“Lena!”
Her friend held up her hands. “Kidding. I’m kidding.” Lena moved Mischa back into the kennel. “Have you heard much from Grayson and Oliver lately?”
Robin didn’t miss the too-casual tone of her friend. Lena knew the family’s troubles, and she cared about all of them. “Nothing more than a quick call at Christmas. I thought with Grandpa Jim’s heart attack they’d—” She shook her head, and a stone sat in her stomach. The truth? Her brothers had left town much the same way she had—quickly and with finality. The three of them had never experienced the tight bond other siblings had. She mourned their loss but knew that their relationships wouldn’t mend without effort. An effort none of them were putting forward right now.
Something had broken between them the day their parents died, and it had never healed. Another relationship she’d never fit into.
“Anyway, I’m not sure what it will take to lure them home again. I sometimes wonder if all three of us will ever be in the same town again.”
The two stood in silence for a heartbeat.
Lena crossed her arms. “I still think you should break something else in your kitchen so your lumberjack will come running back. You and Sammy would make such a cute couple.”
Robin chuckled. Lena knew just what she needed to break the tension. “Never gonna happen. But…we are chaperoning the Snowball Dance together.”
“What? You’ve been holding out on me. I need details so we can plan. Will he pick you up? What time will you need to be ready? What are you going to wear?”
Leave it to practical Lena to think of the logistics. What was she going to wear? In all the hustle at the shop, she hadn’t stopped to think about it. “I honestly don’t know.”
“There aren’t too many places in town that sell formal wear. You might have to get creative.”
“Ugh. I was talking to Colleen about that the other day. Remember the dress I made for my prom junior year?”
“The awesome one with the beautiful wings? Of course I remember.” Lena crossed to the door of the exam room. Robin followed her out into the waiting area.
“Awesome? People gave me such grief for that dress. If Grayson and Oliver hadn’t already graduated by then, I think they would have disowned me out of embarrassment.”
“Nonsense.” Lena’s brisk tone brought Robin up short. “It was a beautiful dress, and you looked amazing. You should thrift something again.”
“I actually still have the dress.” Robin leaned back against the check-in counter, bracing herself with her hands. “I found it in my old closet at Grandma’s.”
“And? Is it as bad as you remember?”
“No.” Tears prickled Robin’s eyes. “It’s just as amazing as I remember. Why are you smiling like that?”
“I’m smiling because here is your chance to redeem that dress.”
“What do you mean?” Robin tugged her hairband off her wrist and wound her hair into a messy bun on top of her head.
“Maybe you should give the dress a little glow-up and wear it to the dance.”
The laughter from her prom whispered through Robin’s mind. But she wasn’t that young girl anymore, was she? She’d matured. She’d lived in Paris for several years, for Pete’s sake. She knew something about fashion. “You know, maybe you’re right. I’ll need to keep my hair simple, and my dress can’t be too over the top—Iamworking after all. But yeah, I can still shine.”
Lena nodded once. “Good. Now, I hate to kick you out, but I have patients coming in any time now.” She glanced at her smartwatch. “Let’s do this again soon.”
“Definitely.”
As Lena walked Robin over to the rack to retrieve her jacket she asked, “Hey, did you hear that someone donated enough money for The Garden to buy that new van they needed?”
“No. I hadn’t heard that. How wonderful.” Robin slid her arms into her coat.
“I know. First the youth center, and now this.”
“It’s like there’s a secret superhero in town, except instead of catching bad guys they’re creating hope.”
Lena leaned over and embraced Robin. “It’s good to have you back in town. I hope it’s for forever.”
“Lena, I already told you, I’m heading back to Paris as soon as my grandparents get their feet under them again. Plus, after Grandma Elaine gets a look at her kitchen, I may be excommunicated!” She headed toward the door.
