salespeople were falling all over themselves to help her, which wasn’t always so easy to do at such a busy time of the year. Brandy’s radiant expression told me it was worth the effort, and we finally hit gold at our third store, finding what was unquestionably
Exhausted and triumphant with our purchases, we went to lunch at an Italian restaurant frequented by other ladies of leisure. It was inside a larger, elegant shopping complex, and just as we were about to enter the restaurant, I saw a familiar face emerge from a nearby store. Something in my chest clenched, and I spoke before I could help myself.
“Doug!”
It took him a moment to figure out who’d called to him. When he did, a series of emotions played over his face. I wondered then how the encounter would have been different if Brandy hadn’t been there. Would he have even acknowledged me? Maybe. Maybe not. But Brandy’s presence guaranteed politeness. No matter how angry Doug might be at me, he wouldn’t snub her.
“Kincaid,” he said, strolling over to us. “And little Brandy. How’s it going?”
“Good,” she said cheerfully. The two of them, I realized, could have been related if Seth and Maddie had ended up getting married. The weird fallout from their breakup hadn’t had as big an effect on Brandy as the rest of us, though, and she was genuinely happy to see him. “We’re shopping.”
He favored her with a smile, and I wondered if he was avoiding eye contact with me. “Last minute Christmas gifts?” he asked.
“Not a chance,” I said. “This is all for Brandy. She’s going to a dance tonight.”
“Oh, I see how it is,” he said. “Getting ready to break some hearts for the holidays, huh?”
She turned bright red. “No! It’s at my church!”
Teasing girls was familiar and easy territory for Doug. “Yeah?” he said, forcibly keeping a straight face. “Then why are you blushing? Church boys’ hearts break just as easily as us sinners’, you know. I’m sure you’ll leave a trail of hundreds in your wake.”
“No,” she protested. “Not hundreds—”
“Just one?” he asked slyly.
Brandy looked to me for help, and I laughed. “I knew there was someone.”
“You guys are terrible,” she said, though she didn’t look
“Sure,” I said, still laughing. But the instant she was inside the restaurant, Doug’s playful manner vanished.
“Well, I’ve got to go,” he said, starting to turn away.
“Wait, Doug, I . . .” He looked back at me, but I was at a loss. What could I say? That I was sorry for sleeping with his sister’s fiancé? That I was sorry for lying to all of them and breaking her heart? How could you apologize for something like that? “It . . . it was good to see you,” I said at last.
“You too,” he said, though he didn’t sound convincing. He nodded toward the restaurant. “And her. I hope she has fun.”
“Me too. She deserves it, what with everything else going on.”
He had attempted to leave again, but my words made him pause. “How’s her mom?”
I shrugged. “Good days and bad days. It’s up and down. . . . sometimes it seems hopeless, sometimes it’s like everything’s fixed. Wreaks havoc on everyone. . . . you just can’t assume anything, you know? She’s having some good days right now, but it’s been a hard road for all of them. We just never know what’s going to happen next and have to hang in there as best we can. I’m trying to help, but I don’t know. . . . I don’t feel like it’s enough. But what could be?” I promptly shut up, realizing I was rambling.
Doug said nothing, his dark eyes studying me for several heavy seconds. Then, his gaze shifted to Brandy, speaking to the hostess, for a few more moments before returning to me.
“You’re a good person, Kincaid,” he said softly. And this time, he did leave.
Nothing else he might have said could have surprised me more. In all the imagined conversations I’d had with Doug, I’d expected frigid politeness at best—and that had seemed like a long shot. More often than not, I’d envisioned him telling me terrible, hurtful things, things I deserved. As much as a secret part of me yearned for him to forgive me so that we could be friends again, I really didn’t think I deserved that forgiveness. I watched him walk away until Brandy stuck her head out from the restaurant door and called that they had a table.
Despite how pensive my meeting with Doug left me, I was still able to enjoy the rest of the afternoon with Brandy. We were both in good spirits when we arrived back at the Mortensen home, and mine soared even higher when I saw Seth’s car in the driveway. I hurried inside, eager to see him, only to have my mood shatter when I saw his face. Margaret and Terry wore similar expressions. Brandy, normally so observant, was too keyed up over her purchases to notice that there had been a significant mood shift in the house, compared to the bubbly chaos of this morning.
“We had such a great time,” Brandy told them, face shining. “I got the best dress.”
Margaret gave her a tight smile. “Why don’t you try it on for us?”
Brandy didn’t need to be told twice, and Kendall and the twins followed her uproariously to the bedroom, offering to “help.” The instant they were gone, I turned to the adults. “What happened?”
“Bad prognosis at the doctor’s,” said Seth, when no one else spoke right away.
“But she was improving,” I argued. I looked at them all for confirmation. “Right?”
“We thought so,” said Terry. “At the very least, she seemed to be feeling better. But in these situations . . . well, cancer tricks you that way. It’s why people go so long without ever knowing they have it. She woke up feeling bad this morning, and the doctor confirmed our fears.” I was kind of in awe at how calmly he managed to deliver that. I wasn’t sure I could have without breaking down. Honestly, I didn’t know how he’d been able to handle any of this with as much strength and determination as he had. If this were happening to the love of my life, I was pretty sure I’d crawl into in a corner and cry.
Or would I?
Looking at Seth, at those beloved features and compassionate expression, I suddenly knew that wasn’t true. If the one I loved needed my strength, then I would give all I had within me.
“We’re not telling Brandy yet,” said Seth. “We’re not going to keep it from her, but we figured it would be best to wait until after tonight.”
I nodded slowly, having no words. I was usually so quick with a quip or soothing line, but what response could I make to that? Especially when, moments later, Brandy came bounding back down the stairs in the pink dress. Each twin held a shoe, and Kendall carried the glittering chandelier earrings we’d found just before lunch. I was reminded of Cinderella’s mouse retainers.
Brandy’s tastes had been foremost in my mind while shopping, but I’d also had half an eye on what I thought her family would approve of in fashion. As she spun around for them, however, I realized it didn’t matter. I could’ve brought her home in rags, and they would’ve loved it so long as she wore the look of radiance on her face that she did now. That was what sold it, one spot of pure joy in the dark cloud that kept hanging over this family. The adults were too overcome with emotion to speak, so Kendall did it for us.
“Doesn’t she look like a princess?” She kept trying to smooth nonexistent wrinkles out of the skirt, much to Brandy’s dismay. “I want a dress like this.”
Morgan sat down on the floor and tried to forcibly push the shoe on Brandy’s foot while she still stood, furthering my Cinderella images. McKenna joined in as well, and both nearly succeeded in knocking their older sister over.
“Well?” Brandy laughed. “What do you think?”
“It’s beautiful,” said Margaret.
“You’re beautiful,” said Terry.
Having successfully dislodged the twins, Brandy stepped into the shoes, flushing under the praise of her family. “I hope I don’t fall in these. How stupid would that look?”
