Chapter 28
Danielle
As she stood in front of the mirror behind her bedroom door, Danielle rubbed her hands along the front of her dress and stared at it in wonder once again.
The fabric felt even more pleasant against her skin than it had in the boutique, and even in her crappy bedroom lighting it still looked beautiful.
That day at the boutique felt so long ago now, even though it had only been a couple of weeks. A couple of surprising weeks as she’d gotten to know Morgan better.
Danielle held her breath when Lila pulled the zipper up along her back.
With another glance in her mirror, Danielle had to admit the dress had been a perfect choice.
The large floral print and puffy shoulders hadn’t been her first choice, but once it was on, it somehow looked like it had been made specifically for her.
“You look so pretty.” Lila’s voice had a hint of awe in it. She wasn’t a kid into fashion or the latest trends or fancy clothes of any kind. She much preferred her soccer uniform to any dress. So, her reaction took Danielle a little by surprise.
“You think so?” Danielle turned and let the skirt flow around her like she’d done in the boutique mirrors.
“Definitely.”
“Thank you.” She turned to face Lila. “And thank you for helping with my hair.”
She’d shown Lila how to use the curling iron so Lila could work on the strands in the back that Danielle couldn't reach.
Lila tilted her head to examine her work. “I think I did okay.”
“You did better than okay.”
Danielle looked down at her daughter with amazement.
She was growing up so fast. Especially in these last couple of years.
Danielle could see glimpses of the teen she was becoming.
In a blink, she would be doing her own hair and going to school dances and driving and thinking about college.
Pretty soon, her daughter wouldn’t need Danielle so much. It was already happening, she guessed.
She wasn’t sure what scared her more, that or the driving.
“So are you going to kiss her again?”
Danielle felt her cheeks warm as her brain pulled up the feeling of Morgan against her lips the night before. She could only hope Lila didn’t notice.
A knock at the door saved her.
She opened the door to let Melanie in. Melanie had offered to pick up Lila to stay at their house so Danielle didn’t have to traipse all over town in her dress and heels. It was bad enough she had to drive in those shoes to the wedding, so she’d agreed to the help.
“You look stunning,” Melanie said as she looked over Danielle’s outfit. “Just stunning.”
“Thank you.” Danielle looked down at herself and absently swirled the skirt of the dress a little again. “I’m really glad I picked this one. And I’m grateful to Morgan.”
There was no way she’d have been able to afford the dress on her own. She couldn’t believe she had actually let Morgan buy it, but Morgan had insisted so strongly as a thank you that Danielle had given in.
“I was just asking Mom if she was going to kiss Morgan again.”
There was that flush in her cheeks again.
“Is that right?” Melanie turned to face Lila, who was standing behind Danielle with a mischievous grin. “And what was the answer?”
“We didn’t get to that yet.”
Melanie turned back to Danielle. “So what’s the answer?”
“The answer is that it’s not a conversation to be had with my daughter.”
Lila smiled. “That means yes.”
Melanie gave a conspiratorial nod. “I agree.”
She wasn’t going to tell them they were right, so she just kept quiet.
And she certainly wasn’t going to tell them she had already kissed Morgan again. That would have to wait until she had Melanie alone. No matter how curious Lila was or how grown up she was becoming, Danielle just wasn’t comfortable having this conversation with her.
“I’m going to finish my makeup,” she said, making a swift exit from the room and ducking into her main bathroom.
She eyed herself in the mirror and turned her head from side to side, making sure everything was placed and blended properly. It all looked good so far. She just needed to do her brows and mascara now.
She’d meant to finish up before putting on her dress, but her brain wasn’t following the proper order of operations that day. The distraction of her thoughts wasn’t a match even for her organized brain.
She dashed on her eyebrows then brushed them into place. Next, she carefully swiped eyeliner and mascara along her upper lids, deciding it was too risky for her shaky hands to attempt the lower lids that day.
After she put a layer of nude lipstick and pinkish gloss on her lips, she reached for the little black box sitting on top of her small jewelry case. She opened it carefully. Inside was a pair of earrings.
The earrings.
The ones Morgan had given her to match her dress.
She lifted one from the box, held the fishhook in one hand, and traced another finger over the gorgeous silver scrollwork at the top. Then she held it up to one ear, letting the delicate-looking brown and rose-colored stones gently dangle.
They were a near-perfect match. She couldn’t believe Morgan had matched the colors so well from memory.
It had been such a thoughtful gift. Unexpected. Perfect.
For someone with such a sharp-looking exterior, Morgan had proved to be soft and warm to her core.
Danielle slid each of the earrings into her holes beneath the new green earrings Morgan had pierced for her a couple weeks ago.
While she knew they weren’t fully healed, the new holes weren’t red or itchy or sore at all anymore, and she was cleaning them just as instructed.
It had been as easy a process as Morgan had promised.
She admired the new pair peeking out from behind her hair draped over each side of her face.
She brushed the hair back to get a better look at them and momentarily wished she had chosen a different hairstyle to show them off.
But Lila had helped her decide that wearing her hair down looked best with this dress, and it had been an excellent decision.
She just wished she could show off the earrings a little more.
When she returned to the living room, she glanced at the clock. “I’m still way too early.”
“Better to be ready early than have to rush,” Melanie said. “Have you eaten anything?”
“I’m too nervous.”
“Well, it’s going to be too late before you eat tonight to go without food.”
“I just put on lipstick.”
“You can reapply it after you eat something.”
“But the dress.”
Melanie walked to the kitchen and began rummaging through the fridge and cabinets. Danielle’s heart warmed at the realization that Melanie felt comfortable enough in her apartment to help look for things, even if Danielle wasn’t sure about actually eating whatever Melanie found.
A few moments later, Melanie made a triumphant noise and pulled out a box of saltines and a jar of peanut butter.
“Here. High protein, stomach-settling crackers, and low potential of ruining your dress if you sit and eat them at the bar.”
Danielle sighed and grabbed a plate from the cabinet.
“I’ve got it,” Melanie said. “Sit.”
She did as commanded, slipping onto one barstool while Lila grabbed one beside her. Melanie pulled out a butter knife and began smearing peanut butter on a few crackers, then handed the plate to Danielle.
“Eat.”
“Yes, ma’am,” Danielle said, laughing at the teacher voice her friend had pulled out. She took a bite of one cracker, carefully eating over the plate to catch any stray crumbs. After she swallowed the first bite, she raised a brow at Melanie and said, “Happy?”
Melanie gave her a warm smile. “Ecstatic.”