Home for the Holidays

by Sarah Mayberry

  Spectacular. That was how she looked. Her legs were long with well-defined muscles. Her waist was small. Her breasts…Well, he’d already done his fair share of staring at them. She filled out the minidress like a supermodel, but even Ruby couldn’t help but notice how acutely uncomfortable Hannah was in it. She tugged at the neckline, she plucked at the hem, she pulled the fabric away from her middle. She looked about as happy as a cat being forced into a bath.

  “You need to stop fiddling with the hem,” Ruby said. “It’s hard to see how the dress looks when you keep doing that.”

  “I don’t think this one is a goer,” Hannah said. “This hot pink color will be really hard to match when we try to find your dress, and I think blue would probably suit you better.”

  She slipped back into the change room and whisked the curtain closed.

  Ruby sighed. “All right then. But remember, we’ve only got three hours.”

  Hannah refused to even open the curtain when she’d changed into the next dress. Ruby finally negotiated her way into the change room, and Joe couldn’t help overhearing their conversation.

  “The top on this dress looked much bigger on the hanger, didn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “It looks really small now. Really small.”

  Joe cleared his throat, his imagination going haywire.

  “Here.” Ruby stuck her head outside the curtain and thrust two dresses into his hands. “None of these are any good.”

  One of the dresses—the indecent one, he guessed—was still warm from Hannah’s body. His fingers slipped through the fabric as he stepped onto the shop floor.

  “Here, let me help you with those,” a sales assistant said.

  Joe returned to the change rooms in time to see the curtain whisking closed on Hannah as she vetoed the third dress. He caught a glimpse of gauzy floral fabric, spaghetti straps and a deeply ruffled hem.

  “No good?” he asked.

  “No!” Hannah said adamantly from beyond the curtain.

  “I thought you looked beautiful,” Ruby said wistfully.

  “It’s too tight. I think we need to find a winter dress. Something with sleeves.”

  “What do you think, Daddy?”

  Ruby pulled the curtain open before Hannah could object. Hannah lifted her hands as though she wanted to cover herself, then let them drop to her sides helplessly.

  “It’s terrible, isn’t it?” she said.

  The dress had a low, rounded neck that sat over her breasts in soft folds. He was sure there was a technical name for it—all he knew was that the draping fabric did a great job outlining the high, round shape of her breasts. The waistline was fitted and the skirt hugged the lines of her thighs until it reached just below her knees, where it merged into a froth of ruffles which ended just above her ankles.

  He shoved his hands into his pockets. “I think this should definitely go on your short list.”

  Hannah’s eyes widened. “No way. It’s terrible. I look like a kid playing dress-up in her mom’s closet.”

  He frowned, studying her face. She avoided his eyes, her cheeks flushed.

  “Daddy likes it, and I get a vote, too, so it’s on the short list,” Ruby said triumphantly. She herded Hannah back into the changing cubicle. “Now get changed and we’ll go to Myer’s. They have lots of nice things.”

  Ruby started gathering dresses at the speed of light once they hit the big department store, once again going for what he could only describe as couture à la princess. Hannah accepted the hangers with a resigned stoicism that would have been funny if it didn’t come from genuine discomfort. When Hannah disappeared into the change room with Ruby’s selections, he caught his daughter’s elbow before she could follow Hannah inside.

  “Rubes, wait a minute. I think maybe we need to rethink the fashion direction a little.”

  Ruby’s face wrinkled with confusion. “What?”

  “I don’t think Hannah’s very comfortable in the dresses you’re choosing for her.”

  “But she looks so good in them. She looks like a supermodel.”

  “Yeah, but you’ve got to remember she’s used to wearing jeans and T-shirts most of the time. I think maybe all the pink and frills are a bit too much for her.”

  Ruby stared at him as though he’d grown another head. “But they’re pretty.”

  “I know. What I was thinking was, maybe we could find an outfit that was somewhere in between what you like and what Hannah likes. That way you’d both be comfortable.”

