Playing for Kicks (Play Makers Book 5) (50 page)

“Oh, my God,” Erica whispered, staring with
just the right degree of awe. “You look so beautiful! What did you
do to your hair?”

“It’s a wig.”

“No jokes,” the ad exec scolded her. “I
love
it. So will Sean. He missed you so much this week. So
did I.”

“You’re not going to cry, are you?”

“Hush.” She smiled happily. “We’ll find the
perfect dress to show off your new look, I promise. This place
never lets me down.”

“Wait a minute.” Tess took her by both hands
and studied her wistfully. “You look good, too, chickie. Pregnancy
agrees with you.”

“Thanks. I’m not barfing yet, so fingers
crossed.” She tugged her by one hand toward the entrance. “They’re
snobby in this place but it’s worth it.”

Tess followed her through the main warehouse
doors and into a small shop, where a tinkling bell announced their
arrival. Lovely art prints graced a long brick hallway punctuated
by glass cases with headless mannequins wearing sumptuous
outfits.

“Oh, wow,” Tess gushed, stopping to stare at
an off-white sleeveless dress covered in iridescent sequins. “I
love
this.”

“Like a Roaring Twenties flapper, right? You
could wear it on Halloween,” Erica agreed. “Johnny says Bam has a
party every year.”

Tess’s stomach clenched, knowing she would
have bought this dress for the fundraiser if Erica hadn’t been
there to advise her. Of course, without Rachel’s guidance, she
would have worn the red sarong.

You’re hopeless,
she decided as she
followed her friend down the hall.
What a loser.

A bird-like woman with curly dark hair
descended on them. “Mrs. Spurling? We’ve been expecting you! I’m
Madelaine. I’ll be helping you and your friend this afternoon.”

“You can call me Ms. McCall,” Erica told her
in a friendly but no-nonsense tone that told Tess she had fought
this battle before. “And my friend is Ms. Colby. She needs
something formal for tomorrow night. So you have your work cut out
for you.”

Madelaine looked Tess up and down, then
smiled. “We have several options. So let’s make you comfortable in
one of our rooms while I gather them together. Would you like
champagne?”

“Just sparkling water for me,” Erica said.
“Tess?”

Tess opted for the same, and soon they were
seated on a low couch upholstered in cinnamon-toned silk.

“Fancy,” she murmured.

“They make such a production of it. But
you’ll love their selection. And if you don’t, we’ll raid my
closet.”

Madelaine sailed back with three dresses, all
of them black, which she displayed on three separate hooks. “Any of
these would be stunning. But I recommend this”—she gestured toward
a slinky black gown with long sleeves—“to make you look a bit
older. Not that you’re not adorable,” she added hastily. “But this
is for the NFL Literacy Gala, is it not? You’ll want to make a bold
impression on those big, strong athletes.”

When Tess didn’t move, the saleswoman pointed
to a set of saloon-style doors that led to a more discreet changing
area. “Dazzle us.”

“Oh, okay. I’ll be right out.” She dashed
into the dressing room, knowing she and this dress were doomed to
failure. Still, she wanted to be a sport for Erica’s sake, so she
stripped down to her underwear and donned the clingy dress, which
turned out to be backless with a serious slit up the side.

You look like Cruella de Ville,
she
told herself with a giggle.

Stepping back into the sitting area, she
flashed a grin at Erica. “All I need is a cigarette holder,
right?”

“You really do look older,” Erica agreed,
stifling a laugh. “But it’s just not you.”

“Yes,” Madelaine sniffed. “You can’t quite
pull it off. Perhaps in a few years, but not now.”

Tess arched an annoyed eyebrow, then turned
to the other dresses. “Maybe black isn’t my color.”

“Black is
everyone’s
color,” Madelaine
assured her. “Don’t you agree, Ms. McCall?”

Erica sent Tess an apologetic smile, then
walked up to another selection. “I love this one, Tess. You’d look
gorgeous in it.”

Tess sighed. It was still black, but not at
all slinky. More traditional with its tight waist, flowing skirt
and plunging neckline. And at least it was sleeveless, which meant
Sean could nibble her shoulders while he mocked her. So she
reluctantly agreed to try it, adding dryly, “Just don’t expect
miracles,” as she went back to the dressing room.

Stripping off the Cruella dress, she grimaced
at her reflection in the full-length mirror. She really
was
shorter than Jill. And Rachel. And Victoria.

