Page 71 of Everything Has Changed
“I don’t know.” She nibbles on her bottom lip, staring at her reflection in the mirror. A look of longing passes over her eyes. “I don’t want to put that on you, Phee.”
Ophelia waves away her concern. “Nonsense, you know how much I love my craft projects. And I haven’t worked on a dress since you two were in high school.”
It was true. When I couldn’t find the perfect homecoming dress senior year, I went to Ophelia with tears in my eyes and a crushed dream in my heart. She dried my face, grabbed her purse, and tossed me in the car. We made it to the craft store moments before they were set to close, but when Ophelia explained what was going on, they let us stay well after the door was locked looking for the perfect fabric. I had a brand new custom-made homecoming dress that was everything I dreamed of the following weekend.
Daphne took her daughter’s face in her hands. “This was also made for you, my love. I think that’s such a wonderful idea.” Her mom looks over at my grandmother. “You are a superwoman, you know that.”
“Oh, Daphne, don’t make my head any bigger than it already is. I simply cannot let this dress go when it screams Piper’s name.”
Piper sighs, taking one last look in the mirror, then back at Ophelia who nods her head. “Fine, if you insist.”
Ophelia and Daphne both cheer in excitement.
“What about you, Phee? Are you going to try on anything?”
She shakes her head. “Not this time. I’m going to leave the ball to you kids and have a night with Rowan instead. Let Jackson have a night out, too, without worrying about getting back to her that night.”
“That boy is nonstop, isn’t he?” Daphne asks. “I dropped off Buster the other day for his annual checkup and he was at the check-in desk working. I don’t know how he does it.”
Ophelia sighs. “I don’t either, but hopefully things will slow down a bit for him soon. He needs to hire more help, but he’s so dang picky. Rightfully so, but you gotta get help when you need it.”
Daphne turns to Piper, who is still glancing at her dress mesmerized. “Pipes, why don’t you pick up a few shifts to help him out?”
Piper’s head jerks up to her mom, eyes full of confusion. “I already do. With the shelter side of things.”
“I mean, at the clinic. You could do the clerical work easily, pumpkin. Not to mention that wouldn’t be a bad day’s work, looking at that fine man.”
I scrunch my nose. “I think I might throw up a little bit, Mrs. Montgomery.”
She rolls her eyes. “What? It’s the truth.”
Ophelia laughs and steers Daphne toward the fitting room again. “Let’s get you out of this contraption and start looking for y’all’s masks to match those gorgeous dresses.”
I nudge Piper toward the fitting room she was in, but stop her before she shuts the curtain.
“You look beautiful, Pipes.”
She grins at me, reaching her hand out to grab mine. She squeezes three times and replies, “So do you, Gwenny.”
We pull apart, both a little misty-eyed as we look once more at each other, giggling as we realize how mushy we are getting. There’s a thin mirror, something you would find in the back to school section for dorm rooms at Target hanging on the wall. I’m still smiling when I reach into my purse to pull out my cellphone to snap a photo. That’s when I notice another notification on the screen.
A text message from Logan.
I open the text thread, my eye starting at the top to reread what was sent between us last night.
Last minute trip to the city. Business stuff for my father.
But I’ll be back tomorrow and I want to see you.
I think we can work something out.
I want to see you too.
As much as the little voice in the back of my head keeps reminding me this won’t end well, I can’t seem to care the more time I spend with him. I get a little thrill at just the thought of seeing him again. A warmth in my core at the possibility of touching him again. Of him touching me again. Next time, though, I want to feel him on my skin.
I can feel my cheeks heat up, and I catch a glimpse of myself in the skinny mirror. Yeah, I need to find some water to splash on my face to calm down. But first, I need to get out of the dress before anything happens to it.
I wonder what Logan will think of me in this dress.The thought rushes through my mind as if floating through the wind. Easy, light,harmless. I shake my head to clear it, though. He’s not my date. It doesn’t matter what he would think of it.
