Chapter 14
Alice
“Oh my goodness, kiddo! How do you feel?”
Nellie fans out her fingers, showing off her manicure, and tosses a neat ringlet over her shoulder. “I feel really pretty.”
Joy radiates from the little girl, her confidence rocketing sky high after two hours of pampering.
Her toes are painted to match her fingers, and she just spent the past thirty minutes in the stylist’s chair getting her hair washed and curled.
The smile showing off her missing tooth is bigger than I’ve ever seen.
“You look absolutely beautiful, sweetheart.”
An ache splits my chest. The honor of being present for this moment is not lost on me, as a woman who missed many moments of connection with my mother.
I’m not looking to replace the woman who gave birth to this precious little girl, but if I can offer her even a brief respite from missing something so profound, I’ll treasure it.
“Can we get my dress on now?”
I check my watch, swiping away the three missed calls that came in while we were being pampered.
My stomach turns. Sooner or later, I’m going to have to confess this problem to Sutton.
I can admit to myself I’m scared. Not of Jake Lanighan.
I’m scared of how Sutton will react. What his reaction will mean for me and this job and my life here.
Not tonight, though.
Tonight, we have other more pressing plans.
“Let’s do it.” I hold out my hand for a fist bump.
Nellie crashes her little knuckles against mine, making an explosion sound with her mouth.
“You both are all set.” The receptionist smiles at me from over her computer.
There must be a misunderstanding. I was expecting a bill in the two- to three-hundred-dollar range.
“I didn’t pay yet.” I hold out my wallet as if my intention wasn’t already clear.
“Looks like someone called in and took care of the bill for you.”
My throat tightens. “For both of us?”
“That was the instructions.”
“How the hell did he pull that off?” The rhetorical question meant only for me reaches the receptionist’s ears.
“He called about an hour ago and added a card to the account. Gratuity included.”
“Okay well, that was nice,” I mumble in a bit of a fog.
Does Sutton know how much salon services cost?
Let alone three separate services for two people?
Probably not. Which means that charge may have been way more than he budgeted for.
I’ll have to stop at an ATM after the dance and pull out some cash.
Or ask him to take my half out of my next paycheck.
If I had known he was footing the bill, I wouldn’t have gone all out.
I’d have gone half out. Maybe three-quarters.
“Bye Whit, bye Lucy. See you girls at the dance.”
Lucy pulls her sucker from her mouth to say goodbye. Whitney waves through the mirror of her stylist’s booth. The door chimes as I open it for Nellie, and we climb into my car at the curb.
The drive to my house to pick up my dress is only a few blocks. I didn’t want to leave it in the car to get wrinkled.
Nellie skips up the concrete pavers to my front porch and smushes her face against the pane of glass beside my screen door.
“I’ve never been to your house before.”
“You can tell me what you think of it.”
My keys rattle against the door as I twist the gold one in the lock. Nellie ducks in beneath my arm as soon as the latch clicks.
“Whoa. I can tell a girl lives here.”
My laugh slips out unrestrained. “I like to decorate.”
Compared to their house, with empty walls and no personality beyond grays, blacks, and blues, mine must look like a neatly curated museum.
I survey the space with more than a little bit of pride. In the few weeks since I landed in Minnesota, I’ve done my best to turn this rental into somewhere I could stay a while. The hours while Nellie is at school have been spent thrifting, painting, and DIY-ing my way through each room.
Comfortable and cozy was the vibe I chose. Something that could feel like home.
I painted the walls a buttery yellow and fixed white crown molding to the ceilings myself.
In the living room, I thrifted a pack of six art pieces, each one a simple white background with a different pink flower in the middle.
The art draws your eye above the beige couch where they hang, inviting me to plop down beneath them.
A cream shag rug adds warmth to the cold hardwood floors and ties in with the furniture and curtains.
Crossing into the kitchen, I drop my purse on the table and check that my blood sugar is holding steady.
106 and even. Beautiful. I put my pod into activity mode, knowing that dancing will affect my glucose.
“Here, my girl. Have some berries and whipped cream while I go put on my dress.” I dig the prepped fruit and a can of Reddi Whip from the fridge.
I work quickly, careful not to mess up my hair.
The dress is an A-line made from tulle, with thin straps and a faux corset back.
The bust begins in a deep violet, transitioning to a gradient of cream and pale pink in the skirt.
Appliqué flowers adorn the top, and gold leaves trail in long rows from my waist to the floor.
