“I look…” I start, unsure.
“Like someone who stopped apologizing,” Penny says simply.
The words hit someplace tender. My mom always said bright colors were“too loud for your figure.”
And Kevin…
I shake the thought away.
Penny hands me a cream-colored blouse next, silky, with a V-neck that dips just enough to make me blush.
“Penny…” I whisper.
She grins.“People pay big bucks for boobs like yours, and you hide them? Wear the damn blouse, Summer.”
I laugh despite myself.“You’re insane.”
“No, honey. I’m right.”
I try it on. The blouse drapes perfectly, the neckline subtle but flattering. For once, I don’t look at my chest with shame, I look with quiet pride.
When I step out again, I breathe out slowly and meet my reflection. This body, these hips, these curves, this full chest, is the same body that carried a child, that survived, that still shows up every single day.
“For years, I thought hiding my body made people like me better,” I say quietly.“It didn’t. It just made me disappear.”
Penny’s smile softens.“Then let’s make sure you’re seen.”
I grin, shaky but real.“Okay.”
We leave the store with bags full of color and promise. I slip the new coat over my shoulders, the belt cinched tight. I feel like I’m wearing confidence instead of pretending to have it.
“You know what?” I say as we step into the cold.“I think I’m done hiding.”
Penny bumps my shoulder.“About damn time.”
The glass doors close behind us, and for the first time in a long time, I like the woman reflected there.
Later that afternoon, the B&B is quiet when we get back, the kind of quiet that feels like snow waiting to fall. Mia is coloring by the fire with Lily, who offered to pick her up from school. I’m just slipping my coat off when the front door opens.
Ethan steps in, stetson on his head, cheeks pink beneath his light stubble from the cold. His eyes land on me, and stop.
For a heartbeat, he doesn’t move. He justlooks.
Not the hungry kind.
The kind that sees.
“You look…” he starts, voice low and a little rough.“You look beautiful, Summer.”
My face warms, but I don’t look away. Not this time.“Thank you,” I say, my voice steadier than I expect.
Behind him, Penny grins and mouths a silentyou’re welcomebefore slipping away.
Ethan’s gaze drifts to the tied belt of my coat, then back to my eyes.“That coat suits you.”
“It feels like me,” I say softly.“Or… maybe who I used to be before I started hiding.”
He nods, a slow smile spreading.“Then I hope you never hide again.”
