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I drove to the strip mall the next Saturday with my hands tight on the wheel and a knot of something dangerous in my chest. Hope. After a year of nothing, I was daring to feel hope again.
I should have known better.
By the fourth shop, I could see Hazel folding into herself.
The first three boutiques used softer words. “Limited inventory.” “Sample sizes only.” “We could special order, but not in time.” Still, it was clear they thought she was too big for their dresses.
By the fourth shop, I could see Hazel folding into herself, shoulders rising toward her ears the way they had at Mason’s funeral.
I tried to keep my voice bright.
“There’s one more place. The pretty one on Maple.”
“Mom.”
“Just one more, sweetheart.”
The saleswoman gave her a slow once-over, mouth tightening at the corners.
The old nickname almost slipped out, but I caught it before it could wound her. That word belonged to Mason. Only Mason.
The boutique on Maple had a gown in the window I had already pictured on her. Ivory, soft, romantic. Hazel stood in front of the glass for a long moment, and then, in a voice I had not heard in a year, she asked, “Could I try the one in the window?”
The saleswoman gave her a slow once-over, mouth tightening at the corners.
“That’s not going to work for you, honey. You’re too big.”
That was all. No softening. No apology.
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