The minute I saw it on the rack, I knew it was perfect for a princess party and would complement Nellie’s pink sparkles.
I smudge on eye shadow, mascara, and blush, and finish off my lips in a mauve lippie meant as a liner, but I use it for full color. A sweep of clear gloss seals it in. I don a new pair of cream high heels, and I’m ready.
“Whoa, baby.” Nellie’s mouth drops open as I step into the kitchen. “You really look like a princess,” she says in admiration.
“I clean up pretty nice, don’t I?” The light lace skirt fans out with my twirl.
“My dad is going to fall in love with you.”
My abrupt stop sends the dress swishing back and forth against my ankles.
“Why would you think that?”
“Because I don’t think he’s ever seen anyone so beautiful.” She emphasizes the word seen.
An unexpected flutter zips through me, chased immediately by absurdity.
I tap her nose. “He’s seen you. Come on. Let’s go get your dress and get to the party. I want to dance.”
We zip over to Sutton’s in record time. The walkable distance feels like only seconds to drive.
“Go ahead and run inside. I’ll be right behind you.” I have a surprise I’ve been saving for the last minute.
I give her a thirty-second head start, then gather the thin white box beneath my seat. My heels clack loudly up the driveway leading to the door Nellie disappeared through. With my hand on the knob, I pause. This isn’t my house, but I’m familiar enough with it that I nearly let myself in.
Fuck it. Walking in unannounced can’t be any worse than the glitter incident my first morning here. Thinking of the memory brings forth a smile. Thinking of Sutton in nothing but that towel does something much less innocent.
The door creaks, announcing my presence. I can hear Nellie chattering away down near the bedrooms, but she’s too far to make her words out.
I’ll wait up here. There’s no sense in walking down the stairs in these heels and risk breaking an ankle.
Setting the box on the kitchen table, I lift the lid. A silver tiara sparkles from a bed of packing foam. The small, encrusted gemstones throw prisms of light across my body as I lift the piece from the box.
Voices grow louder, and footsteps ascend the stairs at my back. I spin around, holding the headpiece in my fingers at my waist. Nellie appears first, twirling at the landing and blocking her dad from finishing his climb.
“How does it look?”
A sudden shock of tears pricks my waterline. I blink hard against the surprise waterworks. “You look stunning, my girl. A true princess. I have one more thing for you.”
Nellie doesn’t move as I hold out the tiara and cross the room.
“Is that a tiara?” she breathes as if saying the words out loud might make it disappear.
“A princess isn’t complete without her tiara. Do you want me to put it on you?”
She nods so hard a curl falls into her face.
Crossing the floor carefully in my heels, I kneel in front of her. From my peripheral, Sutton shifts. His body suddenly blocks the light flowing upstairs from the lower level.
Nellie doesn’t so much as breathe as I fix the piece atop her head, careful not to disturb her hairstyle. The tiara sits at the crown of her head as if it were there all along.
“And this.” I retrieve a tube of pink lipstick from my clutch. “Every girl needs a little lipstick on a night out. If it’s okay with Dad.” I cock an eyebrow in Sutton’s direction, daring him to say no.
The sound of him swallowing precedes his approval. “It’s a special night,” he says gruffly.
Seeing his daughter all dressed up is getting to the big, scary cop. The man chases criminals for a living, but the sight of his little girl all dressed up seems to be making him emotional.
The sentiment is honestly sweet, and I’d tell him so if he weren’t normally such a big jerk.
“Put your lips like this.” I demonstrate a pout.
Nellie immediately follows my directions. Her fingers toy with the lace on her dress as I swipe the tube across her lips.
“Perfect. Now rub them together like this.”
She mirrors my practiced movements.
“Done!” I rise to my full height and return the tube to my clutch.
Nellie finally moves away from the stairs to take my hand, giving Sutton room to join us.
It’s abundantly clear the moment I see him fully that something is wrong. His face is pinched. Spine rigid. He slips his arms across his chest and tucks his hands in his elbows as if he’s holding himself together.
“Are you all right?” I say, doing my damnedest to keep the alarm from my tone.
His cheeks twitch as if he’s trying to smile. Then, they hollow, and he stares at his socks as he nods.
“Mm-hmm. Yeah. I, uh, you two look…” With precision, Sutton slowly drags that gaze to my hair, then back down. My lips, my neck, my dress, he doesn’t miss an inch, lighting my body on fire as he goes.