Since your mom has to bring me home, she’d be back for you.”
“Nah,” Olivia said. “I hear there will be lunch.”
“No complaining,” Amber said. “The only person allowed to complain is Aunt Addie. Her shopping muscles are underdeveloped. Now come on, let’s do hair and makeup.”
“I’m not shopping for a wedding gown, you know,” Addie said. But she followed as Amber led the way to the bathroom. She carried what looked like an overnight bag, stuffed with cosmetics. She sat Addie on the closed toilet seat and got to work. After pulling Addie’s thick hair into a messy bun, she began on her face.
Addie could hear Olivia and Justine talking in the other room—Justine asking how far Olivia was into her book, then commenting on the story, which she had also read and loved. This was one of the things Addie admired about Justine’s relationship with her girls—she could let them be individuals. She could discuss books with Olivia, who loved her reading, and discuss fashion with Amber, who had a real interest in haute couture.
Adele closed her eyes and listened to Justine and Olivia talking about Olivia’s current read. Simultaneously, Amber was having a conversation with her about makeup. “A little more color here, I think. You should work on eye makeup, Auntie—you have the most beautiful, big eyes. I think we’ll leave your hair like that in a messy bun—it’s just the thing.”
And soon they were on their way to a couple of malls. Justine steered them to a couple of good, women’s discount clothing stores, and once Adele was trying on the piles of clothes Justine and Amber delivered to her, standing in a dressing room in her underwear most of the time, she started to enjoy the process. “I feel like a fairy princess,” she said.
“A fairy princess with very bad underwear,” Justine said. “We’ll take care of that, as well.”
“Lighten up, Justine. No one’s going to see it.”
“More’s the pity,” she said. “You’re getting new underwear. And a couple of nightgowns. You might as well get a completely fresh start. You’ll be amazed at how much better you’ll feel when you’re brand-new from the skin out. And, I brought a few things from my closet.”
“What? What of yours could I possibly fit into?”
“I have a few things that I haven’t worn in a while that might’ve been a little loose fitting. Of course, right now everything is loose on me. I wouldn’t want to lose another ounce. I think I’m one of those people who has sharp features that only get sharper when I’m too skinny. I’ll be damned if I’ll have a mean expression because of Scott!”
“Speaking of getting thin, is it going to be lunchtime soon?” Addie asked.
“Absolutely!”
They left their second store with bags bulging with clothes—including new underwear and nightgowns. Justine insisted on paying for everything. Adele argued that this must be a particularly difficult time for Justine to be spending so much, but Justine just brushed her off. “Life has sucked for the past six months, for both of us, and I haven’t had a chance to spoil you at all. We’re going to get through this year, Addie, and next year is going to be so much better. For both of us.”
“We’ve never done this before,” Adele said, a little catch in her voice.
“Of course we have,” Justine said. “Amber, go get Olivia. She’s right on that bench over there.” Then, turning back to Adele she said, “It’s been a long time, I guess. But we’ve shopped for the girls together, for Mom and Dad, for special occasions.”
“This is completely different,” Addie said.
“Well, it’s the first time you’ve needed new work clothes. You didn’t need my help with clothes for school. In fact, you probably didn’t need my help with this, but I wanted to.”
“It’s really completely different. We were always in a rush those other times. And it was so long ago.” She sniffed. “I don’t know what to say. Thank you isn’t enough.”
“You’re just emotional. Let’s go over to the Olive Garden. I’m craving a glass of wine.”