Page 32 of A Tempting Seduction

She hung up, and I followed her gaze across the parking lot. My stomach dropped as I spotted two familiar figures weaving between the cars toward us.

“Oh no.” I groaned and slumped lower in my seat. “You set me up.”

Fallon Vickers waved enthusiastically, her blonde hair catching the afternoon sunlight. Beside her, Zoe Avery moved with that confident stride that all the Avery women seemed to possess. They were both grinning like they'd won the lottery.

“Get your tushie out of this car.” Maddie opened her door. “It's fun shopping time.”

I grabbed my phone with desperate fingers, scrolling through the mall directory like a madwoman.

“Ah ha. There's an Eddie Bauer, Dick's Sporting Goods, and a Haagen Dazs ice cream shop.” I held up the screen as Fallon and Zoe reached the Jeep. “You're right, this is going to be fun.”

Zoe plucked the phone right out of my hands before I could protest.

“If you're a good girl, you'll get cheesecake at the Cheesecake Factory.” She slipped my phone into her back pocket with practiced ease. “But that's only after you've been in at least five different dressing rooms.”

I shuddered, actual horror coursing through my veins. Five dressing rooms. The fluorescent lighting, the three-way mirrors designed to show every flaw, the humiliation of trying on clothes that would never fit right.

Fallon stepped closer and wrapped her arm around my shoulders, her engagement ring catching the light.

“Truly, this is not as bad as you think it is.” Her voice carried genuine warmth. “This is actually really fun. And it's not going to be all about you. We're all going shopping, so not only are we going to be looking for things for you, we'll be looking for stuff for ourselves.”

“It still sounds like torture.”

Maddie locked the Jeep and shouldered her purse. “Didn't you once say you had sisters?”

The innocent question hit me like a punch to the gut. I went cold, surprised that I'd let that slip in the past. I managed a stiff nod.

Zoe's eyes lit up with curiosity. “Did you ever go clothes shopping with your sisters or mom?”

I shook my head hard, the motion probably too emphatic to be casual. “Mom died when I was eleven, and my sisters are much older than me.”

Silence stretched between us for a moment, the kind of awkward pause that followed unexpected revelations about loss. But Zoe recovered quickly, her smile returning with full force. “Then you're in for a treat.” She laughed, the sound bright and infectious. “Wait until you see me try to dress Maddie.”

“You are not going to get me to wear spandex.” Maddie's voice carried a warning that could have stopped traffic.

Zoe turned to me, eyes dancing with mischief. “See? The fun has already started, and we haven't even left the parking lot.”

I stood in the dressing room, staring at my reflection in the unforgiving mirror. The dark brown corduroy jeans hugged my hips in a way that actually looked intentional, and the warm caramel-colored sweater brought out highlights in my hair I'd forgotten existed.

It almost looked good.

Except for the way the sweater fabric pulled tight across my chest and back, highlighting every bulge that popped out around my bra. I looked like I was smuggling small animals. A flannel shirt over the sweater would hide the problem perfectly.

“Let us see!” Zoe's voice sang out from the hallway.

I took a breath and stepped out of the safety of the dressing room. The sight that greeted me made me burst out laughing despite my self-consciousness.

Zoe stood in the hallway wearing what could only be described as a costume. The dress looked like something Heidi of the Alps would have worn, complete with puffy short sleeves and a sky-blue apron front. Nothing could have been less like the confident, modern woman I knew.

“Quit your laughing,” Zoe threatened, but her eyes sparkled with humor. “Otherwise, I'll force you to try this on.”

Fallon emerged from another dressing room, and I had to admit she looked adorable. The skinny jeans fit her perfectly, and the pretty coral blouse made her skin glow. She'd clearly found things that actually worked for her body type.

Then Maddie stepped out of her room.

I started laughing again, unable to help myself. She wore ripped jeans, a tight white t-shirt, and a black motorcycle jacket with more zippers than a punk rock concert. The outfit was so completely wrong for the woman who spent her days helping families navigate social services that it bordered on ridiculous.

“I can see the Avery sisters are having fun dressing each other up,” I smirked.