Come Undone (21 page)

“Don’t
move,” the seamstress ordered.

“Nope,”
Lucy said. “But don’t worry, neither of you need the support. I wouldn’t have
chosen this style otherwise.” In the mirror, I admired the rich Bordeaux color
against my fair skin. The dress was floor-length silk jersey and fitted, but
not tight. The neckline, held by razor-thin straps, dipped slightly lower than
I was comfortable with, forming a ‘V’ between my breasts. “You can wear those
chicken cutlet things if you want,” she added.

“That
feels a little snug,” I said, grimacing. The woman blinked up at me briefly and
continued working, ignoring my complaint.

“I’m
on a strict diet until the wedding,” Gretchen said. “I do not want to look like
a porker in the photos.”

“Oh,
you’re going to look great,” Lucy reassured her. “You guys look even better in
red than I thought. I’m a genius.”

“Well,
I should hope so, you do this for a living,” Gretchen pointed out. “What about
your dress?”

“No
luck yet. Still looking. I’ve always known the colors I wanted to use, so your
dresses were easy.”

“We
need to have a dress-hunting party,” I offered. “Bring some magazines this
weekend.”

“What’s
this weekend?”

“Fishing,”
we said in unison.

“Do
you want to come?” I asked. “Lucy and I are going to stock up on Pinot Grigio
and review bridal magazines by the fire while our men forage.”

“No
thanks. I have plans. Have fun though,” she said, making a face.

“Well,
you’re just jealous that we’ll be in flannel pajamas while you’re running
around in four-inch heels. Never mind,” I said, giving up. “You win.”

“Finished,”
the seamstress said. “Go change.”

I
slipped out of the dress and checked the tag before handing it to her from the
fitting room. I decided that Bill wouldn’t need to know about the expense until
he figured it out on his own. Anyway, there was no getting around it.

Lucy
and I said good-bye to Gretchen and walked the quarter mile back to work.
Having her office across the street from mine made daily life a little better.

“Oh,
I have the car today. Do you want a ride home?” I asked.

“How
come?”

“Bill
had to leave the city for a case this morning, so he carpooled with a colleague.
How ‘bout it?”

 
“Sure, if you don’t mind.”

“K,
text me when you’re done for the day.”

~

“So, my
crown just fell out,” Lucy said as soon as I entered her office. I’d decided to
leave work a few minutes early and was hoping to convince her to do the same.
She indicated to her mouth. “I think it was the apple. That’s what I get for
trying to be healthy.”

“Ouch,”
I scrunched up my nose and looked away. I’d prided myself on having as little
dental work done on my mouth as possible, due to routine flossing and brushing.
My father had scared me into it as a kid, forcing the doctor to show me
detailed photos of dental procedures.

“I
called the dentist, and he can see me right now, it shouldn’t take more than an
hour to fix. I’m sorry, go home and I’ll just see you tonight.” The phone rang
shrilly, causing us both to jump. “I hate that thing,” she muttered.

      
“I’ll give
you a ride to the dentist.”

She
looked at the phone, which continued to ring. “What time is it? Geez, nobody
wants to stay a minute after five.”

“Oh,
can I be your receptionist?” I asked, but I was already leaning over to answer
the phone. I blanked suddenly, forgetting the name of the company. “Personal
styling department,” I said, grimacing as Lucy laughed.

“Olivia?”

I
froze. “Yes?”

“It’s
David. Dylan.”

Surprised,
I lowered myself onto the edge of the desk. “Oh, hello, David. How did you know
it was me?”

“With
a voice like that?” He scoffed. I was immediately transplanted back to middle
school, where my throatiness had been frequently mocked.

“What
can I do for you?” I asked, clearing my throat. How many times had I asked him
that? I wondered idly what
he
could
do for
me
.

“Actually,
I was looking for Lucy.”

“Right,
of course.”

I
made to pass the phone but he continued. “I have a bit of a situation on my
hands.”

