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“I’m sorry,” Allison said. “I wouldn’t have encouraged her.”
Luna’s head tilted, and she turned her attention to Allison. “But that’s what you do. I tell my daughter no, and you tell her yes. I tell her maybe, and you tell her definitely.”
“Lu,” Allison said. “It’s not like I do it to spite you. It’s those damn puppy dog eyes of hers. They’re dangerous. How do you say no to them?”
Luna laughed, and the tension between them evaporated just like that. “It’s hard, but you learn not to look directly at them.”
“But they’re like magnets.”
A smile spread wide across Luna’s face. “Fight the pull.”
“Mom,” Presley’s voice floated between them, and they both turned.
Luna gasped, pressing a hand against her heart. “Sweetheart, you look beautiful.” Tears pressed against Luna’s lids, and Allison refrained from making fun of Luna for crying at everything. Presley really did look beautiful. The dress fit her like a glove, and the color made her shine.
“Does that mean I can get it?” Presley asked.
Allison held her breath with Presley as they waited for Luna’s answer. After a moment, Luna nodded. “You can get the dress.”
Presley let out a loud squeak and threw herself into Luna’s arms. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”
A tear slipped down Luna’s cheek, and she swiped it away. “Now go get dressed.”
Presley disappeared into the dressing room, and Allison turned to Luna. “You didn’t fight the pull.”
“Did you see how excited she was? I couldn’t take that from her.”
Allison nodded. Ever since Presley’s dad took off, Luna always tried to compensate in order to keep the tears out of Presley’s eyes, even if it meant not being able to pay the water bill.
Presley skipped out of the dressing room, and Allison held her hand out. “Here, give me the dress and go pick out a pair of shoes.”
Presley let out another squeak and made a beeline right for the shoe displays. Allison turned on her heel and headed toward the register.
“What are you doing?” Luna asked.
“I’m buying my niece a dress.”
“No,” Luna protested, as Allison knew she would. “I told you I can afford it.”
Allison placed the dress on the counter and smiled at the cashier before turning to Luna. “I know you can, but I want to do this. Consider it Presley’s sixth grade graduation present.”
Luna sighed, eyes darting to the ground. When she looked up, her eyes were coated in unshed tears. “Thank you.”
“Too bad you couldn’t hook your eyes up to a faucet. You’d save yourself a lot of money on your water bill,” Allison joked, then reached into her bag and handed Luna a tissue.
“Jerkface,” Luna said, taking the tissue.
Allison laughed at the juvenile name calling and bumped Luna’s shoulder with hers. “Love you, too, poo poo head.”
Allison handed her credit card over to the cashier and signed her name when prompted.
“Are you Allison Winters?” the cashier asked.
Allison put on her best smile. “I am.”
“I’m a huge fan.”
Luna sighed. “Please don’t inflate her head any more than it already is.”
