Aching for Adam

Chapter 3

"Hey, boss," Tiffany said as I walked in an hour late.

"Hey, Tiff! Any calls for me?" I asked.

She updated me while we walked toward the coffee machine, and she let me know I had a message from Tammy asking to confirm our lunch date.

"Crap, I forgot about that. Is there anything on my calendar today?" I winced, bracing myself. Owning an architecture firm had a few perks, but having a lot of free time wasn't one of them.

"It's fine, I moved your lunch meeting to tomorrow. You're free for Tammy. Go have a little girlie fun," she said with a smile.

"What would I do without you?" I asked, smiling back. Her grin widened. "I mean it, you've got my back, Tiff." And I meant it. I loved her for knowing what I needed before I did. 

Some girl talk and a few mimosas were exactly what I needed right now.

I wanted to tell Tam that I had decided to go on Saturday. I already knew she would be on board because, well, it was Tammy. She was always on board with my bad decisions.

Lunchtime came soon enough, and we headed out to a new vegan place that had incredible cocktails and delicious food. After a couple of drinks and a quick rundown of the last couple of days, she was speechless.

Her mouth hung open, but no words came out. She was thinking. Not something she often did before speaking, but I loved her for it.

"You fucking liked his photo?" she asked, drawing out every word as though I needed to hear them again. I simply nodded, and she burst into uncontrollable laughter. "But... you're usually such... a good stalker!"

Hearing her say that made my embarrassment vanish, and I started laughing with her.

After a moment, the laughter faded. She just stared at me. I couldn't remember the last time she hadn't had a snide comment ready.

"Tam?"

"Check, please!" she nearly shouted, and I hurried to swallow the bite I'd barely had time to chew.

"Tam, I'm not done yet. Are you in a rush?" I frowned.

"Nope, not in a rush. But we're getting out of here now. You need a dress," she replied, matter-of-fact.

"Um, I have a dress. I'll just wear my dark gray one—you know, the one with the zipper down the back."

"The hell you are. He's already seen that dress. It's like ten years old. No way I'm letting you show up in that thing. Honey, you haven't seen him in four years, and no offense, but his girlfriend is super hot. You need to go all out and show him what he's missing. C'mon, let's go." She grabbed my hand and dragged me to the nearest designer boutique she could find.

I gave in, because let's be real: Tammy Weston always got what she wanted. I had never met anyone so outspoken and persistent in my life. I wished I were a little more like her.

"What about this one?" I asked Tam, twirling in the gazillionth dress I'd tried on.

"What about that one on the rack over there?" She pointed to a gorgeous but simple floor-length burgundy dress she had been begging me to try for twenty minutes.

"It's skin-tight, Tam. I'm not wearing something like that," I said firmly.

"Are you kidding? You need to make an entrance. Show that idiot what he lost," she repeated.

"I'm the one who left, remember?" I threw her a disapproving stare.

"Just try the damn dress on!" She stood, grabbed it from the rack, and shoved it into the fitting room with me.

"Ugh, fine!" I slipped it on and swung the door open.

"Oh. My. God. This is the one, Elle." Her jaw dropped, and I thought she was exaggerating again.

But then I turned toward the mirror, and I was stunned at how I looked in the dress. "Wow," I whispered. It hugged my curves in all the right places, and for once, I didn't notice the parts of my body I disliked.

"Even I want to make out with you in this. You've got to get it."

I chuckled. She was right. I had to get this dress. I wanted—no, I needed—to feel confident if I was going to spend the evening with my ex, his new girlfriend, and his family.

"It is surprisingly comfortable," I said with a smile. She squealed, then hugged me so tight it made me wish I could bring her with me. She always rooted for me, always knew how to boost my ego. Alas, there was no plus-one on my invite.

I paid for the dress and walked out of the store, a sudden twinge of excitement building in my chest.