At the cabin, she washed a dress in the sink and hung it on the line to dry, taking pride in the fact that she was making do with what was available. After the dress dried, she ironed it with an old block iron she found in the closet. Getting the iron hot was no great feat, but keeping it the right temperature was. Still, it worked and she was proud of her achievement.
Five minutes before six she stood back and eyed herself critically in the mirror. Denton hated the yellow sundress with its spaghetti straps, but it was one of her favorite dresses. She adorned her earlobes with pearl earrings that matched the tiny row of buttons down the front of her dress. Turning first one way and then the other in front of the mirror, she tried to decide what it was about the dress that Denton found so objectionable. The color? Finally she shrugged. Maybe she lacked taste, but she knew what she liked.
She was trying to decide whether to wear her hair up or down when someone knocked on the front door. She dropped her hair, letting the curls cascade down her back. Justin was as punctual as Denton.
"Megan, are you ready?" Justin called from the door.
"I'll be out in a minute." She called. "I have to put on my shoes. I'll meet you at the car."
She slipped into a pair of white sandals and grabbed her purse.
Justin was lounging against his car staring into the forest when she stepped out on the porch. She suppressed a giggle when she noticed his light yellow golf shirt. At least he would like the color of her dress. He glanced around as she closed the door, and moved away from the car with feline grace. He looked slim and sheik in gray trousers.
His surprise appeared genuine as she approached. There was no denying the pleasure in his eyes as he boldly surveyed her from head to toe. He opened the car door for her without comment. Any compliment would have been redundant, anyway.
As he strode around the car to the driver's side with his usual grace, it struck her that Denton never looked so nice in casual clothes. Denton cultured his grace and worked at presenting the proper image. To Justin, it all came naturally. Several times that evening, she caught herself comparing him to Denton. Why did Denton keep entering her mind when she was enjoying the evening so much with Justin? They had covered more topics tonight than she and Denton had discussed in their entire relationship.