ass to a store that catered to all builds and give them my business.
The salesgirl nodded and said, “I have just the number.”
I felt Connolly’s eyes on me, and I looked at her and winked. Even though my mam’s guilt ate at me, having Connolly around somehow felt like a buffer. I was eager for her to get more comfortable around me. Maybe so she would talk again. She didn’t seem as rigid as she had been at the party. She seemed relaxed, though still quiet.
She did roll her eyes at Raff a couple of times, which made me grin. He was a little goofy around her, making kid-appropriate jokes.
Connolly stood with Raff while I tried on the dress. From the moment I slipped it on, I knew it was the one. Emerald, just like I had requested, and sheer, but with a layer of beading. The fit was a size too small, and it had a sexy slit up to my thigh. They say red will knock a man dead, but in this dress, I swore that I’d knock a few beats into that heart Kelly supposedly didn’t have.
Connolly’s eyes lit up when I walked out and showed it to her, so that was that.
As I browsed the shelves searching for a matching pair of heels, Connolly sat in a chair while Raff stood next to me. His back was to the wall, his arms crossed, his eyes moving with me.
“You’re trying to kill my cuz with that dress.”
I glanced at him before I picked up a pair of gold heels. “Or steal his heart, at the very least.”
He laughed. “Molly and me have a bet going.”
“Yeah.” I put the heels down. “I hope your bet is on me, or you’re on the losing side.”
“That’s why I bet on you,” he said. “You’re fucking crazy enough to think you can, so you probably will, Jessica Rabbit.”
I quirked my eyebrow up at him.
He waved at my head. “Your hair. It’s red.”
“Really?” I feigned being shocked. “Someone give me a mirror! When did this happen?”
He laughed and we both turned to look at Connolly, to check on her. Instead of watching us, she was watching as the salesgirls hustled around the shop.
I nodded toward her. “What’s the story?”
Raff stared at her a moment before he turned to me. “Her father was killed selling drugs to the wrong people. Her mother died after having her half-brother—who is in the NICU right now. He was born too early and is in withdrawal. Maureen agreed to adopt him so they would always know each other.” He chucked his chin toward Connolly. “She’s been promised the stars, little Connolly O’Connell, but all she gets is the darkness.”
I realized when her eyes met mine that I was staring at her. Tears blurred my world, but I turned without her seeing. I wiped my eyes before they could fall.
“Connolly O’Connell,” I repeated.
“Her mom was too high to come up with something different for her first name.” He shook his head. “Said it sounded poetic. Like, Connolly, O’ my Connell!, after she’d already finalized the papers. Her parents weren’t bad people. Just ended up being servants to drugs. That came first.”
Her attention to my name—Keely Kelly—made sense. We both shared too many of the same letters in our names.
Not really caring about the heels anymore, I told one of the salesgirls to add a gold pair on to my bill. Then I went and stood in front of Connolly, trying to hide the fact that my heart bled for her.
“Hey,” I said. “It’s time to blow this fancy joint and get something to eat. Maybe we’ll even start with dessert first.” I narrowed my eyes some, moving my head from left to right, like I was trying to read something that wasn’t clear on her face. Then I opened my eyes wide and gasped. “Ah! I see you agree! It’s so clear in the clouds today!”
She didn’t want to smile, but a small grin tugged at her lips.
“Sugar it is!” I held my hand up for a high-five. She placed her hand tentatively against mine and I closed mine over hers, squeezing a bit.
“Lunch it is,” a familiar voice said from behind me.
Why did it thrill me so much?
Cash’s hand slipped over my shoulder, squeezing a bit. I looked at him, all dressed up in his gentlemen’s attire. He reminded me of an old gangster from an earlier time. The man wore the suit, not the other way