Page 29 of A Curvy Wonderland

I nodded, reaching for the little barrettes that had Christmas ornaments on the end. “How was volunteering the last couple of days?” I asked. It was the closest we’d gotten to the topic of Eldan, even though I was so curious to know what he’d been like without me there. Was he unaffected by what happened?

“Fun, but...” Her sentence trailed off, and my silly heart wanted her to say Eldan had missed me. That he wasn't the same when I wasn't around. But those were romantic thoughts fueled by years of romantic Christmas movies, not real life.

Tatum finished, “We missed you.”

My eyes stung with unshed tears. Because that was what was important, right? The girls I babysat, not the boy I was only beginning to know? I'd let myself get distracted by what I thought was my first love.

So I promised myself that tonight, I would focus on Tatum and Lucy and their enjoyment of the evening while setting aside worries about myself and Eldan.

With a renewed spirit, we finished getting ready. Tatum even helped me put in my hair accessory. When I strapped on my heels, I almost felt like Cinderella in my glass slippers.

Tatum looked up at me. “You look like a Princess.”

I smiled at us in the mirror. The dress accentuated the curves in my chest, and flowed out, giving me a beautiful shape. The A-line skirt reached midway down my calves, giving a peekaboo of my dark legs. It was divine.

I loved that an eight-year-old could picture me as royalty. The world of body positivity had some so far, and I was lucky to be a part of it.

I smiled at both of us, tucking her under my arm, and said “Are you excited for the party?”

She nodded happily.

We left the bathroom and then met Delilah and Lucy where they were waiting for us in the living room.

Delilah covered her mouth, moisture pooling in her dark eyes. “You girls arestunning.”

Tatum ran up to her mom, giving her a hug and saying, “Thank you.”

I smiled and thanked her too. She reached out, grabbing my hand, and said, “You are like a daughter to me, and I just wanted to tell you how amazing it has been to have you as an example of a strong, kind young woman for my girls to look up to.”

Now my eyes were stinging again. “If you keep being nice to me, I'm going to cry.”

She laughed. “Okay, well, enough of that. Let’s get going!”

We could have walked, but since we were all dressed up, we rode in Delilah's car to Emerald Acres. Since it was set on a hilltop, you could look down over our sleepy little town and see all the streetlights, houses with their lights on and those decorated with Christmas lights, smoke puffing up from the chimneys. It was beautiful, like something out of a storybook.

Yet a sinking feeling settled in my chest, because I lived in the storybook town, and had this fairytale dress on, but I wasn’t getting my happily ever after.

I reminded myself to focus on the happy thoughts instead, of the girls having this dream party recognizing their hard work.

It really was amazing that two young girls had skipped over a lot of the Christmas fun and so unselfishly and happily committed to this charity. They didn’t whine or complain—they were content just to help other people. That might have been the most beautiful thing about them. Although, they did look adorable in their Christmas dresses as we got out of the car, ready for the party to begin.

The four of us followed a path lit by twinkle lights, frozen mulch crunching under our heels as we approached the café, lit up like a beacon atop the hill.

I followed behind the three of them, wishing so much that their dad could be here to celebrate with us. He’d be so proud of them—especially because he was all about giving back and serving others.

I got out my phone so I could take lots of pictures and show him when he returned. The camera was rolling when they opened the door to the café.

Dozens people inside began clapping. My lips parted as I took it all in, panning the camera over Eldan and his parents, some of the people that we had helped over the last week and a half, and of course, the four of us.

Despite there being several people in the room, my camera view lingered a little bit longer on Eldan.

He wore a forest green suit that perfectly contrasted his pale skin and brought out the green in his eyes. His dark, wavy hair with his outfit made him look like a prince from one of the fairy tale books I read to the girls.

He held my gaze for a moment, but I broke at first. It hurt too much, knowing I’d thought I’d had a chance with him and been completely, utterly, wrong.

Going back to my original plan, I refocused on the girls. Tatum held her mom’s hand while Lucy lit up and twirled like the star of the show, making everyone chuckle.

I hadn't noticed it before, but Eldan had been standing by a small speaker and microphone setup. His voice rang clearly over the speakers as he said, “Thank you for helping me welcome our guests of honor. We couldn't have made this charity a success without their help. Now that everyone has arrived, please help yourself to the hot cocoa bar and cookies.”

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