crossed, Alice got up and began pacing the room, her long nightgown trailing behind her. "That makes me upset.”
Shelby knew her grandmother would refrain from saying anything bad about Dana. She’d overheard her mother and grandmother fighting several times. She knew Dana had run off and gotten married at eighteen, hardly speaking to her parents since. Except to ask for money. Shelby remembered those calls. But her grandmother always tried to be kind whenever they visited, and Shelby had nothing but good memories of the time she and her grandparents spent alone together.
Alice stood before her and reached out her hand. Her eyes were bright and skin flushed, and she looked like her old self in that moment. Shelby rose and took her grandmother’s hand.
“We need to go to the mall and buy you some new bathing suits,” Alice said.“And for that matter, your clothes are a little tight. We need a girls’ shopping trip."
"Really, Grandma? Would you be willing to go? I have some of my own money, already. Mindy paid me for a week."
"It’s time I got out of this house,” Alice said. "How about this for a deal? I'll buy the first bathing suit. You can buy the second, but you'll let me treat you to some new clothes too."
Shelby felt her heart race with excitement. "You'll really take me?"
"I'll really take you," said Alice.
"Okay, when?"
Her grandmother looked a little nervous at first when the reality of it sank in. Alice stood up tall, took a deep breath, and said, "Well, it seems there's no time like the present. I think we should go get in the car. The mall's only half an hour away. There are some nice shops and cafes there, and we can even have a treat to reward ourselves for a job well done.”
"Are you sure?" Shelby asked.
"Absolutely, yes," Alice said. “As soon as I take a shower and get some clothes on.”
Shelby threw her arms around her grandmother.
Scarlett didn't know what was going on, but she knew it was big, so she started barking and twirling in circles.
"No, this time you're staying home, little one," Alice said. "It's too hot to leave you in the car and you had your morning walk.” She turned to Shelby. “All right, you go get ready and so will I."
The outdoor mall was a small but well-designed one-story collection of stores meandering around a flowering courtyard. Shelby couldn't be happier. Most stores had outside awnings so people could window shop in the hot weather.
They ambled by first to see which store looked promising. “This one is having a summer sale, how perfect,” Alice said. “Let’s go find you some new clothes.”
“Love to.”
Her grandmother smiled at her. “When was the last time you had anything new?”
Shelby thought about it and could not remember. She shrugged her shoulders.
Alice frowned. “Well it’s about time then.”
They walked into a boutique called Judy’s Closet that had some really cute floral dresses in the window display. A song by Katy Perry was playing in the background. Shelby liked everything she saw and didn’t know where to start, until she saw a two-piece, pale yellow bathing suit with little white flowers. She pulled out her size and held it up to show her grandmother.
Alice gave her a thumbs up. “Pick out a few more to try on.”
“How about this one?” Alice asked, holding up a pair of distressed shorts and one of the sundresses from the window.
Alice was browsing through a table of suits and pulled out a bright turquoise tankini with a pink and white striped bottom.
“Love it,” Shelby said.
The salesgirl brought them into a dressing room with everything they had picked out. Shelby hummed along to the music as she made her decision where to start. She chose the one her grandmother had picked out first. She loved the way the top tied around her neck, showing off her shoulders, and the colors worked so well together. Shelby peered out, making sure no one else was around, then stepped forward and modeled it for Alice.
“It’s adorable,” her grandmother said. “Put it in the ‘yes’ pile.”
Next she tried on the blue suit with horizontal stripes of colors. It had an opening and showed off a little of her pale-colored midriff. It was not as tan as her arms and legs, but that would be remedied soon. Shelby couldn’t believe her reflection in the mirror. She was a cute girl and…her mind flashed to Logan. Even in this suit there was still that