Maddie steered her toward the entrance.
"That's exactly why you have to go. Nothing is riding on this! Look: you don't know this guy, he doesn't live around here, none of this matters. Don't overthink everything like you always do. You'll just dress up, eat free food and drink free drinks, and look fucking hot the whole time, if I have anything to do with it."
Stella rolled her eyes.
Maddie smacked her on her arm.
"Ow! What was that for?"
"I saw that eye roll, and you will look hot, I promise you. And plus, you'll get two great dresses out of the deal."
Stella opened the Nordsterom door and gestured for Maddie to precede her.
"I have one weekend where I don't have a ton of work to do, and this is how I waste it?"
Maddie threw her arm around Stella.
"You're not wasting anything. It's practice, remember? Plus, from those text messages you showed me, this dude will freak out if you bail on him now."
When Stella saw the armfuls of dresses that Maddie brought into the dressing room, she thought about bailing again.
"Maddie, these don't look—"
"Don't argue with me. Try them on. Fast!"