AllFreeNovel
Share Us
What about your daughter?
I hated feeling as if it was me or them, though. This had been my life since the time I was little; I couldn’t expect her to change because I made sudden plans.
“I wish I could be there,” she said softly. “Truly. But I’ll be there in my heart. Know that, honey.”
“Okay, Mom. I have to go.”
We hung up. I tossed my phone on my bed and cupped my face, trying not to cry.
My door opened, and Seyla jumped into the room, her arms splayed out wide. “Grab your purse, girly. We’re going shopping.” When I didn’t say anything, her smile fell. “Aw, honey. What’s wrong?” She dropped onto the bed beside me and gave me a hug.
I wouldn’t tell her why I was upset. She knew my mom. She knew Mom was incredibly busy. Seyla and I had been friends since we were five. She’d been the one to cheer me on the year I played field hockey when Mom was too busy to come to the games. Seyla held my hand when my first boyfriend broke up with me.
Perhaps that was why it had been easy to move away. My mom didn’t truly need me, but I needed Seyla.
“I have a bottle of wine I was saving for a big occasion,” she said. “But there’s no time like the present. We can pour glasses and sit on the porch while we drink it. Please.” Her voice croaked. “What can I do to cheer you up? Wine or would retail therapy help?”
“I really shouldn’t spend any money.” Not when I had to send Mom a hundred.
“You need some new clothes. I need to buy them for you.”
“No, Seyla. You buy me too much already.”
“Who else will I spend it on?” She lifted my chin, making me meet her eyes. “I have more than I can spend in a lifetime. Why not share it with you? You’re my best friend. Let me help?”
This felt too much like me with my mom, only I was Seyla’s charity. Although that wasn’t completely true. Seyla cared for me, and she knew I didn’t have much.
“You’ll be going to fancy dinner parties,” she said, injecting a known lure into her voice. “You look fabulous in worn jeans and a t-shirt, but why not gorgeous dresses instead? Can I get you a few things? We’ll look for bargains.”
“You say that every time, then sneak a bunch of full-priced items into my bag.”
“Caught.” She shrugged. “I can’t help it. You’re my best friend, and I love you. Let’s scoot into town. There’s a cute place run by a phoenix we could check out.” She held up her hand. “No pressure, but if we find a few cute things that are perfect for you, I want to get them for you. My treat. Consider it a wedding gift.”
“You’re already buying my wedding gown as a gift, which is way too generous.”
“Consider the other dresses part of your trousseau. You’ll need one of those, right?”
I wasn’t exactly sure what a trousseau was, but sometimes, there was no dissuading Seyla. It was better to ride along with whatever she wanted to do and smile.
“I saw a few dresses in the window that will look amazing on you.” She slid off the bed and kicked off her pink slippers. “Yes? No?”
“Okay,” I sighed.
“Yay. Let me throw on something vaguely more decent, and we’ll skip all the way to town.” Something we hadn’t done since we were twelve, but it had been so much fun back then.
Maybe I needed to let skipping back into my life.
“I feel strange buying clothing and wedding stuff when I can’t afford to live anywhere but at a B&B,” I said. “This place is amazing, and Violet and Goreg are awesome hosts, but it’s not exactly a place of my own.” I kept thinking of Tylik’s hobbit house and how cozy it was there. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine I’d live in a place like that.
“Just a few dresses.”
I drooled at the thought of buying pretty clothing that would make me feel good when I wore them. It was going to be hard enough to lift my head at Finni’s estate with all those gorgeous fae beings sauntering around.
“Auntie to the rescue,” Seyla added.
“You’re younger than me,Auntie.” I rolled my eyes. “I can’t keep letting you buy things for me.”
“Since you might one day be a duchess, you deserve to be dressed like a queen.”
