by Leanne Banks
“Hmm,” she said and cut her eyes at him. “Speaking of dates, why aren’t you out tonight?”
“I’ve got to be up early to help get a senior guy’s house ready for his return from a physical rehab center,” he said.
“That’s nice of you,” she said.
He shrugged, feeling a little self-conscious from the compliment. “Least I can do. You do more than your share of volunteer activities yourself,” he said. “But enough of patting ourselves on the back. Let’s talk about fixing your dating life.”
She closed her eyes and sighed. “Okay, you’re on. I’ll give it a try. What is it that men want, anyway?”
“Well,” Nick said, studying Cecelia for a long moment. “Don’t get me wrong. There’s nothing wrong with the way you look. You’ve got all the basics covered. You got nice long brown hair and pretty eyes.”
“Need to check my teeth?” she joked.
He chuckled. “No. I’ve seen your teeth. You’ve got a nice smile. I think you need to try wearing more makeup. Lipstick. Red lipstick. Men love red lipstick.”
“Oh, that’s ridiculous. I can’t believe I’m going to get a date just because I change the color of my lips.”
He lifted his hands. “You asked. I answered. You could probably pick some up at Crawford’s General Store.”
“They don’t carry lipstick, do they? And how would you know if they did?”
“They carry a little bit of everything. If you don’t believe me, I’ll walk you over there right now and see. If they have red lipstick, then you have to put it on and come back here tonight while you’re wearing it.” He paused, calculating that he might have to give her a little dare as a push. “Unless you’re afraid.”
“I’m not afraid,” she said, bristling. “I’ll walk over there with you tomorrow, then we’ll come back to the bar.”
“All right then,” he said, and took a sip of his beer. “It’s a deal then. You get red lipstick at the general store. Afterward, you test my theory at the Ace in the Hole.”
She hesitated a half beat, as if she didn’t know how to respond to him, then lifted her chin. “Deal on,” she said.
The next afternoon, Cecelia met Nick inside the entryway of the rooming house. He opened the door for her in gentlemanly deference and she looked at him in surprise. That made Nick realize that maybe he’d been treating her like one of the guys a bit too much. Cecelia deserved better. She really was the best woman he knew. She was the one person he felt as if he could really trust. He could be himself with her. If he weren’t so determined not to risk his own heart, she would be the kind of woman he would want. But Nick knew marriage wasn’t in the cards for him. That meant he had to help Cecelia find a man if he wanted to keep his best friend in town.
“Well, that’s new,” she muttered and led the way down the stairs.
They walked the few blocks through town to the general store, where Nick opened the door. It was a crisp fall afternoon that hinted at the chill that would soon envelop Rust Creek Falls for most of winter. Having lived in Montana his entire life, Nick was well accustomed to cold weather and snow. He also knew that some of the newer visitors, in particular the rush of women from out of town looking for men, would be hard-pressed to last the entire winter.
One thing about Cecelia was that she knew how to dress for chilly weather. The trouble was that she didn’t dress at all sexily. Nick supposed it must be hard to bare much skin when it was cold outside. Still, other women managed it, so Cecelia could, too.
“Toiletry aisle,” Cecelia murmured as they headed in the same direction. “Razors, shampoo, hand lotion. Don’t see any lipstick. Well, darn,” she said with a cheeky smile.
Determined, Nick wandered farther down the aisle. “What’s this?” he asked, pointing at a small display of cosmetics.
Cecelia walked toward him and glanced at the shelves. “Looks like nail polish. And lipstick,” she added in surprise. “But no red,” she said as if she were relieved.
Nick knelt down to the bottom shelf and picked up a plastic-wrapped tube of red lipstick. He held it toward her. “Looks like red to me.”
Cecelia groaned. “I can’t believe Crawford’s actually carries hooker-red lipstick.”
“It’s not hooker red,” he told her and pointed at the end of the tube. “Look. They call it Seduce Me Sin. That’s what you need. A little seducing and a little sin,” he said, although the sin image bothered him a little bit.
“But red is so attention-getting. It screams look-at-me. Like I’m a tart,” she complained.
“Are you already welching on our deal?”
“Not at all,” she said, clutching the lipstick as she walked toward the register.
“I’ll buy it,’ Nick said.
“Not necessary,” she said and waited for the clerk to ring up her purchase.
“Pretty color,” the clerk said.
“Hmm,” Cecelia said in a noncommittal tone and quickly paid for her purchase. She walked toward the door then stopped abruptly. “I need a mirror,” she said. “Oh, wait, I can look in the window.”
Staring into the window, she applied the red lipstick then turned to Nick. “Does it look okay?”
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s nice,” he said. “Very nice.”
At that moment, he felt her gaze on his and with her mouth uplifted, she was close enough...to kiss. Nick blinked. Weird thought. At the same time, he couldn’t help inhaling her sweet natural scent. Cecelia really didn’t need lipstick. She didn’t need anything. She was pretty just the way she was. Unfortunately, she was competing with women who packed a lot more in their arsenal. At the same time that he knew he was helping her to attract a man, Nick felt reluctant about tampering with her natural beauty.
