When You Know

Chapter One

Marion Harte stuck out her foot and admired the scarlet shade of the sky-high heel.

"I love them," she sighed, "but I can't justify the price." With regret, she slipped her feet out of them.

"Why not?" her best friend, Hope, asked. "This is your birthday weekend. Didn't I tell you a new outfit and a night out was going to be my present to you?"

"Yes," Marion responded, drawing out the word. "But, Hope, these shoes are just too expensive."

Hope waved her hand dismissively. "I just got paid for three new jobs; price isn't an issue for me anymore." It was said without arrogance; she was simply stating a fact to someone who knew how poor she'd been while growing up.

Marion covetously stroked the shoes. "Are you sure?"

"Absolutely."

"Thank you. They're the exact same color of the dress you just bought for me."

Hope grinned. "I noticed. Let's get them paid for so we can gran an early dinner. Then you can put on your sexy new shoes and dance your heart out."

Marion followed her toward the cash register. "You're dancing, too," she said.

"Oh, no." Hope waited while the cashier rang up the two pairs of shoes and slid her debit card. Tucking it back into her wallet, she grabbed the shopping bag and headed for the front door. "I'm not dancing like you dance. I don't have that kind of energy."

Both women blinked as they stepped into the late afternoon sun. August in Dallas, Texas was hot, humid, and sticky. They hurried to Marion's dark blue Altima.

"Italian?" Marion questioned as she turned the key.

"That sounds fabulous," Hope agreed.

***

"Tonight is going to be one of the best. I can just feel it." Marion twined pasta around her fork.

"What makes tonight so special?" Hope nibbled on some eggplant parmesan.

"Other than it being my twenty-fifth birthday weekend? I've got a stupendous new dress, shoes to match, and my best friend to share it all with. We've come a long way, pal of mine."

Hope clinked her wine glass against Marion's. "That we have," she cheerfully agreed. "From two ultra-poor girls from Elwell, Texas to two bright businesswomen in Dallas. We've made it."

Marion laughed happily and ate more pasta.

***

Hope drew in her breath when she got her first glimpse of Marion.

She glowed. That was the only description that fit. The scarlet hue of the dress gleamed against Marion's dark skin, and the clingy material lovingly hugged her curves in all the right places. The shoes did miraculous things for her legs and butt. Her makeup was flawless, her lips painted to mated the dress, and her glossy curls bounced around her shoulders.

Hope let out a low whistle, and Marion hooted. "Thank you." She tucked her arm through Hope's and turned them both toward the mirror.

"Look at us," she commanded softly. "Remember when we were fifteen? I had those horribly bucked teeth."

"You had an overbite," Hope corrected indignantly.

Marion gave her a little hip bump. "I had God-awful bucked teeth, and my parents couldn't afford to fix them."

"I was sixty pounds heavier and the favorite target of the mean girl clique in high school," Hope remembered with her. "But I sweated off the extra weight, you got some dental work, and we clawed our way out of miserable poverty." She pumped her fists in victory.

Marion grinned. "Now you're a rich software developer, my photography studio is starting to take off, and we look damn good tonight. Those bitches from Elwell High can suck it!"

They dissolved into laughter as they made a final check before leaving.

"That aquamarine color really compliments you," Marion told Hope, eying the one-shoulder dress that flowed to her knees. "And I like the way you pulled your hair back into that one fat braid."

Hope had twisted her pale-blonde hair into a fish-tail braid, threading a ribbon the same color as her dress through the strands. Her black heels weren't as high as Marion's, but they still made her ass curvier than normal.

"Oh, yeah. We look damn good," Hope declared. "Let's go."