Read Over the Line for Free Online Page B

little fun, too.” Was that too subtle? Should he just say he wanted to spend time with her and this seemed like a kill-two-birds-with-one-grenade option?
    She grinned and settled back in the seat. “As long as there’s an open bar, a band I can sing along to, and drunk uncles I can dance with, I’m golden.”
    Oh shit. He was totally owned.
    So why was the biggest shit-eating grin spreading across his face?

Chapter Five
    Walker dropped her off at Nordstrom with a freaking black, metal American Express card while he went off on an errand. If she hadn’t really listened to him in the car, she might have thought he was up to no good. Arms dealing or something. But although he didn’t say it, everything about his Audi, the need to smooth over relations with his parents, and his way of speaking suggested, quite strongly, that his family came from money.
    Now here she was in a private dressing room which was only slightly smaller than her own bedroom, and much better furnished. She had given the wedding itinerary to the shopping assistant, and sat perched on a plush, dusty pink chaise longue. The windows and walls were covered in billowing silk drapes that rustled with the flow from the air conditioning vent, and the coffee table had bottles of water and cookies on it.
    Who the hell ate cookies while trying on dresses?
    A knock at the door preceded a waft of warm air as it swung open. A huge clothes rack on wheels made a bang as it entered the room. The assistant pushed the rail to the side of the room by the window and gestured to the clothes at the end of the rail nearest the door.
    “Day dresses, casual evening wear, and then formal evening wear,” she said as she walked the length of the rack. “Underwear for all of the above. I noticed you aren’t wearing undergarments suitable for summer dresses.”
    She was right about that, but still it felt uncomfortable having another woman look at her so critically.
    “On the rack below each outfit are appropriate shoes. Feel free to mix and match, and put those you would like to take home with you on the rack over there.” She pointed toward a smaller rail attached to the wall. “If you need assistance, please use the call button on the wall. If you get stuck, use the red button.”
    “Stuck?”
    The assistant gave her another appraising look. “I’m sure it won’t happen to you, but a few extra cookies, some Spanx and a dress that’s a size too small… let’s just say that it’s happened enough that we installed an alarm button.” She drew a silk curtain across the room in front of the door, and left the room.
    “Wow. Okay, thank you,” Beth said to the empty space, feeling not just a little overwhelmed. Old Navy and Athleta were more her usual style. She felt way out of her league. Way out.
    She rose, wiping her hands on her skirt. Why was she doing this again? Oh yes. She owed this man her life, and it would be
really
good experience for her potential new career as a CIA Protection Officer. She needed to know how to blend into any situation, deal with every type of person, and this was as good an opportunity as any to practice. And hello? Missing your own sister’s wedding? Not on her watch. She refused to think about the logistics of them pretending to be girlfriend and boyfriend. It wasn’t until after she’d suggested it that she realized the implications. Hand-holding in front of people at the very least.
    Not thinking about it.
    She stripped, and replaced her sports bra and Hanes with a pink lace set the woman had put out for her. In the mirror she could see a different Beth. One she’d literally never been before. She undid her braid and let her long brown hair cascade over her shoulders. Wow. She felt… different. Looked… feminine.
    Standing a little straighter, she started trying on dresses. They all looked peculiarly fantastic. The assistant really had a great eye. She moved two that fit the best to the “take home” rail and moved on to the