Cecelia sighed. “I guess we’d better head back to the bar so you can see that red lipstick isn’t going to make a bit of difference in whether I get a date or not,” she said and led the way through the door. “Haven’t you heard that expression about putting lipstick on a pig? Not that I’m a pig, but I’m just me. Plain ol’ Cecelia.”
“You don’t look like plain ol’ Cecelia to me,” Nick said. “With a little more makeup and some different clothes, you could look like a model in an advertisement.”
Cecelia rolled her eyes at him. “Because makeup and different clothes make so much sense when I spend most of my time dodging sawdust, stomping past nails and screws and yelling over construction equipment.”
Nick shook his head. “You have a point, but you agreed to this experiment,” he said as he opened the door to the bar.
“Yeah, yeah,” she said and followed him to one of the few empty tables.
“Let me get you a beer,” he said.
“Thanks,” she said and drummed her fingers on the table. “How long do I have to wear this war paint?” she asked.
“The rest of the night,” he said firmly. She shot him what looked like a combination smile and snarl and he headed to the bar to get their drinks. Nick got stopped along the way by a pretty girl from Idaho and started flirting. Humming after getting her number, he headed over to the table Cecelia had nabbed for them, but stopped when he saw a man chatting with her.
He watched her slice her hand through the air and say no. The man appeared to walk away reluctantly. Nick walked the rest of the way to the table and sat down with the drinks. “What was that about?”
“Some guy came up. I didn’t know his name. He asked if he could buy me a beer,” she said and took a sip. “I told him no. I don’t know who he is.”
Nick groaned. “Cecelia, you don’t just cut a guy off at his knees when he offers to buy you a beer.”
“But I didn’t know him,” she said. “He could be an ax murderer. Or married.”
“I’m not sure which is worse,” he said, rubbing his chin. “But you
’re trying to get a date, so when a guy offers to buy you a beer, your answer should be yes.”
Cecelia frowned. “What if I don’t want a beer? Or what if I don’t like the way he looks?”
“Too bad. You have to at least give the guy a chance.” Nick shook his head. “This is going to take more work than I planned.”
“I’m not sure it’s going to work, period,” she said.
“You put on the lipstick and a guy approached you. You can’t deny that, can you?”
Cecelia nearly squirmed in her seat. “No,” she said in a low voice. “And I’m not wearing this lipstick to work.”
“A deal’s a deal,” Nick said. “You agreed to try my plan in order to improve your nonexistent love life.”
Cecelia squinted at him. “You are hard on my ego.”
“I am not. You’ve got everything you need to make the guys come after you. You just need to learn a few tricks, and I can help you with that. Day after tomorrow, I want to take a look at what’s in your closet. Do you even own a dress?”
Cecelia dropped her jaw. “Of course I own a dress. A black one for attending funerals.”
“Oh, Lord, I can imagine that’s a hot number,” he said and waved his hand when she opened her mouth to protest. “Day after tomorrow.”
“If this is so important, then why are we waiting?” she asked.
Nick smiled. “Because I have a date tomorrow night.”
“Of course you do,” she said and took a sip of water. “What have I gotten myself into?”
* * *
Two days later, a knock sounded on her door and she opened it to Nick. “Hi,” she said. “How was your date?”
“The food was okay,” he said, squinting. “Chewy chicken, but she tried.”
“How soon did you leave after dinner?” she asked.
“Ten minutes,” he said.
She shook her head. “Oh, Nick, that was harsh.”
He shrugged. “I fixed a leak under her kitchen sink.” He stepped inside her room. “Show me your closet.”
Cecelia winced as she led him to the small closet in her room. She opened it and he immediately began to fan through her clothes...flannel shirts, jeans, jeans and more jeans. Jackets, jackets and more jackets. He paused at her long black dress and sighed then flipped through several more hangers.
“I’m not seeing anything that has a hem above your ankles except this funeral dress,” he muttered.
She shifted from one foot to the other. “Dresses and skirts aren’t practical in my line of employment.”
“Well, you need at least a couple,” he said bluntly.
“That’s ridiculous. I’ll freeze,” she said.
“Wear boots and stockings, like other women do,” he said and shrugged again.
She frowned. “I don’t have the budget for a new dress.”
“I do,” he said. “So either you pick it out or I will.”
She scowled. “I don’t have to time for shop for a dress.”
“Then you’ll get whatever I choose,” he said.
“Okay, okay,” she said. “I’ll go into town next week.”
“How about now?” he asked.
She sputtered and crossed her arms over her chest. “I have things to do.”
“Like what?”
“Tomorrow I have to get up early to help with the kids’ soccer games,” she said.
Nick tapped his watch. “It’s five-fifteen,” he said. “I know you’re not planning to go to bed before nine. Come on. Let’s go to Kalispell. If we get moving we can knock this shopping off the list and be back in no time.”
“Won’t everything be closed?” she asked, uncomfortable at the prospect of trying on dresses for Nick.
“They have a new department store that stays open till nine. Come on. Let’s go.”
“You are really determined, aren’t you?” she asked.
“I’ve never been one to back down from a challenge. Plus I don’t want Rust Creek Falls to lose you just because we need to wake up a guy or two. I have a goal to get you a date. Or two. Or three,” he said. “We can grab a burger on the way.”
