Page 101 of Taming Grumpy Dr. Beast

“You look surprised.” She gave me a sad smile.

“Yeah, a little. I’ve seen your posts. It’s all about beauty and the next fashion trend. There’s not one photo where you don’t look perfect.” Helping all bodies find their perfect style is not something that was apparent in any of them.

Jess flinched. “My branding has kind of niched me in a particular direction.”

“Have you thought about changing it?”

She shrugged. “The person I project out to the world is who they expect to see. It may not focus solely on body positivity, but I am conscious of only promoting items that are sustainable and ethically sourced. It’s important to me.”

“You can be more than that, you know. If they’re loyal fans, they’ll follow you no matter what direction your passion takes you.”

She handed me the dress, a thoughtful look on her face. “I can see why Jax likes you.”

I laid my shirt on a nearby chair and she assisted me as I worked the voluminous gown over my head. “Yeah, he likes me well enough. I guess.” I tugged the dress down over my hips and turned to Jess.

“I think it’s more than ‘well enough’.” Jess hummed her approval. Taking a far more active role, her hands positioned my body this way and that. “You look gorgeous.”

I raised my eyebrows cynically.

“Look.” She forced me to face my reflection, where I stared in disbelief. Wow, Jess was right. The style was absolutely perfect for my shape. I loved the symmetric lines that drew the eye and created a silhouette that hugged my body in all the right places.

“Oh, my. Who knew I’d find it on the first try? This is gorgeous.” I twirled a little in the mirror then grabbed my phone and snapped a picture and sent it to Cece. She was anxiously waiting by her phone for pictures, because as she said, “Pics or it didn’t happen.”

Jess laughed. “Oh, no you don’t. You’re trying on every single one of them.” She quickly helped me get the emerald gown off and plucked another off the rack for me to try. This dress was just as perfect as the first.

“Keep going.” Jess flicked her wrists and waved her hands, indicating for me not to stop.

My phone pinged and I welcomed the interruption with a sigh of relief.

Cece: OMG! Yes! Jaxon is going to have to pick his jaw up from the floor.

Me: The warden is telling me I must keep trying on dresses.

Cece: {GIF of a girl eating popcorn} DO WHATEVER THE FUCK JESSAMINE SULTON SAYS OR WE CAN'T BE FRIENDS ANYMORE.

I laughed at Cece's advice and decided it would be in my best interest to take it.

Hours later, time had no meaning as I poked my head through another dress. I’d lost count at this point and had left the final decision up to her. I thought each dress was more amazing than the last, but Jess was determined to find the perfect one for me. She had impeccable taste and wouldn't settle for anything less than perfect.

We also continued to drink more champagne, and my tongue was looser than ever. “Did you and Jaxon ever date?”

She finished hanging the last dress I had tried on and slowly turned to face me. “What if we had? Would you be okay with that?”

My heart sank. To cover it, I shrugged. “Maybe. I don’t know.” Now I wished I hadn’t asked. Not knowing seemed to have been the better option of the two.

Jess took another dress off the hanger and thrust it at me. “Jax and I have a complicated history. No, we’ve never been in an intimate relationship, or dated, but we’ve gone on dates together as each other’s plus ones from time to time.”

I let out a breath. This I could handle. “Okay. To be honest, I wanted to be sure either of you didn’t hold a torch for the other. I don’t think I could compete with that.”

Jess laughed. “Oh Lily, don’t you worry. I don’t share my man, and if I had been seeing Jax, this,” she pointed between us, “would not be happening. Jax’s my friend. I want him to be happy. And I believe you make him happy.”

I sniffed. Her compliment made my eyes prick with tears. “Thanks. That’s sweet of you to say.”

“It’s the truth.” Jess flipped through the remaining dresses. “Wait!” She yelled at me and pulled the black dress she’d just handed me out of my grasp. “This one. Oh yes, I can feel it. Try this.”

She handed me a stunning, glittery gold dress that I’d already cast off in my mind when I'd first spied it on the rack. I doubted I’d fit into it, but with Jess’s eyes taking on a slightly crazy look, I figured it was best to humor her. I shrugged it over my head, surprised when it slid down my body instead of getting stuck.

Jess gasped. “Oh, I’msogood. Lily, this is it. The perfect dress!”