Chapter 20

The Kentucky Derby.  They were going to the Kentucky Derby.  And the Barnstable Gala.  And Richie was playing at both.  So much for him wanting to be home more.  It felt like they were running every day of the week lately.  Stephanie shook her head as she wandered through her favorite dress shop in Burbank.  She always had good luck in here.  A secret smile snuck across her face as she thought about one very memorable dusky gold dress she had found here.  She hoped she was as fortunate on this trip.  She breathed out a quiet sigh.  With the way things were between them lately, it may not make much of a difference.

She was flipping aimlessly through a rack of cocktail dresses when the owner came out from the store room.

“Miss Stephanie, so nice to see you again!”

“Hey Jeanine, it’s been a while, hasn’t it?” 

Jeanine was barely five foot tall and weighed about 90 pounds soaking wet.  But the woman had energy for days.  She could outlast the Energizer bunny given the chance.  Her hair today was as pink as the battery bunny and against the brilliant green of her blouse made Stephanie think an Easter basket exploded on her.  But, no matter, the woman knew her stuff. 

Jeanine bustled over to the rack Stephanie was going through, “where have you been hiding and what are we shopping for today my friend?”

“I haven’t been hiding, just haven’t needed a dress for anything until now.” Stephanie smiled as the woman started flipping hangars on the other side of the rack.  “We’re going to the Kentucky Derby and I need a dress for that and for the Gala the night before.”  She looked around the shop, “I also need a hat.”

Jeanine’s eyes lit up, “ooh, we just got a couple fancy ones in our last shipment yesterday.  I’ll get them after we find you the perfect dress!”  She continued going through the rack then turned to a second one before yelling across the store to her associate, “Marcee, where’s the D&G that just came in the other day?” 

“D & G?”  Stephanie had no idea what the woman was talking about.

“Dolce & Gabbana, girl.  We got a fabulous floral sheath in the other day that would be stunning on you.  “Marcee, did you find it?”

The girl hollered back, “it’s behind the counter on hold for someone, but she hasn’t been in to pick it up.  That was like four days ago.”

Jeanine went behind the counter and found the dress.  “Four days?!  She snoozes, she loses.”  She hurried back and dragged Stephanie to a dressing room, “here” she pushed the dress at her along with a couple others.  “I’ll look for a gown too, get going on those.”

With a smart salute Stephanie turned to the dressing room, “yes ma’am!” 

She tried on several different floral print dresses and dismissed them all.  Nothing was quite what she had been looking for.  One was too white, one was too flowy and hung on her like a sack, one was just the total wrong color combination.  She hung the last one back on a hanger and reached for the Dolce & Gabbana.  

It was gorgeous.  As she unzipped it and took it off the hangar, she had a mantra of please let it fit running through her head.  She stepped into the black and floral silk sheath, it slid easily up over her hips.  So far, so good.  She got her arms through and with a contorted effort, reached back, said a quick prayer and zipped the dress.  She turned to the mirror, it fit like it was made just for her.  The sheath hugged her in all the right places.  The slight off-the-shoulder style showed off her toned and tanned arms.  And she was in love with the  purple floral pattern.

“Jeanine!”

The woman hustled over, the dresses she was carrying flying behind her, “what’s wrong?”

Stephanie stepped out and stood in front of the trio of mirrors, “Nothing, absolutely nothing. This is the most perfect dress!”

Jeanine looked her up and down, it fit the woman like a dream.  “I knew it!  I knew it was for you.  Now, let’s see,” she thought for a minute, “I’m sure I have a hat and shoes to go with it and here,” she passed off three evening gowns, “try these.”

“I don’t really need shoes, but, it’s the Derby so I definitely need a hat.”  Stephanie took the dresses, and already hated that she’d have to take off the one she was wearing. 

“Pssssh, you always need shoes, girl.”  Jeanine left her and headed across the store. 

♪♪♪♪♪♪♪♪

Hanging the two dresses on the hook on the open closet door, Stephanie just stared at them.  She couldn’t believe she had spent that much money on the one, but Jesus, she couldn’t wait to wear it.  And the gown the Jeanine had picked out was beyond anything her imagination could have come up with.  God, she loved Jeanine.  She hoped the woman never closed her doors.  She would never find another shop like hers.

“Hey, Sweetheart.”

Stephanie turned at Richie’s voice.  “Hey yourself.  I didn’t know you were back.”  He had been at the studio when she had left that morning to go shopping.  “How did it go?”

He looked at the bags on their bed and to the dresses hanging on the closet door. “Not as well as your day did apparently.”  Things were coming along with the songs he and Ori were working on, but a multitude of interruptions that day made it hard to get anything of substance done.  “Did you buy the entire store today?”

“No” she chuckled.  She had walked out with the two dresses, a hat, two pairs of shoes, a couple of skirts and a jacket she couldn’t bear to leave behind.  She would swear her credit card actually screamed a little when she ran it through the reader.  But what fun was having money if you didn’t splurge once in a while?  “I may have left one or two things behind.”

Richie stepped in front of her as she moved toward the bed.  “Are we going to keep being at odds with each other over this?”  He hated the distance he felt growing between them.

“Did you talk to Jon, or any of the guys yet?”  Things were nearly back to normal between them.  As far as she knew he still hadn’t talked to Jon, but she couldn’t force him to do it and while it was a bit of a wedge between them, she couldn’t keep badgering him about it.  But things were still slightly stilted between them because of it. 

He didn’t much care for the disappointment in her eyes either.  “No, but I did send Jon an email.”

She shook her head and moved around him.  “That’s not talking to him, Rich.”

Shoving the bags out of the way, Richie sat down on the edge of the bed, grasping her wrist and tugging her gently to stand between his knees.  “I don’t like this” he waved his hand between them, “thing between us.”

“I don’t either” she sighed and twisted around to sit next to him.  “I just don’t understand why you can’t make a phone call.” 

He brought her hand to his lips, grazing the back of it.  “It’s not that easy, Sweetheart.”

She studied him for a long moment and found something in his eyes she hadn’t seen there before. “What exactly are you afraid of?”