She knew right where she was headed. She'd walked by the shop a hundred times, but had only ever glanced in the window to gawk at the dresses they had displayed. The price tags started in the thousand dollar range, meaning she never ever considered actually walking into the store.
I can't believe Wyatt is buying me a dress, she thought. How sweet is this? No guy has ever done anything remotely like this for me.
After parking her car, she headed toward the shop. In an attempt to not look completely out of place in the expensive boutique, she'd dressed up the best she could. She had on a skirt suit that she normally saved for job interviews, but figured it would at least make her look like she could afford to be in the store.
As soon as she walked in, the young woman standing behind the counter looked up. She looked to be about Lily's age and was dressed in a beautiful green gown, which Lily was pretty sure must have come from the store's racks.
“Good morning,” the woman said. “I'm Allison. How can I help you?”
Lily shuffled her feet, suddenly feeling a little nervous. Each article of clothing that surrounded her was worth more than every possession she had combined. It was almost like she was afraid to touch anything, because of the fear of having to pay for it if she accidentally messed it up somehow.
“Hi there,” Lily said, approaching the counter. “I'm looking for a dress.”
The lady smiled. “Well, then you've obviously come to the right place.”
“Yeah, I suppose that's a good point,” Lily said. “I guess I'll just take a look around and see what I find.”
“Sounds great. I'm Bonnie, by the way,” she said. “Let me know if you need any help. I can get your measurements if you need me to, otherwise let me know if there's a dress that catches your eye and I'll unlock the fitting room for you.”
Lily nodded. “Okay. Thanks, Bonnie. I'm Lily.”
“Good to meet you,” Bonnie said, then brought her attention back down to her work, where she busily typed away at her computer.
Lily felt like she had just walked into a dream. Surrounding her on all sides were some of the most beautiful dresses she'd ever seen in her entire life. At just a glance, she could tell that they were of the finest quality. The material seemed to shine in the light. The stitching was clearly done with care. The attention to detail on all of them was something that she knew a factory couldn't have produced. It was as though each one was custom built by an artist.
This is incredible, she thought, letting her fingers slide over some dresses as she walked past. I had no idea this place was so big and had so many dresses. This is like a girl's dream come true. The best part, though, is that I'm actually going to be able to purchase one of these today. My friends would be so jealous if they knew where I was right now. They'd flip. Actually, I doubt they'd even believe me if I told them.
She walked through the maze of clothes racks, her eyes glazed over like a kid in a candy store. Each dress seemed like it was more elegant than the last. She wanted every one of them.
How on Earth am I supposed to pick out just a single dress to buy with all of these to choose from? She thought, continuing her stroll through the store.
Lily stopped at a clothes rack near the back. There were a few dresses hung on it, all made of different colors of silk. She wasn't sure exactly what it was that brought her attention to one of them, but suddenly her eyes focused and her heart leaped from her chest.
“This is beautiful,” she whispered, shaking her head in awe.
In her hands was a baby blue gown made of the smoothest silk she'd ever felt. The upper part was low cut, with a V-neck that plunged pretty far down. She carefully pulled the dress from the hangar and held it out in front of her, letting it flow elegantly just above the floor.
“It's nice, isn't it?” Bonnie's voice came from behind her.
Lily glanced over her shoulder, to see Bonnie approaching her with a long cloth tape measure in her hands.
“It's amazing,” Lily said. “This color. I've never seen anything like it.”
“It's the silk that brings out the color,” Bonnie explained. “This silk is from France. There's a special area there where they harvest it. The area is small, though, meaning only a certain amount of silk can be obtained every year. What you're holding in your hands right now is quite rare, but obviously quite beautiful.”
Lily suddenly felt like she was holding something as valuable as the Queen's crown. She carefully put it back on the hangar and hung it up.
“Let me get a few measurements on you,” Bonnie said. “If you like that dress, we can always tailor it if needed. It wouldn't be a problem.”
“How long would tailoring take?” Lily asked. “I need a dress for tonight.”
“Tonight?” Bonnie raised her eyebrows.
“Yeah, I've got a date,” Lily replied, with a coy smile.
“Well then, I guess we'd better get to work,” Bonnie said, with a chuckle. “Let's get your measurements first. There's always a chance that we won't have to do too much tailoring to make the dress work for you.”
“I'll keep my fingers crossed,” Lily said.