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“Then someone worth having gets down on the floor with you until you can.”
I stare at her, but she doesn’t look at me.
Still, her expression has changed.
“Did someone do that for you?” I ask quietly.
Hazel continues whipping tiny stitches where she took in the dress. “We’re talking about your dress.”
“No, we’re not.”
“Yes,” she says. “We are.”
I want to push. Maybe I should.
But maybe I shouldn’t.
So I let it go.
For now.
She works quickly but doesn’t rush.
I sit and watch, half mesmerized. “How are you doing that so fast?”
She doesn’t look up. “Practice.”
“That’s not practice. That’s magic.”
She furrows her eyebrows. “It’s a needle.”
“It’s definitely magic.”
She laughs. “If I were magic, do you think I’d be working as a maid?”
She makes a valid point. I sit quietly while she finishes and then gives the dress a press with a small steamer.
“Here you go.” She hands the dress to me. “Let’s see if I truly worked magic.”
She must have. Fewer than thirty minutes have passed.
The fabric is cool beneath my fingers. Smooth. Far too fine for someone like me.
“Ella.”
I look up.
“Stop deciding you don’t deserve things before you even touch them.”
Apparently mindreading is another one of Hazel’s superpowers.
I swallow as I step into the dress.
The fabric slides over my skin, settling at my waist, my hips, my chest. I reach for the zipper and struggle before Hazel steps toward me.
“Hold still.” She zips me up and adjusts my left strap. “There. Like a glove.” She leads me to the full-length mirror.
I gasp.