Chapter 11
Willa
I don't remember the last time I met a boyfriend's parents. Especially not a boyfriend with a family vineyard who was bringing me to his family's probably grand estate.
And I had nothing to wear.
For a normal Fourth of July party in Missouri, I'd probably pick up a tank top to go over my bathing suit and spend all day at the lake. I didn't think that would be appropriate for a Summer Soirée at a vineyard.
I normally ordered a lot of my clothes online or scoped the Target clearance rack, but I had no idea where the nearest Target was and only a few days to find something to wear.
That meant I had to go clothes shopping.
I browsed a few places online, but didn't exactly have the budget to spend a few hundred on one dress. Leanna paid well enough, but I wasn't the type of girl to wear something like that anyway. With my luck it would be covered in jam, or I'd spill wine on it and make a fool of myself.
"What are you scoping out?" Natacha asked, peering over my shoulder.
It was another weekend at the market and I was close to selling out with only one pallet of jam left.
I sighed. "Nothing. Just trying to figure out something to wear to meet Justin's family next week."
She raised her eyebrows. "You're going to North Fork? I hope you have your Derby hat and Country Club gear."
"Is it really that bad? Do I need to go to the Upper East Side and get a dress or something?"
I was panicking now. Maybe all of these women really would be in five-hundred dollar dresses and that's what they would expect of me.
Natacha laughed, shaking her head. "No, girl, you don't need to leave Williamsburg or spend more than fifty. If I can get my man to watch the bakery for a few more hours, want to head a few places?"
"You're going to take me shopping?" My eyes trailed over her get up of a rainbow colored tutu and a hot pink shirt.
"What? You don't like my fashion?"
I laughed. "Well, it's not really my style."
"Don't worry, girl. I know the perfect place for you. Not a tutu in sight."
***
After the market, we dropped the empty crates off at the bakery before walking a few blocks in the same direction as the bookstore Justin and I had gone to on our first date.
Natacha stopped at a place that was only a few blocks from the bakery. It had a very bright colored awning and even brighter clothes displays in the window.
"A vintage store?" I asked.
Natacha nodded. "Girl, with your body, you could seriously rock some bombshell gear."
"Do you think that's appropriate?"
Natacha rolled her eyes. "Just come on!"
The place was packed with racks of different clothing. There were black and white posters covering the walls, and a girl with cat-eye glasses and a poodle skirt approached us as soon as we got past the first rack.
"Natacha! I haven't seen you here in a while!"
Natacha and the girl hugged.
"Yeah, Angel, sorry the bakery's been busy."
"I've heard! I saw the article on Page Six."
Natacha laughed. "As much as I'd like to brag about the bakery, which I will, I'm here to help my friend Willa out. She's going with her fancy boyfriend to North Fork and his parent's vineyard. The girl needs some new clothes, desperately."
I looked over my outfit. I didn't think I dressed that bad. Okay, maybe I hadn't actually graduated from my college clothes, and lived in shorts and t-shirts. I had a whole two sundresses, one pair of dress pants, and a button-down shirt. That was the extent of my nicer wardrobe.
Angel smiled her big red lips and looked at me with her eyes wide. "Don't tell me this is the famous jam girl who has stolen the heart of Justin Foster, the former most eligible bachelor in all of Brooklyn?"
I felt a wave of heat creep in my cheeks as Natacha put her arm around me. "The very one! Now we gotta make her look pretty to meet that big Foster family."
Angel's eyes roamed over me, looking me over from head to toe. "Well, you're definitely a classic beauty."
She made a circle around me and I stood completely still, trying to watch her with my eyes.
"Not much for an hourglass figure, more of a pear, a very tiny pear, but we can work with that. A little push up bra couldn't hurt either. I think we've got some stuff that'll work for you. Now come on, doll, let's get to work."
I followed Angel as she thumbed through a few racks, held up an outfit then put it back down, before picking up another. I hadn't said a word and just let her do the work. I figured if I hated something, I didn't have to buy it.
"Okay, let's start with these and go from there," Angel said, pushing me toward a curtained dressing room.
"If you need another size, just holler."
"But come out and model it first," Natacha yelled over the curtain door.
I sucked in a deep breath and looked at myself in the mirror. I definitely didn't look like a girl who belonged with a business owner. At twenty-one, I still thought of myself as a kid most days and even bought some t-shirts in the little boys section at Target. I still had acne and my hair would never stay tamed. I didn't know what a guy like Justin saw in me, and I was sure that his parents would see right away that I wasn't some bigwig. Someone who deserved their son.
"Are you stripping down in there?" Natacha's voice boomed.
"Yeah. Yeah. I'm coming!"
I peeled off my shorts and tank top then pulled the dress from the hanger before sliding it over my head.
The first dress was floral print and looked like something a 1950's housewife would wear. It had tiny cap sleeves with a subtle scoop in the back and a crossover bust with a red collar. It showed just a tiny hint of cleavage, but not enough that it would actually make someone blush. I tied the sash waist belt and ran my hands over the full skirt before doing a little twirl, letting it swish around my legs.
"Come on, doll, we ain't got all day," Angel yelled.
I opened the curtain to an open-mouthed Natacha.
"You hate it. Don't you? Shit and I kind of liked it." I stomped my foot like a pissed off toddler.
Angel shook her head. "No, doll. You look amazing. It's like that dress was made for you."
Natacha nodded. "Yeah, girl, I told you that you could pull off the vintage look!"
I widened my eyes and turned toward the mirror next to the dressing room. "You really think so?"
Natacha smiled, putting her hands on my shoulders. "I know so."
I walked out with the 1950s dress, a cherry print halter dress, a pink seersucker dress, and a one-piece sheath bathing suit. I didn't know if there would actually be any swimming going on, but I didn't want there to be a situation where I didn't have a suit and walk out in my bra and panties.
"Do you think that these will all be okay? Are you sure I'm not making an ass of myself by even going?" I asked Natacha as we walked back home, our arms full of bags since she had to make a few purchases as well.
"Girl, are you worried about how you'll look or what the snooty ass Fosters will think of you?"
"I did not say they were snooty."
Natacha rolled her eyes. "Girl, North Fork equals old money. A family that has that much money probably isn't too down to earth."
I frowned. "Well when you put it that way."
Natacha put her arm around me. "Just be yourself. Obviously Justin likes you for you and if his parents have two eyes and a brain they're going to like you too."
I let out a deep breath. "I hope so."