had loaned her.
Julie had been so sweet and excited about what she'd termed the Big
Date. She'd launched straight into a
what-to-wear-and-what-to-wear-with-it routine--and naturally had deemed
the contents of Grace's closet a total loss.
Of course, letting Julie drag her off to the mall had been sheer
foolishness. Not that Julie had to yank very hard,
Grace admitted. It had been so long since she'd shopped simply for the
simple pleasure of shopping. For the couple of hours they'd spent
swarming through the shops, she'd felt so young and carefree. As if
nothing was really more important than finding the right outfit.
Still, she'd had no business buying a new dress, even if she did get it
on sale. But she couldn't seem to talk herself out of it. Just this one
little indulgence, this one little luxury. She so desperately wanted
something new and fresh for this special night.
She'd yearned for the sexy, sophisticated black with its shoestring
straps and snug skirt. Or the boldly sensuous red with the daringly
plunging neckline. But they hadn't suited her, as she'd known they
wouldn't.
It had been no surprise that the simple powder-blue linen had been
discounted. It had looked so plain, so ordinary, hanging on the rack.
But Julie had pressed it on her, and Julie had an eye for such things.
She'd been right, of course, Grace thought now. It was simple, almost
virginal, with its unadorned bodice and graceful lines. But it looked
pretty on, with the color cool against her skin, and the skirt floating
around her legs.
Grace traced a finger over the square neckline, faintly amazed that the
bra Julie had nagged her into buying actually did gift her with a hint
of cleavage. A miracle indeed, Grace thought with a little laugh.
Concentrating, she leaned close to the mirror. She'd done everything
Julie had instructed with the borrowed makeup. And her eyes did look
bigger and deeper, she decided. She'd done her best to blot away the
signs of fatigue and thought she had succeeded. Maybe she hadn't managed
more than a wink of sleep the night before, but she didn't feel in the
least tired.
She felt energized.
She reached out, and her hand hovered over the samples of perfumes
they'd been given at the cosmetics counter. Then she remembered that
Anna had told her to wear her own scent for Ethan before. That it would
say something to him.
Choosing that instead, she closed her eyes and dabbed it on. With her
eyes closed, imagining that his lips might brush here, brush there,
linger and taste where her pulse beat that fragrance into life.
Still dreaming, she picked up a little ivory evening bag--another
loan--and checked its contents. She hadn't carried such a small purse
sincea well, before Aubrey was born, she thought. It was so odd to
look inside and see none of the dozens of mother things she was used to
carrying. Only women things now, she mused. The little compact she'd
splurged on, a tube of lipstick she rarely thought to use, her house
key, a few carefully folded bills, and a tissue that wasn't thin and