some time.”
Fifteen minutes later, Darlene knocked on Layla’s door. The Versace dress was draped over her arm.
Layla opened the door in her usual attire—jeans, boots, and a work shirt. “Come in,” she said with more enthusiasm than she’d shown Darlene in the past. Darlene followed her inside.
“Thank you. Do you mind waiting while I try it on?” Layla asked as she took the dress.
Darlene did mind. She had a family to get home to, dinner to cook. “Sure, I’ll wait.”
Layla returned in the dress, and once again, it was such a transformation from farmworker to glamour girl. “I think it fits fine. Does it look okay in the back?” Layla turned around.
Darlene wished she could wear a dress the way Layla did. “Yeah, I think it looks great.”
“Be right back.”
Darlene tapped her foot, glanced at her watch. Layla returned, closing her bedroom door behind her. “Thank you for doing this. I could have taken it to Houston, I guess . . .”
“It’s fine. I’m just glad it fit.” Darlene smiled. “I better go.”
“Why are you dressed up?” Layla inched closer and eyed Darlene up and down. Layla had only seen Darlene in ragged jeans and T-shirts. Now she was sporting a pair of tan Capri pants and a pink and tan blouse.
Darlene glanced down. “Well, I don’t know if I’d call this dressed up.” She laughed. “But I guess it’s dressed up for me. I got a job.”
Layla frowned. “Oh. I see.”
“I’m working at The Evans School up the road.”
The hint of a smile tipped the corners of Layla’s mouth. “That’s a wonderful facility. What are you doing there?”
“I’m just a teacher’s aide, but they’re training me. I’ve never really worked, not outside the home. But my kids are older, and I wanted to do something to . . . maybe make a difference.”
Layla sat down on the couch and motioned for Darlene to do the same. Darlene glanced at her watch. She was torn between wanting to rush home to be with her kids and wanting to make a friend in this new town. And this was so out of character for Layla that Darlene couldn’t resist taking a few minutes to talk.
“Myrna runs a top-notch school there. I guess you know her granddaughter is autistic?” Layla folded her hands in her lap as she raised an eyebrow.
“Yes.”
“Did she tell you that we are trying to open up another wing in the school? We want to make it available to even more children, including lower-income families whose children would benefit from the school but who might not be able to afford the tuition.”
Darlene caught Layla’s use of the word we more than once, and she was surprised by the passion in Layla’s voice. “No, I didn’t know that.”
“Finding teachers in this area is always a problem. I’m glad you’re working there.”
“I hope I’ll be good at it.” After today, she had her doubts.
“You will be.”
Layla made the statement with such conviction, Darlene wanted to believe her.
“You should attend the gala with me. The proceeds benefit the school.”
Darlene put a hand to her chest. “Oh, I couldn’t.”
“Why?” Layla crossed her legs, frowning, as she kicked a bare foot into motion.
“I—I just . . .” She shrugged. If Layla was wearing a Versace gown, Darlene was sure she didn’t have anything in her closet to wear that was even comparable. “I don’t really have time to take on anything else.”
Layla stood up, almost stomped across the room, and returned with an envelope. “Here, I have an extra ticket, and it would be a shame for it to go to waste. Consider it payment for altering the dress.”
“I thought you didn’t even want to attend the gala.”
“I don’t. But I will. Because it’s for a good cause. And now I have a date.” She raised one thin eyebrow and grinned.
Darlene stood up. “Layla, I’ll be glad to donate to the cause, but I can’t attend the gala. I’ve already got a full plate, and—”
“It’s on a Saturday night. And if this is a what-to-wear issue, I have at least a hundred more dresses just like the one you altered that you can borrow.”
Versace? Darlene had never even tried one on.
“Of course, you’ll have to hem it.” Layla had transformed into a completely different person in the past few minutes, and even though Darlene had no clue why, she welcomed the new and improved Layla. Maybe they would be friends after all.
“Okay,” she finally said as she looked at her watch again.
Brad walked