Page 47 of Savannah Sweethearts

“I need to thank you for what you did back there. Not many people would stand up for Maggie like that.” I cleared my throat and shoved my hands in my pockets. My palms were sweaty and my stomach was in knots.

"She’s a person, not a pet. She deserves respect. I’m sorry if I got out of hand.” Piper’s doe eyes met mine and she tucked her hair behind her ears.

It’s just a crush, AO. And only because she was nice to your sister. You do not want to kiss Piper Campbell. You’re co-workers. Nothing can happen. Stop imagining what her lips taste like. I bet they taste like raspberries. I have no reason for thinking that, aside from it would be perfect if she tasted like raspberries. Stop it, AO!

“Oh, geez, I went too far, didn’t I?” Piper’s eyes grew larger and she rubbed her hands back and forth.

Pulling myself away from thinking about her lips, I had to reassure her. “No, no. I think you were amazing. That woman needed to be educated. And saying you would do a story - actually, that’s a decent idea. We should pitch it.”

My stammering was cut short by Maggie coming out in a royal blue dress that hit her mid-calf. Spinning around for us, she smiled from ear to ear. “What do you think?”

Nothing could make me stop thinking about kissing Piper like seeing my sister look so lovely. “Oh, Mags, you look great. I think that’s a winner.” My heart burst to see her so happy.

I looked to Piper for her input. But instead of looking pleased, her mouth was twisted to the side. “Um, it’s nice. But I really think you need to try on the pink one before deciding.”

I was about to have words with Piper for popping Maggie’s bubble, but I was surprised when Maggie agreed.

“Yeah, I like this one, but I think the pink will show my curves better.”

“Maggie!”

My sister eyed me. “Flaunt it if you got it, right?” And with that, she disappeared into the dressing room again.

The second she was out of sight we began to laugh hysterically. “Where did she learn that?” Piper swiped the tears from under her eyes.

“I have no idea. Abuela would tan my hide if she knew Maggie said that.” I shook my head. I refused to see my baby sister as a sexual being, ability difference aside. No brother wanted his sister to flaunt her curves.

“Don’t worry. the pink one is more princessy. But I think it will flatter her more and be a better length.” Piper sighed.

“Thank you for being here. You have no idea how much it means to Maggie.” I scratched my head, sure I was making my wild curls even frizzier.

“It might seem shallow to you, but back in Richmond I volunteered as a pageant coach for inner-city girls. Mostly just school pageants, but it gave them a sense of self-confidence and poise. One girl used what she learned to ace her college entrance interview and got a scholarship to Harvard.”

The more I spent time with Piper the more I learned about her and liked what I discovered. “That’s amazing. I never thought about pageants preparing girls for interviews.”

“Girls learn etiquette, poise, interview skills, and how to promote themselves in a world that doesn’t always see their worth. Especially minority and differently-abled girls. I loved working with them.” Piper looked off into the distance and looked genuinely happy.

The dressing room door opened again and Maggie came out in a pale pink gown. Piper had been right, this one suited her much more. Maggie’s waist was small, but the skirt was full and didn’t show off all that many curves. The neckline was different and Maggie looked more comfortable than she had with the strapless dress.

“Oh, yes. Maggie, that’s the one.” Piper clapped her hands together.

The store attendant came out with the other dresses in her hand. “That’s what she said, too. I’m putting the rest of these back.” She slipped away.

Tears welled up in Maggie’s eyes and she was visibly choked up.

My mind immediately went into high alert. “What’s wrong, Mags?”

She couldn’t speak. I stood up and looked from her to Piper. Piper was teared up as well.

Piper took my hand in hers to calm me. “She loves it so much she’s speechless, Alonso. They’re good tears.”

Utter confusion tore through my head. I was panicked for my sister who wasn’t actually panicked. And my hand was being warmed by the heat from Piper’s hand. My body was in overload and it took a moment to come back to my senses.

I turned back to my sister. She nodded. “I. Love. It.” Her words were broken up by smiling sobs.

My hand was still in Piper’s. Did she realize she still held me? I didn’t move, didn’t breathe for fear of her taking her hand away. Should I grip her hand in return? My pinkie twitched and I felt that jolt I had felt before when we had occasionally touched. Piper’s hand leaped back as if burned and she tucked it under her thigh.

The saleswoman reappeared with a smile. “And?”

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