Page 15 of A Tempting Seduction (Protectors of Jasper Creek #5)

Chapter Eight

I shot Maddie the kind of look that could melt steel as I sat in her Jeep, staring at the imposing brick facade of Dillard's department store. The West Town Mall parking lot stretched before us like a battlefield, and I was about to march to my doom.

“Clothes shopping is worse than having a root canal without Novocain.”

Maddie killed the engine and turned to face me, one eyebrow raised in obvious amusement.

“How exactly do you have clothes then?”

“I shop the Eddie Bauer catalogue every year and look for what's on sale.” I crossed my arms over my chest. “It works perfectly fine.”

Maddie burst out laughing, the sound echoing off the Jeep's interior.

“Apparently not their good stuff.” She grinned at me. “Besides, Ford specifically said no flannel.”

Heat crept up my neck at the mention of his name and that ridiculous conversation at Java Jolt. The man had made his point about my wardrobe choices in front of half the town.

“I do want to look nice,” I admitted quietly.

Maddie's phone rang before she could respond, the shrill sound cutting through our conversation. She glanced at the caller ID and answered.

“We're parked outside Dillard's, about six spots from the main entrance.” She paused, listening. “Yeah, I can see you. We'll wait here.”

She hung up, and I followed her gaze across the parking lot. My stomach dropped as I spotted two familiar figures weaving between the cars toward us.

“Oh no.” I groaned and slumped lower in my seat. “You set me up.”

Fallon Vickers waved enthusiastically, her blonde hair catching the afternoon sunlight. Beside her, Zoe Avery moved with that confident stride that all the Avery women seemed to possess. They were both grinning like they'd won the lottery.

“Get your tushie out of this car.” Maddie opened her door. “It's fun shopping time.”

I grabbed my phone with desperate fingers, scrolling through the mall directory like a madwoman.

“Ah ha. There's an Eddie Bauer, Dick's Sporting Goods, and a Haagen Dazs ice cream shop.” I held up the screen as Fallon and Zoe reached the Jeep. “You're right, this is going to be fun.”

Zoe plucked the phone right out of my hands before I could protest.

“If you're a good girl, you'll get cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.” She slipped my phone into her back pocket with practiced ease. “But that's only after you've been in at least five different dressing rooms.”

I shuddered, actual horror coursing through my veins. Five dressing rooms. The fluorescent lighting, the three-way mirrors designed to show every flaw, the humiliation of trying on clothes that would never fit right.

Fallon stepped closer and wrapped her arm around my shoulders, her engagement ring catching the light.

“Truly, this is not as bad as you think it is.” Her voice carried genuine warmth. “This is actually really fun. And it's not going to be all about you. We're all going shopping, so not only are we going to be looking for things for you, we'll be looking for stuff for ourselves.”

“It still sounds like torture.”

Maddie locked the Jeep and shouldered her purse. “Didn't you once say you had sisters?”

The innocent question hit me like a punch to the gut. I went cold, surprised that I'd let that slip in the past. I managed a stiff nod.

Zoe's eyes lit up with curiosity. “Did you ever go clothes shopping with your sisters or mom?”

I shook my head hard, the motion probably too emphatic to be casual. “Mom died when I was eleven, and my sisters are much older than me.”

Silence stretched between us for a moment, the kind of awkward pause that followed unexpected revelations about loss.

But Zoe recovered quickly, her smile returning with full force.

“Then you're in for a treat.” She laughed, the sound bright and infectious.

“Wait until you see me try to dress Maddie.”

“You are not going to get me to wear spandex.” Maddie's voice carried a warning that could have stopped traffic.

Zoe turned to me, eyes dancing with mischief. “See? The fun has already started, and we haven't even left the parking lot.”

I stood in the dressing room, staring at my reflection in the unforgiving mirror. The dark brown corduroy jeans hugged my hips in a way that actually looked intentional, and the warm caramel-colored sweater brought out highlights in my hair I'd forgotten existed.

It almost looked good.

Except for the way the sweater fabric pulled tight across my chest and back, highlighting every bulge that popped out around my bra. I looked like I was smuggling small animals. A flannel shirt over the sweater would hide the problem perfectly.

“Let us see!” Zoe's voice sang out from the hallway.

I took a breath and stepped out of the safety of the dressing room. The sight that greeted me made me burst out laughing despite my self-consciousness.

