Page 121 of Hello Stranger

“But he had his secretary add it to his calendar.”

“Make her un-add it.”

“But I’ve already bought an outfit.”

“I feel like you’re not listening. You’re not invited. If you show up, I will call security and have you forcibly removed.”

“You wouldn’t do that,” Lucinda said

And then before I had a chance to sayWatch me,she lifted up a shopping bag I hadn’t noticed in her hand and held it out to me.

“What’s this?”

“Open it.”

I looked between Lucinda and the bag. Finally, curiosity beat out hesitation. I walked to my art table and set the bag there so I could reach inside.

And what I pulled out made me gasp.

It was pink fabric with appliquéd flowers.

I held my breath for a few minutes, was afraid to even hope…

“Is this…” I said, just holding it and staring.

Lucinda waited for me to finish the question.

But I just started over. “Is this…?”

I loosened my grip so the fabric could unfurl, and then I had my answer.

It was.

“It’s the dress!” I said. It was so impossible, I turned to Lucinda. “Is it the dress? From the hospital that night?”

“It is,” Lucinda said.

“But how?” I said, still staring at it in disbelief. “I thought it was destroyed.”

“After I left your room, I went looking for it.” She paused, then said, “What’s the expression? I went ‘full Karen’ on that hospital. I even demanded to see the manager.”

“I don’t think going full Karen is a good thing,” I said.

“It worked, though. Didn’t it?”

I marveled at the dress. “I thought it had been incinerated.”

“Five more minutes, and it would’ve been.”

I walked over to the mirror on the closet door to hold it up in front of myself.

“It’s not the same,” Lucinda said next. “There are a few dark spots where the wine stains wouldn’t come out. We were able to reweave some of the shredded fabric, but not all of it—so the fit may be more snug.”

I felt like I’d never been so astonished. “You did this?”

“Lord, no. I took it to a tailor.”

“But…” I didn’t fully understand what was happening. “You saved it.”

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