Free A Pinch of Ooh La La by Renee Swindle Page A

that I was happy they had stopped by but I had to leave within the hour.
    â€œYes, that’s why I’m here. We were in the neighborhood and I remembered you had your date.”
    Doug bellowed from the kitchen: “In the neighborhood by a long shot. My wife is just putting her two cents in when no one asked, nothing new. She’s as cute as she can be, but try not to pay her any mind.”
    Rita looked at me and shook her head. “I’m only curious about what you’re going to wear.” She pitched her voice toward the kitchen, adding, “And we
were
in the neighborhood. We had drinks with friends.”
    Doug walked past with a small plate loaded with cookies from Scratch and chips from the grocery store. He paused when he reached Rita. “If you call Lafayette ‘in the neighborhood,’ I’d like to stop by LA before we head home.” He continued to the TV with a chuckle.
    Rita gave me a look:
My silly husband.
She loved him, though. After all, she liked to be looked after and he liked to look after her: perfect match.
    â€œYou came all the way here to see what I was wearing on my date? I’m not some thirteen-year-old schoolgirl going to her first boy-girl dance.”
    â€œI realize that. I was there for your first dance, and you should be grateful I talked you out of those bell-bottoms, andyou should be grateful I’m here now. So, what are we planning to wear?”
    â€œWe? I don’t know about you, but I know what I’m wearing and it has nothing to do with you. Believe it or not, I’ve been on a few dates before and I’ve managed just fine.”
    â€œOh, really? You, who’s been single for how long? Sweetheart, that’s exactly why I’m here. Something isn’t working. You want a man? You have to attract a man. I haven’t seen you in a dress since Dinah’s wedding.” She glanced over her shoulder at Doug. “Isn’t that right, honey? When was the last time you saw Abbey in a dress?”
    â€œYeah, a long time ago. Fumble. . . . Fumble!
Fumble!
”
    â€œYou remember how pretty she looked in her bridesmaid’s dress?”
    â€œYeah, real pretty. Get it! Get it! Interception! Run! Run!”
    Rita held me by the shoulders. “Let me help you. You need male energy in your life, and I don’t mean Bendrix or your brothers.” She chucked her head toward Doug. “You need
that
kind of male energy, and I can help you get it. We’ll do something with that hair of yours and find a nice dress. There must be one dress in that closet of yours.” She held my chin between her fingers and examined my face. “And we’ll put on a little lipstick and eye shadow. It’ll be fun.”
    Doug shouted from his seat, “You idiot! What kind of stupid call is that?”
    â€¢Â Â Â â€¢Â Â Â â€¢
    A fter Rita and Doug left, I stared at my reflection in my full-length bedroom mirror; Rita’s version of me stared back. I had on heels that I’d unearthed from my closet and a dress I’d worn to a friend’s engagement party. Rita had curled my eyelashes and added enough mascara to make my eyes look wide and awake. Blush brought out my cheekbones, and my wildtumble bush—sometimes known as hair—had been curled and was held back from my face by two stealth bobby pins. The dress paired with the shoes made my legs look longer and gave my hips some curve. I turned slightly to the left so I could see the ass I’d forgotten I had.
    Avery had never cared about things like high heels and straight hair, and we’d both liked dressing funky and making a statement with our clothes. After I bought the bakery I’d made my fashion statement with the assortment of clogs I wore in every color. My hair was rarely out of a ponytail.
    The woman in the mirror stared back at me. She would turn heads. She was sexy and confident. The woman in the mirror