EPISODE 5: GIRLS' NIGHT ## CHAPTER 1: THE DRESS The sun spills across my kitchen counter in a thick sheet of gold that already looks tired, like it wants to punch through the salt marsh fog and get somewhere else. Dolly is stretched out across the good end of the couch, a pale gray river draped over dark velvet, and she does not move even when I shift my weight into my jeans. She just observes me. Shelby’s knuckles rap against the front door frame—a quick, sharp rhythm that sounds nothing like polite knocking. It is more of an assertive patting, like she’s trying to get a stuck drawer open with sheer willpower. I run a hand over the side of my neck, feeling the slight roughness of stubble from when I missed shaving on Tuesday morning because Jacob had been throwing me off balance and leaving things in the chaos. A small scrape near my jawline throbs faintly. The heat inside the house is sticky today; it’s that kind of afternoon humidity that doesn't just feel wet, it feels heavy, like breathing soup. “Open up,” Shelby calls out, her voice muffled through the solid wood. It carries the gravelly undertone I have come to recognize and find oddly comforting. I slide my phone face down on the little...