All It Takes (Romancing Manhattan 2)

“I don’t have anything to wear.”

“No, you don’t.” I narrow my eyes at her, and she just laughs. “I’ve been through your closet, and you don’t have anything appropriate for an opening. But I’m happy to help you shop. When should we go?”

“I’ll have to check my schedule, but we have to go soon in case I need alterations.”

“This will be fun,” she says and sips her wine again. “Quinn is sexy, but is he nice?”

“So far, yes.”

“Marry him, because sexy and nice are hard to find.”

Well, as soon as possible didn’t happen. It’s Wednesday evening, and Lou and I are finally shopping for my dress. I was just too busy the past few days, but Quinn had to cancel for this evening, so I called Lou and here we are at Macy’s in a sea of retail heaven.

“What about this?” I hold up a simple black dress and Lou wrinkles her nose.

“I didn’t realize we were going for the grandma look for this.”

“This isn’t a grandma dress.” I sound defensive, but then I give the lace and puffy sleeves another look and hang it back on the rack with a sigh. “You’re right, it’s a grandma dress.”

“This is beautiful,” Louise says. She’s holding a gray dress with a simple strapless bodice and ruffly skirt. “With your complexion, you’d rock this.”

“I love that.” I rush over to her and she holds it up to me.

“It’s perfect.”

“How much is it?”

We both look for a tag and my heart sinks at the price.

“I’m not spending twelve hundred dollars on a dress.”

“It’s steep, but it’s so perfect for you, Si.”

“I’ll keep looking. I have a budget of five hundred for the whole shebang. Dress, shoes, hair, and makeup.”

“You’re joking, right?”

I pull a three-hundred-dollar dress off the rack and hold it up.

“I’m not that funny. This is pretty.”

“Yeah, for a prison guard.”

“Louise, you’re not helping.” I roll my eyes and set the dress aside, then move on.

“There are going to be a lot of people at this thing, Sienna, and they’re going to be wearing expensive things. You can’t show up in a three-hundred-dollar dress.”

“Well, that’s exactly what I’m doing, and if Quinn doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to take me. Now, are you going to help me with this or not?”

“Of course,” she says with a disappointed sigh. “Here is a simple little black dress. With the right shoes and clutch, along with jewelry, we can work with this.”

“And it’s only two hundred,” I say with excitement. “I’ll try it on. Here’s hoping it fits because we don’t have time for alterations.”

Twenty minutes later, I’m satisfied with the fit of the dress. It flatters my long legs and isn’t too low cut around the girls. I’ll feel sexy but not self-conscious.

“It’s a keeper,” I say triumphantly. “And I can totally wear my black heels with it.”

“No.” Louise shakes her head adamantly. “Absolutely not. Those heels are fine for work, and I’m being kind with that statement, but they are not okay for this dress. You want sexy, not matronly.”

“They’re comfortable, they’re black, and they’ll match it fine.”

“No. I’m not bending on this one, Sienna. We’ll find something on sale.”

She drags me to the giant shoe section and finds five shoes off the bat that don’t break the bank and are appropriate for the occasion.

“Wow, these are on sale for fifty bucks,” she says with excitement. “Try them first.”

They’re black, and about two inches taller than the ones I normally wear. They’re not supercomfortable, but for the price, they’ll do.

“Sold,” I announce. “This wasn’t so bad. I have some jewelry at home.”

“And I can do your hair,” Lou says. “It’ll be like prom.”

“God, I hope it’s not like prom.”

My phone pings with a text. I glance down and smile when I see Quinn’s name.

Hi Sienna. I need a favor. Do you mind coming into the city to meet at my office tomorrow night? I know it’s not ideal, but I have a late meeting, and I don’t want to lose another evening of work with you.

“Oh my God, he doesn’t want to miss an evening with you,” Lou says and shakes my arm.

“Stop reading over my shoulder.”

“Not gonna happen,” she says with a laugh as I type out my response.

Not a problem. I’ll bring a couple of boxes with me. What time should I be there?

We take the dress and the shoes to the cashier. As she’s ringing up my purchases, Quinn replies.

7:00 would be perfect. I’ll have dinner brought in.

I reply with See you then and shove my phone in my bag, pay for my purchases, and Louise and I walk out to my car.

“You’re going to look fantastic,” she says. What she doesn’t say is even though you were cheap and didn’t spring for the pretty dress.

But this is who I am, and if Quinn doesn’t like it, well, he doesn’t have to.