  “But Hannah said I could choose whatever I wanted. She said I was in charge of the fashion decisions.” Ruby was starting to pout.

  He touched her cheek. “You are. But Hannah isn’t going to have much fun if you choose something for her that she’s not very comfortable in, is she?”

  Ruby’s forehead puckered into a deep frown as she thought it through. “No more pink?” she asked after a long moment.

  “Maybe a little less pink.”

  “No more frills?”

  He held his thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “Just a few, not too many.”

  Ruby finally nodded. “Okay. If you think it will make Hannah more comfortable.”

  “I do.”

  A martial light in her eye, Ruby disappeared into the change rooms. A few seconds later, she reappeared with a pile of dresses in her arms. Hannah trailed after her, looking both confused and relieved.

  “You don’t want me to try them on anymore?”

  “I’ve decided that maybe you should pick something. So I know what you like,” Ruby said.

  “Ruby, honestly, whatever you want is fine with me,” Hannah said.

  Ruby darted Joe a hopeful look, but he shook his head subtly. Ruby sighed. “No, it’s better this way. Let’s look around together.”

  Ruby looked to him again and he gave her a thumbs-up. She smiled. Then she slid her hand into Hannah’s and led her into the ladies’ department.

  “Maybe we should look at the trousers,” Ruby said.

  Joe hung back for a moment, smiling at his daughter’s handling of the situation. Just before they disappeared amongst the clothing racks, Hannah glanced over her shoulder. For a second their gazes met and held. Then the moment was gone and he’d lost sight of her behind a display of coats.

  Hands shoved into the back pockets of his jeans, he started after them.

  “WHAT ABOUT THESE? You’d look great in these,” Ruby said.

  Hannah surveyed the white jeans the girl was holding up. Sequins and embroidery glittered under the shop lights. They were the kind of jeans Mariah Carey might wear, dripping with bling and sex appeal.

  Dear God. Was this morning never going to end? She felt as though she’d been ushered into her own personal version of hell.

  “Wow. They’re…great,” Hannah said.

  She’d hesitated just a moment too long. Ruby’s bottom lip pouted. “You don’t like them.” It wasn’t a question.

  “But you do, sweetie, and I’m happy to wear them if you love them,” Hannah said. Especially if it meant she got out of wearing one of the microdresses Ruby had been keen on initially and it meant this shopping expedition was over.

  “No, you have to be comfortable,” Ruby insisted stubbornly. “Daddy said you have to be happy, too.”

  Hannah frowned. “When did he say that?”

  “Before, while you were in the change room. He said you didn’t like pink and that you wouldn’t have fun if you had to wear something you didn’t like.”

  Hannah was nonplussed. How on earth had Joe picked up on her reluctance? She’d thought she’d been turning in an Academy Award-winning performance yet he’d been perceptive enough to register her discomfort. Further, he’d taken steps to remedy the situation.

  “Come on, let’s take a look around some more,” Ruby said, not giving Hannah a moment to dwell on the realization.

  They found the navy linen pants in the corner. Wide-legged, they featured a cute row of buttons across the
front, giving them a stylized nautical appeal. Hannah pulled them from the rack and considered them briefly before putting them back. They were way too plain for Ruby’s flamboyant taste.

  Her pint-size shopping companion stepped forward and took the pants off the rack again.

  “Let’s try these on,” she said.

  Even Hannah was surprised by how good she looked and felt in the beautifully tailored pants. They made her butt look high and firm and were so long she’d have to have them taken up a little, a rarity indeed for a five-foot-eleven-inch woman. She stepped out of the changing room feeling good, a sensation that only intensified when she saw the look on Joe’s face. His gaze went straight to her legs, lingered around her hips and thighs, then finally made it to her face.

  “Okay?” she asked, smoothing a hand down her hip.

  “Ah, yeah. You could say that.”

