Page 59 of Loco

“It’s shorter than I like,” V complained.

I rolled my eyes. “Honey, anything from the knees down is shorter than you like.”

Lissa and I both laughed, because it was the truth. Lulu stepped out of the dressing room and all three of our mouths dropped open. She was stunning! Movie starlet stunning! Her petite figure was showcased in the skin-tight mermaid-style dress that ended well above her knees. It was a gorgeous shade of blue, and I wondered if she’d be able to sit down in it, it was so tight. The heart-shaped bodice drew the eye to her generous breasts.

“You and Lissa are going to put everyone else to shame,” I finally said, meaning it. Although the old ladies I’d met so far were just as beautiful. “That dress is absolutely gorgeous on you.”

“Thank you.” She smiled and turned toward the mirror to check it out herself, and then faced us again, satisfaction gleaming in her eyes. “I think I’m done.”

Lissa shook her head. “I swear, if I was into women…” She let the sentence trail off. “Now, where was I?” Her eyes fell on V, and that seemed to jog her memory. “Oh, yeah. Have I ever steered you wrong?”

Another sigh from V. “Okay, the purple one it is.” V turned and disappeared back into the dressing room. “Only because I’m tired of trying on dresses.”

“When you ladies come out, we’ll move on to shoes,” Lissa said loudly. “I think black heels are the way to go. What do you think, Lulu?”

“Yes!” she agreed.

“That lets me off the hook.” Lissa gave me a questioning look.

“I bought a new pair when I got that little black dress, remember?”

She nodded, and then turned back to the colorful scarves she’d been looking through. Red must have been her favorite color, because I noticed that every one she took out to examine was in that particular shade.

“Can we get something to eat first?” V stepped out of the dressing room with the purple dress over her arm. “I’m starved!”

Lulu was right behind her. “Me too.”

“Yeah, I’m kind of hungry, too,” Lissa responded. “There’s a food court not too far away.”

“Sounds good to me,” I said.

We paid for our purchases and headed to the food court. It was lunch time, so the place was packed and loud. There were plenty of food options to choose from, but we all went for the soup and salad bar. We spread out to get what we wanted. I got a cup of tomato bisque and a leafy green salad with olives, artichoke hearts, croutons, and bacon bits. Most of the tables were taken, but I saw one just being wiped down over by the pizza bar. I made a beeline for it and was just about to sit down when a flash of movement passed me and then someone plopped down into one of the chairs.

“Beat ya!”

I halted and made eye contact with Doc. I’d just been about to let him have it, and I burst out with laughter. “You think. You’re about to be bombarded by a bunch of women.”

“Is that supposed to be a threat?” he grinned. “I happen to like women.”

I sat down next to him. “Since when do bikers shop in the mall?”

He plucked a crouton off my plate and tossed it in his mouth. “Normally we wouldn’t be caught dead here, but this wedding has all of us doing shit to get everything ready on time.”

“I thought you had a day job.”

He sighed heavily, running his hand over his lower jaw. “Only three days a week.”

I had the feeling there was more to the story, but the other ladies joined us before I could ask.

“What are you doing here, Doc?” Lulu sat down opposite him.

“Running an errand for Bobbie.” This time he snatched a roll off V’s plate. “Be glad when this fucking wedding is over.”

She just laughed. “You here alone?”

Doc shook his head. “No.” He hesitated and shot me a look that gave me a funny feeling. Like I didn’t want to be there. “Loco’s here somewhere.”

I barely heard Lulu respond. “Oh.”