Probably the same as Erica, give or take a
smidge.

But certainly taller than Kerrie, who looked
to be five-two at the most, at least according to the photographic
evidence.

She suddenly wanted to endorse Erica’s choice
of dress just so this farce could be over. So she slipped into it,
worked the back zipper, then returned to the sitting area with a
wistful, “Ta da.”

“Oh!” Erica actually clapped her hands.
“You’re gorgeous.”

“Much,
much
better,” Madelaine
agreed.

Tess surveyed herself in the three-panel
mirror. “Don’t I look like a witch? Just a little?”

“You don’t usually wear black,” Erica
reminded her. “So take our word for it. It’s perfect.”

When Tess still balked, Madelaine said with a
sigh, “I almost hate to say this. But we have it in navy blue—”

“Sold!” Tess exclaimed. “I’d much rather look
like a sailor than a witch.”

Erica laughed. “You’re wrong, but okay. Let’s
see you in it. If it’s half as good, we’ll take it.”

• • •

When Tess stepped out of the dressing room
for the final time, both Erica and Madelaine beamed.

“You look like a princess,” Erica said in
awe. “Really, Tess. It’s unbelievable.”

“Thanks.” She turned to the mirror for a
confirming look and promptly burst into tears, shocking herself as
much as her audience.

“Oh, no!” Erica dashed to her in alarm.
“What’s wrong?”

Madelaine’s reaction was more immediate.
“Stop crying! You’ll stain the dress!”

Erica glared at the saleswoman. “Are you
insane?
Back off.”

“I’m okay,” Tess sobbed, stripping down to
her bra and panties. “I’ll t-take it.”

Erica hugged her with one arm while handing
the navy blue dress to Madelaine. “Put this aside for us.
Please.
We’ll be back in a few minutes.”

“Very good, Ms. McCall.”

“There was a tea room on the second floor a
few months ago. Is it still there?”

Madelaine nodded.

“Okay.” She dashed into the changing room,
found Tess’s clothes, and literally dressed her. Then she wrapped
her arm around her and said lovingly, “Let’s get out of this
place.”

Chapter
Sixteen

Mortified, Tess let her friend bundle her
down the brick hallway. When they were outside the shop, she
whimpered apologetically, “I can’t handle a tea room, Erica.”

“How about my car?” Without waiting for a
reply, she steered her to the parking lot and settled her into the
passenger seat of her plush hybrid sedan. Then she came around to
the driver’s side after grabbing two bottles of water from her
stash in the trunk. “Drink,” she instructed Tess firmly.

“I’m so, so sorry.” She took a quick sip. “It
must be nerves, right? I don’t get dressed up very often.” When
Erica just stared, she blurted out, “I’m such a mess! Like I’m not
even
me
anymore. And Colbee’s gone
completely
. Oh,
God . . .” She buried her face in her hands. “I’m so sorry,
Erica.”

“Don’t apologize. Just take a deep breath,
then tell me what’s going on.”

“It’s
insane,”
Tess assured her.
“
I’m jealous all the time. Jealous and spiteful and bitter.
It’s ugly and toxic and it’s tearing me apart. So save yourself,”
she added, trying for a light tone but sniffling instead.

“Who are you jealous of?”

“
Everyone,”
she wailed. “Especially
you
. You’re so beautiful and graceful and smart and classy.
And the way Johnny looks at you . . .” She covered her face
with her hands again. “I’m so sorry.”

“You were fine on Turkey Sunday,” Erica
reminded her. “What changed?”

She took a steadying breath, then forced
herself to make sense for her friend’s sake. “I didn’t realize
until this week how much Sean loved Kerrie Cosner.”

Erica’s gasp sucked the air from the car.
“You’re jealous of
her?
Why on earth? And why
now?”

“I always knew he loved her,” Tess explained.
“I mean, they were practically engaged, right? But everyone told me
he falls for every girl he meets. So I didn’t think it through. And
it was so comical with the twins and the new hymen, I just never
realized how serious it was. I mean . . .” She exhaled again,
then reminded Erica, “He loved her so much he was willing to give
up the Lancers for her. Give up football entirely. Right?”

“Oh, Lord, I guess that’s technically true.
Because yes, he loved her for a brief moment in time. Five minutes,
tops. After that, it was
agony,
Tess. Torture.”

