Page 104 of Dropping the Ball

Mom raises her eyebrows. “As if this warehouse weren’t field trip enough.”

“Mom,” I say, a note of warning.

She sighs. “All right. Shotgun. That’s how you call it, right? For the front seat?”

“Yes, Mom,” I say, grinning. It’s such an out-of-character thing for her to say. And when I settle into the backseat beside Harper, I grin again. “Ha, I win.”

Mom glances back and scowls. “Ohhh, you.”

“We’re going about a mile down the road, Madison. Take a left out of the parking lot. We’re headed to Montopolis, girls.”

“That’s certainly a change of scenery,” Mom says. Madison and I both ignore her judgy tone.

A few minutes later, we’re parking in front of Lidia Perez’s house. “Here’s the other part I didn’t tell you yesterday. Maheen Sultana has a visa issue and didn’t make it here with the dresses.”

“We need to call Doug—”

“He’s already working on it, Madi. In the meantime, her assistant Aleina made it without a problem. When I tried to book with Vania for a fitting, I was informed there was no way for us to get in.”

“Did you talk to—”

“Yes, Mom. The owner said our gala has them tied up. But I’d heard about Lidia through Micah, and she agreed to work me in on short notice. Aleina and I came over Wednesday and did a fitting. Aleina supervised, and she’s pleased. She feels Maheen would be comfortable with Lidia’s skills. Now I want you to see for yourselves. If Maheen’s documents don’t clear in time, we will still have beautiful gowns. Are you ready?”

“I suppose,” Mom says in a tone that couldn’t be more doubtful.

Madison rubs her forehead like she’s fighting off a headache. “Let’s go see.”

A few minutes later, Mom and Madison are settled in the armchairs with Harper sleeping in her baby seat at Madi’s feet. Aleina, it turns out, has been adopted since Thanksgiving and informed she will be staying in the Perez guest room untilMaheen is in town, so she’s in the shop to supervise as well. I slip around the screen to put on the waiting dress, and when I walk out, Madison gasps and Mom’s eyebrows go up.

I step up on the stool in front of the three-way mirror, and I’m even more taken with the dress now that it’s tucked and pinned for the perfect fit.

“It’s incredible,” Madi breathes.

“You’re a goddess,” Mom declares. “Maheen is a genius.”

Aleina inclines her head in appreciation. “She will be pleased to hear you feel this way. Mrs. Perez is very talented too. She understands the fabric and the body.”

Mom gets up to inspect more closely, eyeing the pin placement, rounding me slowly. “It’s excellent work.”

Miss Lidia nods, a courteous smile on her face, but the verdict doesn’t surprise her.

“Would you like to see your gowns?” I ask.

“Yes,” Madison cries, and it startles Harper into a squeak. “Oh, sorry, baby, Mama has you. Let’s see Grandma’s first.” But as Madison loosens the straps on Harper’s carrier, Isa appears and crouches beside the baby seat.

“I’ll handle it,” Isa says. “Enjoy the dresses. I have two thousand baby cousins.”

Madison looks at me for reassurance.

“I don’t know. Wednesday, she told us five hundred.”

Aleina smiles. “After meeting them yesterday, I believe today’s count is correct.”

Madison gives Isa a nod, and they both turn their attention to Aleina, who goes to the garment bag and pulls out Mom’s dress.

Mom gasps and Madi and I ooh as she brings it to us, holding it up for us to examine. It’s plain black crepe in a gentle trumpet silhouette, sleeveless with a boat neckline. Instead of sleeves, a sheer black floor-length cape is attached at the shoulders,dripping with sequins and beading that spill down, gradually becoming sparser as they near the floor.

“Beautiful,” Mom says. “It may need minor adjustments, but the size looks right. This is a good silhouette for me. Tell Maheen it’s lovely.”

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