Page 101 of Set to Love

The replies start rolling in immediately, making my phone vibrate against my palm.

Zoe

OH MY GOSH, KATIE!!!!! I’M SCREAMING!! I KNEW IT!!

Lina

Katie, that’s huge! So, so proud of you. You’ve worked so hard for this.

Randy

Called it. Way to go, Killer.

Theo

That’s brilliant. We’ll have to celebrate soon. Well done, you.

I lean against the cold brick wall, laughing at the stream of celebratory GIFs and heart emojis.

I have the career I thought I’d lost, and a group of friends ready to throw me a parade. Everything is falling into place. Except the one phone call I’m waiting for.

I check the time as I hop onto the Tube. It’s quarter to six. My skin is still buzzing from the meeting with Drew. I text Max.

Katie

Hey. I’m heading out. Are you free? Where should I meet you?

Surprisingly, the reply comes a minute later.

Max

Still in Soho. At the Devonshire pub.

I smile faintly at the screen.

Katie

See you soon.

I decide to make a quick pit stop. I want tonight to be special, and there’s a dress in a window I’ve been eyeing every time I walk past it—a deep-plum V-neck wrap dress. Gathering my courage, I walk into the Clarissa Lee boutique, and straight to it.

Running my hand over the silky fabric and layers of the skirt, I can already picture Max’s face when I walk into the pub and surprise him.

However, as I turn over the price tag, my eyes bulge. Three hundred pounds. That’s like four-hundred-something dollars. I’ve never spent that much on a dress before.

I take a step back and stare at it again.

“Can I help you, miss?” a woman asks. “Are you interested in one of the new dresses from the fall collection? Today’s the last day of the sale.”

“Actually yes. Do you have this in a size six?”

Ten minutes later, I’m walking out with a spring in my step, carrying a small, heavy paper bag, humming “Today is Gonna Be My Day” from the West End soundtrack of Disney’s Hercules.

When I arrive at the pub, I rush into the restroom and change. I trade my sneakers for some flats, slip into the plum dress, and let my hair down. It’s still a little damp from the shower at the club.

As I stare in the mirror, I barely recognize myself. I look confident. I look happy. I look like someone who is ready to say “I love you” and mean it.

Let’s do this.