Perfect Strangers

“Y…y… yes,” she stuttered.

“Okay. I can just attach the bodice to new layers of netting and satin and make another dress that way.”

“Really? Oh, M, I love you!”

“You’ll have to get Mom to get out the sewing machine, needles, tacks, tape measure and anything else she has. I’ll stop off on the way back and get some material. I’m going to have to work around the clock to pull this out of the bag, Grace.”

“I owe you big time, M, I really do. Thank you,” she sang. Her tone was full of joy and happiness and a stark contrast to the Grace of several seconds before. Myla couldn’t help but smile.

“I’ll be back soon,” sighed Myla then ended the call.

“So, what happened to her dress?” Kai asked. He watched her with amusement, race around the room, grabbing her clothes and slinking her body back into last night’s dress.

“She decided to try her dress on one last time, whilst she had an upset stomach, and I’ll leave the rest of it to your imagination,” she replied distracted as she scanned her eyes around the room checking they had everything and headed to the door.

“What does that even mean?”

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. “Really, Kai?”

His eyes went wide and his mouth formed an O shape. “You’re shitting me?” He gasped when it slowly registered what had happened to the dress.

Laughing, Myla forced Kai’s chin up, closing his fish mouth. “Great choice of words, but for god sake’s, whatever you do, do not mention the word shit when we get back.”

“Do you know that diarrhea is hereditary?” Kai asked, suddenly seriously.

“It is?” Myla asked with a confused look on her face.

“Yes, it runs in your genes,” he replied with a bellowing laugh.

Rolling her eyes, she swatted him in the chest. “That was a shit joke, Baxter,” she replied waltzing through the door, causing him to laugh even harder at her response.

CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE

Clambering from the car, Myla raced to the back, yanked the door open and began to maneuver the rolls of fabric from the seat. Forcefully pushing a roll through her hands, she stopped when it suddenly wouldn’t budge any further, hearing a deep grunt behind her as she harshly tried again, she stopped and moved herself away from the rear of the car. Her eyes landed on Kai hopping on one foot, clutching his thigh. “What are you doing?” She asked wide eyed at his impersonation of a chicken.

“Me? You’re the one who’s just rammed the roll of fabric straight into my leg,” he grunted, red faced.

“Why were you standing so close?”

Dropping his leg to the floor, he threw his hands into the air in exasperation. “In case you have forgotten, you’re bending over into the back of the car, wearing the skimpiest piece of clothing ever made, with no underwear and your bloody do dah on show, I was trying to cover your modesty,” he snapped.

“Oh, so now you want my modesty covered up?”

“Not really, but it’s not something I want to share with everybody else,” he said. He took a few steps closer, yanked down the hem of her dress and clamping his hands on her shoulders, he pushed her backwards, “I’ll grab the rolls of material, you just stand still and don’t move.”

“You know, I can’t work it out if I like this bossy side of you or not, Kai.”

Moving the rolls of material up on to his shoulder and holding them in place with his hands, his brow creased, “You think I’m bossy?”

“Well, when I say bossy …what I mean is …

like …Uhm I am capable of carrying the rolls in myself, I’ve managed all this time without a man,” she shrugged.

Smirking, he nodded his head. “You know what, you’re right. How very wrong of me to want to be a gentleman and help you. I’ll wait for you by the steps,” he replied suddenly dropping his hold on the four rolls of satin and four rolls of tulle, allowing them to fall to the concrete with a resounding thud.

Myla gasped harshly as she watched incensed that the fabric she had spent two hours sourcing, was now rolling around on the driveway. Scooping down to the floor she began picking them up. She managed to hold on to four and went for the fifth, two rolls wobbled and fell out of her grasp.

Kai sat on the steps to the house, laughing. “You want a hand yet?”