all of you, it take some time. Especially with Binh measuring you. She make many mistakes, for sure.”
Ian set his drink aside. “I reckon I don’t need to be measured.”
“Yes, you do,” Mattie replied, turning in his direction. “You’re going to get a nice suit, Daddy. That you can wear to dinner tomorrow night.”
“I am?”
“You certainly are,” Georgia answered, stepping to a nearby shelf that held bolts of dark fabric and feeling the material. “A beautiful cashmere suit to wear with all your ladies.”
Ian smiled. “Well, in that case, I suspect we could do with a bit of grub.”
“I go now,” Kim said. “Be back soon with delicious dinner. You make sure that my sister measure you right. Sometimes her eyes and brain not work so good.”
Binh shooed Kim away, said something in Vietnamese, and the twins laughed. Kim left the room. After jotting down a few numbers, Binh walked over to Holly and repeated the process, continuing to cluck her tongue. Holly had watched the sisters with interest, deciding at the last moment that she didn’t want a black dress, but one just like Mattie’s. She hoped to be Mattie’s twin, if only for a night.
It took another twenty minutes to measure Holly, Ian, and Georgia. Halfway through the process, Kim returned with skewers of roasted chicken and squid. She placed the food on wooden plates and served her patrons, making a point to show the steaming morsels to her sister, but offering her none. As Mattie and Holly began to eat, and Georgia stretched out her arm for Binh to measure, Ian motioned for Kim to follow him out into the street.
“You need something?” she asked. “A beer? A scooter? Maybe foot massage?”
He smiled, removing three pieces of sea glass that he had found on the beach earlier that day. The pieces were green and worn smooth by the passage of countless waves. They were about the size of his thumb-nail and looked like precious stones that had been found deep in the earth. He handed the pieces to Kim. “Reckon you could turn these bits of sea glass into three necklaces? Or do you know someone who can?”
Kim placed the sea glass on her palm, moving the pieces around with her forefinger. “What kind of necklace?”
“Something to go with their dresses? Maybe . . . maybe a silver setting on a black leather cord?”
“My friend, she can do this. Make them very beautiful for your ladies. Cost you . . . twenty dollar.”
Ian leaned closer to her. “Let’s have a go at it, shall we? And if you keep it a secret, I’ll give you some extra loot. But they need to be ready tomorrow morning. When we pick up the dresses, you can give them to me.”
“No problem. I go to my friend right now.”
He reached into his day pack and handed her twenty-five dollars. “Please tell your mate to make them special.”
Kim pocketed the money but continued to hold the sea glass. “Your wife, she lucky woman.”
Ian’s smile faded. “Georgia? She’s . . . she’s not my wife.”
“No?”
“No.”
“Well, she still lucky. If you find beautiful thing and give it to her, then I think she lucky. Same, same for girls.”
“Thank you.”
“Okay, you go back inside, so they no wonder where you are, so they no think I am your new girlfriend. See you tomorrow.”
“Good night. Thank you for the food.”
“Good night, Mr. Sea Glass Man.”
Ian watched the Vietnamese woman depart, wondering if all the locals assumed that he and Georgia were married. “Sorry, my luv,” he whispered, looking into the night sky, which shimmered with starlight.
Back inside the dress shop, Binh had finished measuring Georgia and was talking with Mattie about silk blankets. Ian entered the room, leaned against a wall, and listened to his daughter and Holly haggle with Binh over the cost of blankets. Mattie wasn’t a good negotiator, and Holly seemed frustrated when Mattie prematurely agreed on a price. But Mattie was happy, which prompted Ian’s smile to return.
He handed Binh some bills and lifted a skewered squid from a plate. “Thank you,” he said. “We’ll be back tomorrow morning. Before we buzz off for Dalat. Reckon you can get the dresses done?”
Binh rubbed the bills for good luck. “We work on dresses all night, and we sleep tomorrow. This perfect for us. Especially for Kim. Now she can talk all night.”
“Well, have a good chat.”
“You too.”
Farewells were exchanged, and Ian led Georgia and the girls out onto the street. He took