Chapter Thirty-One
At noon, Sarah stoleMilly from the diner, leaving it in the other server’s capable hands, and walked her down to the clothing boutique.Ben walked close behind the two women.“Let’s get you some pretty dresses,” Sarah said.“Something feminine.My treat.”
“Oh, no, I’ll pay for my clothes,” Milly said.
“We’ll call it your birthday gift,” Sarah said, not to be denied.
“My birthday’s not for another month.”Stubbornly, Milly stopped her forward progress and halted in the boutique doorway.
“Okay, we’ll call it your early birthday gift.”Pushing the older woman inside, Sarah greeted the shopkeeper and told him what they were after.
Within an hour, they’d chosen three dresses, knee-length and flowing, and two pair of kitten-heeled shoes.Milly wouldn’t hear of trying on anything like true high heels, so Sarah had to compromise.She figured they were worlds ahead of Milly’s customary loud tennis shoes.
Milly tucked the bulging bag under her arm, smiling with quiet pleasure.
“Come on.”Sarah took her arm.“You have appointments at the salon.”
Her smile wavering, Milly allowed herself to be towed down the block, while Ben peered into each shop’s windows.
“As long as there’s no blonde streaks,” she said.
“Nope,” Sarah said, opening the salon door.“The hair stylist is just going to brighten up your normal brunette, cover a bit of the gray.Then she’ll give you a nice new haircut.After that, you’re getting a mani-pedi.”
“All that?”
“A woman’s got to pamper herself.”Sarah held up a finger.“One more thing.Tomorrow, before the town fills up with people for the festival, the salon’s opening to do your makeup.”
“But—but I don’t wear makeup,” Milly said.
“Tomorrow, you do.Just a little.And you’ll wear one of your new dresses.Andthe shoes.No tennies.Tomorrow you’re going to be a bombshell.”
“Probably more like a bomb,” Milly muttered.
“Oh, stop it.”Sarah pushed her inside the door.“You’re a beautiful woman.Soon, everyone in town will know it.”
The owner greeted them, along with hair operators, manicure, and pedicure technicians.Sarah grinned as they herded the bewildered woman deep into the shop.Milly fought free, only to be gently taken by the arm again.She looked over her shoulder at Sarah, panic spreading across her face.
“Don’t worry,” Sarah called out.“You’ll be fine.”
Behind her, Ben said, “Is all this for Big Jim?”
“How’d you know?”She craned to look at him.
He seemed surprised.“Doesn’t everyone know how those two feel about each other?Pretty obvious.”
Sarah guessed she should have expected Ben’s insight.
She sighed.“No, people call them the Bickersons cause all they do is argue.People think they don’t like each other.”
“Ah.So, that’s why Jim goes there for breakfast every morning, spends at least two hours, and then every ten minutes demands her attention.”
“It’s been going on for years.I can see that Milly really loves him.He just needs a little jolt.Hopefully this lights a fire under him, make him see what he’s missing.”