“Go
on,” I said, shrugging at Lucy.

Who is it?
she mouthed
at me.

David Dylan,
I mouthed
back. She paused a second before continuing to pack up her purse.

“Something
came up this evening. I’ve been invited to a black tie gala at the Museum of
Contemporary Art and it’s, well, soon. My only tuxedo is in my New York
apartment. I need to know if Lucy can find me one fast, and I’ll pick it up on
my way.”

“Oh,”
I said. “Hang on.” I hit the hold button and repeated what he’d just told me.

“Shit,”
she said, catching me off guard. Hearing Lucy curse was like seeing a fish on
land, it was just fundamentally wrong. “My boss would kill me,” she said to
herself.

“Why?
Where would you even get a tuxedo right now?”

“Well,
what is he, six-foot-three? Four? We have something that one of the Bears wore
to an event recently, he was about David’s build. Not perfect but it could work
in a pinch. I guess I can go to the dentist on Monday.”

“Well,”
I started, “maybe I can help.”

Her
eyes drifted up to the ceiling as she thought. “You could. That would be so
awesome, but you don’t have to. I can set everything up quickly and go to the
appointment – all you’d have to do is wait here, give him the suit and
lock up.”

“I
can do that,” I said. “We probably won’t leave for the cabin ‘til eight or nine
anyway.”

“Here,
give me the phone,” she said, taking it from my hands. “David? It’s Lucy.
Listen, I have an emergency dental appointment . . . No, no, it’s fine, but I
think I have something here that could work. Liv says she will wait for you if
you want to swing by on the way.” She paused and I held my breath. “Great.
Sounds good.” She looked at me. “She’ll see you in half an hour.”

I
knew I should be disappointed about the delay, but instead I just felt anxious.
The way my stomach knotted up and my nerves hummed, I was forced to recognize
that a friendship with David just might not be possible. Whatever had been
planted inside me the night at the theater was fast blossoming.

“Oh
crap,” she muttered. “I don’t have dress shoes or a shirt in his size.”

“Just
get out of here,” I said, a plan forming in my mind. “I’ll take care of it.”

“Liv,
you don’t understand. David is a huge client. I can’t mess this up.”

“K
look, it’s no big deal. I can call Jack, the bartender from your party,
remember? He’s our gopher when we need stuff at the office, and he’s almost
always available.”

“There’s
a Men’s Wearhouse in this neighborhood,” she said. “I know because Andrew has
an appointment there next week.”

“Perfect.
Call in the order on your way, and I’ll have him pick it up while I wait for
David.”

“You’re
a lifesaver,” she said, squeezing me in a tight hug. She ran out of the office
and then back in with the tuxedo. “Everything else is in this bag. Call me if
there are any problems, I have to go or the dentist will leave.”

“Go,”
I urged.

Jack
picked up on the first ring and was ready to help. Over the years he’d become
one of the few people who made my life easier instead of harder. As I waited
for him, I drank almost an entire water bottle in one gulp, used the restroom,
and then drank another one. My nerves continued to hum.

“You
are the best,” I said when Jack arrived thirty minutes later.

“You
said that on the phone already,” he replied, blushing faintly.

“I
can’t believe I caught you. Hope you didn’t have plans.” He opened his mouth
but I didn’t wait for his answer. “By the way, thank you for bartending Lucy’s
party. You were a hit. Score any digits?”

“Of
course. Nobody good though.” His eyes crinkled with a mega-watt smile.

“I
know, silly question,” I said as I unpacked the bag. “This is nice,” I said,
admiring the shirt.

“Um,”
he started just as the elevator sounded.

“That’s
probably the client,” I said. “Thanks again, Jack. I’ll pay you for the extra
hour.”

“Don’t
worry about it, Livs. Consider it a favor. Er, some of us are headed to Navy
Pier for a drink later. You should come.”

“Ah,
I don’t think so. Bill and I are going north this weekend.” Just then, David’s
impressive figure rounded the doorway.

