Jenny felt her jaw drop open. “The Maximillians?”

Had he lost his mind? The purses alone at that store cost three thousand dollars.

But he held out the slim platinum credit card. “If you don’t let me buy a dress for you, Emily will never let me buy one for her.”

“You can’t spend that kind of- You can’t spend any kind of money on our dresses.”

“But I can. That’s one of the perks of making a whole lot of money. You get to spend it on anything you want.”

“I’m saying no, Cole.” She took a backward step. There was no way he was talking her into doing this.

He stepped forward. “I need you to do this.”

“You don’t-”

“Correct me if I’m wrong, but I think Emily might, just might, be slightly attracted to me.”

Slightly attracted? Jenny was pretty sure it was a lot more than slightly attracted. She also realized Emily was fighting it for all she was worth.

“I want to see what she’ll do. If she has the chance to pick out a dress, a no-holds-barred, money-is-no-object dress, just for a date with me, I really need to know what it is she’ll choose. Do me this favor, sis.”

Jenny rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe it.” She socked Cole playfully on the shoulder. “I cannot believe you just made the one and only argument that could get me to use your credit card to buy a three thousand dollar dress.”

“Don’t restrict yourself to three thousand.” Cole grinned. “And don’t restrict yourself to a dress. You’re going to need shoes and accessories. And so will Emily.”

Jenny continued to shake her head. This was surreal.

He took her hand and placed the credit card firmly in her palm. “I mean it. You have to go wild. If you do it, Emily will do it, and then I’ll know whether or not I’ve got a shot.”

“She might just spend your money out of spite,” Jenny felt compelled to warn him. While she was pretty sure Emily harbored a secret attraction to Cole, she was also sure Emily had a very strong will. She didn’t want to fall for Cole, and she was annoyed at him for chasing her.

“I won’t get my answer because she spends my money. I’ll get my answer from what she spends it on.”

The edges of the credit card were hard against Jenny’s palm. “Are you sure about this?”

“I am positive about this. Call her. Right now.”

Jenny tucked the credit card away and reached for her phone. “What are you hoping she’ll buy?”

Cole gave a shrug. “I’ll know it when I see it.”

Jenny pressed her speed dial. Then she listened to Emily’s gasp of disbelief, followed by her growing conviction that Jenny should absolutely indulge herself at Cole’s expense and, finally, her mounting excitement as she bought fully into the plan.


Mitch had watched Jenny drive off from Cole’s house half an hour ago, so he knew Cole would be alone. He knew he had no one but himself to blame, but he missed the days of being able to wander over to Cole’s house on a whim, or having Cole wander over to his house to share the interesting bits of information from their lives. It never had to be earth-shattering, not the kind of thing where you pick up the phone to call your family or whoop it up with the gang, just the everyday, normal things that you wanted to share with another human being.

But he felt like he couldn’t invade Jenny’s space every evening. So, instead, now Cole was with Jenny, while Mitch was alone. He felt as if he’d screwed up two relationships in his life.

As he started up the driveway, Cole came out the front door, car keys in his hand, striding toward his Mustang.

“Hey, Cole,” Mitch called out, in case Cole hadn’t spotted him.

It appeared he hadn’t, because he turned guiltily. “Oh, hey, Mitch.”

“Got a hot date?” Mitch joked, striding closer.

“No. I’m…” He pocketed the keys. “It’s nothing.” He hesitated a moment longer. “You up for a beer?”

“I don’t want to hold you up.”

“No. Not at all. No big deal.”

“Where were you going?” Mitch couldn’t help but ask. It wasn’t like Cole to act all twitchy like this.

“Errands. Come on.” Cole turned back for the house. “I’ve got a couple of lagers on ice.”

Feeling vaguely like an interloper, Mitch followed along. “I got some news a few days ago.” For some reason he felt like he ought to get straight to the point.

“Good news?” asked Cole as they made their way through the house.

“Pretty good.”

Cole reached for the refrigerator door.

“I’ve been short-listed for the Youth Outreach Award at the Longhorn Banquet.”

Cole’s reach faltered. “On Saturday?”

“Yeah.” What other Longhorn Banquet was there in Texas?

There was something wrong with Cole. “And you just found out?”

“Last week, actually. But with everything that’s been going on, I didn’t want to…you know, intrude over here.”

Cole swung open the door, his voice hearty. “That’s great. Congratulations, buddy.” He snagged two bottles and pressed one into Mitch’s hand.

“What’s wrong?” Mitch had known Cole way too long to fall for this act.

“Nothing’s wrong.”

Now Mitch was getting mad. It was one thing to be ostracized by Jenny. He deserved that. But he was still Cole’s friend. “What the hell?”

“Fine.” Cole twisted off the cap. “I had four tickets. So I invited Emily. And Jeffrey is taking Jenny.”

Mitch felt as though someone had punched him in the solar plexus. “You’re double-dating?”

Cole nodded, then took a swig of the beer.

“With Jenny and Jeffrey?”

“Yes.”

“Son of a bitch.”

“Me?”

“No. Jeffrey. I’m assuming you’re just trying to get into Emily’s pants.”

Cole frowned. “That’s not exactly what I had-”

“You didn’t know I’d be there. I get that. But Jeffrey.” Mitch’s anger bubbled boldly to the surface.

He’d told himself a thousand times that Jenny was allowed to date anyone she wanted. He’d forfeited his right to an opinion a couple of weeks back. But he’d warned Jeffrey away. He’d warned Jeffrey in no uncertain terms that he was to stay away from Jenny.

“Jeffrey knew you’d be there?” For some reason, that revelation made Cole smile.

“Don’t you dare laugh.”

“He’s messin’ with you, Mitch.”

“Of course he’s messin’ with me. I told him to stay away from her. I warned him not to hurt her.”

