Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
The next morning, filled with hope for a better holiday, Emmy thumbed through the clothes in her closet, packing her favorites.
She grabbed a couple of casual button-down shirts and a few pairs of jeans and draped them on the bed.
Then she flipped through the remaining clothes, making sure she had everything she wanted to take with her.
She pushed the last few hanging items to the side and ran her hand down the sheet of plastic protecting her mother’s dress.
She’d worked with Madison to gently pack it into her suitcase last year, and she’d hung it up right away when she’d gotten home, to keep it from wrinkling.
She hadn’t seen her mother make this dress, but it was so much like her.
The unfussy neckline and delicate hemming made Emmy feel as if her mother had breathed her own life into it.
She took hold of the sleeve, wishing her mom’s arm was somehow inside, reaching out to embrace her.
Her mother’s cancer had been relatively quick, which had been a blessing and a curse.
She’d barely suffered, the diagnosis came late enough that by the time she’d wrapped her head around it, she was too sick to do much.
But it also meant that Emmy wasn’t given a lot of time to prepare for life without her mom.
And to lose her favorite person at the young age of fifteen was a blow that Emmy wasn’t sure she’d ever fully recovered from.
Just as she was becoming a woman, she’d lost the one person who could show her how to be one.
I wish I had a better report for you, Mom, she thought. This year hasn’t been much different from last year—it sort of got away from me. But I’m going to try to enjoy our family this year, the way you always did. Help me out if you can. I’m not as good at it as you were.
Emmy and her mom had a special bond. Her mom had told her more than once that she would achieve great things, that she could do anything she wanted if she was willing to work hard enough for it. Had Emmy done something to sabotage her life?
She turned around and peered down at the pile of clothes on her bed.
The outfit options looked as drab as her apartment.
Perhaps she should scrape up a little money and get herself something new to wear?
She still had a bit of the Christmas money her dad had given her that she hadn’t used for her flights.
The rest, she was saving for rent. She also had to get a White Elephant gift for family Christmas, and she wanted to do better this year.
After all, she would be seeing Charlie again.
With new resolve, Emmy grabbed her handbag, put on her coat, scarf, and sneakers, and left her apartment.
On the busy street, she wrapped her scarf tighter and braved the frigid wind on her walk to the small shopping district a couple blocks away.
The shop windows immediately put her in the Christmas spirit.
She’d been so busy with Vivienne’s errands that she hadn’t really been able to take in the full splendor of the holidays yet.
Emmy came to a stop in front of the cosmetics shop and went inside.
She maneuvered through busy customers until she found a section of cheek color and lip glosses.
She hadn’t treated herself to new makeup in years.
Finding the right colors was like creating a good marketing campaign.
It was all about how to highlight the best bits and hide the worst.
There were so many options... She unscrewed a few testers and swiped varying shades of lip gloss on the back of her hand, assessing them.
Maybe she’d get a couple shades and see which one looked best. After grabbing two or three, she bent down to view the price—twenty-five dollars? She put them back.
“May I help you find something?” asked a woman with a pixie cut, perfect brows, and thick eyelashes.
“Oh, I... I’m on the hunt for some new makeup that works with my coloring, but I don’t have a lot to spend.”
“Best value—got it. Follow me.”
Emmy followed the woman to the back corner of the store.
“If you’re looking for lip gloss, these are all five dollars each.” She pulled a light pink tube off the shelf. “This one would look pretty on you.”
The woman was right—that color would work with her skin tone.
Emmy ran a tester stick across a pad of rosy blush and spread it on her skin.
“If you want something to go with the lip gloss, maybe this?” The woman retrieved a cinnamon-colored palette. “It has eyeshadow too. It’s all color-coordinated.”
“How much is it?” Emmy asked.
“Twelve dollars.”
“Okay.”
The woman handed her the compact.
“Thanks for your help,” Emmy said.
“Of course.”
Emmy took her new products to the register and checked out.
With her carrier bag in hand, she stepped outside onto the busy New York street.
Feeling accomplished, and a little fabulous with her new makeup, she headed to The Garnet it was a curated collection of fine articles.
She pulled the sleeve of a timeless wool blazer toward her and inspected the price tag: $125.
What must it have been originally? She really didn’t have enough money to splurge on anything that pricey.
She went over to the sale items on the opposite wall, located the medium-sized section, and combed through the options.
A silky top with pearl buttons caught her eye.
The creamy color would go nicely with her complexion—unfussy but elegant.
She could wear her mother’s teardrop earrings with it.
Feeling more festive than she had when she first went out, she pulled the hanger off the rack and took it behind the dressing curtain.
As she slipped off her handbag, unwound her scarf, and removed her coat and sweater, a bubble of excitement bloomed.
The feeling was foreign to her. It had been a long time since she’d wanted to invest in herself.
She slid her arms into the soft sleeves and shimmied the blouse onto her body.
With each button that she fastened, she felt more alive.
She didn’t recognize the person in the reflection.
She held up her long brown hair and then let it fall, deciding which style might go best with the shirt.
She could wear it with a nice pair of jeans and some boots.
Holding her breath, she peered down at the tag: forty-five dollars.
That was more than she’d like to spend on a shirt, but she felt pretty in it.
Just then, her phone rang—it was Madison.
“Hello?” Emmy answered, wedging the phone against her shoulder as she unbuttoned the shirt and returned it to the hanger.
“Ready to face the family tomorrow?” Madison said, chipper as always.
“I’m actually excited.”
A chuckle came down the line. “Charlie texted you, didn’t he? He’s coming home for the holiday, and he’s going to stop by.”
Her cheeks warmed. “He did text, but I’m excited for Christmas.” She slipped her sweater over her head, then shifted the phone from hand to hand as she threaded her arms through the sleeves and put her coat back on.
Madison tutted. “You’ve never been excited for a family Christmas in your life. It’s Charlie.”
“Stop it, we’re not twelve.”
“I’m only teasing.” Madison laughed. “It’s okay if you’re happy to see him again.”
“I am happy to see him. He lightened the atmosphere last year. Having him there helped me not think about Mom the whole time.” She grabbed her scarf along with the bag of makeup and opened the curtain.
“You two always did get along so well as kids. It makes sense you’d pick up where you left off.”
“Yeah... So. Did you call to tell me anything else, or were you just planning to harass me about Charlie?”
“I called to remind you to get a White Elephant gift. You forgot last time and bought something at the airport.”
“I didn’t forget. I was running late.”
“Well, don’t run late this time.”
“Fine,” Emmy said, trying to hide her amusement. She ended the call and went to the counter to buy the shirt.
The saleswoman rang her up. “That’ll be twenty-nine sixteen.”
Emmy brightened. “Really? I thought it was forty-five dollars.”
“No, it was originally forty-five. It’s forty percent off.”
“Oh, wow. That’s great.”
Emmy finished up her purchase and left The Garnet & Petticoat. A cheerful electricity crackled in the air, and she couldn’t help but feel optimistic about the upcoming holiday.