Then Came You (The Wilde Sisters #2) by Marianne Rice

affair? Formal attire? After a quick trip to a boutique Armand recommended, Thyme laid out the four dresses she purchased.
    “Eenie.” She pointed to the red, strapless mini. Very sexy. “Meanie.” Next was the white, flowy dress. Very Marilyn Monroe. “Miney.” A fitted one-shoulder dress in deep eggplant. “Moe.” A pink satin sundress. Cute. Flirty.
    She continued with the rhyme and pointing to each dress. “My mother said I pick you.” Her index finger stopped at the red. “Shit.” No, she couldn’t do it. The dress screamed sex. Besides, her mother had never been there to help her make a decision. The mini was out.
    Oh, sex with Grayson. She could totally imagine it. It had been so long since she’d been with a guy. Months. And months. And Grayson was so…yummy. And now that she knew he wasn’t an intentional homewrecker he was even sexier.
    A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. “Can I get it, Thyme?” Maddie yelled from the living room.
    “Wait for me, Maddie. We don’t open the door unless we know who is on the other side, remember?” She prayed it wasn’t Grayson. She still had thirty minutes until he was due to pick her up and she was still wrapped in the hotel-issued white satin robe. Thyme took a deep breath and walked through the suite to the front door, looked through the peephole, and sighed in relief.
    Opening the door, she smiled. “Hi, Eva. You’re early.”
    “Oh, I hope I’m not intruding. I just thought I’d play with Maddie so you could get ready.” The woman was a saint. And a bit of a matchmaker.
    “You’re very thoughtful, thank you. Now if I could only figure out what to wear. Do you know if this is a stuffy affair or a casual sail on the ocean?”
    Eva contemplated for a moment and looked Thyme up and down, making her slightly self-conscious, before responding, “Dressy, but not formal. Would you like some help?”
    “Yes, please. I’m a jeans and t-shirt kind of girl. I went shopping this morning and plan on returning the three dresses I don’t wear tonight.” Thyme led Eva to her room, Maddie following behind.
    “Can I pick your dress for you?” Maddie pleaded.
    “I would love your help as well, princess.”
    Eva ran her hand down all four dresses and Thyme was suddenly aware she was completely out of her element. The woman was used to designer clothing and top-quality material, not small town boutique store summer knock-offs. Heck, she was the heiress to a fashion empire.
    “You have beautiful taste, Thyme. I think any of these would be appropriate. Which one do you feel most comfortable in?”
    “I’m not a sexy dress kind of girl, but it was fun to try the white and red.” She pointed to the eggplant and pink dress. “These two don’t seem as slu—skimpy.”
    “I like the purple one,” Maddie said as she stroked the dress.
    “Me too. It’s fitted but the material has some give to it. And it will hug your curves beautifully. How about shoes?” Eva asked.
    “Shoes? Oh. All I brought were flip flops and sandals.” Thyme looked down at her tanned feet. Her turquoise pedicure with the tropical flower painted on her big toe was cute. Her toes would surely dress up a pair of sandals.
    “What size are you?”
    “Hmm?” Thyme looked at the perfectly coifed hair, makeup that looked airbrushed yet natural, and long, lean frame. Eva was just as beautiful as her son.
    “Shoe size?”
    “Oh, a seven.”
    “Perfect. I’m a seven-and-a-half but the pair I’m thinking of is pretty snug on my feet. They will look stunning with this dress. You get dressed. Maddie, would you like to come with me to my suite to get the shoes for Thyme?”
    “Yay! We’ll be right back, Thyme.” Maddie took Eva’s hand and pulled her through door.
    Thyme used the few minutes of solitude to apply her sweet pea lotion—that was as close as she got to perfume—and dug through the bureau drawer for her pink thong and strapless bra. After pulling the dress over her