GALA PARTY

Ellie snags one off the salesperson’s rack. “Sorry, we need this.” She turns back to me, holding up the dress. “What do you think?”

It’s a beautiful dress. Delicate layers of peach, yellow, and orange tulle swirl and layer over each other so it looks like a sunrise. It’s got a fitted bodice, off-the-shoulder long sleeves, and a flowing A-line skirt that falls down to the ankles. It would be a conservative, modest silhouette, except that the whole dress is layers of sheer fabric. It’s dense enough around the breasts and butt to keep me decent, but everything else is subtly sexy.

“How much is it?” I ask, a little breathless.

“Girl, you have a billionaire’s credit card,” Ellie scolds. “Time to have somefun.”

Kiera would love it. So would Nathan.

More importantly, it looks like me.

“I’ll try it on,” I say, and Ellie all but whoops in triumph.

Maybe caring about Nathan does scare me. But I can still enjoy the ride as long as it lasts.

“Nicole,”Nathan calls from somewhere outside my bedroo