Zoe stood in the hallway wearing what could only be described as a costume. The dress looked like something Heidi of the Alps would have worn, complete with puffy short sleeves and a sky-blue apron front. Nothing could have been less like the confident, modern woman I knew.

“Quit your laughing,” Zoe threatened, but her eyes sparkled with humor. “Otherwise, I'll force you to try this on.”

Fallon emerged from another dressing room, and I had to admit she looked adorable. The skinny jeans fit her perfectly, and the pretty coral blouse made her skin glow. She'd clearly found things that actually worked for her body type.

Then Maddie stepped out of her room.

I started laughing again, unable to help myself.

She wore ripped jeans, a tight white t-shirt, and a black motorcycle jacket with more zippers than a punk rock concert.

The outfit was so completely wrong for the woman who spent her days helping families navigate social services that it bordered on ridiculous.

“I can see the Avery sisters are having fun dressing each other up,” I smirked.

Fallon smiled at me, her expression warm and encouraging. “That outfit looks really nice on you, Ruby.”

I pointed to the obvious problem areas with both hands. “I need the sweater to be three sizes bigger. Look at this.”

“No.” Maddie's voice cut through my protest with decisive authority. “You need a good bra.”

All three women nodded in agreement, like this was the most obvious solution in the world.

Maddie and Zoe turned to look at Fallon with expectant expressions.

“Can you go get one of the clerks from the intimates section to help us?” Maddie’s question sounded more like a command.

Fallon nodded and headed down the hall, out to the main store. “I'll see what I can do.”

Ten minutes later, I stood in my dressing room wearing only my bra and jeans while an older Eastern European woman assessed me with the critical eye of a master craftsman. She pulled out a measuring tape and began her work with professional efficiency.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” She shook her head with obvious disapproval. “I be right back.”

The moment she left, Zoe peeked around the dressing room door. I instinctively tried to cover myself even though I was wearing a bra.

“Ain't nothing I haven't seen before.” Zoe waved off my modesty. “How'd it go?”

“I'm thinking she's going to bring me something made out of iron and barbed wire.”

Zoe giggled, the sound echoing off the dressing room walls. “It won't be that bad.” She paused, and I caught a glint in her eyes that made me nervous. “Anyway, you can only buy iron and barbed wire corsets at a little shop down in Nashville.”

I stared at her, genuinely worried she might not be kidding.

The commanding woman returned, carrying what looked like a small mountain of undergarments. She had eight bras to choose from, some white, some black, one pink, one blue with small white flowers.

“You try.” She handed me the first bra with the authority of someone accustomed to being obeyed. “Show me each one. Start with this one.”

I disappeared back into the dressing room and began the process.

The first bra felt immediately different.

The straps didn't dig into my shoulders, and the cups actually seemed designed for someone with my proportions.

When I invited the woman back into the room, she nodded but her face remained impassive.

“Next one.”

I tried on bra after bra, each one fitting better than anything I'd worn in years. For the first time in recent memory, I wasn't spilling out all over the place or forced to hunch my shoulders forward because the straps cut into my skin. Plus, there were no back bulges.

“Is good.” The woman finally nodded with satisfaction after I'd modeled the eighth option. “These three are best.” She selected the ones that had felt most comfortable. “I get one more. You buy. Wear this to try on clothes.” She cut off the tag.

I guess I’m buying this one.

I giggled.

She left again, and the moment she was gone, laughter erupted from the other dressing rooms.

“I'm scared not to do what she says,” I admitted over my wall.

“Then don’t,” Maddie told me. And that was that.

An hour later, I had accumulated three sweaters, two blouses, and two more pairs of jeans. The high-waisted style made my hips look curvy instead of wide and somehow made my waist appear smaller than it actually was.

“You definitely need to tuck in the blouses,” Fallon told me as I modeled the latest combination.

I stared at my reflection, still adjusting to the sight of my actual silhouette instead of the shapeless mass I was used to seeing.

“But look at me. I'm. I'm. I'm all out there.” I flailed my hands about myself.

“The word you want is curvy.” Maddie's voice carried approval. “Curvy is good.”

“You might not have the thinnest waist around,” Zoe added with characteristic bluntness, “but with those hips and that rack, baby, you've got it going on.”

Heat flooded my cheeks at her casual assessment, but I found myself standing a little straighter. “Now do I get cheesecake?”

