Page 36 of With This Ring
“Good.” Skye pointed to the back of the store. “I need to use your computer for a minute.” She hurried toward the door that led to the office. “Be right back.”
“Take your time,” Dakota called after her.
Hudson looked surprised. “Is that Skye?”
“Sure is.”
“Wow,” he said. “She’s grown up quite a bit.”
“That’s what happens after seven years.” She placed the measuring tape on his hip bone, then ran it down to the top of his shoes.
“She looks just like you.”
“I hear that a lot.” She bent at the waist to complete the measurement.
“Your store is nice. Classy.”
She stood and picked up the clipboard and pen from the podium. “Thank you.”
“I’m kind of surprised you’re so into weddings since you didn’t give ours a chance,” he snipped.
His comment stung her with such force, she felt as if the wind had been knocked out of her. Grateful she wasn’t facing him, she gripped the pen, her body quavering. He made her decision to break their engagement sound so much simpler than it was. It had been the toughest choice she’d ever made in her life. She could still feel the crack in her heart to this day.
Dakota declined to respond and instead tried to shake off her anger. She wrote down the measurement and took a ragged breath to steady herself.
The bell above the door rang, and she fixed her face with a smile. When she turned toward the door, she froze at the sight of Parker walking in.
His light-brown hair was shaggy, as if he’d missed a few haircuts, and his dark eyes twinkled in the fluorescent lights. He was stocky, and when she wore heels, they stood at the same height. He gave her a wave and a hesitant smile. “Hi, Dakota.”
“Parker, what are you doing here?” she asked as he came to stand in front of her.
He scratched his throat. “Would you think less of me if I admitted I’ve been waiting with bated breath for you to text?” Color tinged his cheeks. “I thought maybe if I came to see you in person, we could actually plan another date.”
“You came here to ask me out?” she asked, certain she could feel Hudson’s eyes burning into her back.
“Yeah.” Parker gave a nervous laugh. “So... when can we go out again?”
Dakota hesitated. “I-I’m with a customer right now.” She stole a glance at Hudson, whose eyes were narrowed. Then she met Parker’s eager gaze. “I’ll text you after I close tonight, and we’ll make definite plans. Does that work?”
Parker’s face lit up with a smile. “Great. I’ll look forward to it.”
As he headed out the door, she spun to face Hudson again. He was watching her with an expression that seemed to be somewhat stunned. Good. He deserved to be off-balance after his heartless comment. She couldn’t stop her smile. “I’m sorry about that interruption. Do you still wear a size eleven shoe?”
He stared at her as he stepped down from the platform. “Yeah.”
She chose a shiny black pair from the display and brought them over to him. “Try these.”
He sank onto a nearby chair and pulled off his sneakers. “I meant to grab a pair of dress socks before I left the house this morning, but I forgot.”
“One sec.” Dakota slipped into the hallway behind the showroom and grabbed a pair of the thin socks she offered to customers off the shelf.
Skye rushed over to her. “Do you need my help?”
“No, thanks. I’ve measured Hudson, and when Shane is done with his phone call, I’ll take care of him too.”
“I’ve watched you do it a hundred times, Auntie. Let me try it for once.” Skye folded her hands. “You can trust me.”
Dakota shook her head. “I promise I’ll show you soon, okay? I’ve got it this time.”