Page 30 of Pierced Pages

“What I mean is I’d like to buy you an outfit for the wedding.”

Danielle’s jaw went slack as she processed what had just been said. She shook her head as if Morgan could see the motion. “I can’t let you do that. That’s… I know I’m on a teacher’s salary, but I can buy a dress, I promise.”

Kim loudly mouthedLet her!

Melanie silently clapped her hands in excitement. Then she whispered, “You promised me you’d let me know when you need a nudge. Consider this your nudge.”

Danielle ignored the nudge as a thought occurred to her.

What if Morgan was afraid she’d wear something inappropriate?

Now Danielle was worried she might wear something inappropriate. How fancy was this thing, anyway?

“I believe you. And I believe you’d pick out something gorgeous. And I still want you to pick out whatever you want.” Morgan said. “I’d just like to pay for it.”

“That really isn’t necessary.” Part of Danielle, however, had decided this was very necessary. But she wasn’t letting that part run this show.

“I’d like to, though,” Morgan said. “It’s the least I can do for you agreeing to go to this with me.”

“You already bought me earrings. It’s fine. I’m glad to go.”

“Good. Then you can be glad to go shopping with me.” Then, without giving even the tiniest break for Danielle to insert another objection, she said, “So tomorrow works then? We can do next weekend, but since there are only two weeks left, I figured better to go sooner if we can.”

Kim and Melanie were both waving their hands at Danielle now, giving her encouragement to go on even without having full context for the situation.

Danielle glanced out the window again. Lila was now throwing a tennis ball for Prince and laughing as she wiped dog drool on her jeans.

“We’ve got her,” Melanie said. “Whatever you’re considering, do it. Lila is always welcome here. And we can pick her up from her friend’s house, too.”

There was really nothing to stop her.

Except her good sense, which was screaming that this was a bad idea.

“Okay,” she said. “I could use a second pair of eyes picking out something for this. I haven’t been to anything really fancy in a while. But I insist on paying for my own outfit.”

“You’ll have to fight me for that last part.”

Danielle’s heart jumped at the idea of wrestling with Morgan over anything.

No.

No wrestling.

“We’ll see about that,” she said with a laugh.

Danielle heard a voice on the other end of the call.

“I need to get back. A new customer just walked in,” Morgan said. “Text me your address to pick you up, or I can meet you wherever you want.”

There was a long, awkward silence in the room as Danielle stared at her phone.

Kim sat beside her on the couch. “You know you’re going to tell us all about that, right?”

Danielle smiled. “Aren’t you going to hear about it from your cousin, anyway?”

“We don’t talk that much outside family stuff. Which neither of us goes to anymore.” Kim shrugged. “She’s great, though. I like her for you.”

With a frown, Danielle said, “There is no ‘for me.’”