Page 16 of Beginning at the End
Eudora giggled.
Stop smirking.I said I would help if I could.These are easy calls.
She answered that she was giggling, not smirking.He had actually given her his real number.
I will update you when I know about the stage.
To her astonishment, the statement ended with a smiling emoji.He did not seem the emoji kind of guy.
An hour later, she had a booking for the stage and forwarded it to her friend.Now she had to go and see if the dress was suitable for her friend to wear.
A quick call and her friend agreed to meet her, and she left work to go to the shop on the card.This was her first time doing something for the job that involved someone else’s account, and it felt weird.
The app indicated her car was almost there, and she blinked at the black town car that pulled up.She exhaled.She could do this.
The driver’s name was Mark, and he held the door for her.He had the address from the app, and she buckled up before they glided away.Eudora sent her boss a message that she was arranging for footage for the ad.
She got a thumbs-up in return and settled for the ten-minute drive.
The driver didn’t speak until they pulled up.“Do you need me to wait?”
“I don’t know how long this will take.Could be five minutes, could be an hour.”
“Use the app again when you wish to leave then.”He smiled and left the car to come around and let her out in front of the shop.
To her amazement, he walked ahead of her and opened the shop door.She stepped inside and found an amused woman standing there.“Good afternoon.What can I help you locate today?”
“I saw a dress on your website.It was a vibrant green with gold trim.Sort of a Greek design with a band under the bust?”
The woman paused and nodded.“I know it.That woman there has it.”
Eudora turned and grinned.“It looks great on you, Fen.”
Fen grinned.“I was just going to ask if I could try it on for movement.”
The shopkeeper paused.“What?”
“She’s a contemporary dancer.She needs the dress to move with her at all times, in a complimentary manner.”
The shop lady grinned.“By all means.Come this way to the change room.”
Eudora smiled.“I will entertain myself looking for a dress for the Sunday event.”
The woman nodded.“I will help you in a minute.”
With Fen getting changed, the woman returned and introduced herself.“I am Pandora.Welcome to my shop.”
“Eudora.Sern sent me.”
Pandora wrinkled her nose.“I know.Okay, so this weekend, you need something for the Sunday charity fundraiser.So, afternoon-cocktail combo.I know just the thing.How do you feel about form-fitting?Sern suggested it.”
“I am comfortable with it, but I am a tricky fit.Since it’s such short notice, I will settle for something close.”
“I am an elf, dear Eudora.We can do better than close.”Pandora smiled.
Pandora grabbed four jewel-toned dresses that would go from day to evening easily and tucked Eudora into another fitting room.
She dressed quickly and felt the light compression around her ribs as she did the zip up.The pencil skirt was just above her knees, and the burgundy fabric had a discreet border of gold embroidery along the neckline.It was more daring than anything she had worn in ages.The neckline was at the edge of her shoulders, showing the line of her neck to advantage.