Cole looked like he had something more to say. But instead, he took the bottle of beer back from Mitch and placed them both on the granite countertop. “I sent them shopping.”

“Who?”

“Emily and Jenny. I gave them my credit card and sent them to Maximillians to buy dresses for the banquet.”

That didn’t sound right. “Jenny won’t spend your money.”

“That’s where I was headed when you showed up just now,” Cole responded. “To make sure she did.”

“You were going to Maximillians?”

“I was.”

“I’m coming, too.” Mitch pivoted to head for the front door. “And you’re not buying Jenny a dress.”

“Yes, I am.”

“No, I am.”

The thread of a chuckle was back in Cole’s voice. “Why does that not surprise me?”

Mitch turned to glare at his friend.

“And good luck with that,” Cole added.

Mitch didn’t need luck. He was a professional football player. He had strength, guts, agility and endless determination. He’d already defied the odds nine ways to Sunday. He could get one woman to buy one single dress. And since it was for a date with Jeffrey, he’d push for something that went from wrists to ankles, no cleavage, preferably in a sedate gray woolen blend.

By the time they arrived at Maximillians, Mitch had decided on exactly the dress Jenny should wear. But when he entered the store and made his way to the changing area, honing in on the sounds of Jenny and Emily’s voices, the nun outfit flew right from his head.

Jenny stood in front of the three-way mirror in a black strapless sheath of a full-length dress that flared out at the knees. The top was sequined and dipped low between her breasts, clinging like a second skin.

His mouth went dry, and his knees went weak.

“You’ll have all the men at the gala panting after you like Labrador retrievers.” Emily laughed.

That was Mitch’s fear, too.

Emily was dressed in a short, full-skirted deep-blue satin dress. It was also strapless, and flared from the waist to reveal a black crinoline peeking out at the hem.

Mitch felt Cole come to a halt beside him.

Jenny gazed wide-eyed at herself in the mirror and seemed to stumble for words. “It’s too…too…”

Too everything, Mitch wanted to shout. If she was dating him, sure, it was a perfect dress. But not when she was dating Jeffrey.

“Perhaps the silver?” a sales clerk offered, holding up a slinky, short dress with capped sleeves and ties that crisscrossed the open back.

Jenny frowned at it uncertainly.

“I’ll try that one,” Emily put in, scooping the hanger from the sales clerk.

“Go with the blue,” Cole muttered under his breath.

“Can you grab me some shoes?” Emily called as she pulled the heavy curtain shut.

“Sure.” Jenny turned and immediately spotted Mitch. Her jaw dropped open, and she glanced to the right and to the left, as if looking for the punch line to a joke.

She made her way toward him, every movement sinuous and graceful. Her voice, however, was an accusatory hiss. “What are you doing here?”

“He came with me,” Cole put in, and Jenny seemed to notice Cole for the first time.

“Why?”

“I got curious,” said Cole. “I couldn’t wait to see what she picked out.”

“I meant why did you bring Mitch?”

“We were having a beer.”

Jenny compressed her lips.

“I won’t get in the way,” Mitch found himself promising.

“I’m going to ignore you,” Jenny announced.

“Fair enough. Do you want to know what I think of that dress?”

She glared at him. “Absolutely not.”

“Okay,” he agreed.

But when she stared at him a moment longer, he found his gaze dropping to the cleavage, to the nipped-in waist and to the clingy fabric where it hugged her hips.

“You don’t like it,” she stated.

“That’s not the problem.”

“Then what’s the problem? You’re grimacing.”

“That style isn’t you.”

“It is now.” She brushed past him. “I have to get Emily some silver shoes.”

“Get her a bag, too,” called Cole, and Jenny cracked what looked like a reluctant grin as she shook her head.

Mitch watched as she made her way across the store. She consulted with the shoe salesman, chose two pairs, then started back. On the way, she paused at a rack, taking out something gauzy and pastel, her expression softening as she ran her fingers over the fabric. But when the sales clerk approached her with two more dresses, she let the gauzy one fall back on the rack. The two women chatted on their way back to the changing area.

Curious, Mitch went to see what had caught her eye.

He couldn’t have been more surprised. It was a V-necked, spaghetti-strapped dress made of pale, mottled rainbow silk. The soft, romantic colors were very unlike Jenny, as was the swish of the layered skirt that came to points at the hem, and the tiny jewels that adorned the neck and the waist.

For some reason, the dress reminded him of the house plans. Did Jenny have a secret romantic side? Instead of geometric lines and practicality, did she truly long for swirls and irreverence? The idea intrigued him.

“Hand-painted,” came the clerk’s voice from behind his shoulder. “One of my favorite designers. Brand-new in today. Is it for someone special?”

Mitch was willing to bet every item in the store was made by one of the clerk’s favorite designers. But if this particular one had caught Jenny’s eye, he wanted to see her in it.

He nodded to the changing rooms. “Can you take it to the woman who’s trying things on? The one with the strawberry blond hair?”

“Of course.” The clerk smiled, removing the dress from the display.

“Don’t tell her it’s from me.”

The woman touched her finger to her lips to promise her silence, and Mitch gave her a nod of appreciation.

He moved to another section of the store, pretending to ignore Jenny. In his peripheral vision, he caught her puzzled frown and her initial head shake to the clerk. But the persistent clerk prevailed, and Jenny took the dress into her cubical.

Mitch made his way casually back to the changing area.

“Are you going to offer an opinion?” Emily was demanding of Cole as she modeled the silver dress. “Or just stand there and gawk?”

“I’m here to make sure you don’t go overboard with my credit card.”

“Oh, I’m going overboard all right.” She held out one of her silver sandaled feet. “See these? They’re Amerelda, three-inch heels, and I’m buying them.”