CHAPTER SEVEN
The floor creaked under her as April paced back and forth, her voice becoming higher and higher as she ranted to Emma and Izzy who watched with wide eyes from her bed.
“This was a stupid idea. What was I thinking? Nothing good can come out of this date. Listen to me! A date withLuke?” The doubts had started as soon as she’d agreed to the date and had slowly become louder and louder over the past day or so, culminating in the current meltdown. “I don’t have anything to wear! And I’ve never been to this restaurant. What food do they serve?”
Izzy stood and calmly walked over to interrupt the path April was pacing. “You literally just went shopping two days ago. You definitely have something to wear.”
“For basics! And whatever quirky, colorful clothes caught my eye. Nothing appropriate for a first date. What’s the vibe of the place, anyway? Is this a fancy, black-tie kind of thing?”
“OK, now you’re being ridiculous.” Emma stoodand began rummaging through the pile of clothes that still sat atop April’s desk. “Wow. You’re right—this does smell amazing. What is—Right, right, focusing,” Emma muttered as Izzy shot her a look. “But really, babe? Black tie in Magnolia Springs?”
Maybe Emma had a point.
“And The Garden Table is great. It opened a few months ago. It’s casual, homey vibes, OK? Stop freaking out.”
“Plus, if the serves know you, they sometimes give you a friends-and-family discount,” said Izzy, a small smile playing on her lips.
“Focus, please, Iz,” said April, trying to calm her racing thoughts as she perched on the edge of her bed. Except, sitting still made it worse. She resumed pacing but with a little less franticness. “What if this is all a joke and he doesn’t show up?”
“Well, if Noah didn’t kick his ass then we would.” Izzy patted April’s shoulder. “Plus, an old-school egging never goes amiss.”
That, at least, made her laugh. Gentle Izzy was probably the most protective of their little trio, like an angry mama bear. Typically, Izzy avoided violence or any kind of confrontation, but April would never forget the time they’d gone out dancing together at a nightclub one town over and someone had groped Emma in the line to get inside. Without hesitating, Izzy had turned and throat-punched him so hard that the guy had gagged. They’d left immediately afterwardand the moment had gone down in the best friends’ hall of fame.
“Here,” Emma said, throwing clothes behind her and onto the bed. “Put these on.”
If there was one thing April would never question Emma on, it was fashion. As a model, Emma knew how to dress, but as an influencer she also knew how tostyle. So April strode over to the hastily deposited clothes and put them on.
The jeans were new, faded denim in a barrel-leg style with a seam running down the front of the leg that looked super cute, but April had mostly bought them because they made her ass look fantastic. Emma had paired them with a cropped boxy white shirt with flower keyhole cutouts all over, and a black belt with a gold buckle. None of these were items April would have put together, but itworked. She looked like she’d stepped out of a late-spring perfume ad.
“Do you have earrings?”
April waved at the desk where her old jewelry box sat. “Just whatever’s in there.”
Emma hummed, poking at various items April couldn’t see before she pulled out a pair of chunky small hoops. “Wear your hair up and put these in.”
Obeying, April pulled her mid-length hair up and into a perky pony, letting a few strands of hair escape to frame her face. It had started to fade already, now a soft pastel teal, and she knew she would have to go to the salon soon to get it sorted.
“Wow.” April blinked at herself in the full-length mirror set to the side of her closet. “Thank you, Em.” Even her hair was working with the outfit. There was only one thing missing that she’d admittedly loved about New York. “I wish I’d got my nails done.”
“You’re a nail girly now?”
“Gels,” she amended, “not acrylics. I can’t do anything if my nails are too long. But wouldn’t a fresh baby-pink set go so cute with this outfit?”
Manicures and pedicures had been her one guilty pleasure in New York. She’d gone along with Tyler’s sister once when she’d been visiting the city and it had been a game-changer. The choice of shape, color, pattern—all of it had beenhersto control. It had made her feel like she belonged, like a layer of armor that let her blend into city life. Plus, it was super relaxing and she always left the salon with a clearer mind than when she’d gone in.
“We could learn to do them ourselves?” Izzy suggested. “I’m not sure there’s anywhere good to get them done in town.”
“Totally a gap in the market,” Emma agreed.
April tugged at her hair before Emma gently slapped the hand away. “I guess. I just liked the ritual of going to get them done. It was like …”
“Self-care.”
“Yeah, I guess.”
There was a thoughtful look on Emma’s face that usually only meant one of two things: trouble or chaos. Often, the two went hand in hand. “Leave it with me,”she said, as if that wouldn’t pique their curiosity. “You need to leave now if you’re going to make it on time.”
April accepted the small bag that Emma handed to her, a purse the perfect shade of green to match her hair that April hadn’t been able to resist when she’d seen it in the boutique. Unlike the hair dye, the bag would last forever.