The Firefighter Who Rescues Me

Chapter 16 ♚ Second Date

Date night arrived and I had nothing good to wear for it. In my case, this was a literal statement, rather than one driven from panic.

It was still panic what led me to calling all the women I knew for advice. On Margaret's screen were my sister's face, Maya's and Alina's. My realtor-turned-roommate sat on the chair by her son's desk and Lena Lee was on the way.

I paced back and forth, following the same straight line between the bed and the shelves lined with hockey trophies, and was probably about to carve a path the size of my feet on the wooden floor.

"Qué carajo estoy haciendo?" I asked myself.

Alina was the first one who chuckled. "This is a good look on you."

"Right?" Maya asked, despite the fact they'd just met each other. "I was thinking just the same."

"Oh yeah? Should I go on my date like this?" I stopped and pointed down at my basic underwear, which was the only thing I wore after trying Margaret's fancy dresses that didn't fit around my hips or chest.

"That's not what I meant but I'm sure you'd be a success," Alina said with a smirk even her grainy webcam couldn't blur.

Maya snapped her fingers. "Girl, with your body you don't need clothes."

"I appreciate what you're all trying to do but I'm sure some people would be offended." I folded my arms.

"Can't she just wear a t-shirt and jeans?" Cata asked everyone.

"No!" everyone snapped at her right away, including me.

"This is our first date," I lied to everyone but Cata, who knew this was technically our second date. "If I dress like I do every day he'll think I don't care."

"And you do care, huh?" Alina whistled. "Wow, I can't wait to meet the guy who finally snatched Coralina off the market."

I was glad she was already married because otherwise she would fall for Pace. It was just impossible not to.

We heard stomping up the stairs and in the next second, Lena Lee burst into the room. "Sorry I'm late, I had to handcuff Luke to Hunter so he wouldn't follow."

Was that a figure of speech? Never mind. She put two duffel bags on the floor and unzipped them to bring out one outfit after another. In two hours, I tried on as many options as possible, until we settled for a grey sheath dress that clung to every curve. The color made no effort to stand out and all the work was done by my goodies.

Lena Lee put her hand on her chest as she gave me a once over. "Wow, Pace is going to lose his mind."

"Especially if someone else glances your way," Margaret added with a wink.

Then, following Maya's instructions to a T, Lena Lee worked on my makeup. I borrowed a pair of silver earrings, each with a drop-shaped pearl that hung nicely from my ears and caused the illusion of elongating my neck.

My buzzcut had grown enough that it now looked like I had a very short pixie cut, and Lena Lee helped me style it with some product that made it look like the length was by design instead of accident. We finished the look with strappy sandals from Margaret and a white cardigan from Lena Lee, in case I got chilly.

I gave a turn for everyone to say their opinion and amidst much flattery, my twin sister burst out laughing and said, "She won't need the cardigan! In fact, she won't need clothes for long."

"Oh, shut up!"

Not long after that, we heard the engine of Pace's pickup truck sputter down the street. I crossed myself and after giving the women my final words of gratitude, walked downstairs to meet him at the door.