She came with Jim to the outlet mall for a number of reasons, none of which had anything to do with Roy going to the hockey playoffs. Out of state. Without telling her.
She found out by calling him come pick her up when she had to stay late on Friday. She got his voice mail, which he had had the time to change to the fight song of the hockey team in question. Jim drove her home, and the whole drive, she felt like she was going to throw up. Lately, when she was alone with Jim, that was how she felt. It didn't help that the whole ride was silent.
At her front door, she'd thought he was going to kiss her, and she'd thought she was going to invite him in but he didn't and she didn't. Instead, he got this huge grin when she said yes she'd come shopping with him.
She caught him fondling the dark brown jeans at Banana Republic, but when she urged him to try them on, he just laughed. He said the day capri pants were in style for straight men, he'd be all set. She told him she wanted to see, and she laughed hard enough to finally get the saleswoman's attention when she saw nearly half of his calves exposed.
He urged her to try on a pretty, bottle glass green dress, that she kept looking at. The thought of trying on a dress for him gave her a little shiver right down her throat. The dressing rooms were at a premium, so they traded off the one, and he walked around the store in his high waters while she changed.
His own jeans were folded neatly on the bench, and when she touched them, they were still warm from his body. When she knelt to untie her Keds, she gave in and put her cheek on them and inhaled.
She needed help tying the dress (a modest halter in the front, tied around her neck, exposing her back almost down to her waist. When he stepped into the dressing room, it shrunk, then the door swung shot and it shrunk again and she felt not like throwing up, but like running. His hands hovered, indecisively and she reached back to hold her hair up.
"I don't think you're supposed to wear a bra with that," he said, fumbling with the green silk. His hands bumped hers, and she looked up into the mirror, saw him looking at her.
"It's easier to tie if you look at it," she said.
"I'm sorry," he said without looking away. His hands rested on the back of her neck, and she must have been imagining them shaking. "You're just so beautiful."
"Don't be silly," she said.
"I'm not."
"I could never wear something like this," she said. "Shoo, I need to change."
* * *
Later, when she was home and on her second glass of wine she unpacked her bags. In the bottom of the Gap bag was a tissue covered bundle she didn't recognize, and she set it aside to bring to work to give to Jim.
Then she saw the green silk, and later that night she fell asleep in the dress.
Kate Andrews is the author of 1 other stories.
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