Page 22 of I’d Be Honored

Hayley tried not to look toward Maddie, tried not to care what she thought of the outfit, but her body had other plans. Her eyes, unbidden, drifted anyway.

Maddie was scanning her figure intently, those steady blue eyes drinking her in with an intensity that made Hayley feel exposed.

Hayley subtly lifted her chin in Maddie’s direction, shooting Gemma a look that said, See? I’m not the problem here.

Gemma just rolled her eyes.

With a slow, measured sway of her hips, Hayley turned to head back into the fitting room. When footsteps sounded behind her, she didn’t have to look to know they were Maddie’s. The fresh scent of sun-kissed flowers had reached Hayley first. The woman even smelled like a California Valley Girl.

As she was sliding her arms into the next blazer, Hayley heard Maddie’s perky voice call out from the room next to her.

“Hayley, could you help me?”

“Ask Caitlin,” Hayley replied.

“Come on, you’re right here. I need you to zip me.”

Hayley huffed, debating whether it was worth causing a scene over. Reluctantly, she eased her door open and went to help.

Maddie let her in, holding the front of her dress against her chest with one hand. “Come in.”

Hayley hesitated, her pulse quickening as she moved sideways past Maddie and into the narrow space.

“Could you?” Maddie gestured toward her lower back, where the zipper hung just out of reach.

Hayley’s fingers accidentally brushed against Maddie’s bare skin as she reached for the metal, shocking them both. Despite the warmth of her hand, a wave of goosebumps prickled across Maddie’s back. Hayley swallowed against the thrum that vibrated through her, focusing desperately on guiding the silver pull upward as Maddie’s breathing hitched.

The moment the zipper clicked into place, Maddie spun, their faces now only a breath apart.

Hayley froze, pinned to the spot by Maddie’s burning gaze. Her own eyes betrayed her, dropping to the full, pink lips inches from hers. They were the color of rose petals touched by morning light, and Hayley suddenly needed to know if they were just as soft.

They both began to lean in, and Hayley felt helpless as if it were gravity pulling them together, until Gemma’s voice rang out through Hayley’s mind.

You’ll break her heart.

Hayley straightened and took a sharp step backward, her back hitting the wall.

Maddie’s eyes fluttered open in confusion. Her lips were still parted, her face flushed, as she searched Hayley for an explanation.

The cramped room started to spin. Hayley’s mind moved in slow motion as she tried, and failed, to piece a sentence together.

What is wrong with me?

Hayley felt completely and utterly out of control, her body moving without permission. Cold panic slid down her spine like ice.

She needed to get out of there, needed to find more oxygen. She rushed out of the fitting rooms and into the bright chatter of the lounge, quickly rearranging her expression as Gemma and Caitlin turned toward her.

The rest of the appointment passed in a fog as Hayley slipped in and out of outfits that barely registered, her mind whirling. They must have tried on at least six more options before finally settling on the original champagne dress and suit. Once the purchases were finalized, they hit the thick, humid air of the street, and Hayley immediately missed the store’s cool air conditioning.

Caitlin paused on the sidewalk, drawing the group into a loose huddle. “Hayley, do you want to come over and hang out with us for a bit?”

No.

She needed to get away from there, away from Maddie. She needed to regain control of herself.

“Sure.”

Fuck.