AllFreeNovel
Share Us
The edges of my vision were tinted pink. I was living in a dream. Any minute, I’d wake up and find myself back in my apartment, alone and weary.
But nothing changed, not as we hugged and thanked Missy, not as we greeted Cameron, who had our limo door open and ready outside. Not as we traipsed across town to Circle Of Elegance.
“Addie, I’ve been meaning to ask if you wanted to come to the ball, too,” I said. “Maybe we could find a dress for you while we’re at this?—”
Before I could finish, she was alreadyshaking her head. “Oh, no. I couldn’t.”
“Sure, you could. Come with us. Hawk won’t care.”
I could text him and ask him. He probably wouldn’t mind including another dress for my cousin. He and Addie had gotten along great together in Montana—better than Hawk and I had, I thought with a little chuckle.
Addie hugged her torso. “I don’t think so. This is your special night. I can’t expect anything like that from Hawk. And I wouldn’t want to go and be around all those people.”
Her shoulders quivered as though a shudder raked across them.
“You’ll be all right,” Grammy said, patting Addie’s hand.
She shook her head. “I don’t want to. I’m here to support Ella, that’s all.”
“If you’re sure,” I said. But I knew her well enough to know that stern look on her face. She didn’t want to go. That was that, I supposed.
“He told me about you, you know,” Grammy said as Cameron pulled to a stop on the all-but-empty street. “My Hawkie boy.”
The other storefronts were dark. Snow fell softly in the dark sky. Everything was tucked into bed for the holiday, but dim lighting within Circle of Elegance suggested otherwise.
A few lamps were on, and people were visible from within the windows. My stomach fluttered.
“He did?” I asked.
“I just didn’t know your name until about two hours ago,” Grammy finished.
“They have breakfasttogether weekly,” Adelie said in response to my stunned expression. “They get together and catch up. He even got her a job at one of his Sweet Shoppe’s for the holiday season.”
Grammy patted Addie’s hand again. “Our brunches have become something of a tradition. The day you got stuck on the elevator together, he’d been on his way to meet me.”
“I can’t believe it,” I said, smiling. He’d told Grammy about getting stuck on the elevator with me? What were the chances thatHawkwas Grammy’s godson? “That’s serendipitous.”
“That’s wanna-kiss-him-itous,” Addie said so quietly I didn’t think Grammy heard.
I heard, though, and I snorted, brushing my hand against her knee. She was right. The more this evening passed, the more its magic tinkled over me, making my heart swell.
“Here we go,” she said as Cameron opened our door.
The three of us shuffled out. We clustered in the starry snowfall on the sidewalk. From within Circle of Elegance, a man noticed us and lifted a hand. Grammy waved too, and within moments, he was there, unlocking the door and greeting us.
“Is one of you Ella?” he asked.
He was balding. What was left of his hair circled around the back of his head. He shook each of our hands in turn and welcomed us inside the warm shop.
I lifted my hand in response, fairly buzzing inside.
A woman was with him, and I suspected she was the owner’s wife. Her hair was cropped short, and she wore a floral dress with a beltaround the waist.
“My name is Harriet,” she said, approaching me and taking my hand in hers, which were delicately soft. “And I’m excited to help you find a dress tonight.”
“Thank you,” I said breathlessly. “This is amazing of you.”
Her husband led the tour through the decorous shop. Dresses dazzled on mannequins, impressed on hangers, and others waited their turn on the racks. Addie, Grammy, and I scattered.
