“
He’d told himself a thousand times that Jenny was allowed to date anyone she wanted. He’d forfeited his right to an opinion a couple of weeks back. But he’d warned Jeffrey away. He’d warned Jeffrey in no uncertain terms that he was to stay away from Jenny.
“Jeffrey knew you’d be there?” For some reason, that revelation made Cole smile.
“Don’t you dare laugh.”
“He’s messin’ with you, Mitch.”
“Of course he’s messin’ with me. I told him to stay away from her. I warned him not to hurt her.”
Cole looked like he had something more to say. But instead, he took the bottle of beer back from Mitch and placed them both on the granite countertop. “I sent them shopping.”
“Who?”
“Emily and Jenny. I gave them my credit card and sent them to Maximillians to buy dresses for the banquet.”
That didn’t sound right. “Jenny won’t spend your money.”
“That’s where I was headed when you showed up just now,” Cole responded. “To make sure she did.”
“You were going to Maximillians?”
“I was.”
“I’m coming, too.” Mitch pivoted to head for the front door. “And you’re not buying Jenny a dress.”
“Yes, I am.”
“No,
The thread of a chuckle was back in Cole’s voice. “Why does that not surprise me?”
Mitch turned to glare at his friend.
“And good luck with that,” Cole added.
Mitch didn’t need luck. He was a professional football player. He had strength, guts, agility and endless determination. He’d already defied the odds nine ways to Sunday. He could get one woman to buy one single dress. And since it was for a date with Jeffrey, he’d push for something that went from wrists to ankles, no cleavage, preferably in a sedate gray woolen blend.
By the time they arrived at Maximillians, Mitch had decided on exactly the dress Jenny should wear. But when he entered the store and made his way to the changing area, honing in on the sounds of Jenny and Emily’s voices, the nun outfit flew right from his head.
Jenny stood in front of the three-way mirror in a black strapless sheath of a full-length dress that flared out at the knees. The top was sequined and dipped low between her breasts, clinging like a second skin.
His mouth went dry, and his knees went weak.
“You’ll have all the men at the gala panting after you like Labrador retrievers.” Emily laughed.
That was Mitch’s fear, too.
Emily was dressed in a short, full-skirted deep-blue satin dress. It was also strapless, and flared from the waist to reveal a black crinoline peeking out at the hem.
Mitch felt Cole come to a halt beside him.
Jenny gazed wide-eyed at herself in the mirror and seemed to stumble for words. “It’s too…too…”
Too
“Perhaps the silver?” a sales clerk offered, holding up a slinky, short dress with capped sleeves and ties that crisscrossed the open back.
Jenny frowned at it uncertainly.
“I’ll try that one,” Emily put in, scooping the hanger from the sales clerk.
“Go with the blue,” Cole muttered under his breath.
“Can you grab me some shoes?” Emily called as she pulled the heavy curtain shut.
“Sure.” Jenny turned and immediately spotted Mitch. Her jaw dropped open, and she glanced to the right and to the left, as if looking for the punch line to a joke.
She made her way toward him, every movement sinuous and graceful. Her voice, however, was an accusatory hiss. “What are you doing here?”
“He came with me,” Cole put in, and Jenny seemed to notice Cole for the first time.
“Why?”
“I got curious,” said Cole. “I couldn’t wait to see what she picked out.”
“I meant why did you bring Mitch?”
“We were having a beer.”
Jenny compressed her lips.
“I won’t get in the way,” Mitch found himself promising.
“I’m going to ignore you,” Jenny announced.
“Fair enough. Do you want to know what I think of that dress?”
She glared at him. “Absolutely not.”
“Okay,” he agreed.
But when she stared at him a moment longer, he found his gaze dropping to the cleavage, to the nipped-in waist and to the clingy fabric where it hugged her hips.
“You don’t like it,” she stated.
“That’s not the problem.”
“Then what’s the problem? You’re grimacing.”
“That style isn’t you.”
“It is now.” She brushed past him. “I have to get Emily some silver shoes.”
“Get her a bag, too,” called Cole, and Jenny cracked what looked like a reluctant grin as she shook her head.
Mitch watched as she made her way across the store. She consulted with the shoe salesman, chose two pairs, then started back. On the way, she paused at a rack, taking out something gauzy and pastel, her expression softening as she ran her fingers over the fabric. But when the sales clerk approached her with two more dresses, she let the gauzy one fall back on the rack. The two women chatted on their way back to the changing area.
Curious, Mitch went to see what had caught her eye.
He couldn’t have been more surprised. It was a V-necked, spaghetti-strapped dress made of pale, mottled rainbow silk. The soft, romantic colors were very unlike Jenny, as was the swish of the layered skirt that came to points at the hem, and the tiny jewels that adorned the neck and the waist.
For some reason, the dress reminded him of the house plans. Did Jenny have a secret romantic side? Instead of geometric lines and practicality, did she truly long for swirls and irreverence? The idea intrigued him.
“Hand-painted,” came the clerk’s voice from behind his shoulder. “One of my favorite designers. Brand-new in today. Is it for someone special?”
Mitch was willing to bet every item in the store was made by one of the clerk’s favorite designers. But if this particular one had caught Jenny’s eye, he wanted to see her in it.
He nodded to the changing rooms. “Can you take it to the woman who’s trying things on? The one with the strawberry blond hair?”
“Of course.” The clerk smiled, removing the dress from the display.
“Don’t tell her it’s from me.”
The woman touched her finger to her lips to promise her silence, and Mitch gave her a nod of appreciation.
He moved to another section of the store, pretending to ignore Jenny. In his peripheral vision, he caught her puzzled frown and her initial head shake to the clerk. But the persistent clerk prevailed, and Jenny took the dress into her cubical.
Mitch made his way casually back to the changing area.
“Are you going to offer an opinion?” Emily was demanding of Cole as she modeled the silver dress. “Or just stand there and gawk?”
“I’m here to make sure you don’t go overboard with my credit card.”
