“Don’t worry. I won’t say anything.”
“Anyway, that dress is a snooze fest. You need to find something else.” Mindy crossed her legs and bobbed her foot impatiently.
“I’ll go down to jewelry and find a necklace to brighten it up,” Emma said.
Sophie scrunched up her face. “I’m not sure that will be enough.”
Emma wasn’t going to stand here and endure their criticism. She did not want to appear weak or foolish in front of her half sisters. She still wasn’t sure they had her best interests in mind. “I’ll pick out a different dress then. Surely we have something in the store that will work.” Head held high, Emma marched out into the hall, but she felt anything but confident. There was too much sheer embarrassment coursing through her veins.
She darted into the safety of her office and flipped on the light. This had been her grandmother’s office when she was still alive. Every time Emma walked into this room, she was reminded of what might have been. What if the family secret had come out when she was a little girl? She would have had a chance to know her grandmother. She might have known her father. She might have been a completely different person, the sort of woman who had no problem picking the right dress for an event like tonight. But no, all of that had slipped between Emma’s fingers and she hadn’t even known it was there.
Sophie appeared in the office doorway. “May I come in?”
“I don’t want to turn this into a big thing, okay? I’ll figure it out.” Emma sought the comfort of the chair behind her desk, putting a big piece of furniture between herself and her half sister.
“I know that. But why don’t you let me come with you?”
“I’m a grown woman. I can pick out my clothes.” Emma didn’t want to sound defensive. The truth was that she needed help. She at least needed someone to tell her she didn’t look ridiculous.
Sophie took a seat in an available chair. “You know, the first time our grandmother took me to this event, I was a wreck. I had no clue what to wear. I really needed Gram to point me in the right direction.”
“Well, she’s not around to help me, is she?” Emma hated that tone in her voice, but it came from a very deep place. She’d been robbed of the relationship with her family.
“She’s not. And I’m sorry about that. But I’d like to help. I’ve been to this event four times now. I can help you find the perfect dress.”
Emma didn’t want to admit it, but this was what she’d been waiting for—the smallest of opportunities. A door opened. Plus, the clock was ticking. “I don’t know when I’ll have time. My schedule is hell, and I hate doing things at the last minute. I’m a planner. I don’t like surprises.”
Sophie stood. “Don’t worry about that. I need to run down to the designer department this morning, anyway. I’ll find a few things and you can pick from those. Sound good?”
“Just don’t go too overboard, okay? I’m not a showy person.”
“You don’t have to be showy to be a showstopper.” Sophie looked at her phone, which she always had in hand. “Meet me in the private fitting room in two hours.”
Emma didn’t have a great feeling about this, but what choice did she have? She couldn’t go to this event looking as if she didn’t belong. She desperately wanted to stop being the proverbial fish out of water. “I’ll be there.”
Copyright © 2019 by Karen Booth
ISBN-13: 9781488046674
One Night, White Lies
Copyright © 2019 by Jessica Lemmon
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One Night, White Lies (The Bachelor Pact Book 3) Page 17