Page 91 of Spark

“Huh?” Mia had never worn anything without one. “I can’t.”

“You will be fine,” the woman assured with another wink. “Trust me.”

Mia shrugged and unsnapped her bra, setting it on her folded clothes. She slid the dress over her head; the silky-smooth fabric was cool on her skin. The dress had a slit up one side that was mostly hidden by the folds of the falling fabric, but it let Mia move freely.

“Beautiful,” the woman praised. “Let’s show those boys.”

Mia followed her out, stepping onto a little platform and twirling. There was silence behind her. The woman moved around her diligently, tucking fabric around her ankles and marking the hem.

Mia chanced a glance behind her; all three brothers were gawking. “What?”

“Holy shit, bug.” Matty’s face broke into a huge smile. “You are fucking beautiful!”

“Well, gee, thanks for noticing,” she said sarcastically, catching Melvin’s eye.

His eyes were sad, and his face formed a soft smile. “Dad would have loved you in that.” The other brothers nodded their heads in agreement.

Mia turned away; she didn’t want to cry again. “Thanks,” she softly murmured, her back to them.

They all waited in silence while the woman pinned a new hem and measured the rest of Mia, making sure the dress fit just right. Mia decided the sleeves were too long, so she asked if they could be changed to three-quarter sleeves.

“Sure; that’s easy enough,” the woman said as Mia handed her the dress after redressing in her regular jeans and band shirt.

“With both alterations and the cost of the dress itself…” the woman started, eyes on her computer screen and typing lightly. “…that will be $1,439.76.”

Mia’s eyes widened in shock; she did not have that kind of money. “Uh, any chance I can pay at pick up?”

“Sure.” The woman gave her a smile.

Mia’s brothers looked at one another uncomfortably. “Mia,” Melvin said. “We can pay for it.”

“No.” She put a hand up. “I’ll figure it out.”

“You can pick it up and have your final fitting…” The woman looked at her calendar. “…Friday at four pm. Does that work for you?”

“Yes,” Mia said, making a mental note of it. “And I will have the money for you then.

“Sounds wonderful, dear.” The woman nodded politely to them as they exited the shop.

Mia did not know how, but she would find a way to get the money and buy the dress or go to graduation naked.

Chapter Twenty-Nine

Tuesday passed with no word from Aurelio, and Mia was beginning to worry. Melvin asked her once about it, and she found a way to brush it off. She also reached out to Mac, but there was no word from him either. Oliver had also been noticeably absent, with no boots pounding down the hall or any accidental encounters.

On Tuesday night, Mia’s brothers decided to head to the movies, eager to get out of the loft. Mia wasn’t feeling it and chose to stay home. She was curled on the couch, watching some show about teens becoming parents when her phone rang. She jumped, grabbing and answering it without looking at who it was.

“Hello?”

“Mia, Detective Daniels,” greeted a soothing voice. “I was calling to give you an update on the break-in.”

“Oh, yeah.” Mia scrambled to turn the volume down on the TV, sitting up on the couch.

“Yes. So, the officers who swept the scene pulled some prints. We were able to get a couple matches, and I need to sitdown with you to figure out who would be in and out of your apartment so we can rule them out.”

Mia nodded to herself. “Sure; when is a good time?”

“Could you come down to the station tomorrow, say, nine?”

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