Last Couple Standing by Matthew Norman

Author:Matthew Norman [Norman, Matthew]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Random House Publishing Group
Published: 2020-03-17T00:00:00+00:00

* * *

—

“Which one are you trying on first?” she asked.

Jessica sat in an uncomfortable chair, looking at Amber’s feet at the bottom of the changing-room door.

“Garden party,” Amber said.

Her jeans fell to the floor, and she kicked them out of the way. She stepped into the floral dress, and then there was silence. Jessica could hear Amber breathing.

“How is it?” asked Jessica. “You like?”

“I’m too tall.”

“You always say that. Open up. Lemme see.”

Amber opened the door and stood barefoot and pigeon-toed, a little hunched. The material clung to her legs, but not in a good way, and it was cut far too short from shoulder to hip.

“Yeah,” said Jessica. “You’re too tall.”

“Did the designers all get together and decide to abandon me?”

“Well, that one did.”

She shut the door again and started over. Jessica could read Amber’s emotions just by seeing her feet. They were set firm, shoulder-width apart, the way you might stand if you were expecting to be slapped in the face.

“By the way,” said Amber, “Megan and Sarah really got in my head the other night.”

“What do you mean?”

“Their little tough-love speech. What if I don’t want to date fifty-year-olds?”

“I’m sure they were exaggerating,” said Jessica.

Amber tried on something else—the navy blue one, from what Jessica could see. “Okay,” she said. “This one’s for work.” The door opened, and there she stood again. The right length this time, but shapeless. “Thoughts?”

“You look like the branch manager of a bank in 1987.”

“Right? Who puts shoulder pads in dresses anymore?” The door closed, and Amber worked her way out of the second dress. And then she said, “I wish I would’ve talked to that waiter.”

Jessica looked up at the door. “What waiter?” she said, but, obviously, she knew. There was only one waiter.

“You know, the hot one. You guys were trying to get me to go throw myself at him, but I was too nervous.”

“Oh. Him? Really?” Jessica was surprised at the intensity of her instincts—at the ownership she felt.

“Well, he was absolutely gorgeous. And he was taller than me, too. Not a bad combination.”

“He was…kinda young, though, right?”

“Well, Alan has no problem going after young, pretty things. Why should I? If I find a dress that doesn’t make me look like either a horse or Murphy Brown, maybe we’ll head there for another Wives’ night. Or ladies’ night. We should probably stop calling ourselves the Wives, by the way. I’ve been thinking about that. For accuracy’s sake.”

Jessica felt a surge of preemptive jealousy.

“By the way, why aren’t you trying on anything?”

Jessica sipped at the last of her iced coffee.

“You need to buy something, so I don’t feel bad for buying everything. That’s how this works. Didn’t you see anything you like?”

“No,” said Jessica. “Not really.” But that wasn’t true at all. “Well, actually.”

Amber’s forehead and eyes appeared over the changing room door. “Yeah?”

“Maybe,” said Jessica. “Hold on a sec.”

“Atta girl,” said Amber.

Jessica went back out into the store and grabbed the little black dress off the rack.

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