My first novel, The Rules of Forever, had a first draft word count of 162,000 words. Anyone will tell you that’s way too many words for a contemporary romance. It was my first book! I didn’t know!
Huge swaths of words were cut over the next few drafts, but a few scenes remained only to get the chop just before I submitted to my eventual publisher, Bold Strokes Books. One of those scenes is this one, where Cara and her friend Samantha go shopping for something Cara can wear to the gala she’s attending with Lauren. Eventually it was cut because it didn’t advance the plot very much. But I still like it. Everyone should have a friend like Sam.
After putting Lisa in a cab back down to Penn Station and her train back to New Jersey, Cara and Samantha headed to the thrift shops on Lexington Avenue. Now, only in their second thrift store, Cara was getting frustrated. Samantha had brought a bunch of formal gowns and cocktail dresses for her to try and she had hated all of them. They all seemed like they were from the eighties with mile high shoulder pads or giant bows festooned to the front or back.
“Sorry, Car, when you do the thrift shop thing, you don’t get such a wide variety of choice. We can always tailor something that has good bones.”
“I know. I’m sorry I’m being so fussy, but these are just not me.” She gestured to the dress she currently had on, with its miles of taffeta, ruffles, and ruching, and the horrid puce color.
“Maybe we think about this with the end goal in mind. If you could wear anything, what would it look like?”
Cara thought for a moment. “You know that dresses aren’t my go-to, but I’ll wear them if I have to. What about a formal, dressy, woman’s suit?”
Samantha smiled. “We’ve been shopping in the wrong department, girl. These kinds of places are usually lousy with old tuxedos. Be right back.”
Great. She would look like a little kid playing dress up in a man’s suit. Not the look she was going for.
Samantha returned with a ton of clothing over her arm. “We hit the mother lode.” She barged into the fitting room with her loot and hung it on various hooks. “Let me just get rid of all these fug dresses. Why haven’t you taken that evil-witch-dress off yet?”
Cara giggled. “Tell me how you really feel about it. Why’d you even make me try it on?”
“Slim pickens in the women’s section. Now all the decent dresses are sold online as ‘vintage.’ But tuxedos? Only men with money can afford to buy them in the first place, and you know what happens to men with money? They get fat, and then they have to buy a new tuxedo; hence, lots of tuxes in thrift shops, but they’re usually hella old. Hector bought a used tux for our wedding. And he was gorgeous, right?” Samantha held out a black shawl collar tuxedo jacket and Cara put her sweater back on before she slipped it on. She had no idea when the last time these things had been cleaned and she was not putting them right against her skin.
It looked okay, too big in the sleeves and shoulders but the overall length was good. It was baggy at the waist, though. If she could wear it cinched with a belt it might work. Samantha was already shaking her head. “Nope. Next.”
Cara tried on five jackets and two pairs of pants before Samantha showed her the midnight blue jacket with the black satin peaked lapels. “This looks like what we need, a skinny man with narrow shoulders but good fashion sense. It’s Italian wool, not polyester. There were no trousers with it, so maybe it could work with a black pair.”
It fit perfectly in the shoulders. Long in the sleeves, and a few inches too big at the waist, but her shoulders were made for this jacket. This was the one, but she didn’t think black pants would do. Then it would look like separates. “You’re sure there weren’t any pants for this?”
“Cara, babe, that looks great.” Samantha smiled and nodded. “Let me double check.” She was gone for a good while, but then Cara heard her coming. “I found ‘em! They were in with the men’s trousers, so it’ll be cheaper priced as two garments and not one suit. Bonus! And look, try this shirt too.”
Cara quickly changed into the whole ensemble. The pants had a sharp black satin stripe on either side of the legs, but they were far too long. The shirt was yellowed and a bit blousy, but it was well made and had a wing tip collar and a pleated bib front. “Do I wear a bow tie with this?”
Samantha tilted her head and considered. “You could. Or you could wear an untied one around your neck, like you’re a world-weary Bogie after seeing Ingrid Bergman off at the airport.”
Cara frowned. “Nah, too affected.”
“Or no tie. Just unbutton your shirt enough to give a little peak at the girls.”
“Yeah.” Simpler was best.
“Now, I know I guy in Queens who can tailor the shit out of this. He’ll shorten the sleeves and maybe nip in the waist a couple of inches, give you a little womanly curve. He can taper the trousers and take in that gap at the waistband too.”
“Can he get rid of the musty smell?”
“Duh. That’s what the dry cleaners is for.” Samantha stood back and took a breath. “You are going to look so hot. Lauren Havemayer is not going to know what hit her.”
“Samantha Cruz, I will never forget how you have helped me this day,” Cara said dramatically. “Ask me for anything and I will repay your kindness in triplicate.”
“Shut up. When is this thing?” Samantha started returning the jackets and pants to their hangers.
“The twentieth.”
“Not a lot of time. I’ll call Jimmy. Can you make it out to Woodside after school tomorrow or Tuesday?”
“I’ll make it work for whenever he’s available.”
“What about shoes?” Samantha looked alarmed by the fashion emergency that would not stop emerging. “Will you wear heels?”
Cara’s emphatic head shake brooked no argument.
“You have any nice black flats?”
“You know me, Sam. Did I ever have nice black flats?”
“You’re hard on your shoes. I have a pair of patent leather loafers that will work. I’ve only worn them once.”
Samantha and Cara wore the same size shoe, and Cara had taken advantage of Sam’s closet many a time. “That’s one of the things I miss most about being roommates—your shoe collection.”
“Yeah, yeah. You had better take like a hundred pictures. I’ve got to see what you look like all gussied up.”
“I will. You really are the most amazing friend. I don’t know what I would do without you and Lisa.”
“Yeah, I’d like to think the benefits that come from being friends with me are paid out in different ways.”
If you haven’t read The Rules of Forever yet, and this has piqued your interest, go here for more details.