“Too
bad,” he said, turning and almost running into David. Jack, with his slick
blond hair and hard body, was a hot topic at the office. They were comically matching
in light jeans and half-zip pullovers, but Jack paled in comparison to David.

“Jack,
this is Mr. Dylan. Jack was kind enough to personally deliver some things for
your event tonight.”

“Nice
to meet you,” David said indifferently with a quick handshake.

Jack
turned back to me. “Maybe next time Liv?” he said with a hint of hopefulness.
“You have my number if anything changes.”

Once
we were alone, I shut the door and turned my attention to David. “So, here we
are again. I’m going to ask Lucy to start paying me.”

“He
likes you,” David stated.

 
“Oh, pfft,” I waved my hand dismissively.
“He doesn’t. I’m not even sure he’s straight,” I added, knowing that he definitely
was.

“He
is straight, and he’s into you.”

“And
you can tell that after thirty seconds?”

“He
was flirting with you at Lucy’s party.”

My
smile melted down my face. Jack’s and my only interaction at the party had been
right before I’d spilled my drink. I thought of those chestnut browns on me,
watching, observing.

“Yes,
I saw you,” he said, reading my expression. “I followed you into the kitchen to
find out your name, which I did, and ask you out, which I did not.”

“Oh,”
I said, involuntarily touching my heart. His candor always sent it aflutter,
and I was clinging to the small hints he kept dropping.

“In
any case, he likes you.”

“Well,
he’s headed for disappointment then,” I said, wiggling my left hand. I wasn’t
sure if I’d meant the reminder for him or for myself. “Here.” I handed him the
shirt and ended the conversation before it could go anywhere. “The tuxedo’s in
there,” I said sternly. “We do not take sartorial emergencies lightly.”

As
he changed, I smoothed my hair and quelled my stirring libido. I fought with
myself, battling thoughts and reactions that were sinful, but that also felt
out of my control.

He
came out soon after, buttoning up the shirt. Each button swallowed up a little bit
of dark, curly chest hair. His hair was black marble, styled in its
sophisticated, slight ripple. My breath caught as he walked over to the mirror
and slipped into the shoes I had placed on the floor.
Men look infinitely more handsome in a tuxedo,
I thought wistfully.

“These
are too small.”

I
pulled out the shoebox and flipped it around. “Yep. Size fourteen. Guess she
couldn’t quite get that half, so you’ll have to make it work.”

“Where
did Lucy find all this on such short notice?” he asked.

“Our
secret.”

“Great,”
he said to himself. “I’m impressed.”

I
walked over and handed him the jacket, taking his wrist in my hand as I
inserted the cufflinks. I stealthily admired his watch, a thick silver Rolex
with a large black dial. “The tux is on loan for tonight,” I said.

“Can’t
I just buy it?

“No,
it belongs to someone else.”

“I
doubt he’d miss it,” David said. When I looked up, he had a half smile on his
freshly-shaven face.

“I’m
sure he would. A lot.” I wrinkled my nose at him. It was becoming hard to
ignore the palpable heat that was building between us. His stare followed when
I moved to the left cuff, but I willed my eyes downward. A deep breath filled
my nostrils with his spicy aftershave. I returned to the bag Lucy had left and held
out the bow tie. He draped it around his neck, furrowing his brow as he applied
singular focus to the task.

“Here,
let me,” I said softly, slipping between him and the mirror. The spicy scent,
now mixed with something fresh, something from a recent shower, intensified as
I leaned in. Reaching up, I deftly molded the fabric into a neat bow. Aside
from our wedding day, I’d never seen Bill in a tux, but I’d fixed my dad’s
bowties when I was younger, and the motions were automatic. The memory of my
mom and dad going out one evening made me smile. My mother wore a floor-length,
black beaded dress that she had called ‘fancy,’ and Chanel No. 5 clouded their
tiny bathroom.