  He could have just been being polite, but she didn’t think so. There was something in his eyes as he looked at her, something dark and intense…

  The day was a downhill run once the pants had been given the thumbs-up by all parties. The moment they stepped into the children’s department Ruby spotted a cute sailor dress in navy and white, complete with matching hat. Given the nautical feel of Hannah’s trousers, it was love at first sight. Another hour was spent looking for a shirt to complete Hannah’s outfit, then matching shoes for both her and Ruby. By the time Hannah was ready to pay for her share of the booty, she felt as though she’d run a marathon.

  “This shopping business is exhausting,” she said in an aside to Joe as they waited to be served.

  “Tell me about it. And she’s not even a teenager yet.”

  His tone was wry but the expression on his face was indulgent. Hannah felt an odd squeeze in her chest as she looked at him.

  He was a nice man. They’d gotten off to a bad start, but now that she knew him a little better she understood that while he might be taciturn sometimes and stubborn as all hell, Joe Lawson had a big heart and a fierce determination to do right by his kids. Coupled with his undeniable physical attractions, he was a pretty compelling package.

  She ducked her head and fished in her wallet for her credit card, thrown by her own thoughts. She wasn’t interested in packages, compelling or otherwise. She was heartbroken, angry, bitter.

  Right?

  She slid her credit card from its slot and held it in readiness as the cashier began to key in her sale.

  “Uh-uh. No way. I’m getting this,” Joe said.

  “What? No, you’re not buying me clothes.”

  “Hannah, come on. You’ve already given up your Saturday for Ruby, and I saw the look on your face when you tried on those high heels. You’re never going to wear them once the fashion parade is over.”

  “I might. I might go out to dinner one night or something. I’m not a complete scruff, you know.”

  “Nobody called you a scruff.”

  “Yeah, but you were thinking it.”

  He waited a beat before responding. “You have no idea what I’m thinking.”

  There was a low, slightly rough note to his voice and she jerked her head up and caught the intent look in his eyes again. Her heart did an odd little two-step. She suddenly felt overheated, as though she’d been working over a hot engine for too long.

  While she was staring at him like a landed fish he reached out and plucked the credit card from her fingers.

  “Hey!”

  “You can have it back afterward.”

  She protested some more, but he was immovable, and afterward he insisted on buying her and Ruby an ice cream each, as well. Only then did he hand her credit card back to her.

  “You were born about five centuries too late, you know that?” she grumbled as she put the card back in her wallet. “You need some serfs and peasants and whatnot to boss around.”

  “Shut up and eat your ice cream,” he said mildly.

  Ruby sucked in a shocked breath at his deliberate rudeness then pressed her fingers over her mouth to smother a giggle. Hannah couldn’t stop the smile curving her mouth, either. She knew it would only encourage him in the mistaken belief that he knew best, but she couldn’t seem to help it. He grinned back at her. It was the most relaxed she’d ever seen him, the deep lines by his mouth not so obvious, his big body loose.

  “I’ll just leave the money in your mailbox,” she said.

  “Then I’ll give it back to you.”

  “I don’t think you have any idea how determined I can be when I put my mind to it.”

  “I have a fair idea. And I guarantee you I’m more stubborn.”

  “There’s no need to sound so proud of it.”

  “Oh, I’m not. I know it’s a curse. Sometimes it stops me from being gracious when I really should be.”

  Hannah paused mid-bite, her gaze locking with his. His blue eyes were dancing with mischief and challenge.

  “If you think being called ungracious will shame me into giving in, you’ve got another think coming. I’ve been ungracious all my life,” she said.

  “I bet.”

  She choked out a laugh, couldn’t help herself. She pointed her ice cream at him.

  “You want to wear this?”

  He simply quirked an eyebrow as if to say “I dare you.” Hannah stared at him, unable to stop smiling, sorely tempted to follow through with her threat.

  “Dad? Don’t we have to pick up Ben at one o’clock?”

  Hannah blinked, suddenly aware that they were in the middle of the food court, people brushing past them, Ruby watching them quizzically.

  “That’s right. We do, don’t we? Thanks for the reminder, sweetheart.”

