| Chapter Three |
| “Honey, what about this one? Grace?” It took Grace awhile to realize Lynn’s hand was waving in front of her face. “Oh, I’m sorry. That dress is lovely.” Setting the dress back on the rack, Lynn fixed Grace with a frown. “Are you that bored?” She said it in a tone that was more amused than annoyed. Grace felt herself flush. She couldn’t help it. Ever since that scene in the gym this morning, she hadn’t been able to get Justin off her mind. He’d called her fat; well, maybe he hadn’t said that exactly, but he’d been embarrassed about saying he didn’t want his mother to be overweight in front of the chubby girl. She’d been replaying his words over and over again, making herself more depressed by the second, which was why her “I’m not bored, Lynn,” didn’t sound convincing at all. A mix between a snort and grunt escaped Lynn’s lips. “Do you want to try these on? I saw a dressing room over there,” Grace said, changing the subject. She was supposed to have the afternoon off since everything was set for Justin’s party tomorrow, but as Grace was halfway out the door, Lynn had suddenly realized she hadn’t bought anything to wear. So, here they were, doing last minute shopping like the best of them. Lynn eyed the two dresses in Grace’s hand. “I think I’ll just try on this one,” she said, grabbing the gorgeous cream colored evening dress Grace had suggested, “cross your fingers that it fits. I’ll be right back.” Left standing in the middle of the store, Grace glanced about her at the way too expensive clothing. According to Lynn, this wasn’t a fancy smancy store; Grace couldn’t even begin to imagine what classified as fancy. “Cat food,” Grace murmured. Swinging the dress Lynn hadn’t chosen over her shoulder, she reached into her purse and pulled out her notebook. As she mentally calculated how much it would cost, she added ‘fancy feast’ to her list of groceries. “May I help you, miss?” Shoving her notebook back into her bag, Grace looked up to find a petite, blond woman watching her expectantly. “Umm…I was just-“ “I think you’ll find more options in the plus size department. You won’t find your size here,” the woman interrupted, her eyes falling to the dress flung over Grace’s shoulder, “I’ll take that.” Grace wasn’t known for possessing a temper, just the opposite in fact, but this was really too much even for her. First, the man she loved pretty much insults her, and now some snotty saleslady. “No,” Grace said, staring at the woman’s outstretched hands, “I think I’ll keep this one.” Eyebrows cocked, the woman frowned, “Like I said, we don’t have your size here. I’m sure you’ll find something more suitable in the plus size section.” “Well, I’m sure this is just my size, and as most of you salespeople know, the customer’s always right. I’m right, you’re wrong. Is that easy enough for you to understand?” The woman straightened indignantly. “Whatever,” she huffed, crossing her arms. Reaching into her purse for her wallet, Grace mockingly replied, “Good response. No wonder you’re working for minimum wage.” With that, Grace walked off and headed for the cashier. It wasn’t until the cash register read ‘415.07’ that Grace remembered how expensive this store was. Her pride refused to let her back down though, so she handed over her credit card. She was mentally crossing off most of her grocery list when she signed the receipt. “Buying a dress for tomorrow night? I’m sure you’ll look beautiful, honey.” Turning, Grace saw Lynn standing in line behind her, the cream dress draped from her arm. “Tomorrow night?” “I don’t know how you could forget. It’s practically all we’ve been thinking about for the last two weeks. Justin’s party.” Grace suddenly wondered if she was daydreaming. It wouldn’t be the first time she’d drifted off. “I’m invited to Justin’s party?” She pointed at herself, just in case Lynn had forgotten who she was. “Of course! There wouldn’t be any party if you hadn’t helped out. It’s only right that you get to enjoy the finished product. Why wouldn’t you be invited?” ‘Because I’m me’ didn’t sound like a reasonable answer, so Grace shrugged in response. “You are going to come, aren’t you? It’ll be fun.” “Yes, of course, I’ll be there.” Lynn took Grace’s hand and gave it a squeeze, “I’m glad. Why don’t you take tomorrow off and get yourself all fixed up? You’ll be the belle of the ball.” An image of herself standing in the middle of the party, dressed in a slimming black dress, popped into Grace’s mind. Justin approached her, his eyes locked on her. When he asked her to dance, he pulled her way too close and put his hands on the small of her back. ‘You’re beautiful,’ he whispered, in a voice that sent shivers down her spine. With a sigh, Grace pulled out of her thoughts. Where was she going to find a dress with that could do all that? Dress? She was instantly reminded of the ridiculously expensive one she’d just bought. The one that would only fit her if she starved for, oh, the next two months. So, now she was stuck with another ‘wishful skinny’ dress to add to her growing collection and about $30 bucks to buy one that actually fit. Hmm, maybe Foley’s is having a sale. |