The Summer Girlfriend (Heart Beach, #1)(57)

“Don’t worry about that. Just choose whichever dress you like best.”

A wrinkle appeared between her brows. “You’re sure?”

“Positive.”

“Noelle?” Daniela called. “Come, come, sweetie.”

Jeremiah smiled at Noelle as she hurried inside the dressing room.

“Let me know when you’re in the gown and I’ll zip you up,” Daniela said, closing the curtain as Noelle got undressed. Jeremiah could see her feet below the curtain. Her sundress dropped to the floor, followed by her bra. He swallowed thickly and glanced away, trying not to imagine what she looked like right now.

“Okay, I have it on,” Noelle said.

Daniela disappeared behind the curtain and presumably zipped up the back of Noelle’s dress. Then the curtain opened, revealing Noelle. The dress was emerald green with a beaded bodice. Skinny straps went over her shoulders, and the skirt was made of tulle. She looked like a princess. Daniela instructed Noelle to step onto the platform in front of the mirror.

“You look beautiful,” Jeremiah said.

Noelle smiled at him and blushed. “Thank you.”

“Doesn’t she? The color suits you well, Noelle,” Daniela said. “What do you think?”

“I like it.” Noelle looked at Jeremiah. “What about you?”

“I like it too.” His opinion didn’t really matter at the end of the day. He wanted her to choose whichever dress she liked, but he was glad that she’d made him feel included.

Noelle observed her reflection, turning from side to side. “I like it,” she repeated slowly, “but I don’t love it.”

“Let’s try on the next one,” Daniela said, leading Noelle back into the dressing room. She waited while Noelle slipped into the next option, and she popped behind the curtain to zip Noelle up.

This time when Noelle emerged, she wore a low-cut silver gown that displayed a nice sliver of cleavage. Jeremiah sat up straighter.

“I like this one too,” he said immediately.

Noelle laughed and shook her head as she looked at her reflection. “You would say that.”

“This is one of my most requested styles. Very sexy,” Daniela said. “You look gorgeous.”

“You really do,” Jeremiah agreed.

“Thank you.” Noelle bit her lip. “I like it a lot, but I still don’t think this is the one either.”

“Third time’s the charm,” Daniela said, whisking Noelle away behind the curtain once more.

It took longer for Noelle to put on the next dress. Jeremiah overheard Daniela mumbling about a tricky zipper. While he waited, he checked the time on his phone. It was almost nine p.m. He wondered if his family had gone to the movies or not. He was opening his text thread with Amara when Noelle finally came out of the dressing room. He dropped his phone in his lap. The gown was satin black and strapless with a slit that went up her right thigh. The dress hugged her body, and her braids were pulled to the side, showing off her elegant neckline and shoulders. She was a classy, sexy bombshell. And she’d rendered him speechless.

“Va va voom,” Daniela sang, buzzing around Noelle. She gestured to the slit. “You can dance easily in this one. We can take in the hem at the bottom and a little at your waist.”

Noelle spun in a circle, standing on her tiptoes as if she were wearing heels. She grinned at herself in the mirror. It did something to his heart to see her look so happy.

“I love it,” she declared. She looked over her shoulder at Jeremiah. “What do you think?”

He was too busy staring at her to answer.

“Jeremiah?” she prompted.

He blinked. “You’re breathtaking.”

Noelle paused and they locked eyes for a heated moment. She smiled softly. “Thank you.”

“Is this our winner?” Daniela asked, glancing between the two of them.

Noelle nodded, and Daniela clapped her hands. At the same time, the store’s phone started to ring, and Daniela sighed.

“Who would call this late, knowing that I’m closed?” she grumbled. “Noelle, sweetie, let me know once you’ve taken off the dress and I’ll be there in one minute.”

Daniela walked to the register to answer the phone, and Jeremiah’s eyes trailed Noelle as she slipped back behind the curtain. Next Saturday, he was gonna have to survive an entire night of Noelle wearing that dress. He didn’t know how the hell he would do it.

“Oh shit,” Noelle suddenly muttered. “Jeremiah?”

He stood. “Yeah?”

“This zipper is stuck.” She hesitated. “Can you help me?”

He glanced at Daniela, who was still on the phone. His heart thrummed in his chest as he pulled the curtain aside. Noelle was standing with the zipper halfway down, exposing most of her back. She clasped the front of the dress to her chest to keep it from falling. His pulse thundered in his ears as he was enveloped by her floral perfume. He held his breath as he stood behind her and moved her braids to the side. His fingers brushed against the smooth skin of her back, and his hands tingled. He made himself focus on the reason she’d asked for his help. There was some fabric stuck in the zipper. Slowly, carefully, he began to dislodge the fabric, trying not to rip it in the process.

“I didn’t break the zipper, did I?” Noelle asked, sounding stressed.