Page 30 of Love Redesigned
“Yes. Perfect,” I said. “You look great. Not that it matters. You could show up in yoga pants and Reese would still think you look fab.”
“Reese? Yes,” she said with a cheesy grin. “My mother? That’s another story.”
I looked toward the bedroom door. “Your mother has been alone in our living room for a very long time,” I said. “Should we check on her?”
“I’m ready anyway,” Paige said. “You sure you don’t want to come to dinner with us?”
“Positive,” I said. “You guys have fun.”
A week later, Paige was home on a rare weeknight, her employers out of town, for once, without her. I’d made her try on the dress again, so I could adjust the way the lace hung along the bottom hem. It was also possible I was having a hard time relinquishing my sewing needle.
“Dani, seriously. One more quarter-inch adjustment isn’t going to make a difference. It’s perfect. You have to stop.” Paige stood in front of the full-length mirror I’d hauled from my bedroom out to the living room, turning this way and that, admiring the dress from every angle.
“Just stand still for two seconds and let me fix this one spot,” I said.
She huffed. “Fine. Two seconds. That’s all you get.”
“Where did the Hoffmans head off to this week?” I asked her.
“They’re on a cruise, I think. Somewhere in the Caribbean.”
“Seriously? And they didn’t want you to come along?”
“I’ve heard the childcare on cruises is available something like twenty-four hours a day. I guess they figured if the boat is providing it for free, why pay to bring me along?” Paige said.
“Yeah, because the Hoffmans are definitely hurting for cash.”
She scoffed. “Ha. True. Whatever their reason, I’m not complaining. I haven’t spent two nights in a row with Reese in months. The next few days are going to be bliss.”
“You’re not with him now, though. Is that my fault?”
“No, he’s working. But he finishes his shift in an hour, so, you know, don’t dawdle back there.” She looked over her shoulder, angling her head to try and see what I was doing.
“Stop moving!” I tugged on the dress. “Unless you plan on walking down the aisle leaning sideways. I just need this hem to hang evenly.”
She sighed a dramatic sigh. “What if the Hoffmans took a different nanny on the cruise?”
I stood up straight. “What? Why would they do that?”
“Because I’m getting married. And they need to replace me, and maybe this is like a trial run.”
“So you’re for sure quitting after the wedding then?”
“Yeah, I have to,” she said. “It’s hard to give up the pay, but the commute from Reese’s place would kill me.”
“So what then, you’ll teach?” I dropped my pin cushion onto my sewing table. “You’re done,” I told her. “It’s perfect.”
“Probably. I mean, it’s about time I use the degree I paid for, right?”
I sank onto the arm of the couch. “The Hoffmans have been good to you. But I’m excited that you’re moving on. It’s fun to imagine you in your own classroom somewhere.”
My phone rang, interrupting our conversation. I looked around. “Do you see my phone anywhere?”
Paige picked it up from the sewing table. “It’s Sasha. You want it?”
“Really? What on earth doessheneed?” As demanding as my boss was during business hours, she wasn’t one to typically take her work home. For her to reach out to me this late was weird.
I stood and quickly crossed the room, answering the phone before it went to voicemail. “Hello?”
