Sarah looks at me through the mirror, a pleading look on her face. “Better,” I say. “Are the gloves necessary?”
“The gloves are adorable!” Kate interjects. “They’re fun, and they fit her personality!”
“Yeah.” Sarah crosses her arms at me. “I like them.”
“Well, you don’t need any man’s approval, especially mine. So, if that’s what you want to wear…” I rein it in, letting my words trail off. It hits me then how fatherly I sound, and that was far from my intention when agreeing to this. Sarah twirls in front of the mirror as Kate jumps up to take photos for her. “Let’s send some to your mom!”
“Who are you going with, anyway?” That fatherly feeling gnaws at me a tiny bit more. For some reason, I need to know who her date is.
Sarah hesitates, posing for another photo, mouth opening and closing as she twiddles with the gloves. Kate lowers her phone slowly, no longer taking pictures. Sarah’s face goes ghost white as realization washes over all of us.
“Are you going with Ethan?” Kate asks, wincing, like the answer will physically pain her.
Sarah doesn’t respond.
That’s answer enough for me. “Well,” I say, pushing up from the armrest of the chair, “in that case, you need something with sleeves and a turtleneck.”
Kate giggles, while Sarah puts her hands on her hips. “I can handle myself, thank you.”
“I’m just saying”—I toss my hands up in surrender—“the kid has a mind of his own.”
“I’ll have you know”—Sarah whips around to face me—“Ethan can be very kind! He has been nothing but a gentleman to me and has respected my wishes.” She starts to ramp up, jabbing her gloved thumb into her chest. “Anytime I’ve asked him to slow down, he has! And when we ki—”
“Nope. La la la. I don’t need to hear it.” I shove my hands over my ears. I see Benny’s reflection behind me as he waves me over to him. Thank God. I turn to him, throwing my arms over his shoulders and whispering, “My hero.”
“I tried to hurry.” He chuckles.
“You’re weak, Geer.” Kate rolls her eyes, slouching back into her chair and topping off her cider.
“Ah, hush, this takes precedence.” I wave her off and focus back on Sarah. “Stick with black, red, or white. Animal prints or animal ears are fine in moderation. You want to be yourself, yes, but you still want to look classy, right?” I wave a hand at her for understanding, and she nods. “Good, now don’t ever ask me for a favor again.”
“So bossy.” Kate giggles after downing her drink, a bit of a haze in her voice. Maybe the sugary drink does have an effect.
“Now, let's continue on with this tortuous day.” I redirect to Benny.
“It won’t be that bad,” he says, draping an arm over my shoulder.
“We’ll see about that.”
Benny guides me over to the tailor, and they begin discussing colors and fabrics. Their voices fade into a soft muffled sound as I continue watching Kate fluff Sarah’s dress and hair for another picture. It’s little glimpses of Kate’s goodness that tighten the grip she has on my heart. Her generosity, her joy, even her tiny tantrums. I want all of it, and something tells me she does too, but I need to be sure. Figuring out what Kate wants has always been a challenge—one I accept regardless of the outcome—but I can’t with this. I can’t spook her with my own feelings.
“What do you think?” Benny asks.
“Hmm?” I tear my gaze away from Kate and try to recall the words he just spoke.
“You’ll be honest if you hate it?”
“Yeah, yeah, sure.”
“Full honesty, man. That’s all I need.” Benny pats me on the back and disappears into the row of coats.
Like a moth to a flame, my eyes trail back to Kate as the girls gather their things and head to the checkout counter. Kate glances back over her shoulder and freezes in her tracks. Turning to fully face me, she waves eagerly, and her smile broadens, like the time she watched the sun set over the Grand Canyon for the first time—an expression full of joy and wonder.
A flicker of something passes between us, and it’s the tiniest bit of confirmation I need to move forward and get my girl.
Full honesty.
Chapter thirty
