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Still, she looked troubled as the waiter delivered our bread and wine, and ate silently, staring off into space a couple of times.
“Your mains,” the waiter said, after we’d eaten most of the bread, and he placed steaming bowls full of delicious-looking food in front of us. Emma picked at hers, and I wondered again if rejecting her had been the wrong move.
I’d decided to tell her about my idea after dessert, when I had her full attention, but she was barely eating, and I couldn’t hold it back anymore.
I tapped my fork on the side of my wine glass like a wedding guest who wanted to make a toast, but did it softly so I didn’t disturb the other diners.
“I’ve got something to say,” I said, and Jackson and Adrian paused their conversation. I fingered the strip of fake skin in my pocket and sat back.
“Emma,” I said, resisting the urge to clear my throat. “I think I speak for all of us when I say it’s been absolutely wonderful having you around, and we want to do what we can to make you happy.”
Emma’s first smile of the night warmed my heart.
“I’ve had an idea,” I said, pulling the piece of fake skin out of my pocket and holding it up so Emma could see it. She blinked and looked shocked.
“Is that… anipple?”
“Yes,” I said. “I thought I’d give it a go and see how it looked.”
“I’ve read about those,” Jackson said, taking it from me to get a closer look. “Don’t they tattoo these on mastectomy patients after their breasts are removed?”
The reality of what I was planning dawned on Emma, and her eyes widened.
“You mean… you can do this for Helen?”
“I was thinking bigger than that,” I said. “I was thinking about a whole day, maybe even a week, where we offer free nipple tattoos to anyone who needs one.”
Emma took the skin from Adrian and examined it.
“It looks so real!”
“That’s the idea,” I said. “Hopefully it means that Helen can focus on recovering from cancer, without the added weight of feeling self-conscious about her body.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea!” Emma gasped. “Let’s do it as soon as possible!”
This was the sticking point in my plan.
“There’s just one thing… that’s not going to be possible,” I admitted. “She’ll have to wait at least three months after the surgery, so she has time to heal.”
Emma’s face fell.
“Oh.”
“But just think of how many other people — women like your mom — who we can help,” I said.
Jackson and Adrian looked at me warily. They didn’t share Emma’s enthusiasm, and I knew them well enough to understand why.
“I don’t want to bethatguy,” Jackson said, “but how will we pay for it?”
I smiled. I’d been keeping track of the books and I knew the business had made a healthy profit this year.
“Don’t worry about it,” I said. “I’ll pay your normal wage — you won’t be working for free.”
Iwould be, but it was my business, and it was a hit I was prepared to take if it made Emma smile. I looked at Emma’s wide blue eyes.
“What do you think?”
“I… love it,” she said, and promptly burst into tears.