  Joe moved away from Hannah then and the loss of his attention and charm was like the sun disappearing behind a cloud. Hannah blinked, then gave herself a firm shake.

  What is wrong with you?

  But she had a fair idea, although she didn’t want to acknowledge it. Her life was complicated and messy enough without adding any new problems to the mix.

  And Joe Lawson was definitely a problem—a big, broad, tall one.

  “HANNAH, YOU NEED TO SIT still or I’ll never get this done.”

  Joe hid a smile at the frustrated note in Robyn’s voice. She’d volunteered to help both Hannah and Ruby with their hair for the fashion parade, but he figured she’d planned on working on a serene, calm model and not the fidgety, nervous recalcitrant in the chair.

  “You’ve been at it for hours. Surely it’s done now? You didn’t spend this long on Ruby’s hair,” Hannah said.

  “That’s because I didn’t move around so much,” Ruby said.

  Hannah’s mom had curled Ruby’s hair so that it sat in fat spirals on her shoulders. Once she donned her sailor’s hat she was going to look exactly like Shirley Temple, minus the dimples.

  Joe watched her, enjoying the light in her eyes and her air of suppressed excitement. By hook or by crook, he’d managed to ensure she took part in the parade. It felt like a minor victory.

  In the week since their shopping expedition, Ruby had disappeared before dinner most nights. Each time he’d had to collect her from the Napiers’ garage where the Thunderbird was now spread in all its many parts on the sheet. He found it not a little baffling that his daughter could be so interested in fashion and dolls yet revel so much in getting dirty alongside Hannah. Maybe, as his mother said, Ruby was simply exploring different aspects of herself, trying on the mantle of tomboy for a while without completely forgoing her love of sparkles and frills. Lately she’d taken to wearing jeans more, and he’d dodged more than one not-so-subtle suggestion that her wardrobe would never be truly complete without her own leather jacket. Biker style, naturally.

  Joe glanced at Hannah’s profile as she submitted to a final blast of hair spray. He wondered what she thought of her little shadow, whether she’d noticed Ruby’s hero worship or not. His gut told him no. She was completely unaware of the power and appeal of her own personality. No doubt she thoug
ht that Ruby was simply a little mechanic in the making.

  “All right. That’s your hair done,” Robyn announced.

  “Thank God.”

  Hannah stood, shaking her head as though she could shake off the last few minutes.

  “Don’t do that! The pins will come out!”

  Hannah’s mother sounded so exasperated Joe grinned.

  “Sorry. Can we go now?” Hannah asked.

  “I guess I could put on the rest of your makeup at the school,” her mother said, starting to pack things away into a hefty-looking makeup bag.

  “I was kind of thinking I could wear some mascara and lipstick,” Hannah said. “Let the clothes do all the talking, you know.”

  “Well, you were thinking wrong, weren’t you?” Robyn said crisply.

  Hannah rolled her eyes and Ruby giggled. Joe figured it was time to step in.

  “How about we start loading up the car?” he suggested.

  An hour later, he stood in the audience beside Robyn, waiting for Ruby to have her moment in the sun. His slim-line digital camera was tucked into his front pocket, and he was under strict instructions from Ruby to take lots of photos. Ben shuffled restlessly at Joe’s side as he checked the camera battery one last time.

  “How long is this going to take? Do we have to stay for the whole thing?”

  Joe took pity on him and gave him some money to buy a drink and something to eat from the refreshments table at the rear of the school gym. When he turned back to the runway, he noticed Robyn was twisting and turning the bracelet on her wrist, her gaze darting back and forth between the clock on the wall and the curtained-off area behind the runway.

  “They’re running late, aren’t they?” Robyn said. She sounded worried.

  “I’m no expert, but I’m guessing that with that many women and only a limited number of mirrors there’s a pileup.”

  Robyn didn’t so much as crack a smile at his small joke.

  “I hope everything goes okay. Hannah needs something to boost her confidence,” she said. “She took such a blow when the wedding was called off….”

  Joe couldn’t hide his surprise. “Hannah was engaged?”