“Serena!” A tall, curvaceous woman beamed coming from behind the counter. “It’s been a while.”
“The saleslady knows your name?” Monique mumbled, amused.
Ignoring her, Serena stretched out her arms and gave the woman a hug and an air kiss on both cheeks. “I know, but I haven’t had a good date in a while. Claire, these are my friends Macy and Monique, and their girls, Gia, Maylen and Lucia.”
“I’m Michaela’s friend,” Gia said, extending her hand to the saleslady.
“The Tweet,” said Claire. “I do have the perfect dress.”
“Thank God,” Gia breathed. Without hesitation, Claire grabbed Macy by the wrist and led her to the small dark pink dressing rooms in the back of the store. “It’s already hanging up in the back. I know it’s the perfect one.”
“Well...thanks.” Macy stumbled into the dressing room and found what looked like the perfect black dress. Judging from the length of the material hanging from the hanger, she expected it to stop short enough on her legs without making her look like too much of a schoolmarm or too much like an extra from one of those trashy reality shows. She worried about the spaghetti straps and the sweetheart top, but once she tried the dress on, she fell in love.
Outside of the dressing room, a commotion began to take place. Macy poked her head out to see that Kristina Barclay and her entourage of paparazzi had waltzed into Desideri unceremoniously. The photographers were capturing Kristina picking up various garments and splaying them across her belly to see if they would fit.
“You all can’t be in here,” Claire explained to them. “No cameras. The owners are very serious about that.”
“Don’t be silly. I’m Kristina Barclay,” Kristina cooed.
“I know, but...” Claire tried to get a word in.
“And I’m here to get a dress for an important event this evening. I’m sure the owner, Gabrielle Owens, wouldn’t mind. We’ve met several times, you know.”
Not ready to step out of the dressing room yet, Macy watched her daughter’s reaction. The material of the dress, firm as it was to keep anything from jiggling, hung around her waist. With her little fists balled up, Gia started to go into action, but Monique protectively stood in front of her. “Kristina, perhaps you can find someplace else to shop. I happen to know Gabrielle Owens Brutti personally, and I know she wouldn’t appreciate your cameras in here.”
As if on cue, Lucia stirred in her stroller with a gurgling sound. Kristina’s face faltered for a moment for the camera, trying not to let Monique’s words of truth hit her. She spied Lucia in her stroller. “Oh, is this the little one? I can’t wait to have mine.” She touched her belly. “Any day now, you know. And we’re so excited.”
There was no need for an explanation of who she meant by we’re. But one of the paparazzi asked about Duke’s wher
eabouts for the day and if Kristina was there to pick out a dress to surprise him at tonight’s party. Macy seethed with an anger and possessiveness she didn’t think she had the right to have. Duke might have explained what the deal was to her, but not the whole world. And right now, anyone listening would fall for the lies of Kristina’s tale. Kristina sidestepped the questions with vague comments about surprising everyone tonight. Then, without asking, she reached down and picked up Lucia. Lucia opened her light brown eyes, took one look at the woman who was holding her, then to her mother and then back at Kristina, and promptly threw up. As much fuss as Kristina made coming in, she made the same, if not more, going out. She screamed in disgust as she rushed down the corridor. Lucia the hero, Macy thought. She made a mental note to kiss the baby for giving Kristina what she deserved.
Finally fully dressed, Macy walked out of the dressing room, and the boutique erupted with laughter. Subconsciously, Macy wrapped her arms around her shoulders. In the mirror, she thought the dress had fit like a glove but still managed to hide her bulges. The black straps came close to her shoulder, exposing much of her breasts. When she was looking in the mirror, she thought she’d looked sexy and sophisticated at the same time. She thought it had been perfect.
“Does it look that bad?”
“Oh, Mommy!” Gia gasped, spinning around. Her dark eyes lit up with excitement. “It’s perfect!”
“She’s right,” Monique said, shuffling Lucia in her arms. “You look beautiful.”
“That’s definitely the one,” Serena agreed.
“Then what were you guys laughing at?” She tucked a stray hair behind her ear, pretending not to know what had happened.
Gia held her phone in the air. “Check your Tweets when you get a chance.”
“Otherwise, stay tuned for the evening news!” Monique wrapped her free arm around Gia’s shoulders. “Honey, that dress is the one. Get it and let’s get ready for the party of the year.”
* * *
“So let me get this straight,” Mario said, setting his beer on the counter in Duke’s kitchen. “You thought for a second that there was something still going on between me and Macy? And then you thought there was something going on between Macy and Lawrence?”
As much as Duke hated talking about his private life with the man who once shared a life with Macy, he did. He sighed and picked up his own beer. He had a living room filled with guests who’d arrived early. Fortunately, Macy had the hindsight to have the caterers begin an hour earlier. He had been dressed in just a towel when they set up the first dishes. He had to admit that he was extremely disappointed when it hadn’t been Macy at the door.
He’d abided by her wishes, giving her a week to think about things. It gave him a chance to get things in order, as well. Every day that he came home from work, he knew she’d been there. Not only could he smell her coconut scent, but he could see the differences her preparation had made in his home. She cleared out all of the furniture in the downstairs rooms and had a huge Douglas fir in the corner of one room. The large twelve-seat table had been taken out of the dining room and in its place she put several dozen tall round tables around which people could stand and eat the food.
The woman of the hour still hadn’t shown up. Duke sought solace in his kitchen. Mario had done the same. But Duke figured it was better access to the food coming in from the back door delivery and better access to the female servers to gather the food without running into the guests.
“Well, when you say it like that, I know I came off insecure.”