Coffee, Cupcakes & Pizza

Chapter 4

Gabriella flung open the doors of her closet and tore through it looking for something to wear. One by one, she whipped clothes off their hangers, tossing them onto the bed as possible choices and continued searching for something better.

"What are you looking for?" Taylor asked, watching her friend rush around the room like a maniac.

"A dress, or skirt, I don't know something you wear to an engagement party."

"I thought that was next weekend."

"It is, tonight is his dad's engagement party."

Taylor raised a brow. "Right, silly me."

Gabriella trucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I don't know what to wear to a party like this. This isn't some stupid backyard gathering, his family is made of money, I'm sure they have expectations for someone like me."

"Question, are you killing yourself over what to wear because you care or because you're pretending too?"

"What?" Gabriella turned from the mirror where she was modeling a red skirt on tiptoe.

"Just admit that you like him."

"I do not," Gabriella fell back on her heal. "He's nice. That's all."

"So then why does what you wear tonight matter?"

Gabriella groaned, "It just does."

Taylor let out a laugh as fell onto the bed. "Okay, fine. I'll indulge. What about a little black dress?"

Gabriella shifted through her closet and pulled out a floral print chiffon midi tank dress. "Like this?"

"It's casual enough but still very cocktail."

Gabriella held the dress up to her body as she looked in the mirror. "Are you sure? I don't want to look like a chubby baby seal."

"You won't, that dress looks really good on you."

Without argument, Gabriella began switching into her dress. "This whole situation is giving me hives. I hate lying."

"Well, you could just face the alternative," Taylor said as she reached for a half empty bag of chips that were on the nightstand. "Tell your mom. Tell George. Cancel next weekend engagement party and let him go stag tonight.

"I rather die."

Taylor offered the bag of chips in her direction. "Then I guess you better get something for those hives."

Gabriella shook her head. "No, that's okay. I was so hungry earlier, I ate my lipstick off. Now I have to reapply it."

"Those are just your nerves. You should really learn to calm down."

Calm down? Ha! Easy for her to say. She wasn't about to deliver the performance of a lifetime to a room full of strangers. She didn't have to lie to her parents about being happily engaged to a man whose sole purpose was to get her to dump him publicly. All because he feels sorry for her.

Gabriella slid into the dress and waited for her friend's assessment, though she'd already formed her own opinion. "Well?"

Taylor's face broke into a slow grin. "Perfect."

The buzzard echoed through her apartment which had them both racing to the bedroom window overlooking the front of the bakery.

"Crap!" Gabriella said as Troy stood out on the sidewalk in front of black Aston Martin. "He's here early."

He was wearing a suit, relaxed completely cool. He adjusted the collar of his blue button-down shirt and ran his fingers through his golden chestnut hair.