Cecelia joined Nick in his pickup truck and they squabbled over which radio station for a few minutes. Nick wanted to listen to college football and she wanted some music to calm her nerves. She was starting to wonder if she’d made a mistake by agreeing to follow Nick’s advice to get a man. She sure hadn’t counted on him giving her cosmetic and wardrobe advice. Jeez, she hadn’t even realized guys thought about that stuff. Especially a man’s man like Nick.
She stole a glance at his hard profile and sank lower in her seat. Well, her best friend, Jazzy, had gotten herself into a so-called pretend marriage that had become very real. Cecelia sighed. So, maybe she was going to have to be more open-minded. Even if it killed her.
A half hour later, Nick pulled into the parking lot of the nationwide department store. Her stomach took a dip. “Maybe you should wait here,” she said.
“Oh, no,” he said. “You might go in there and find something my grandmother would wear.”
“Shame on you,” she said. “Your grandmother isn’t even alive.”
“Exactly,” he said and put the truck in park. “Let’s get this done.”
Cecelia reluctantly climbed out of the truck and joined Nick as they walked into the department store. She shoved her hands into her pockets and, after looking at the signs, headed for the ladies’ department.
One sales associate was straightening a table of sweaters.
Nick pointed to the woman. “Let’s talk to her.”
“We could look around first,” she said, her nervousness increasing.
“No need. Hello, miss,” he called. “We’re looking for a dress. And maybe a skirt,” he said.
The woman looked from Nick to Cecelia. “For you or her?” she asked.
Cecelia looked at Nick and treasured the discomfort on his face. “Her,” he said. “Definitely her.”
The woman with a name tag that said Debbie nodded. She gave Cecelia an assessing glance. “Size six or eight,” she said. “What’s the occasion?”
“She’s got a couple of dates coming up,” Nick said.
“Let me find you a few things to try on,” the woman said and led the way through the racks of clothing.
Moments later, Cecelia stood in the dressing room with a load of dresses and skirts. Tugging off her clothes, she pulled on a dress. A knock sounded on the dressing room door, startling her.
“Your friend would like to see your dress,” Debbie said.
Cecelia made a face at the mirror then took a deep breath and walked to just outside the room. Nick glanced at her and shook his head. “Dress needs to be shorter.”
The sales clerk stepped toward them. “This could take a while, sir. Perhaps you would prefer to take in a game at the sports bar next door.”
Nick hesitated a moment. “Okay,” he said. “Find me when you’re done. Just don’t pick out anything my grandmother would wear.” He walked away.
Cecelia breathed a sigh of relief.
“Now,” Debbie said. “Let’s move on to the next selection.”
Twenty-five minutes later, Cecelia walked out of the department store with a dress and skirt she didn’t hate. Both had been on sale, and Debbie had secretly given Cecelia her employee discount. She felt a little more confident after purchasing the two garments.
Walking toward the sports bar, she smiled to herself as she strode inside and spotted Nick drinking a beer and watching a football game. She scooted onto the stool next to his. “How’s it going?” she asked.
He glanced up at her in surprise then took a sip of beer and shrugged. “Okay. They’re not showing my teams.”
“Boise State
or Oregon Ducks,” she said.
“Or even Washington Huskies. I don’t ask much,” he grumbled.
She smiled. “Not much,” she echoed.
“Hmm,” he said with a nod and glanced at her bag. “What did you get? I’ll reimburse you.”
She lifted her chin. “No,” she returned. “They were on sale.”
“Great,” he said. “Grandma clothes.”
“No,” she said.
“So when are you going to show me?” he asked.
“Oh, I’m not sure,” she said. “You’ll be lucky to see them.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “Hey, I drove you here. The least you can do is give me a little fashion preview.”
Cecelia grinned impudently. “Your reward is the pleasure of my company.”
“Oh, no,” Nick mocked. “I’ve created a monster.” He chuckled. “Look out, Rust Creek Falls.”
Cecelia felt her grin fade to a grimace. “I wouldn’t count on that big of a splash.” Stealing a sideways glance at Nick, she wondered what it would take to attract him. She wondered what it would take to make Nick fall head over butt. Cecelia closed her eyes at the silly thought. Nick was in complete control of his heart and his feet were planted firmly on the ground. He wasn’t falling for any woman.
They rode back to town listening to a Boise State football game. Cecelia just leaned her head back against the headrest and wondered what she was getting herself into. Did she really want to attract so much attention?
Did she want to remain invisible?
She closed her eyes, wondering if she’d deliberately fended off romantic possibilities. Had she been afraid? Or had she just wanted more than what she’d seen in the men she’d met in Rust Creek Falls?
The prospect gave her a headache. Too much to think about. After all, she’d bought her first dress and skirt in an eon. That should be enough.
* * *
The next morning, Cecelia awakened early. She showered, put her hair back in its regular ponytail and hesitated a microsecond before she put on the dreaded red lipstick. She’d almost become immune to it, blanking it out after she applied it in the morning. If she was lucky, she’d chew it off within a half hour.
