a pair of red pumps that matched the dress, and they beat a rhythm against the driveway. I had never been to Lindsey’s house before, so I used my phone’s GPS to guide me. I was surprised and delighted to find that she lived in a cabin not too far from my own. There were two cars and a truck in the driveway. Maybe they were having a party, or maybe they already had company.
Knocking on the door, I felt silly. Why should I disturb this woman at home when Linc wasn’t going to care or notice? The door swung open, and one of the town police officers, dressed casually in jeans and a well-worn shirt, answered.
“Aly?” he asked.
“Detective White?” I assumed.
“Jason,” he corrected me. “Come in. Lindsey’s expecting you.”
Their cabin was similar to mine, with a living area and a kitchen as soon as you walked in the door. Lindsey was sitting at the dinner table with a coffee mug in front of her. Another woman sat opposite her, also nursing a coffee. I had definitely seen the other woman around town and thought I remembered that she was some kind of child psychologist.
Lindsey stood up when I entered. She crossed the room and gave me a hug before I could stop her. Standing back to evaluate my dress, she nodded approvingly. “I used to have a dedicated styling room.”
“Office,” her husband corrected.
“Office,” Lindsey allowed. “But we turned that room into a bedroom for Mary Ellen.”
I nodded, assuming Mary Ellen was their daughter.
“So, we’ll have to do this outside,” Lindsey finished.
“Okay,” I agreed and followed Lindsey and her friend out to the porch.
“This is Macy,” Lindsey said, introducing her companion.
Macy offered me her hand. “Hi.”
“Do you have a cabin up here as well?” I asked.
“I do,” Macy said. “Right over the ridge.”
“My cabin is just down the road,” I said.
“You’ll have to come for a visit,” she said.
“She’s a friend of Porter’s,” Lindsey said.
