Page 8 of Falling For My Assistant

Erin looked at herself in the small mirror tucked into the corner, running a hand down the front of her skirt.

Taking a deep breath, she said, “Let’s be adventurous. Let’s try something fitted, maybe mermaid?”

She looked back at Laurenza, who beamed. “Okay. I have this divine sequined mermaid that I think will look wonderful on you.”

The curtain rings clanked as it closed, and Erin sat down in the tufted white chair.

“You can do this,” she whispered. “You did all this work on yourself, and you look great.”

Laurenza was back in a flash, her arms overflowing with gowns when she pulled the curtain back.

“Okay, here we go,” she said, stepping inside to join Erin.

A few minutes later, Laurenza zipped up the first dress, a soft pink halter top that tucked in at the waist and flared out, the soft fabric floating over her hips and legs to pool on the floor.

“We can hem it, easily,” Laurenza said, stepping back to let Erin admire herself.

“It’s beautiful,” she whispered, fingering the soft overlay. A glint of sparkle caught her eye, and she glanced at the dark-blue sequined gown in the corner, the shimmer radiating around the room.

“Caught your eye, did it?” Laurenza asked, picking it up.

The shimmer raced down the dress, and Erin’s breath caught.

Laurenza handed it to Erin, who held it up to herself, noticing the slit.

“This is a mermaid, so it’s going to be a little more fitted,” she said, smoothing the gown over Erin. “But it has bunching at the waist that draws the eye to how small it is.”

She stretched it a bit. “It also stretches, since I know how uncomfortable it can be sometimes.”

Laurenza had Erin face the wall instead of the mirror so she could be surprised, helping her out of the first gown and into the dark-blue one, the zipper sliding up with ease.

“Ready?” she asked.

Erin nodded, scrunching her eyes closed as she turned around.

“Open your eyes.”

Erin’s breath was ripped from her at the sight of her in the dress, the soft fabric hugging all her curves in the right ways, the sequins shining brightly in the dim light of the dressing room.

The long sleeves hugged her arms, and the V on the neckline wasn't too deep. She wasn't a prude, but she didn't want to show too much skin, so this was perfect. She ran her hand down the front of the dress, her fingers smoothing the skirt.

She took a few deep breaths to keep the tears from falling, unable to keep one from escaping.

“Here,” Laurenza said, handing her a tissue.

Erin wiped her eyes, sniffling a few times as she composed herself.

“Thank you,” she said, placing her hand on Laurenza’s that lay on her shoulder.

“I’ve been there,” she said, adjusting the shoulders of the gown. “I was the little fat Italian girl who got made fun of all the time. In high school, I lost 150 pounds, and all of a sudden, everyone liked me. I didn't change my mindset about it until after I graduated and went off to college. It was such a huge change, and even though my body changed, I didn't know that. I was still that size twenty.”

“It’s so hard,” Erin whispered, her eyes welling up again.

To hear her feelings put into words was frightening but reassuring at the same time. She wasn't the only one who felt that way.

“My dad has diabetes and heart problems, and my doctor said that with the history in our family, it would get me too if I didn't do something about it,” Erin said, swiping at more tears. “So, I did everything I could, and I lost 130 pounds. It was so hard, but it’s so worth it.”

She stared at herself, reminding herself that this was her new body.