Page 44 of This Time Around
She nodded. “A lot’s changed.”
“That it has.” He was standing close, too close. He was practically touching her. She wanted him to touch her. Just a tiny step forward and?—
“Oh, wow! That’s super pretty!”
Allie blinked and took a step back as Paige peered out from under her father’s arm. She smiled up at Allie and reached out to touch the hem of the dress. “You look nice.”
“Thank you.” It occurred to Allie that she’d barely looked in the mirror yet, so she turned to study herself in the full-length one behind her. Not bad. Not bad at all. A little snug around the chest, but it was probably supposed to be. There was a little armpit fat poking out at the top, but the hemline made her legs look good, and fluttered nicely when she turned back to face Jack and Paige.
“Looks like you got lucky on the first try.”
Allie shifted from one foot to the other, not trusting herself to meet his eyes again. “Looks like it.”
“Who was your first boyfriend that you loved?”
Allie blinked and looked at Paige. “Wow. That’s kind of random.”
Jack laughed and ruffled his daughter’s hair. “Not totally. We were just talking about it at the barbershop. We were also talking about how some things are personal and not appropriate questions to ask, weren’t we?”
Paige gave a solemn nod and looked up at Allie. “That’s true.”
Jack gave Allie his slow, lazy smile, holding her gaze for a few beats too many before turning back to his daughter. “Did you need something, kiddo?”
Allie said a silent prayer of thanks that Jack had a talent for distracting his daughter. The girl nodded and held up an armful of clothing. “I wanted to try these on.”
“Looks like someone’s in the room next door,” Jack said. “You’ll have to wait your turn.”
Allie reached behind her neck, fumbling for the zipper. “Hang on, you can have this one. I don’t need to try on the rest of these. I know what I want.” Her fingers gripped the zipper and her shoulder creaked as she tried to pull down. “Just let me get out of?—”
“Allow me.” Jack grabbed her by the waist to hold her still, then tugged the zipper down with a bit less finesse than he’d used to slide it up. He stopped just above the small of her back, and Allie wondered if he was preserving her modesty or trying to keep his daughter from seeing the tattoo.
But the kid clearly had eagle eyes. “Is that fire on your back?”
Allie turned around, holding the back of the dress together with one hand as she stole a look at Jack. Discomfort was etched on his face, but he wasn’t meeting her eye. Allie looked at Paige.
“Yes, but I didn’t get it until I was a grown-up,” she said. “The decision to get a tattoo is a big one, so it’s not something you even want to start thinking about until?—”
“It looks just like one my dad has.”
Allie blinked. “What?”
Paige nodded and pointed to her father’s ribcage. “Right there. Beside his tummy. He has fire, too, only his has?—”
“Why don’t we let Allie finish getting dressed?”
Paige looked up at her dad and shrugged. “Okay.”
Something in Jack’s expression must have let the kid know he meant business, because the next thing Allie knew, he was pushing the door shut and murmuring quietly to Paige on the other side of the door. Allie couldn’t make out what he was saying, though she thought she heard the word, private at one point.
Allie wriggled out of the dress and cast a quick look at the other ones she’d brought into the dressing room. She frowned. Was she deciding too hastily, settling on the very first one she’d tried?
Her mother’s words were a faint buzz in the back of her head. “You shouldn’t settle down with the first boyfriend you’ve had, Allie.”
“But that’s what you and daddy did, and it worked for you.”
“Trust me, sweetie—you’re going to regret it if you don’t spend some time spreading your wings.”
Allie shook her head and put the chosen dress back on the hangar. Hesitated. Then grabbed the next one, a green and black velvet number with cap sleeves and a swirly skirt. She pulled it on, adjusting the shoulders but not bothering to zip it up all the way.
