little and bounced in my seat in excitement, much to the annoyance of our fellow passengers. Totally dorky, but I was a girl and I spent most of my days in boots and breeches and covered in dirt. An excuse to get dolled up was always high on my list.
“Who is this guy?”
“Some new investment banker or something. Paul somebody. I don’t know. He was wearing a suit and tie, and he was hot. I didn’t even try to play hard to get.”
I snorted with laughter.
“I think it’s some fund-raiser thing,” she continued. “Probably save the polar bears or the deer tick. But whatever. It’s free for us. I take it you’re in?”
“Duh. My mom can take us shopping in Dallas! Shoot, I wish we had more time. But most places are open Christmas Eve morning. We can pop out!”
Steph clapped her hands. “Yay!”
We spent the rest of the flight catching up since we’d both been so busy. Steph worked part-time at a riding program for special-needs kids and had one year left in school to become a physical therapist before she could specialize in hippotherapy. Whenever I had a chance, I would run over and volunteer, which unfortunately hadn’t been much lately. It was amazing to see the kids light up when they sat on a horse. She talked excitedly about some of the new kids but was worried about funding and finding enough quiet horses to keep the program going since they relied so heavily on donations.
The flight went quickly, and before we knew it, we were landing smoothly at DFW. We grabbed our bags and headed out to the curb where my mom was waiting excitedly. She hugged us both before we could even set our stuff down, then ordered us into the car. She was not one to sit around.
“So,” she began as we buckled our seat belts. “Flight was good?”
“Yep! Went fast,” I responded as Steph agreed from the backseat. “How are you?”
“Oh, I’m good. Getting all the food prepped for tomorrow.” She went on to list every meal we’d be having while we were in town. It was always all about the food. I loved it. Before Christmas dinner was over, we’d be discussing next year’s meal plan.
“Oh, Mom! Can I ask a huge favor?” I batted my eyes at her.
She looked at me from the driver’s seat, lips pursed humorously. “Maybe.”
“Well, Steph met a boy.” I grinned as Steph kicked the back of my seat. “And he has invited us to a black-tie New Year’s party. So we thought maybe we could run out as soon as stores open tomorrow and you could help us pick something out?”
My mom paused for a second and then pulled out her phone. “I can do better than that. I’ll call Sherrilynn and have her pull out a few things from the boutique. It’s only three thirty. We can run straight there if you girls don’t mind. That way you can help me with all the cooking tomorrow!” She smiled victoriously.
Well played. But excellent regardless.
We pulled up at my mom’s favorite shop. They always had something that would work for every occasion, and the owner was a genius. She greeted us at the door and hustled us into a large dressing room where two stacks of dresses were laid out. She’d helped us before, so we knew that everything would fit and look amazing. It was just a matter of choosing which one. It’s speed-shopping, and yes, we were terribly spoiled.
In less than twenty minutes, Steph had settled on a cream-colored satin sheath with a black lace overlay that floated around her. It was strapless and looked stunning on her lean frame. I found a dark green halter dress that hugged my curvier five-foot-five-inch self and showed some cleavage without actually being indecent, dipping very low in the back. There was a slight train to it, and I wanted to wear it every single day. We both already had shoes that would work, so we bought the dresses and were out the door. Gotta love Dallas.
My dad was waiting for us at their condo when we arrived, again with the big hugs and an embarrassingly romantic kiss for my
“Who is this guy?”
“Some new investment banker or something. Paul somebody. I don’t know. He was wearing a suit and tie, and he was hot. I didn’t even try to play hard to get.”
I snorted with laughter.
“I think it’s some fund-raiser thing,” she continued. “Probably save the polar bears or the deer tick. But whatever. It’s free for us. I take it you’re in?”
“Duh. My mom can take us shopping in Dallas! Shoot, I wish we had more time. But most places are open Christmas Eve morning. We can pop out!”
Steph clapped her hands. “Yay!”
We spent the rest of the flight catching up since we’d both been so busy. Steph worked part-time at a riding program for special-needs kids and had one year left in school to become a physical therapist before she could specialize in hippotherapy. Whenever I had a chance, I would run over and volunteer, which unfortunately hadn’t been much lately. It was amazing to see the kids light up when they sat on a horse. She talked excitedly about some of the new kids but was worried about funding and finding enough quiet horses to keep the program going since they relied so heavily on donations.
The flight went quickly, and before we knew it, we were landing smoothly at DFW. We grabbed our bags and headed out to the curb where my mom was waiting excitedly. She hugged us both before we could even set our stuff down, then ordered us into the car. She was not one to sit around.
“So,” she began as we buckled our seat belts. “Flight was good?”
“Yep! Went fast,” I responded as Steph agreed from the backseat. “How are you?”
“Oh, I’m good. Getting all the food prepped for tomorrow.” She went on to list every meal we’d be having while we were in town. It was always all about the food. I loved it. Before Christmas dinner was over, we’d be discussing next year’s meal plan.
“Oh, Mom! Can I ask a huge favor?” I batted my eyes at her.
She looked at me from the driver’s seat, lips pursed humorously. “Maybe.”
“Well, Steph met a boy.” I grinned as Steph kicked the back of my seat. “And he has invited us to a black-tie New Year’s party. So we thought maybe we could run out as soon as stores open tomorrow and you could help us pick something out?”
My mom paused for a second and then pulled out her phone. “I can do better than that. I’ll call Sherrilynn and have her pull out a few things from the boutique. It’s only three thirty. We can run straight there if you girls don’t mind. That way you can help me with all the cooking tomorrow!” She smiled victoriously.
Well played. But excellent regardless.
We pulled up at my mom’s favorite shop. They always had something that would work for every occasion, and the owner was a genius. She greeted us at the door and hustled us into a large dressing room where two stacks of dresses were laid out. She’d helped us before, so we knew that everything would fit and look amazing. It was just a matter of choosing which one. It’s speed-shopping, and yes, we were terribly spoiled.
In less than twenty minutes, Steph had settled on a cream-colored satin sheath with a black lace overlay that floated around her. It was strapless and looked stunning on her lean frame. I found a dark green halter dress that hugged my curvier five-foot-five-inch self and showed some cleavage without actually being indecent, dipping very low in the back. There was a slight train to it, and I wanted to wear it every single day. We both already had shoes that would work, so we bought the dresses and were out the door. Gotta love Dallas.
My dad was waiting for us at their condo when we arrived, again with the big hugs and an embarrassingly romantic kiss for my
Similar Books