“Star-crossed lovers,” Tess agreed. “Like
Romeo and Juliet. Except instead of sleeping with his enemy’s
daughter he slept with his coach’s wife. The point is, she was the
great love of his life.” Startled by her own statement, and then
destroyed by it, she added sadly, “I didn’t realize until right
this minute . . . Wow.”

“But he loves
you
now. A thousand
times more. You’re so perfect for him—”

“The last piece of the puzzle, right?” She
scowled and added quickly, “Please forget I said that. I
love
being part of your group. And I usually love fitting
in. It’s my thing, right? So just ignore me.”

“The last piece of the puzzle? Oh, my God,”
Erica said, practically snarling. “He is
so
dead.”

“Don’t blame Bam. I’m
glad
he said
something. Otherwise, I never would have known she was Kerrie
C-C-Cosner.”

“Oh, you poor thing.” Erica climbed onto the
console and hugged her fiercely. “I didn’t realize you didn’t know.
It doesn’t matter anymore, but I can see why it shocked you.”

“Sean tried to tell me but I blew him off.
Because it was such a big joke to me.
She
was such a big
joke to me. And he fell for every girl, so I thought
that
was funny too. I’m so stupid.”

“Stop it. He loves
you
now. With all
his heart. And that’s all that matters.”

“Not to me.” She stared unhappily into her
friend’s eyes. “She was the great love of his life, Erica. For five
minutes, five years, it doesn’t matter. I wanted to be that for
him. I thought I was. And maybe I could make peace with it,
except—oh, God.”

“You could make peace with it except
what?”

“Except he really
is
the great love of
my
life,” she blurted out tearfully. “He’s
everything
to me. The Romeo to my Juliet. Except
she’s
his Juliet. Oh,
God, I can’t believe I’m saying this out loud. What a loser,
right?”

“You’re not a loser,” Erica corrected her
loyally. “Your feelings are hurt. And that’s natural. You waited
for him.
That’s
what you’re saying, right? You’ve never been
in love before, so this—oh, Tess.”

Tess stared at her, grateful she could
extract this core truth from all the babble. “Exactly. I tried so
hard to resist him because I
knew
he could be the one. But
with his romantic track record, I didn’t want to risk it. And I was
right.”

“Poor baby.” Erica cradled her awkwardly.
“I’m so sorry. I kept pushing you together, even after you begged
me not to. I’m so sorry, Tess.”

Tess pulled free to smile wistfully. “You
could see how perfect we’d be together. And we are. Maybe not Romeo
and Juliet, but Romeo and Tess, right? It’s better than nothing. So
I just need to power through.”

Erica nodded, returning to her seat. “I’ll
help you. And maybe you should talk to Sean, too. Lay all this out.
Trust him to help you with it.”

Tess considered it for a second, then shook
her head. “The problem is, he’s so charming, and I’m so
susceptible. He’ll convince me I’m the only one he ever really
loved. And I’ll just push all these bad feelings down deep. Then
they’ll fester like toxic waste. I can’t be that person, Erica. I
hate
her.”

They sat in silence for a moment, then Erica
said gently, “I get that you’re jealous, but take my word for it.
You’re ten times prettier. Ten times smarter and more fun. And a
million
times more sane.”

“Don’t feed the beast,” Tess warned with a
rueful laugh. “The point is, I shouldn’t
care
who’s prettier
or smarter. I never did before. Now I look at everyone through that
lens. You, Rachel, Darcie. Even Jill, which is completely crazy.”
She squared her shoulders. “I’ll be okay. It really helped to talk,
so thanks for listening. You’re the best.”

“I just can’t believe this is happening,”
Erica admitted.

Neither could Tess. Until this meltdown, she
hadn’t understood what was actually bothering her. So much worse
than simple jealousy. But now that the beast had been revealed,
maybe she could deal with it.

“Let’s be real,” she told Erica wryly. “I’m
so hooked on Sean Decker I can’t live without him. So I’ll get this
under control. Hopefully before the fundraiser.”

Erica bit her lip, then asked carefully,
“What if you can’t?” Before Tess could answer, she added firmly,
“Whatever you decide to do, I’ll back you up. One hundred
percent.”

Tess stared, honestly confused. “What are you
saying?”

Her gray eyes filled with tears. “I adore
him, but I can’t bear seeing you like this. Your poor little heart
is broken. And s-so is mine.”