Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 50043 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
“Send me a text. I’ll get back to you as soon as possible.” Colt stood and offered his hand.
As they shook hands, he noticed a picture on the man’s desk of a beautiful woman wearing cat’s ears and holding a fancy teacup. Immediately, he thought of a tea party for a Little and her Daddy. Colt filed that plan away. There were so many things he wanted to experience with Harper.
“My wife, Margie. She is the love of my life and keeps me hopping.”
“How long have you been married?”
“Sixteen years. Our wedding was right after our college graduation. And you?”
“Our wedding will come soon,” Colt answered vaguely.
“Best wishes. I’ll be in contact with the plans.”
“Thank you.”
CHAPTER 3
Harper tried every outfit in her closet on three times and visited the only store in the small town that carried plus-size clothing twice. She considered ordering something online, but nothing ever fit her right and she’d learned to try on clothes before buying anything.
Propping her hands on her hips, she stared into the mirror. This sundress would have to do. It flowed over her generous bottom and belted in to fit her narrower waist. Maybe it took five pounds off her appearance? Who am I kidding?
Carefully, she took off the dress and hung it back in her closet. She’d wear that one to the Friday night reunion social gathering at Murphy’s and hope it looked suitable. She still needed to find a fancy dress to wear to the more formal dinner and dance.
Maybe she could put together a couple of things. She had a black skirt that she could jazz up. With the right top, it might look okay. Harper dug through the clothes in the limited dressy section of her wardrobe. No. No. No.
There was nothing there that would work. Since it was Saturday, she was free from everything. Harper decided to drive to the next larger city and hunt for something she could wear.
Crossing her fingers, she gathered her phone, purse, and keys to take on the mission.
As she drove out of town, Harper passed the road famous in her high school days as the trek to the party spot. The last owner had been working with a developer to clean up the area when he’d passed away. When old man Howard’s sons and daughter had settled the estate, they’d put that area up for sale.
Harper had contacted the realtors to see if they would sell a small parcel of land on the corner, separate from the rest of the property. Unfortunately, they’d decided to wait for someone who was interested in a larger portion of the property. There was no way she could have afforded any more space. Maybe when the new owner took control, she could sweet talk them into selling her the corner space.
She spent the rest of the trip daydreaming about how she would design her dream daycare center. It would have to be bright and colorful with lots of toys. A washing machine on the premises would be handy so she wouldn’t have to haul the crib sheets and stuffies home to wash. Lots of built-in storage and flexible play areas would be fantastic with a playground outside.
Harper knew it was a pipe dream. She’d never be able to afford anything like that. Her income was limited. Running a small center for children wasn’t lucrative, and she always spent extra money on the kids instead of sticking to the strict budget she’d designed.
Approaching the city limits, she pushed the thoughts from her mind and focused on what she needed now—a top to make her feel confident and sexy. That wasn’t too much to ask, was it?
She parked at the mall and headed inside. Several shops later and finding nothing, Harper paused in front of a new shop in the mall. A pleasant-looking clerk working inside met her gaze and smiled. Decision made, Harper risked walking inside.
“Hi!” she greeted the friendly employee.
“Hi! I’m Patsy. Just browsing or is there something special you’re looking for?” the young woman asked.
“I’m not sure if you carry anything in my size?”
“Of course we do! What do you need? A fun, casual outfit or something special?”
“I need something for a dressy event,” Harper confessed.
“Come over here and check out these dresses. There are several I’m in love with,” the clerk confided. “Let’s see what suits your taste.”
Harper felt her heart beat faster. Could she really have a choice of several instead of settling for something just okay?
Soon, she stood in the midst of several racks of sparkling outfits. Harper crossed her fingers behind her back. Please let something fit.
Thirty minutes later, she had three outfits picked out. How was she going to decide? She looked helplessly at Patsy, who had made the shopping trip so much fun.
“I don’t know either,” Patsy commented, reading Harper’s mind. “Are you sure you won’t need more than one?”