Free Stadium of Lights: A Second Chance Sports Romance by Tia Lewis Page A

be here to make our reservation. Why don’t we pop out for a minute to the store across the street? They have a lot of really cute dresses and shoes. I bet we could find you something you’d feel more comfortable in.”
    My head spun. “You think so? I mean, this is sort of your thing. You organized it.”
    “Yeah, and we’ll be back in plenty of time. It won’t take more than a few minutes to find something for you—you have such a lovely figure; I would kill for that tiny waist.” Meanwhile, her waist was practically invisible. “Come on! It’ll be fun, and you’ll feel more confident.”
    “Okay, if you say so!” I only hoped I could afford it—something told me that my new friend and I moved in vastly different tax brackets. I followed her out of the restaurant, and she giggled as she led me across the street. Stepping into the boutique—not just a store, but a boutique—made me feel wealthier. My credit card would be getting a workout, I thought as I looked around. There were even girls handing out sparkling champagne on silver trays. Skylar gave me a flute before taking one for herself.
    Skylar looked me up and down. “Size four?” she asked.
    “How did you know?” I sipped the sweet, bubbly liquid. It loosened me up a little.
    “I have a good eye.” She winked, then dashed around the store putting together an outfit. A white, one-sleeved dress. Silver belt and sandals. She nearly shoved me into a dressing room to try it all on, and when I stepped out to show her how I looked, she cheered with a huge smile on her face.
    “I look okay?” I checked myself out in the mirror. I had to give it to her—she had an eye, all right. She’d picked something that brought out my hair and eyes, accentuating my small waist and skimming over my breasts and hips. It fell to just above my knee, and the sandals were both stylish and comfortable.
    “You look gorgeous! Come on, we don’t have much time.” She handed me a shopping bag in which to bundle my work clothes, gave me a silver clutch to replace my shoulder bag, and helped me transfer a few things from one bag to the other.
    “She’s going to wear this out of the store,” Skylar informed the salesgirl. She was a force of nature—I understood why she was the one who organized get-togethers. She had the dominant personality that made it possible to wrangle an entire football team.
    I handed over my credit card while Skylar cut the tags on everything. “Don’t tell me how much it costs,” I said. “I’ll change my mind.” The girl behind the register smiled and rang up the tabs as Skylar handed them over. It wasn’t over my card’s limit, so that was a plus.
    “Breathe. You look stunning,” Skylar assured me. “And see, it only took ten minutes.” She led me back to the restaurant and into the ladies’ room, where I touched up my makeup. I giggled, feeling much better about myself. It was incredible, the difference a dress and somebody else’s confidence could make.
    “Thank you,” I said before we went back to the party. “I mean it. I would’ve felt hopelessly out of place all night. I might not have stayed.”
    “You’re welcome and it’s nothing. We NFL girls have to stick together. I’ll introduce you around—for now, I have to go out and make sure everything’s okay. Get yourself a drink, loosen up.” She winked, took one more look at herself in the mirror and dashed out of the bathroom. I felt a little breathless like a storm had just blown over me.
    One more look at myself. “You look stunning,” I said, repeating Skylar’s words. “You look stunning.” I stepped out into the restaurant, reminding myself that it didn’t matter if Max liked the way I looked. Maybe I would see what I was missing with a few of the others from the team. He wasn’t the only man in the world. That Chad seemed to like me—he’d responded well enough when I’d flirted with him, at least. I spotted him across the room, near the bar. He