Page 50 of Mountain Bean Dream
“You come anyway. It’s a chance to get away from work, from demands, and just unwind. We’re pretty harmless. At least most of us are.”
“I like harmless.”
“Oh,” Sage hopped off the bed. “If you come, don’t let Cassie know you’re single. She’ll try to match you up with someone before the night is out.”
I laughed, as it sounded like a big sister thing to do. “I’ll keep that in mind.”
Clasping her hands in her lap, she asked, “What are you planning to wear tonight? A long dress?”
“I’ll show you.” I disappeared into the bathroom and wiggled out of my clothes, pulling on my white jeans, gruntinginto my long-sleeve, knitted white turtleneck (which was tighter than the last time I wore it), and struggling to pull on the beige vest. I opened the door. “Ta-da!”
“Oh, wow. You are a doppelganger for the princess.” She glanced from her phone to me and back to her phone. “What are you wearing for footwear?”
All I had in greyish colour were my knee-high suede boots, but they had a spiky heel, unlike Leia’s heelless boots. I slipped them on and zipped them close.
“Double wow!” She checked out the image on her phone. “One last thing.” She tugged on a few hairs around my ears, freeing them to tickle my cheeks. “Now it’s perfect.”
I went back to the bathroom to check. Sage had done a wonderful job, and I was a close ringer for my favourite Disney Princess, aside from the freckles and red hair and the arm in a sling.
Sage tidied up the hair-dressing area and tucked the chairs back in. “Thank you for inviting me.”
“Thank you for helping. I can’t tell you how much that means to me.”
Lovingly, she patted my arm. “Maybe I do know what it’s like to have someone unexpectedly offer a helping hand.” Her cheeks pinked up.
She must’ve been referring to Elliot, her knight in shining armour whom she was trapped overnight in the Coffee Loft with a few months back. They started the night as acquaintances and by the next day, they’d found something special in each other. It was a beautiful romantic story that I’d heard many times over from Elliot.
“Well, enjoy your night. Have fun and do all the things Star Wars.” A slight grimace crossed her face and she shrugged as she walked to the door. “Whatever that means.”
“We’ll blast some trivia and take home the prize.” Thatwas the plan.
“See you soon.” Sage opened the door and gasped into a loud laugh. “Well, looks like someone’s bad boy smuggler has arrived.”
Standing in the doorway was Jeremy, dressed as a dead ringer for the space pirate but with a full, manicured beard. Decked out in dark blue jeans with a beige top and a black vest, Jeremy even had a belted blaster holder attached to his right leg.
He looked HOT! And super sexy. The V-neck on his top was unbuttoned, showing off a little chest hair and the blood in my veins thrummed in response.
I swallowed and continued to stare unblinking at Jeremy.
He stepped into my room. “You really look amazing, Your Highness.”
“And you? I don’t have the right words in my vocabulary to describe you. You’re…” I blanked on further thoughts. I’d always had a crush on the fictional hero, and seeing an accurate representation standing in my doorway was more than my head could handle.
He pushed his shoulders back and held his head high. “I’m his brother, Sans Solo.”
I laughed and touched his arm. “I love it.”
Like a perfect hero, he offered me his arm. “Shall we go and sweep the floor with MacMillan?”
“We shall.”
“Have a great night you two,” Sage said.
In the wake of seeing Jeremy in full costume, I’d forgotten she was there. “I’m so sorry, Sage. Yes, thank you. We’ll have fun.”
“Wait,” she said and pulled out her phone. “Can I get a picture of this? I’d love to show Elliot.”
I looked at Jeremy who nodded. “Of course. Maybe we should take it at the end over there?”