Rachel rolled her eyes, wanting to tell Addy how stupid she was being. But then she realized that would have been a waste of time. There wasn’t a sixteen-year-old girl on the planet who could ignore a mysterious bad boy like Aaron.
Addy stepped out of the dressing room, modeling another age-appropriate dress. At least, there wasn’t a thigh-high slit or boob-baring neckline. Unfortunately, it was red, which still made it too racy in Rachel’s opinion. From the expression on Addy’s face, she was seriously impressed.
“What do you think?” she asked, twirling around.
“I think we’re onto something with this one,” Rachel murmured. “Aaron is going to go absolutely crazy when he sees you in it.”
Addy looked down at herself, then back up at Rachel, her blue eyes shining. “He is?”
Rachel nodded. If she was going to talk the girl into buying a different dress, she was going to have to be sneaky about it this time. “Oh yeah. You’re going to look like you should be walking on the red carpet—sophisticated…classy…mysterious. Trust me, he won’t be able to take his eyes off of you. I just wish…”
“What do you wish?” Addy asked almost breathlessly.
“Well, red isn’t really your color.” Rachel put on her best disappointed look. “Too bad that same dress doesn’t come in another one.”
Addy immediately darted into the dressing room, flipping through the gowns on the hangers. A moment later, she came back out with the same dress in a pretty pastel blue. “How about this one?”
“Perfect. Try it on.”
As she ducked inside to change, Addy chatted about never even considering a dress like this, whether Rachel really thought Aaron would flip out over it, and what kind of shoes would go best with the gown.
The questions came so fast it was impossible to reply to them. That was okay because Addy answered them for her. Rachel leaned against the wall again and smiled, listening to the endless monologue. Right up until Addy asked a question that simply couldn’t be ignored.
“What are you going to wear to the dance?” the teenager asked, poking her head over the top of the door, eagerly awaiting the answer.
Rachel was about to point out that she probably wouldn’t be at the dance since she worked the day shift, but the look on Addy’s face was so precious she couldn’t disappoint the girl.
“I was hoping I could get away with wearing my uniform,” she said. “What do you think?”
Addy giggled. “I think that might make you stand out a little, don’t you? All the other regular security guys at our school have to dress to blend in, so you probably will, too. You probably have lots of fancy dresses, though.”
“Not really. I don’t wear dresses very much.”
“Seriously?” Addy blinked. “If I was tall like you with legs as long as yours, I’d wear dresses every day and make every boy in school drool all over themselves.”
Rachel couldn’t help but laugh as the girl disappeared behind the door and went back to trying on dresses. “There’s a lot more to life than worrying about what men think about your legs, you know. Trust me, when you grow up, you’ll start wanting guys to notice you for more than your body.”
Addy came out of the dressing room, looking absolutely perfect in the blue dress. Her normal enthusiasm was somewhat dampened though. “You sound exactly like my mom.”
Rachel didn’t bother commenting on the dress, since it was obviously the right one. Instead, she focused on the suddenly serious expression on the girl’s face. Addy didn’t seem like she did serious very often. “Like your mom, huh? Is that a bad thing?”
Addy didn’t answer right away, instead moving to sit on the cushioned sofa to one side of the dressing area. Figuring the girl needed to talk, Rachel joined her.
“I haven’t been getting along with her lately,” Addy said quietly.
“Why’s that?” Rachel prompted when the teen didn’t elaborate.
Addy shrugged. “Mom’s always been focused on work, but it’s gotten really bad the past year or so. She told me she got a promotion at the DA’s office, but what she really meant is that her boss is giving her all the cases no one else wants. Ever since, it’s like we stopped being a family.”
Rachel let out a sigh. “I know it’s tough on you, but your mom is doing a really important job—one that takes a brave, strong person to handle. You mom is that brave, strong person.”
Addy took a deep breath and nodded. “I know what she’s doing is important and I’m really proud of her for doing it, but since this trial started, I barely see her anymore. And when she is home, she and Dad spend most of their time arguing. They probably think I don’t hear them, but it’s hard not to with the way they fight.” Eyes glistening with unshed tears, she turned to Rachel. “I think Mom and Dad are getting a divorce.”
When she and Addy had started this conversation, Rachel had no idea it would head in this direction. Now that it had, she didn’t know what to say. She was absolutely crappy at this kind of stuff. She’d rather deal with a bloodsucking vampire than a scared kid. Especially a girl who reminded her so much of Hannah.
Not knowing what else to do, she wrapped an arm around Addy’s shoulders. “I won’t try and tell you everything is going to work out okay because I don’t know that, but I can promise I’ll be there for you, no matter how things turn out.”
Addy didn’t say anything but instead turned and threw her arms around Rachel’s waist, hugging her tightly. Rachel returned the hug, and for what it was worth, it seemed to help. At least Addy was smiling again when she pulled away.
