9. Cohen

I didn't want to come on too strong, but judging by the flush in her cheeks and the way she shifted in her seat, the feeling was mutual. That was good because I had done just about everything I could to fuck it up.

I pulled into the store parking lot and glanced at the dash. Multiple trips here with Ollie had told me the place closed at ten. "Is five minutes enough time?" I asked nervously. I wanted to get her something new, replace the pretty dress I'd ruined. But if she was anything like my ex, finding the right item could take hours.

She responded with an endearing laugh. "You haven't seen me shop before."

God, she was perfect. "You're on," I said.

We got out of the car, and damn, I had to speed up just to keep up with her. If shopping was like this, I could get used to it. She went straight to a rack full of dresses at the back of the store and flicked through the hangers going toward the larger sizes.

I stood back, wondering what she'd pick, seeing if I could guess. There weren't many options in her size, which made me feel shitty, until she pulled out a dress printed with fruit. It looked soft. I wondered what it would feel like with my hands running over it. If I could hike it up and...

Why was she looking so wistfully at it? Like she wanted it but couldn't say yes? She bit her lip, flipping the tab.

I didn't care how much the dress cost. I'd pay it just to see her smile again. "Let's get it."

She looked from the dress to me, giving me that smile I longed to see. The dress was worth every damn penny.

Over the loudspeaker, a worker asked the remaining four people in the store to make their final decisions and check out. I offered to hold the dress for her, and we walked toward the front, paying and walking out through the sliding doors.

She held the plastic bag looped in her fingers, the bright colors occluded by the translucent plastic.

"So, the sequins aren't your typical style?" I asked as we reached the car. I opened the door for her, and she crossed in front of me to get in.

In her seat, I could see her cheeks flush pink again. "I usually don't get dresses that are so... loud."

"Yeah? Why not?"

She shrugged, not quite meeting my eyes. "I need to be professional, for my students."

I glanced at her legs in the seat. "Are you in?"

She nodded, and I shut the door for her, walking around to my side. I thought of Ollie and the clothes he liked to wear when he got home from school. Things with bright colors and crazy patterns that any one of my temporary daddies would have beat me up for. I would have killed to have at least one person in my life who wasn't trying to shove me into whatever box they'd expected me to be in.

I got in the car and glanced over at her. "I bet if you wore that dress to work, you'd be giving your students the permission they need to be exactly who they were made to be."

Her smile was the brightest thing for miles. "I knew I liked you."

My gut twisted, leapt for joy at that simple sentence. "I like you too," I said. Then I fingered the fabric poking out of the bag in her lap. It was now or never. "Want to come to my place so I can see it on?"

She bit her lip, bringing delicious color there, and nodded.

I couldn't put my car in drive fast enough. Hopefully, by the end of the night, I'd also see it off.