shoes for you to try on. We need her help if we’re going to get those ballet shoes you want.”
Katie brought her hand to her face, pressing her curled fingers against her lips. She dared another peek at Leslie. Leslie smiled and waved at her in the friendly way people in customer service tended to do. Katie quickly returned to her position, her gaze on the ground.
A thought occurred to Jasmine. She stood back up and said, “Leslie, can I talk to you for a sec?”
“Sure.”
“Please excuse us, Gareth,” Jasmine said.
“No problem.”
She heard him murmuring to Katie in his soothing voice as she walked with Leslie out of their earshot. “Sorry,” she said when they stopped. “Katie’s really shy. I honestly don’t know her that well, but I don’t think she likes it when people are overly friendly, or maybe just friendly when they don’t know her. I hope I don’t come across as rude, but would you mind toning it down for her sake?”
Leslie sent a sympathetic glance in Katie’s direction. “Of course. Whatever you need.”
“I appreciate it.”
“Why don’t we bypass the feet measuring? I’ll go and get a few pairs of shoes we can try on. If she’s more comfortable with you assisting her, that’s perfectly fine with me.”
“Thanks, Leslie.”
Hoping her suggestion worked, Jasmine walked back over to Gareth and Katie. She stayed in front of Gareth and gave him a small smile as she said, “Okay, Katie. Leslie is going to the back to get some shoes for you to try on. If you want to get a pair today and pick out your new tights and leotards, you need to come out from behind Gareth.”
It took a minute before Katie complied. She eventually eased back around his leg so she was facing Jasmine.
“Your dad would probably approve of a couple of dance skirts and new hair ties too,” she said. “What do you think?”
Finally, Katie smiled.
“Come on. The leotards are over here.”
The rest of the shopping excursion went much better. Leslie kept her distance and spoke to them without the big smile. Katie ended up with her new shoes, a black leotard and a pink one, two coordinating dance skirts, three pairs of tights, and a package of hair ties. Gareth surprised Katie by buying her a new hot pink dance bag with a glittery ballerina on it. It was such a sweet thing to do that Jasmine was immediately won over.
She admitted to herself that she had built up some undeserved resentment toward him in the week since her first lesson with Katie. She hadn’t understood why Will felt she and Katie needed a chaperone for this shopping trip. It was one thing for Will to insist on being there himself. Insisting that a stranger attend in his place was another matter. Did Will not think she was capable of helping Katie choose her ballet gear?
Now that her ego wasn’t in the way, she understood he had been acting in his daughter’s best interests. It wasn’t like Will and Katie knew her very well.
But Gareth did know Katie. He had infinite patience with her and such a cheerful disposition, making the shopping experience more fun than Jasmine had anticipated. When he asked if she wanted to go to lunch with them, she regretted having to say no.
“I’m heading to an appointment,” she explained. “Will you take a rain check?”
“Absolutely,” he said. “I’ll hold you to it.”
Jasmine smiled at Katie as Gareth loaded her into his car. When she saw the booster in Gareth’s backseat, it revealed yet another reason Will hadn’t immediately jumped on board with her suggestion of taking Katie shopping herself. She felt even more foolish for harboring any bitterness about it.
Besides, she told herself, what did it really matter? These lessons were just temporary.
“It was nice spending this time with you, Jasmine,” Gareth said after he closed Katie in the car. “I want to say how happy I am that Katie has made this connection with you. I’ve known her for more than a year now and I’ve never seen her so comfortable around a woman, especially one she doesn’t know well. The way you intervened today with your manager friend was really helpful. I can already tell you’ll be a strong role model for her.”
Despite the thought she’d had about the lessons being temporary, she smiled. It felt good hearing she was having such a positive impact on a young girl’s life. It felt even better that Katie needed a positive