"What about this one Kate?" Johanna asked and held out a short black dress that would definitely be skin tight on Kate.
She just rolled her eyes. "Mum it's a group mixer for other laws students, not a strip club."
"Well I thought it would look nice," she giggled. Johanna always had teased Kate about the dresses that she should be wearing to these kinds of social events. Kate would be constantly lectured that if she wants to attract the attention of the opposite sex she needed to dress like she wanted the attention.
"What about this one?" Kate lifted a soft red dress from off the rack. It was absolutely stunning and had Katherine Beckett, Lawyer written all over it.
"It's perfect! Go try it on!"
Kate obliged and walked off into the change rooms. She had to admit that the dress was beautiful and would suit her perfectly.
She slipped off her jeans and her layers of jumpers. She hated the colder months; it's horrible for dress shopping. She stepped into the dress and luckily was able to zip it up at the back without any assistance. She took a step back and looked at herself in the mirror. She had to admit that she did look stunning. The red suited her skin perfectly and the material fitted her curves like no other dress that she had worn before.
"You alright in there?" Johanna said behind the closed curtain.
"Yeah I'll be out in a second," she stuttered, amazed at her own beauty.
She slowly drew back the curtains and stepped out of the small change room. Kate looked at her mother and blushed at her expression. She was speechless. That's the only way that Kate could describe it. Johanna always had something to say but at this moment in time she was completely silent.
"You are so pretty," a young voice said from behind a rack of dresses for adolescent girls. The only thing Kate could see was a shiny head of bright red hair.
"Alexis?" she questioned and shuffled in her dress to reveal the identity of the young girl.
"I always wondered if I would ever see you again," she mumbled.
"Well I guess it was destine to be," Kate replied and winked at the girl. She attempted to crouch down and be within eye level with Alexis but she realised that the dress was too expensive to risk ripping it.
So she chose a better form of communication, just plain simple small talk.
"So what are you doing here?" Kate asked.
"Me and Daddy are picking out a dress for a charity gala that is tomorrow night."
"Your Dad's here?" she asked nervously.
"Sure am," a voice replied behind her.
Kate spun around to find the one and only Rick Castle facing her. She didn't know whose face was funnier, her mother's because she was two metres away from her favourite author or Rick whose jaw was dropped almost to the floor.
"Wow," he muttered, "You look amazing."
"Um….thanks," Kate blushed. Was it only coincidence that they had their reunion right then and there? She was kind of grateful that she had been in a stunning gown and not a pair of tracksuit pants and a sloppy joe.
"He's right Katie," Johanna said as she moved around so she was in the convosation. "You look beautiful." Her face was like nothing that Kate had ever seen before. Johanna was attempting to keep her screams on the inside but Kate could tell that in a few moments this could turn into a full blown fan girl rampage.
"Where are my manners?" she muttered, "Rick this is my mother Johanna, Mum this is Rick."
Rick placed a hand out for Johanna to sake and she took it with no hesitation. "Nice to meet you Johanna."
"Pleasures all mine Rick," she said surprisingly calm. "I'm just going to go get a few other dresses for you to try on." With that Johanna walked off towards the dress rack on the other side of the room.
"I personally don't think you need to try on another dress," Rick stated.
"Me either," Alexis said with a smile. Kate had only just remembered that she didn't introduce her to Johanna.
"Well unfortunately guys this is a little…" she reached over to check the tag that was hanging off the side of the dress, "a lot out of my price range."
Kate could've sworn that a frown appeared on Rick's face.
"Well that's too bad. It looks stunning."
"The disadvantage of being a college student," Kate laughed.
"I guess so," Rick laughed in return. "Kate I don't mean to be rude but Alexis and I really need to go. We have an appointment at Alexis's school in half an hour."
Kate guessed that Alexis had forgotten about this meeting. Her face turned bright red and sort of embarrassed, she looked like she was going to punch herself in the face for her stupidity.
"No problems Rick. It was nice to see you again."
"Well good luck in finding a dress Kate."
"Thank you," she replied and smiled.
Rick walked off with Alexis's hand in his and Kate had to admit that it was pretty cute. They were almost at the door when Rick suddenly spun around and walked back towards Kate.
"Um….Kate," he murmured. He was nervous, cute. "Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?"
Kate smiled. "I would love to. I'll give you my number."
Rick instantly pulled out a pen and a business card, that she assumed was his, and handed it to her. She wrote down the number and handed it back to him.
"Well you'll hear from me soon."
"I look forward to it."
He walked off again but this time left through the door and didn't look back. In an instant Johanna was by Kate's side almost bursting out the seams with excitement.
"YOU JUST GOT ASKED ON A DATE BY RICHARD FREAKING CASTLE!"
