The Things We Do for Love

Inside, the house was every bit as perfect as the exterior had implied. Big overstuffed denim sofas faced each other in front of a river rock fireplace. An old green trunk was the coffee table.

The kitchen was small and cheery, with butter yellow cabinets and a picture window that looked past the porch to a rose garden. Huge fir trees ringed the property, made it feel worlds away from any neighbor.

"Its beautiful," Lauren whispered.

"Thanks. We like it. So," Angie said, bending down to light a fire. "What look do you want to go for?"

"Huh?"

Angie turned to face her. "Sexy? Innocent? Princess? What do you want to be tonight?"

"Any dress is okay. "

"You need serious help in the girlfriend department. Perhaps even send-an-aid-car help. Come on. " She walked past Lauren and headed up the narrow staircase. The steps creaked along the way.

Lauren rushed up behind her. They followed a slim hallway into an airy, lived-in-looking bedroom with a high-peaked white ceiling and whitewashed wood floors. A big four-poster bed dominated the room; on either side banged-up tables held reading lamps and piles of paperbacks.

Angie went to the walk-in closet and pulled the light cord. A single bulb hung overhead, casting a swinging beam of light onto rows of clothing.

"Lets see here. I brought only a few of my gowns. I was actually going to try selling them on eBay. " She moved down to one end of the closet, where several yellow-beige Nordstrom garment bags hung smashed together.

Nordstrom.

Lauren had never owned anything from that venerable Seattle landmark. Heck, she couldnt afford a cup of coffee at the kiosk outside the store. She took a step back.

Angie unzipped a bag and pulled out a long black dress, then turned to her. "What do you think?"

The dress was halter style, with rhinestones at the throat and a double band of bigger stones at the waistline. The fabric was slippery. Silk probably.

"What do I think?" Lauren couldnt borrow something like that. What if she spilled on it?

"Youre right. Too mature. This is a fun night. " Angie dropped the dress on the floor and went back to garment bags, burrowing through them in a frenzy.

Lauren bent down and picked up the fallen gown. The material caressed her fingers. Shed never touched fabric so soft.

"Aha!" Angie withdrew another gown; pink this time, the dainty color of a scallop shell. The fabric was heavier, some kind of knit that could expand or contract to fit a womans--or a girls--body. It was a single sleeveless tank front with a deeply plunging back. "It has a built-in bra. Not that seventeen-year-old breasts need a bra. "

Angie pulled out another dress; this one was emerald green with long sleeves and an off-the-shoulder neckline. It was gorgeous, but Laurens gaze returned to the pink knit.

"How much did that one cost?" she dared to ask.

Angie glanced at the pink dress and smiled. "This old thing? I got it at the Rack. No, it was at that secondhand store on Capitol Hill. "

Lauren couldnt help smiling. "Yeah, right. "

"So its the pink, yes?"

"I might damage it. I couldnt--"

"The pink. " Angie hung the black and green dresses back up, then slung the pink one over her arm. "Shower time. "

Lauren followed behind Angie as she tossed the gown on the bed, then headed for the master bathroom.

"Do you have shoes?"

Lauren nodded.

"What color?"