Tuesday Teaser - February 2nd

Happy Groundhog's day!! I've never put much stock in Ground hog's day - living in Minnesota, you always get six more weeks of winter whether Punxsutawney Phil predicts it or not. Did I say six? I meant ten, heck sometimes twelve. Yes, I've seen it snow in May. Still, that groundhog is pretty darn cute, and being a close relative to the gopher, I kind of have a soft spot for him.

Today's teaser is another excerpt from NIKKI's WISH. It's the beginning of one of my favorite scenes, somewhere in the middle of the book. All comments are appreciated.

And that’s how I ended up that afternoon back at Glitz! trying on dresses again. I had returned the white dress I bought on Saturday, knowing that since I now had a suitable dance partner, I didn’t have to resort to the color that made me look like an albino rabbit. I flipped through the hangers, looking for something a bit darker, finally deciding on a mocha number with short sleeves and a dipping neckline. I had always imagined prom dress shopping to be a thing that Shani and I would do together. She would have tried on every dress in the store only to end up with the one she had first spotted. I tried to smile at my reflection, but the thought of Shani was too front and center in my mind. Still, the brown dress was an improvement. Maybe if I colored my hair a bit darker...

            “What are you trying to do to yourself?” I jumped a foot in the air as Maxine walked towards me, followed by her ever faithful lapdog/android, Guy. “Seriously, that makes you look like something a dog dropped in the park.”

            “Gee, thanks.” I walked back to the rack of dresses, attempting to ignore her.

            “Nikki, Nikki, Nikki,” Maxine scolded. “If you needed help picking out formal attire, you should have consulted me.” She shoved a sales lady out of the way and pranced to the other end of the store where she began her mission to find me the perfect formal. “You need something bright, to contrast your pale skin. Red will be your best color.”

            “I don’t—“

            “Trust me, honey. I have three hundred years of dressing room experience.” She pulled out the brightest red dress on the rack. It was silk, sleeveless, with a tight fitting bodice that gathered in the small of the back. The front was accented by silver embroidery and matching rhinestones that glittered in all the wrong places. It was gaudy. It was obnoxious. It was nothing I would ever consider pulling off the hanger much less draping over my skin. But as Maxine proceeded to do just that, I realized that it looked – good.