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“I’ll keep an eye on him,” Jesse adds.
“That’s not the reassurance you think it is, young man,” Rosa says with a laugh.
Jesse grabs his chest and stumbles back, faking hurt from her words.
I stand and pull Rosa into a hug, realizing this may very well be the last time I see her. The sounds of surprise she makes lets me know I’ve caught her off guard, but she quickly recovers and returns my embrace.
“Thank you, Ms. Rosa,” I say, my voice low and a bit shaky.
I pull away but meet her eyes.
“For everything,” I choke out.
Rosa swats her hand in the air and hastily rubs under her eyes.
“Just doing my job. Now get out of here, you two,” she says, her own voice a bit strangled.
We don’t have to be told twice. Jesse and I both bolt for the door. I usually feel like garbage after treatment, but the thought of being able to get back on the field gives me an unusual burst of energy.
Chapter twenty
Aubrey
MadisonandTaylorareeasier to hang out with than I anticipated. They’re making sure to keep me engaged in the conversation, but have avoided asking too personal questions. Plus, they always explain what they’re talking about when they can see that I’m utterly lost. Neither of them could get through explaining ‘salad tossing’ to me without laughing. I’m pretty sure my face was tomato red for the entire conversation. Not a single romance book I’ve read had even mentioned this.
We stopped at the diner for lunch and dammit if the onion rings weren’t even better when they’re extra fresh. When the bill comes, I dig through my backpack for my wallet, but Taylor stops me when I go to place my card on the receipt.
“Your money’s no good here, Aubrey,” she says and places a black card on the table.
After we’re all stuffed and the bill has been paid, we pile back into Emmett’s car and head toward Sheridan. Madison pulls the SUV into a parking spot at the Sheridan Mall and I suddenly get a little nervous.
I’ve never shopped for clothes before, really. Mom always picked out all my clothes, second hand mostly. I follow behind Madison and Taylor since they both seem to know what direction they’re heading. As we walk, I glance around and hope beyond hope that I don’t see anyone from the church. They all know today is, was, supposed to be the day of the ceremony. The chances of someone from the church being in the mall are exceedingly slim, but it’s not a complete impossibility.
The first store they veer into is huge, with lots of bright colors and clothes I’d never dream of wearing anywhere near my parents. Taylor and Madison easily start thumbing through the racks of clothes and pulling different pieces, presumably to try on. I stand there, too overwhelmed to even start.
“Hey, you okay?” Madison asks in a low voice while Taylor is engrossed in a rack of pastel skirts.
“Yeah, it’s just—” I sigh and pluck some courage from the air, “I’ve never really gone clothes shopping before. I don’t know what to get.”
The corner of Madison’s lips tilt upward and Taylor comes over, clapping her hands together and practically jumping up and down.
“Makeover!” she squeals.
Madison rolls her eyes but is smiling at her friend.
“Don’t you worry,” Taylor says, and slings an arm around my waist. “Consider me your personal fashion guru. We’ll find your style in no time.”
Taylor steers me toward a rack of dresses and starts holding them up to me. The ones she approves of get draped over my arms, the rest get placed half haphazardly back on the rack. I peek at one of the price tags and get a little queasy. I only have limited funds and I still don’t even have a plan for where I’m going to live. Spending a fortune on clothes is the least of my priorities right now.
“Taylor, I really appreciate this, but I think some of this may be out of my budget.”
“Don’t worry about price, it’s covered,” she says over her shoulder as she rummages through a pile of jeans.
“No, Taylor, I can’t let you pay for any of this,” I tell her.
Madison coughs and Taylor turns to face me.
“I’m not. Daddy Warbucks is.”
