Page 80 of One Bossy Date
“Oh, my word,” I exclaimed, walking in nervously, careful not to touch anything. “This isamazing.”
She seemed to enjoy having another girl here to be excited about it with her. “I could spend hours here, trying on old outfits and deciding on new ones.”
I turned around to see a long shelf above the doorway with various hats for formal occasions. “I can imagine.”
“Well, here is my suit for tomorrow.” Lilian pulled a hanger from a rack, displaying her burgundy power suit covered in a plastic sheet, which she slid over the shoulder of the jacket.
“This is just stunning, Lilian.” I touched the arm tentatively. “The material is lighter than I expected.”
“Yes, I liked that, as well. It’s not too restrictive, you know? A suit can still be comfortable. And now…” she said, placing the suit back, then walking to a circular revolving rack, teeming with dresses. She pressed a button at the side to turn the rack for a second before seeing something bright in color. “Ah. Yes. Here it is.” She pulled it from the rack and handed it to me. “This one is rather beautiful, is it not, my dear?”
I lifted the dress and gasped—it was a green Vera Wang frock. Modest and classy. “Oh…”
“But perhaps too formal for a dinner party, hmm?” she asked.
Yeah…maybe? Really? No.I didn’t want to let it go.
“How about this?” Lilian asked. “That’s the one I had in mind.”
I looked up and immediately understood her reasoning. The dress she held out now was very slim, body-hugging, and silky.
That’s the one.
“Ohhhh. Yes. It’s truly an amazing piece.” I took the hanger and hung it on a hook against a wall—positioned for planning outfits. There was a small platform for shoes, a thick hook at the side for a purse, and smaller hooks at the top for jewelry.
The dress was made of a thick but soft material, had a square neckline with a plunging slit between the breasts, and long sleeves. Below the waist, the dress remained fitted and slim, but with a slit at the side that had a very bold ruffle protruding. It was daring but effortlessly stunning.
Best of all, the color was the brightest kind of red I’d ever seen.
“It’s just perfect, is it not?” Lilian clasped her hands together. “It comes with this beautiful stole to keep you warm, just in case.”
“It’s absolutelystunning.” I held my hands against my cheeks. “I couldn’t borrow this from you, Lilian. It’s too much!”
“Nonsense! I’ve never even worn it. It was a spur-of-the-moment buy, and since then, I felt it was too young for me. But you, dear? You’ll do it justice.” She winked at me. “I’m sure Anderson will love it on you. The color! It suits you perfectly, darling.”
She laughed as I blushed. “I can’t wait to wear it.”
“Let’s see, shall we? Try it on. Don’t want to end up realizing tomorrow evening that it doesn’t even fit you.” She stepped forward and removed it from the hanger. “I believe it should fit. But you never know—with pregnancy weight and all! It picks up faster than you expect. Trust me, I know.”
Oh, God. Now I felt truly terrible.
How could I accept her generosity while lying to her? It didn’t feel right at all. Only, I couldn’t refuse the dress now without explaining why, and that wasn’t an option. I had to go through with it.
“I can’t wait for the dinner tomorrow.” Lilian beamed. “Don’t tell him, but I have a surprise for Anderson, and he won’t see it coming!”
“Oh, really?” Considering that we’d been wanting to tell her there was no baby, I thought,Well, Lilian, we might just have a surprise for you, too.
* * *
When I arrived back at Anders’s penthouse—dropped off by Lilian’s chauffeur—he was watching the city lights with his feet up. I quickly hung the dress in my room, unzipping the bag to take a peek at it again, smiling appreciatively, then closing it and walking out to Anders. Simply gorgeous. I couldn’twaitto wear it.
“Hey, I’m back.”
“Did you enjoy yourself?”
I sat down next to him, and had to give my all not to hug him to pieces and kiss him to death after all the new insight I had gained about him. But I couldn’t. I’d promised Lilian I’d not repeat a word, and I wouldn’t. Also, Anders was too smart not to figure something was up if I suddenly came rushing over, dumping all my emotions onto him. So, I tried to keep my excitement at bay. “Holy moly, Anders…you have no idea just how much. Your mom’s place is amazing! I’ve never seen anything like it.”
“Oh? You don’t like mine?”