Lorelei's knuckles ached from how hard she scrubbed the tiles in Christina's bathroom. Her back was sore from bending over for half of the day. Jesse did not speak while they cleaned, and Lorelei could not get her mind off Christina. Would she really move to Toronto?

Lorelei had been at the mall with Jody for over an hour. Jody dragged her to multiple stores to try on dresses. Jody was talking about how excited she was for The Black Crow. Lorelei's mind was busy thinking about Christina coming to Toronto.

Jody had found her dress at the first store they went to, so she spent the rest of the time picking out dresses for Lorelei. She was in the changing room, and she zipped up the side of the dress. The cleavage was low cut, and there were cut-outs on the side. She shook her head.

"I'm not wearing this," Lorelei said.

"You probably look hot," Jody said.

"I look ridiculous."

"Let me see."

Lorelei let out a deep breath before opening the changing room door. Jody was sitting on the chair by the mirror. Jody whistled, and Lorelei rolled her eyes.

"You look so good," Jody said.

"I look like a sex worker," Lorelei said.

"Yeah," she said. "One that makes a lot of money."

"Next one."

Lorelei turned and went back into the changing room. She slipped the dress off and slid on the next one. It was black and skin-tight. There were no straps, but she was thankful that her breasts were not spilling out of the top. She stepped out and onto the small podium in front of the mirror.

"Too basic," Jody said.

"Seriously?" Lorelei asked.

"You like it?"

Lorelei turned from side to side to check out the dress. She shrugged.

"It looks okay," she said.

"We're not going for okay," Jody said. "We're going for sexy and alluring."

Lorelei furrowed her brows.

"Who am I alluring?" she asked.

"Men," Jody said. "You've got to remind Jesse that you can get any man you want."

Lorelei bit down on her lip. Her mind went to thinking about Jesse and Brian. He had broken Brian's nose at Molly's wedding. She did not know what Jesse would do if he saw a man flirting with her at this club.

"Maybe I should wear a turtleneck," Lorelei muttered.

Jody laughed. "Why do you say that?"

"You've seen how jealous Jesse gets. I don't want to give him any reason to be mad."

"You can't walk on eggshells around him for the rest of your life."

Not wanting to argue, Lorelei sighed and returned to the changing room. She slipped on the next dress that Jody had picked. It was white and covered in lace. Lorelei stepped back onto the small podium.

"No," Jody said. "White is not your colour."

"It's not?" Lorelei asked.

She ran her hand over the fabric. Jody crinkled her nose and shook her head.

"Your skin is too pale," Jody said.

"What am I supposed to do at my wedding?" Lorelei asked.

"You plan on getting married soon?"

Lorelei bit down on her lip as the heat rushed to her cheeks. Jody's jaw dropped, and she pushed herself to the edge of her seat.

"Seriously?" she asked. "You and Jesse are getting married? He said something in the bar, but he was also drunk."

"I don't know," Lorelei said. "He's just been mentioning proposing a lot on this trip."

"Jesse is talking about marriage while sober?" Jody let out a low whistle. "In all the years I have known Jesse, he has never spoken about marriage and meant it. He used to tell me that the government did not need to be involved in his relationship."

Lorelei laughed.

"Really?" she asked.

"Yes." Jody nodded. "He hated the idea."

"What made him change?"

"He really loves you."

Lorelei blushed an even dark red. She turned and rushed back into the changing room. Her mind was racing, and she ran her fingers through her hair. Jesse had been so instant on wanting to marry her, but was it all a joke? He never wanted to get married before, even to Jody? Would he no longer propose now that Christina would be coming to Toronto? Would he be too busy with his mother to further their relationship?

There was the sound of Jody clearing her throat, and it brought Lorelei out of her thoughts.

"Next one!" Jody said. "You still have that green one to try on, right?"

I looked at the last remaining dress on the hanger. It was a dark green silk dress with a slit up the thigh. I switched to the next dress.

Stepping onto the podium, Lorelei could see in the mirror that Jody was smiling, and she clasped her hands in front of her face. Lorelei turned and examined her reflection. The dress fit her perfectly. She grazed her fingers along her collarbone as she admired the dress.

"That's the one," Jody said.

"I love it," Lorelei said.

"Sexy and alluring."

Lorelei pursed her lips and took another look at the outfit.

"Too sexy?" she asked.

"No," Jody said. "You're getting it. No arguments."

"I'll get it."

Lorelei went back into the changing room and switched into her clothes. While walking to the cashier, her phone rang, and she pulled it out of her pocket. A number she did not recognize flashed across the screen. She furrowed her brows as she answered the call.

"Lorelei, you cannot hang up," Matthew's voice said.

Her stomach twisted into a knot, and she almost dropped the phone in shock. She stopped walking, and Jody spun to see her with her jaw hanging open and eyes wide. Lorelei had not heard her ex-boyfriend's voice in a while. She had thought that his countless attempts to talk to her had stopped.

"Lorelei, I cannot apologize enough," Matthew said. "I was stupid, and I wasn't thinking. I need you to forgive me."

"No," she said.

Her voice came out in a squeak. Her mouth had gone dry, and nausea sat heavy in her stomach. Jody raised a brow as she watched Lorelei's shocked expression.

"Baby, I need you to at least talk to me," Matthew said.

She gritted her teeth as she listened to the pet name. Matthew never used pet names. That was not something he did. Hearing him say it made her feel enraged.

"Why don't you fuck off?" Lorelei said. Her voice no longer wavered. It was strong, attracting the shoppers' attention in the store. "What you did is absolutely unforgettable. I will never in a thousand years forgive either you or my Mom. You need to never call me again, or I will cut your dick off when I get back to Toronto."

Jody's confused face turned into a wide grin. Lorelei ended the call and was tempted to throw the phone on the floor. Smashing the phone would only be a temporary fix. Matthew would find any way to contact her, no matter what she said.

"Who was that?" Jody asked.

Lorelei blocked the number and then shoved the phone into her pocket.

"No one," she said. "I should get back to the hotel. Jesse is probably waiting for me."

Lorelei headed over to the cashier with the dress. Jody followed her, could not stop grinning, and continued asking who was on the other end of the call.

She hated having drama in her life, and the last year was nothing but unnecessary. Thinking about the way Matthew treated her made Lorelei even happier to have Jesse.