Fallon shook her head with obvious regret. “Now we need shoes and makeup.” She held up a hand before I could protest. “Don't get me wrong, your makeup is good, but with some of these outfits, it needs to be amped up.”

“Don't forget,” Maddie called from her dressing room, “we need at least two dresses.”

“Not with my legs.”

“I saw your legs.” Zoe's voice carried genuine protest. “There's nothing wrong with your legs.”

“My thighs are huge.”

“We're not talking miniskirts,” Zoe said as she emerged wearing yet another ridiculous outfit. “We're talking about something at the knee. Only Maddie doesn't get to choose. She'll have you yodeling in no time.”

The Cheesecake Factory buzzed with late afternoon energy as we claimed a table near the windows. Shopping bags clustered around our feet like colorful proof of our successful mission. I felt overwhelmed but excited, a combination I hadn't experienced in longer than I could remember.

“So,” Zoe said as she settled into her chair, “tell us more about this date with Ford.”

My cheeks warmed, but I found I didn't mind the teasing as much as I'd expected.

“It's just dinner.”

“Just dinner, my ass.” Maddie grinned at me over her menu. “The man made a point of asking you out in front of half the town. He's making a statement.”

Fallon nodded in agreement. “If Michael had been in Ford’s shoes, he would have done the same thing.”

“Speaking of Michael,” Zoe said, “how are the wedding plans coming?”

Fallon's entire face lit up, and for the next few minutes we listened to her describe the intimate garden ceremony they were planning. Her happiness was infectious, the kind of joy that came from knowing you'd found exactly the right person.

“What about you, Maddie?” I asked when Fallon paused for breath. “How are things with Beau?”

Maddie's expression grew soft. “He's perfect.” She said it simply, like it was an established fact. “I never expected to have him back in my life again, and now I can't imagine my life without him.”

“And soon we'll have Ruby paired up with Ford,” Fallon said, raising her water glass in a mock toast.

“Then we need to find someone for Zoe,” Maddie added.

Zoe shook her head with quick decisiveness.

“First we need to work on Chloe.” Her voice grew serious. “She's doing better since she started therapy, but she's still so isolated. The manga work helps, but she needs Zarek.”

Fallon frowned. “Are you sure? Maybe it really is too late for the two of them.”

Maddie and Zoe exchanged a long look, then Maddie spoke.

“Zarek is Chloe’s other half. He brought her back from the brink one other time.

It was bad then, too. The difference is, he’s in a hell of a lot of pain, too, because of the miscarriages and I’m not sure he’s dealt with it.

If he doesn’t, he won’t ever be able to help Chloe. ”

Zoe nodded. When I looked at her, I could see a sheen of tears in her eyes. This had to be hitting her harder than even Maddie since Chloe was her twin sister. “I want to fix this so bad, but I don’t know how.”

Maddie reached across the table and covered Zoe’s hand. “It’s going to be alright. I promise,” she whispered.

Zoe nodded. Then she forced a smile and turned to look at me. “But back to you.” Zoe said, redirecting the conversation with a grin. “We need to figure out where Ford's taking you.”

“Any guesses?” Fallon asked.

Maddie tapped her fingers on the table, thinking.

“He mentioned dinner and no flannel, so somewhere nicer than Maverick's or Pearl's.”

“But not too fancy,” Zoe added. “This is still the Jasper Creek area. Our options aren't exactly limitless.”

“Maybe that new place in Pigeon Forge?” Fallon suggested. “The one with the mountain views?”

I listened to them speculate, feeling a warmth that had nothing to do with the restaurant's heating system. These women cared about my happiness, wanted to see me succeed, were invested in my story having a good ending.

“Whatever he's planned,” Maddie said finally, “you're going to look amazing.”

She gestured to the shopping bags around our feet.

“Ford Larson won't know what hit him.”

“Poor Ford,” Fallon said with mock sympathy. “He probably thinks he's getting dinner with the flannel girl who hides behind the coffee counter.”

“Instead, he's getting Ruby 2.0,” Maddie added.

I looked down at my new outfit. “More like Ruby 1.5. Let's not get ahead of ourselves.”

Zoe raised her water glass. “To Ruby 1.5 then. May she knock Ford Larson flat on his ass.”

“Again,” I added, and we all dissolved into giggles.