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“You’ve already made your mind up, haven’t you?”
She gives me an emphatic nod, and leads the way to the dressing room. “If you hate the way it looks on you, we can keep looking. But something tells me this dress is the one.”
“Is this fate, too?”
Beatrice grins. “It just might be.”
Rhinestone straps hold up the plunging sweetheart neckline, crisscrossing at the open back. The chiffon fabric hugs my curves, fitting my body like a glove, and flaring out at the bottom. Of course, Beatrice found the perfect pair of strappy heels to match the rhinestone detailing on the dress.
She claps when I emerge from the dressing room. “This dress was made for you. What did I tell you? You’re absolutely stunning.”
I turn and look over my shoulder in the mirror, loving the way the material dips down to the small of my back. Anticipation fizzes in my stomach like a shaken bottle of soda when I think about Bryce’s reaction when he sees me in this dress.
“I’ll take it.”
Beatrice claps, the bangles on her wrists jingling with the movement. “Wonderful.”
“Can you hold it for me until I leave? I don’t want Bryce to see it until the night of the gala.”
“Absolutely.” Beatrice brushes my hair to one side, gazing at my reflection in the mirror. “You know, I was pleased to hear that you’ve made plans to see each other after the summer ends. Maybe I’ll get to see you too.”
“Did you think you wouldn’t?”
She looks away. “I wasn’t sure if you’d want to keep in touch once you get back home, and I didn’t want to pressure you to make you feel like you had to.”
Sadness tugs my conscience, and I turn to face her, taking both of her hands in mine. “Beatrice, if you think I’m never going to see you again, you have another thing coming. You’ve been so kind, and you’ve helped me so much. You’re going to be stuck with me for a long, long time.”
She throws her arms around me, and pulls me into her embrace. “You have no idea how happy that makes me. You’ve become like a granddaughter to me, and you’ve brought so much sunshine into our lives here.”
Tears roll down my cheeks, and I hug her tighter, breathing in her sweet vanilla scent. “You told me this place would heal me, but it’s you who has been helping me heal.”
Beatrice rocks me back and forth. “You might not believe in fate, but I do, Charly. I believe you came into our lives for a reason.”
Maybe she’s right. Maybe everything that has happened in my life has led me to this exact point. No one can ever know for sure. But there’s one thing I’m certain of: I’m grateful that I found my way to Sunnyside.
And I have Mom to thank for that.
Charly
“Five, six, seven, eight. Now turn.”
I turn right, but Freddie turns left. “Oh, my goodness. I’m so sorry, Charly.”
“It’s okay. Let’s try it again, Fred. You’re leading, so you have to do the opposite of what Gianna shows us.”
“This is harder than I thought it was going to be. My Stella would’ve been so good at this. She’s probably laughing at me right now in heaven.”
“I doubt that. You’re doing a great job.”
“It’s all thanks to you. You’re such a sweetheart for helping this old man.”
I’ve been helping Freddie before our dance class starts each week to practice going over the steps before we learn new ones. He’s sweet, and he’s trying so hard.
At seven o’clock, Gianna and the other dancers trickle into the room, and we take our places.
Gianna stands at the front in a short red sequined dress. “Before we get started, I need to make a slight change in partners.”
I glance around the room, checking to see who’s paired up with who.
